The Clarion (Fall 1991)

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THE CLAII\ION AMERICA'S FOLK ART MAGAZINE The Museum of American Folk Art New York City FALL 1991, Vol. 16, No. 3 $5.00

/0".


FRANK J. MIELE — representing —

gallery

Sylvia Alberts Sandra Berry Sally Cook Richard Gachot Josephine Graham George (Tom) Grant Stephen Huneck Jean Lipman Joe Little Creek Susan Powers Ed Rath Sophy P. Regensburg (estate) Brad Stephens David Stuart David Zeldis Malcah Zeldis Larry Zingale — also works by — William "Ned" Cartledge Uncle Jack Dey Charles Dieter James C. Litz Justin McCarthy Janet L. Munro Mattie Lou O'Kelley Mark Sabin Jack Savitsky Clarence Stringfield Inez Nathaniel Walker Floretta Emma Warfel — and original works in a 19th century style by — Hope Angier Gene Conley William R. Davis Robert L. Trotter 1262 Madison Avenue New York, N.Y. 10128 (212) 876-5775


STEVE MILLER • AMERICAN FOLK ART •

"The Art of the Weathervane" exhibition and sale of this unique American art form, October 1, 1991 until November 1, 1991

17 East 96th Street, New York, New York 10128 (212) 348-5219 Hours: 2:00 PM. to 6:00 PM. Tues. through Sat. & By Appointment


LAURA FISHER

Made by Mrs. Lois Feitsam, New Memphis, Illinois, ca. 1950

1050 Second Avenue, Gallery #57, New York, New York 10022(212)838-2596

New York City's largest, most exciting selection of:•Antique Quilts•Coverlets• Paisley Shawls•Beacon/Pendleton Blankets•Marseilles Spreads•Amish Buggy Shawls•Hooked Rugs• Vintage Decorative Accessories•American Folk Art•

Made by Mrs. John S. Baum, Ohio 1938

Homes, Sweet Homes

Exhibiting at


•Howard Finster• 44.4'41.01.$

WAGONS OF THE BIBLE, 1977. 25"X 50"

COCA-COLA BOTTLE, 1989 34"X 10 1/2" BIRDS, 1976, 16"X 24 1/2"

DEVIL'S VICE, 1988 17 1/2" X 17 1/2"

SAW THE WORLD COME TO AN END, 1977, 27 1/2"X 27 1/2"

Additional Works By: R.A. Miller J.B. Murray Valton Murray B.F. Perkins Jon Serl Jimmy Lee Sudduth Mose Tolliver

C.S. SINGER American Folk and Outsider Art 3340 Harvest Way + Marietta, Georgia 30062 + (404) 565-8263 Fall 1991

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Herrup &Wolfner

"Flying Horse" Weathervane Original paint over pine,in "as found" condition. Connecticut, c. 1890. L: 38" This fine example of rustic craftmanship transcends similar manufactured versions.

12 East 86th St., New York, N.Y. 10028

(212) 737-9051

Wednesday to Saturday 10-6, or by appointment.


RICCO/MARESCA

BILL TRAYLOR LIFE HIS ART•HIS

A freed slave, discovered in his 80's, hailed by Kay Larson of New York Magazine as "A striking example of genius." The definitive book of his work by Frank Maresca and Roger Ricco, authors of"American Primitive." Published Fall, 1991/Alfred A. Knopf Inc./208 pages, 144 color plates Including an interview with Charles Shannon, who discovered and preserved Bill Traylor's work./$50.00 u.s.,$67.00 CANADA 105 HUDSON STREET/NEW YORK, N.Y. 10013/212-219.2756


AMERICANA Saturday, October 26,1991 at 10 a.m.in Bolton, Massachusetts

John Ritto Penniman (American,1782-1841) Penniman Coat ofArms,c. 1830 oil on wood panel

Previews:October 23,2 to 5 p.m. October 24,2 to 8 p.m. October 25,2 to 8 p.m. October 26,8 to 9:30 a.m. Illustrated catalogue #1408 availablefor $20/$23.00 by mail,price list included. Forfurther infirmation, contact Stephen Fletcher at(508) 779-6241.

SKINNER 357 Main Street Bolton, MA 01740 (508)779-6241

Auctioneersand Appraisers ofAntiquesand Fine Art "..E1144\i/g1=

2 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116 (617)236-1700


Aarne Anton Karen J. Sobotka

AMERICAN PRIMITIVE GALLERY

212-966-1530

596 Broadway Suite 205 New York, N.Y. 10012

FIGURESIN FOLK ART

Mon.-Fri. 10-6 Sat. 12-6

SEPT 14T"-OCT 19T"

Wood Scarecrow with tin top hat. 50"h. • Raymond Coins— Stone Babydoll. 10"h. • Mannequin bust, painted wood. 14"h. • Raymond Coins — lAbod Figure. 17'h. • Silvio Zoratti —Joined Bust. 1011. • Raymond Coins— Stone Figure. 19"h. • Nude Wiaman. 13'h. • Jimmy Lee Sudduth — Painting on wood panel. 48"h x 5½'w.• Queen Anne Doll. I 1"h. • Ulysses Davis — carved Strongman. 11"h. • ka// /99/

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AMERICAN ANTIQUES & QUILTS

Pair of rare 19th-century covered cast iron urns, with elaborate handles and exceptional patina. Height:37 inches.

