RJR Fashion Fabrics and Jinny Beyer
Discovery 1492
1992
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Physical Qualities
Cotton, 79-3/4 x 44-1/2 in. (202.6 x 113.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Anita E. Jones, Baltimore
Object Number
1992.302
What are the consequences of exploring outer space? Designed in 1992, this printed textile commemorates the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas and compares his journey to space travel. It also reveals the social and ecological injustice of territorial expansion.
Sailing ships and compasses surround a racist illustration of a Native American man kneeling before Columbus, who brought diseases, oppression, and environmental destruction to places he traveled across the Atlantic World. Nearby, the American flag on the moon and NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery complete a contemporary voyage. Consider the social and environmental impacts of space exploration that humans have yet to reconcile, from the non-renewable resources required for travel to the international politics of governing outer space.
Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1992; Anita E. Jones, Baltimore, MD by purchase by 1992; Alexander Blank Fabrics & Design, Lutherville, MD
'RJR FASHION FABRICS introduces1492 DISCOVERY 1992 designed by Jinny Beyer,' a 20 page booklet with b & w and color illustrations of this line of fabrics and instructions for making quilts from them.
Inscribed: Printed in black five times down left hand selvage: ''DISCOVERY 1492' A Commemorative Design by Jinny Beyer for RJR FASHION FABRICS'; Printed on ribbon under compass eight times within the design '1492 DISCOVERY 1992'.
