Toynbee tile
Object number2016.97.2
Artist
Unknown
MediumLinoleum/Adhesive/Stone/Bitumen cement/Wood/Metal
Credit LineGift of City of Pittsburgh
DescriptionTile made of layered inlaid linoleum set into block of black asphalt concrete pavement.DimensionsWith wood frame: Height 6.25, Width 20.625, Depth 15;Without wood frame: Height 6.25, Width 18.75, Depth 13.125.
InscriptionsTile has inlaid brown linoleum text "HOUSE OF HADES / ONE MAN VERSUS / AMERICAN MEDIA / IN SOCIETY '2012".
Historical NotesToynbee Tile taken from Smithfield Street and an example of self-taught, folk, or outsider art. The tile was taken out of the ground near Smithfield Street and Oliver Avenue. Toynbee tiles have been cropping up in cities around the world since the 1980s and have even had a documentary film made about them called "Resurrect Dead." The artist is most likely based in the Philadelphia area as this is where they originated and most are found in the Philadelphia area. Many of the tiles are destroyed when cities repave roads, but the City of Pittsburgh cut the tiles out and donated them to the History Center. They have similar messages that frequently reference Arnold Toynbee, a British historian, and Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey."
On View
Not on view
Washington Flooring
Beaver Falls Art Tile Company, Ltd.
Beaver Falls Art Tile Company, Ltd.