BLANCHE GREENSTEIN THOMAS K. WOODARD 835 Madison Avenue New York, N.Y. 10021 •(212) 988-2906 •

We are always interested in purchasing exceptional quilts Photographs returned promptly. Telephone responses welcome


THE CLARION ErM. 11

AMERICA'S FOLK ART MAGAZINE The Museum of American Folk Art New York City '

Volume 16, No. 3

FEATURES

CYNTHIA ELYCE RUBIN

SWISS FOLK ART

Fall 1991

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Celebrating America's Roots VANONI

45

King ofex voto Paintings JENNY SCHNEIDER

ENGADINE WALL POCKETS AND EMBROIDERY

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DENIS BUCHS

THE POYAS OfGRUYERE

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ERNEST MENOLFI AND

THE WISCONSIN SWISS: A PORTRAIT

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BAKING MOLDS IN LUCERNE

64

RURAL CALLIGRAPHY IN SWISS EVERYDAY LIFE

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LEO SCHELBERT

MARGARETE PFISTERBURKHALTER

HILDEGARD GANTNER-SCHLEE

DEPARTMENTS

SHELDON COLLINS

EDITOR'S COLUMN

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MINIATURES

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MUSEUM NEWS

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DIRECTOR'S LETTER

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BOOK REVIEWS

74

DEVELOPMENTS

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MAJOR DONORS

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NEW MEMBERSHIP

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INDEX TO ADVERTISERS 96 COVER: Detail, Scherenschnitt(scissorcutting); An original piece of Swiss papercutting, a traditional art that is still carried on today; designed and crafted by Susanne R.Cooke-Greuter in honor ofthe exhibition Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots.

The Clarion is published four times a year by the Museum of American Folk Art,61 West 62nd Street, NY,NY 10023,212/977-7170. Telecopier 212/977-8134. Annual subscription rate for members is included in membership dues. Copies are mailed to all members. Single copy $5.00. Published and copyright Š 1991 by the Museum of American Folk Art,61 West 62nd Street, NY, NY 10023. The cover and contents of The Clarion are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner without written consent. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Museum of American Folk Art. Unsolicited manuscripts or photographs should be accompanied by return postage. The Clarion assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage ofsuch materials. Change of Address: please send both old and new addresses and allow five weeks for change. Advertising: The Clarion accepts advertisements only from advertisers whose reputation is recognized in the trade, but despite the care with which the advertising department screens photographs and texts submitted by its advertisers, it cannot guarantee the unquestionable authenticity of objects or quality ofservices advertised in its pages or offered for sale by its advertisers, nor can it accept responsibility for misunderstandings that may arise from the purchase or sale of objects or services advertised in its pages. The Museum is dedicated to the exhibition and interpretation offolk art and feels it is a violation ofits principles to be involved in or to appear to be involved in the sale of works of art. For this reason,the Museum will not knowingly accept advertisements for The Clarion which illustrate or describe objects that have been exhibited at the Museum within one year of the placing of the advertisement.

Fall 1991

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Chuckie Williams, The Boys, 201/2 x 49 inches, house paint on composition cabinet door. Below, Shirley Temple, reverse side of the above painting. We are pleased to introduce the work of another exceptionally talented African-American artist from the South.

Robert Cargo

FOLK ART GALLERY Southern, Folk, and African-American Quilts Antiques•Folk Art 2314 Sixth Street, downtown Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401 Saturday 10:00-5:00, Sunday 2:00-5:00 Open weekends only and by appointment

205/758-8884 Home phone


MARTHAJACKSON Specializing in 19th and Early 20th Century Quilts

Exhibiting: Wendy's Park Avenue at 67th Street, New York City September 25-29, 1991

Formerly of Riverside, CT and Main Street Cellar, New Canaan,CT Vermont in-house showroom, beginning Fall of 91, By Appointment

Riverside Connecticut 06878 (203)637-2152

P.O. Box 430 Middlebury, Vermont 05753 (802)462-3152


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EDITO S COLUMN JACQUELINE M. ATKINS

THE CLARION Jacqueline M. Atkins, Editor and Publisher Ellen Blissman, Art Director Mell Cohen,Publications Associate Marilyn Brechner, Advertising Manager Hildegard 0. Vetter, Production Manager Craftsmen Litho,Printers Nassau Typographers, Typesetters

MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART

his year marks the 700th anniversary of the confederation of Switzerland, and the Museum of American Folk Art is proud to present an outstanding exhibition that focuses on the Swiss roots of many aspects of America's folk art. The exhibition includes a range of outstanding Swiss art objects, many of which have never before been seen in this country, as well as a selection ofsignificant American pieces that reflect a strong Swiss influence. "Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots" can be seen at the Museum's Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at Lincoln Square in New York City from September 26 through January 1, 1992. It is appropriate that America take part in recognizing the importance of this anniversary to its "Sister-Republik': as a Swiss acquaintance of Benjamin Franldin once called our country. The two countries share similarities in their political and constitutional frameworks, as well as a common European heritage that has added to the unique multicultural blend in America today. Swiss immigrants embraced our nation from the eighteenth century on, coming in substantial numbers and leaving their singular imprint in many regions and in a multitude of ways. The opportunity for religious freedom drew many of the early Swiss settlers and their beliefs are reflected in the arts that they passed on in the form offraktur, painted decoration, and objects such as bread and cake molds featuring designs imbued with ritual meaning. They also brought other traditional crafts with them, and Swissinfluenced pottery, furniture, and textiles continue to prove a delight to the eye today. The Clarion also honors both the ties between the two countries and the exhibition by devoting a special section in this issue to Swiss folk art and the Swiss in America. The material, collected by Cynthia Elyce Rubin,guest curator for the exhibition, not only serves as an introduction to Swiss folk art and gives a flavor of the heritage that runs deep in American folk art; it also provides background and context for many ofthe pieces in the exhibition. It is our hope that this issue will open the door to a relatively unknown area that you will fmd both stimulating and enlightening. It is perhaps appropriate that I close on another international note. With this issue,lain ending my editorship ofThe Clarion to take up residence in Japan for the coming year. Although it is with regret that I leave behind the enjoyment that The Clarion has brought,I am contemplating this move with excitement and anticipation. The Clarion will continue as the flagship folk art magazine under the able leadership of Rosemary Gabriel, who has now assumed responsibility as Editor and Publisher. I am sure that she can look forward to your support in the future, as I have over the past months. Sayonara!

