Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

2023

  • Work on this object began.

2024

2025

2026

  • You found it!

Photograph, Lindsey Kiene cutting leather panels to make an NFL football

This is a Photograph. It was photographed by Christopher Payne and subject: Wilson Sporting Goods.

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from Christopher Payne as part of Made in America: The Industrial Photography of Christopher Payne.

It is dated 2023. Its medium is digital pigment print. It is a part of the Exhibitions department.


Four leaf-shaped panels will be sewn together to create the oblong, aerodynamic shape of the NFL football, which is slightly larger than a standard football. The leather is stamped to give it a pebbled texture for better grip.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 134.6 × 101.6 cm (53 × 40 in.) H x W (framed dimensions): 139.7 × 106.7 cm (55 × 42 in.)

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/2318812225/ |title=Photograph, Lindsey Kiene cutting leather panels to make an NFL football |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=7 January 2026 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>