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Administration Dr. Robert Bishop, Director Gerard C. Wertkin, Assistant Director Luanne Cantor, Controller Virginia Dillon, Assistant Controller Beverly McCarthy, Assistant to the Director Mary Ziegler, Administrative Assistant Sylvia Sinckler, Shop Accountant Maryann Warakomsld, Accountant Brent Erdy, Reception Luis Fernandez, Manager, Mailroom and Maintenance Collections & Exhibitions Ralph Sessions, ChiefCurator Alice J. Hoffman,Director ofExhibitions Ann-Marie Reilly, Registrar Karen S. Schuster,Director ofthe Eva and Morris Feld Gallery Catherine Fukushima,Assistant Gallery Director Stacy C. Hollander, Associate Curator/Lore Kann Research Fellow Lucille Stiger, Assistant Registrar Regina A. Weichert, Assistant Gallery Director/Education Coordinator Elizabeth V. Warren, Consulting Curator Mary Black, Consulting Curator Howard Lanser, Consulting Exhibition Designer Departments Beth Bergin, Membership Director Marie S. DiManno,Director ofMuseum Shops Susan Flamm,Public Relations Director Johleen D. Nester, Director ofDevelopment Edith C. Wise,Director ofLibrary Services Janey Fire,Photographic Services Chris Cappiello, Membership Associate Catherine Dunworth,Senior Development Associate David E. Gluck,Development Associate Programs Barbara W. Cate,Director, Folk ArtInstitute Lee Kogan, Assistant Director, Folk Art Institute/Senior Research Fellow Phyllis A. Tepper,Registrar, Folk ArtInstitute Dr. Marilyn Karp,Director, New York University Master's and Ph.D.Program in Folk Art Studies Dr. Judith Reiter Weissman, Coordinator, New York University Program Cathy Rasmussen,Director ofSpecial Projects Eugene P. Sheehy,Museum Bibliographer Katie Cochran Sobel, Coordinator, Docent Programs Howard P. Fertig, Chairman, Friends Committee Museum Shop Staff Managers: Dorothy Gargiulo, Caroline Hohenrath, Rita Pollitt; Mail Order: Vivian Adams, Coordinator: Diana Robertson; Volunteers: Marie Anderson, Laura Aswad, Judy Baker, Olive Bates, Marsha Becker, Jennifer Bigelow, Evelyn Chugerman, Sarah Cooper, Ann Coppinger, Sheila Coppinger, Lisa DeRensis, Sally Elfant, Annette Ellis, Tricia Ertman, Millie Gladstone, Elli Gordon,Inge Graff, Cyndi Gruber, Edith Gusoff, Carol Hauser, Lynne Hellman, Elizabeth Howe, Bonnie Hunt, Eileen Jear, Eleanor Katz, Nan Keenan, Teresa Lamb, Annette Levande, Arleen Luden, Priscilla Machold, Katie McAuliffe, Laura McCormick, Kathleen McNamara, Nancy Mayer, Theresa Naglack, Pat Fencer, Marie Peluso, Mary Rix, Julie Robinson, Frances Rojack, Phyllis Selnick, Lorraine Seubert, Myra Shaskan, Suzanne Shawe, Denise Siracusa, Lola Silvergleid, Susan Singer, Joan Sorich, Blair Sorrel, Maxine Spiegel, Doris Stack-Green, Sonya Stern, Mary Wamsley, Marian Whitley, Doris Wolfson.

MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART BOOK AND GIFT SHOPS 62 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10012 212/247-5611 Two Lincoln Square(Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th) New York, NY 10023 212/496-2966


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Carved and polychromed Indian squaw, circa 1880. 42" tall Examples by the same artist can be found in American Folk Art. page 259, by Robert Bishop.

Fred & Kathryn Giampletro • 203-787-3851 1531/2 Bradley St., New Haven, CT 06511


MINIATURES

Manhattan Quilters Guild "Quilts Move into the 21st Century': an exhibition of twenty-five quilts by contemporary artists that use abstract and figurative imagery to provide a broad range of processes in fiber art will be displayed from November 12 through December 28, 1991 at the City Gallery. This exhibit will feature the work of many of the quiltmakers whose work was included in the recent CMQUILTS exhibit at The Great American Quilt Festival 3. The exhibition is sponsored by the Empire State Arts Alliance and can be seen at City Gallery, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, 2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019, Tel. 212/974-1140.

DAR's Tribute to Quilter Garnhart On June 7, 1991, in celebration of the exhibition A Family Legacy:The Quilts ofCatherine Garnhart(1773-1860), the DAR Museum in Washington, D.C., sponsored a family reunion for her descendants. Approximately fifty members of the family,coming from North Carolina to Pennsylvania, attended. Anna Catherine Hummel Markey Garnhart of Frederick, Maryland, made the nine quilts displayed between 1820 and 1850. Also included in the exhibition were photos of three quilts in fragile condition and other objects owned or made by Catherine Garnhart. Each of her eleven grandchildren, and possibly one stepgrandchild, were the recipients of these prized creations. Garnhart made extensive use of reverse appliquĂŠ, a complex process of cutting away and sewing down the

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tion of duck decoy carving in California. The exhibition will show that duck decoys are not only a phenomenon of the Eastern United States, but that an important tradition of duck decoy carving also existed in California. The exhibition will present sixty examples of the major species of waterfowl hunted during this century, and decoy carving demonstrations by traditional carvers of "working" birds are scheduled. For information, Tel. 415/775-0990.

Fasanella's "Family Supper" Dedicated REVERSE APPLIQUE "EAGLE" QUILT; Catherine Garnhart; Frederick, MD;1840-1850; block-printed chintzes; 1063/4 x 104/ 1 2". Loan courtesy of Katherine and Mel Sharoky.

ground cloth to reveal the cloth underneath, in her quilts. The acknowledgment and appreciation of her skill as a quiltmaker is expressed by the exceptional care that has been taken of the quilts as they have been handed down through generations, and together the quilts made for a stunning exhibition.

A Quilters' Gathering The Eastcoast Quilters Alliance is hosting a Quilt Conference November 1-3, 1991, at Westford, Massachusetts. The conference will feature workshops with nationally known teachers, leCtures, exhibits of the contest quilt "Times of Our Lives' and many other special events. Reservations are required for the opening night banquet; daily admission is $4.00. For information send

SASE to Eastcoast Quilters Alliance, PO Box 771, Westford, MA 01886, or Tel. 508/256-2672 or 508/692-2857.

Duck Decoys Fly into Fort Mason Museum Through October 27, 1991, the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum presents The California Duck, an exhibition that will focus on the folk art tradi-

BOB WHITE DECOY-PINTAIL DUCK; Anonymous; Fairfield, CA area; mid-twentieth century; redwood and paint; lifesize. Courtesy SF Craft & Folk Art Museum.

FAMILY SUPPER; Ralph Fasanella; 1972; oil on canvas; 70 x 50". Courtesy Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

On May 16, 1991,the hmnigrant Family Labor Heritage Project welcomed hundreds of guests to the dedication of Ralph Fasanella's"Family Supper"in the Great Hall at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Fasanella's colorful canvas describes family life in a Manhattan tenement and is a powerful tribute to American immigrants of yesterday and today. The International Ladies Garment (Continued on page 18)

THE CLARION


A Pair of Wooden Kachinas Carved to Look Like Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Hopi, circa 1940. The dolls measure 6 inches tall by 2/ 1 2inches wide. Materials are kaolin and commercial pigments on cottonwood. All reproduction rights reserved by Joshua Baer & Company.

JOSHUA BAER & COMPANY ClassicAmerican Indian Art 116/ 1 2 EAST PALACE AVENUE

SANTA FE

505 988 - 8944

NEW MEXICO 87501


de it) AMERICAN FOLK AND OUTSIDER ART New Hours: TUES.-SAT. 11-6 6909 MELROSE AVENUE LOS ANGELES CA 90038 213.657.6369

DEBORAH BARRETT. THE CRESCENT MOON THEATER! MIXED MEDIA. 20"x19"

THE

AMES

GALLERY OF. AMERICAN

FOLK ART

2661 Cedar Street Berkeley, California 94708 415/845-4949 Bonnie Grossman Director

• We specialize in exceptional 18th-20th Century handmade objects. Our extensive selection of quilts, carved canes, tramp art, folk paintings and sculpture are available for viewing.

Of Pour Charity P.ay for th.- Sou[ Of Alial.i*ITCPIEPIE Who departed this Life AugusttOth 1868 Aged 39 Years. And was interred at ALston Lane CathoLic Chi.. on the t3th. On whose So sweet have Mercy for her Yrgin Mother pl_ead t:for her Joseph intercede G4d of mercy Jesus bLest Grant'Thy servat peace and resi. t ALso PLICRA D Son of the Above Who Died August 19th 1868 AledZWeeks And was iriterred at ALston E. oe catholic Church.

Phone for exhibit information, hours or information. Memorial Sampler, 203/4" x 24"

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Photo: Ben Blackwell

THE CLARION


KATE AND JOEL KOPP

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ERICA*

URRAH

766 MADISON AVENUE • NEW YORK, NY 10021 • 212-535-1930

Navajo Pictorial Rug Circa 1925 60" x 36" Illustrated in Navajo Pictorial Weaving: 1880-1950 by Campbell & Kopp


Fellowship Announcement

Workers' Union, the United Federation of Teachers, and other generous contributors banded together to purchase this painting for Ellis Island from a private New York collector in order to make sure that Fasanella's painting remains accessible to those whose immigrant heritage it honors. Fasanella, born in 1914, was "discovered" after a 1972 New York Magazine cover story called him the "greatest primitive painter since Grandma Moses': Before that, he had painted in obscurity for 28 years while he pumped gas in a Bronx service station to pay the bills. The son of an iceman and a buttonhole maker, Fasanella become a union organizer in the 1930s. Fasanella today still paints works of strong commitment that celebrate our heritage and praise working men and women.

NEGRITO MASK; C.1930; lacquered wood,ribbons, foil; 60 x 11 x 9 cm. Courtesy Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles.

Folk Treasures of Mexico The Craft and Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles presents "Folk Treasures of Mexico: Highlights from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection" through December 29, 1991. This exhibition features 135 objects of remarkable handcrafted Mexican folk art, specially selected from the San Antonio Museum of Arts's internationally recognized Rockefeller Collection. The Museum is located on the fourth floor of the landmark Wilshire/Fairfax May Company building in Los Angeles. For information, Tel. 213/937-5544.

HAI Collection of Outsider Art From September 23, through November 1, 1991, City Gallery will exhibit works from the Hospital Audiences, Inc. Collection of Outsider Art. The HAI Collection brings together the work of mentally disabled New Yorkers who have participated in HAI's Arts Workshop Program over the past decade. Outsider art is created by individuals with no formal training in art and who work outside the mainstream of society. The current popular interest in the genre reflects the ability of the audience to extend the parameters of artistic recognition beyond mainstream artists. City Gallery, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, 2 Columbus Circle, New York City. Tel. 212/575-7676,

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IS ES

The Winterthur Library will award a number of fellowships to encourage research in America's artistic, cultural, intellectual, and social history. Scholars pursuing advanced research are eligible to apply for NEH fellowships with stipends up to $30,000 for six to twelve months' work,or short-term fellowships ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 per month. The deadline for applying is December 1, 1991. For an application packet, write to Dr. Katharine Martinez, Winterthur Research Fellowship Program, The Winterthur Library, Winterthur, Delaware 19735, or Tel. 302/888-4649.

food specialities. The highlight of the festival is the opportunity to meet with Alabama's nationally recognized folk artists, including Jimmie Lee Sudduth, Mose Tolliver, Annie Tolliver Turner, Charlie Lucas, Fred Webster, Lonnie Holley, Brother B.F. Perkins, Woodie Long, and Bernice Sims. For further information, Tel. 305/333-1252.

NVN3S01:1 )1011H3

MIN1A

Twentieth Annual Kentuck Festival The Kentuck Festival of the Arts, scheduled for October 19-20, 1991, and sponsored by the Kentuck Museum in Northport, Alabama, celebrates the Deep South with presentations of its visionary folk art, traditional and contemporary crafts, legendary music, and regional

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Artists Charlie Lucas and Lonnie Holley

Charley Kinney 1906-1991 Charley Kinney, well known Kentucky folk artist, died unexpectedly April 7, 1991, at his home in Toller Hollow, Lewis County, Kentucky. Best known for his story telling watercolor pictures, Kinney also created some painted concrete sculptures. He began painting as a hobby when he was a child. His subjects, often religious, included devils "haints"(ghosts), and a few animals. His "haints" frequently take the form of grotesque creatures. Kinney's paintings were recently on exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, and his works have been seen nationally in the "0 Appalachia" touring show. Charley Kinney was also a country music fan and fiddle player; he is survived by his brother Noah, a wood carver of mountain folk art.

THE CLARION


MAIN STREET ANTIQUES and ART Colleen and Louis Picek Folk Art and Country Americana (319) 643-2065 110 West Main, Box 340 West Branch, Iowa 52358 On Interstate 80 Send a self-addressed stamped envelope for our monthly Folk-Art and Americana price list

A polychrome painted heavy sheet tin airplane whirligig 25"x18"x10"

ANTON HAARDT GALLERY David Butler Thornton Dial Sam Doyle Minnie Evans Howard Finster Lonnie Holly Clementine Hunter Calvin Livingston R. A. Miller B. F. Perkins Royal Robertson Juanita Rogers Mary T. Smith Henry Speller Jimmy Lee Sudduth Son Thomas Nose Tolliver Inez Walker Untitled, Mary T. Smith, 24 x 24

1220 SOUTH HULL STREET • MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA 36104 • (205) 263-5494 Fall 1991

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American Masterpieces

Felipe Benito Archuleta

Panda

18" x 26"

Signed and Dated 3/15/82FBA

American Masterpieces will pay the highest pricesforfine examples

of Outsider and 19th and 20th Century American Folk Art 1616 Trotting Trail Road * St. Louis, MO 63005*(314)532-2175*(By Appointment)


LYNNE INGRAM SOUTHERN FOLK ART

Bessie Harvey "Medicine Man Riding a Hog" 1989; mixed media 38" high

BESSIE HARVEY LONNIE HOLLEY PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE Jimmy Lee Sudduth, born 1910

OCTOBER 5-26, 1991

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN OUTSIDER/FOLK ART Representing: David Butler Clementine Hunter Rev. McKendree Long Jimmie Lee Sudduth

Rev. Howard Finster O.W."Poppy" Kitchens Sr. Gertrude Morgan Willie White

and many other important Outsider artists

Bessie Harvey Mose & Annie Tolliver James Harold Jennings Inez Nathaniel Walker Sarah Mary Taylor Georgia Blizzard Chuckie Williams R.A. Miller Sammy Landers ...others

We specialize in contemporary art by the self-taught southern hand. Call for an appointment, photos or information.

GASPER! GALLERY 320 JULIA STREET • NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 (504)524-9373 Fall 1991

174 Rick Road • Milford, NJ 08848 908-996-4786 21


'UM

MUSEUM NEWS COMPILED BY MELL COHEN

The Great American Quilt Festival From May Ito May 5, Pier 92 was once again bedecked with quilts. With seven Museum quilt exhibitions, coupled with the lively displays of the dealers, vibrant color was everywhere. The five days were filled with lectures, workshops, seminars, house tours,fashion shows,tours of New York City, and even a Broadway show. Over three hundred volunteers were enlisted to help produce this event, and their efforts were well appreciated. Funds raised at the Festival by the two raffles will help the Museum meet a matching grant for the purchase of twelve contemporary African-American quilts. The raffle winners were: Pat O'Brien from Simsbury, CT for the Lane chest; Meg Litter from Clinton, CT for the Bernina sewing machine; and Laurie Perry from Attleboro, MA for the antique crib

quilt donated by Shelly Zegart. Thanks to all of you for your support in making this event such a success!

•Lincoln Square Gallery Opening A great time was had by all who gathered for the members' reception and opening for three exciting exhibitions on Thursday, June 20,1991, at the Eva and Morris Feld Gallery. The Museum was in bloom — with an exhibition of Quilts From America's Flower Garden. The twenty-four prize-winning quilts were created in response to the Museum's international contest, "America's Flower Garden:' and among the guests at the gallery were some of the contest winners. The exhibition was made possible with a generous grant from Northern, the Quilted Bathroom Tissue, made by James River Corporation. Also on view was the first retrospective of Harry Lieberman's paintings in New York. From the age of 79 to almost 103, Harry Lieberman painted his memories of the religious, cultural, and social traditions that formed his life. The exhibition explored the sources of his imagery, based on the literature and lore of his

HELEN POPKIN,(Harry Lieberman's daughter) and Stacy Hollander, Guest Curator at the Eva and Morris Feld Gallery reception.

Hasidic heritage in Poland. Fortyfive of these narrative paintings will be exhibited through September 22, 1991,then the show will travel to four venues. A book, written by Stacy Hollander, Guest Curator for the show and Associate Curator, Museum of American Folk Art, and published by Dutton Studio Books, accompanies the exhibition. This exhibition is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts. The Museum of American Folk Art also welcomed a large group of members of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration to Paint, Powder, and Leaf an exhibition of selected items from an extensive collection exhibition of early American decoration. A selection of tinware embellished with floral motifs from the major gift of 18th and 19th century decorative arts from the Historical Society of Early American Decoration was exhibited for the first time since the Museum was selected as the repository for the Society's collection.

•30th Anniversary Celebration

Alice S. Pickering, wife of the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations and Honorary Chairperson of the Great American Quilt Festival 3, welcoming people at the Museum gallery.

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Cathy Rasmussen, Director of Special Projects, presenting Dawn Amos with the first-prize award for the "Discover America" quilt contest.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Museum of American Folk Art Museum,trustees, staff members, and volunteers were treated to a visual and gustatory feast at the Princeton home of long-time friend and trustee Barbara Johnson. The celebration organized by Catherine Fukushima, Assistant THE CLARION


Gallery Director, commenced with a tour of the American Art Collection of the Art Museum of Princeton University and was followed by a delightful introduction by hostess Johnson to her extensive American art collection. The Museum family thanks Barbara Johnson for her contribution to the success of this event and for a wonderful afternoon!

•Folk Art Institute Celebrates Graduation Paula Laverty graduated in May,

1991 from the Museum's Folk Art Institute. Director Barbara Kaufman Cate, Gerard Wertkin, Museum Assistant Director, and past Institute graduates turned out at the Eva and Morris Feld Gallery to celebrate and extend congratulations. We are very pleased that Laverty plans to continue her association with the Museum. She will be guest curator for an upcoming exhibition in May of 1993 at the Museum on Grenfell rugs.

•Folk Art Explorers' Club News On Thursday, June 20,1991, thirty Museum members participated in the Folk Art Explorers' Club — New Jersey Ramble. The group visited the homes of Mr. and Mrs. Ken Olson, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Fertig, and Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Goldberg, and the hosts at each stop talked to the members about their collections. The group arrived back at the gallery in time for the Members' opening reception for the summer exhibitions. Howard Fertig talking to members about his collection, on the Folk Art Explorers' Club New Jersey Ramble on June 20,1991.

TRAVELING EXI- IID'I IONS Mark your calendars for the following Museum of American Folk Art exhibitions when they travel to your area during the coming months: June 22, 1990-June 27, 1992 The Romance of Double Wedding Ring Quilts

American Adventure Pavilion Epcot Center Walt Disney World Orlando, FL 407/824-4321 June 1,1991-December 31,1991 The Romance of Double Wedding Ring Quilts

The Behring-Hofmann Educational Institute, Inc., an affiliate of the University of California at Berkeley Danville, California 415/736-2280 July 1, 1991-September 9, 1991 Discover America/Friends Sharing America: The Great American Quilt Festival 3

Minnetrista Cultural Center Muncie, Indiana 317/282-4848 July 11, 1991-September 5, 1991 Memories of Childhood: The Great American Quilt Festival 2

Midland County Historical Society Midland, Michigan 517/835-7401 August 17, 1991-October 20, 1991

British Columbia, Canada 604/828-3543 September 16, 1991-November 25, 1991 Young People's America Fabric Drawing Contest: The Great American Quilt Festival 3

Children's Museum of Houston Houston, Texas 713/522-1138 September 26, 1991-January 2, 1992 Memories of Childhood: The Great American Quilt Festival 2

New York State Museum Albany, New York 518/474-5877 September 30, 1991-November 25, 1991 Discover America/Friends Sharing America: The Great American Quilt Festival 3

Memorial Hall Museum Deerfield, Massachusetts 413/774-7476 November 11, 1991-January 6, 1992 Access To Art: Bringing Folk Art Closer

Muscatine Art Center Muscatine, Iowa 319/263-8282 November 11, 1991-January 6, 1992 Harry Lieberman: A Journey of Remembrance

Skirball Museum, Cincinnati Branch of Hebrew Union College Cincinnati, Ohio 513/221-1875 November 18, 1991-January 13, 1992

Access to Art: Bringing Folk Art Closer

The Cutting Edge: Contemporary American Folk Art

Madison Art Center 211 State Street Madison, WI 608/257-0158

Abilene Fine Arts Museum Abilene, Texas 915/673-4587

September 2, 1991-October 28, 1991

Beneath the Ice: The Art of the Fish Decoy

November 25, 1991-January 20, 1992 The Cutting Edge: Contemporary American Folk Art

Carousel Gallery at Faust County Park St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation Clayton, Missouri 314/889-2863 September 9, 1991-November 4, 1991 Beneath the Ice: The Art of the Fish Decoy

Kamloops Art Gallery

National Art Museum of Sport Indianapolis, Indiana 317/687-1715

For further information contact Alice J. Hoffman, Director of Exhibitions, Museum of American Folk Art, Administrative Offices, 61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023, Telephone 212/977-7170.

NOTE:FOR SPECIAL MUSEUM PROGRAMS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC,SEE PAGE 82. 23


EPSTEIN/POWELL 22 Wooster St., New York, N.Y. 10013 By Appointment(212)226-7316

Max Romain (b. 1.930, Mixed Media on paper, 12" x 18")

Jesse Aaron William Dawson Charlie Dieter Mr. Eddy Antonio Esteves Howard Finster Victor Joseph Gatto(Estate) Reverend Hunter James Harold Jennings S.L.Jones Lawrence Lebduska Justin McCarthy Emma Lee Moss Inez Nathaniel Old Ironsides Pry Max Romain(with Jim Linderman) Nellie Mae Rowe Jack Savitsky Isaac Smith Clarence Stringfield Mose Tolliver Floretta Warfel George Williams Luster Willis and others

Bird Tree Carved and polychromed, carver unknown, western Pennsylvania, early 20th century.

'<me Cditik AMERICAN ANTIQUES FOLK AND DECORATIVE ARTS

P.O. Box 1653 • Alexandria, Virginia 22313 • (703) 329-8612 24

THE CLARION


"Place your bets"

STELLA

RUBIN

Quilts & Country Antiques . 4110

12300 Glen Road Potomac, MD 20854 (Near Washington, D.C.) By appointment (301)948-4187

Exhibiting at The Connecticut Antiques Show, Hartford and the Fall Antiques Show at the Pier, New York

LESLIE GALLERY

MUTH Specializing in folk artists from the southwest "Uncle Pete" Drgac Estate Frank Jones

Johnson Antonio Eddie Arning Henry Ray Clark

Ike Morgan

Mamie Deschillie

Naomi Polk

1 1 1 4 Barkdull Houston Texas 77006

(713) 521-2639 and 690 Gonzales #11 Santa Fe New Mexico 87501 (505)986-1326 Eddie Arcing

Fal11991

On The Beach

Crayon

19's 25"

25


MUSEUM NEWS

Milwaukee Art Museum,the Michael and Julie Hall Collection of American Folk Art, Gift of Joseph and Ellen Checota, Jane and Lloyd Pettit Foundation, Friends of Art, Kohler Foundation, Marianne and Sheldon B. Lubar, an anonymous donor, Evan and Marion Helfaer Foundation, Kenneth and Audrey Ross, with additional support from Donald and Barbara Abert Fund in the Milwaukee Foundation, Donald and Donna Baumgartner, Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Flagg, Jane and George Kaiser, the Laskin Family, Stackner Family Foundation, and Robert and Jo Ann Wagner.

11 QUIPS FROM KIDS Docents at the Museum of American Folk Art Eva and Morris Feld Gallery frequently receive interesting and surprising answers to the questions they ask the school children who visit the museum. The following quips from kids were collected during gallery talks of the Five-Star Folk Art and The Cutting Edge: Contemporary American Folk Art exhibitions. After viewing the Five-Star Folk Art exhibition an athletic-looking

12-year-old was asked what was his favorite object in the exhibition. Without hesitation he pointed to Corn Planting, the Olaf Krans painting of a farming scene in the utopian Janssonist colony of Bishop Hill, Illinois. When asked 26

why he liked it best he replied, "It looks like a driving range. You can see the green grassy hills and the people lined up holding their clubs!' At the same exhibition, the question "Why do you think William Edmondson called his carving style stingy?" to a group of second- and third-graders was posed. After contemplating Little Lady, a highly stylized limestone figure carved by Edmondson, one eight-year-old boy raised his hand and volunteered, "She's got her hands in her pockets!' Not all the young visitors are willing to give their opinions on the art. A large group of 17- and 18-year-old girls from a Yeshiva school visited the Five-Star Folk Art exhibition, and despite many efforts by the docent to involve the girls in dialogue,they remained relatively cool and unresponsive. Finally one of the girls pushed her gum to the side of her mouth and pointed across the room. "What's that?" she said. Thinking she meant the unusual and charming Yarn Reel, the eager docent began explaining. The girl interrupted, "No,THAT," and walked over and pointed to the hygrothermograph, used for monitoring humidity in the gallery. Although unrelated to folk art, the scientific explanation seemed to satisfy the girls! After speaking to an elementary school group on the value of trade signs in a young America when education was for the privileged and illiteracy more common,one docent paused in front of The Newsboy, a carved wooden trade sign by an unidentified artist. One clever boy asked,"Why do they need a sign to sell newspapers if people can't read?" The exhibition The Cutting Edge delighted museum visitors and brought much positive response. Particularly popular with the kids were the large, carved wooden animals by Felipe Archuleta. A group of third-graders from a New York City public school were shown a carved cottonwood sculptural form; it was painted with flat

brown latex house paint and had brown marble eyes and rope whiskers. Its title, which the children could not see, was Beaver. When asked "What animal is this?" these city kids agreed in unison,"A rat" Folk art has traditionally provided a medium for political expression, whether patriotic or satirical. The Cutting Edge exhibit included a carved and painted wooden bust of Hitler by Dow Pugh, and the fourth- and fifthgraders viewing it were asked it they knew who the figure represented. The first response: "Saddam Hussein!'

BEAVER; Felipe Archuleta; Tesuque, New Mexico; 1979; cottonwood, latex flat house paint, marble eyes, rope, and plastic; 20 x 251/2 x Collection of Chuck and Jan Rosenak.

Although the intention of this article is to pass on comments from the kids who visit the Museum, one comment by an adult visitor should be shared. The day after the declaration of war with Iraq, one of the Museum guides recognized Samuel Wong, conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, which plays at Lincoln Center, across the street from the Gallery. She introduced herself and asked how he liked the exhibition. He mentioned that Zubin Mehta had just left for Israel and that he and the orchestra were on edge due to the war and their concern. Mr. Wong said that he had stopped by the Museum for a moment of peace in a hectic day. "Now," he said, "I feel much better." — KATIE SOBEL, Docent THE CLARION


American Folk Art Sidney Gecker 226 West 21st Street • New York, N. Y 10011 • (212) 929-8769

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Rare chalkware Santa Claus. Pennsylvania, 19th century; 8 inches high,in fine condition.

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Ceramic Vessels. Oriente, Ecuador.

ART OF THE AMAZON Thursday, September 12-Saturday, October 12

Now located at: 36 West 44th Street New York, NY 10036 (212) 391-0688 William Bender, Owner

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS The Mexican Day of the Dead Thursday, October 17-Saturday, November 23

HAITIAN PAINTING Friday, November 29-Saturday, January 4

Rare and authentic bird and fish decoys by noted carvers of the past.

NEW LOCATION: 560 BROADWAY • NEW YORK, NY 10012 •(212)431-01 44

ALL. MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

Fall 1991

27


he peculiar grace of a Shaker chair is due to the fact,that it was built by someone capable of believing that an angel might come sit on it." - Thomas Merton

HARVARD, MASSACHUSETTS,c. 1840. Cherry, original red stain finish. "21" stencilled on back of middle slat. NEW LEBANON, NEW YORK,c. 1840. Fine curly maple, original finish. Color illustrated in The Shaker Chair, by Rieman and Muller,(Winchester, Ohio: 1984). Ex-Collection: William L. Lassiter.

A dealer-specialist in authentic Shaker furniture in New York City.

DAVID A. SettoRsett incalcAoltaiectl 30 EAST 76TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10021 212-439-6100


ET. 12

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR DR. ROBERT BISHOP On June 23, 1961, the New York State Board of Regents granted a provisional charter to the Museum of Early American Folk Arts. The charter authorized the creation of a museum, library, and g- educational center in the City of New E York for the purpose of fostering, promoting, and increasing the knowledge = and appreciation of America's folk arts. The name was changed to the Museum of American Folk Art in 1966, and now, thirty years after its founding, the Museum finds itself at an important crossroads in its development. The ever-pressing need for additional facilities, including exhibition space, is still very much a concern for the Board of Trustees and the professional staff. In this context, it is worthwhile to consider how far the Museum has come. From a rented parlor floor on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues from 1961 through 1974, to a newly renovated small exhibition building on 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues from 1984 to 1986, the Museum now occupies the handsome Eva & Morris Feld Gallery located on Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets, immediately across from Lincoln Center. The Feld Gallery, which has now been open just over two years, has provided the Museum with several fresh opportunities. Ambitious rotating exhibitions dovetailed to national and international touring programs have enabled the institution to attract an everwidening audience in the field. More than 100,000 persons visit the Museum each year (as opposed to about 35,000 annually in the spaces on 53rd and 55th Streets), and countless additional thousands see the Museum's shows as they travel through their impressive itineraries. Prophetic comments by Joseph B. Martinson, first President of the Board of Trustees, in a November 17, 1962 Fa111991

article in The New Yorker, have come to fruition in several ways. The Museum's exhibitions and educational programs have been more than partly responsible for the emerging worldwide awareness of the American folk arts. A few days ago, when I realized the deadline for this Director's Letter was fast approaching, I took down from my library shelves an astonishing number of books, catalogues, exhibition check lists, and other publications generated by the Museum of American Folk Art in the 30 years of its existence. I then

reviewed hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and related ephemeral material that pertained to the Museum and its rich past. As I prepared this letter, I recalled that Trustee Emerita Adele Earnest had written a brief history of the Museum for the Summer issue of The Clarion in 1978. I perused that and referred back to the article by Gerard C. Wertkin, Assistant Director, "The Museum at Twenty: Challenges and Perspectives:' which was published in the Fall, 1981, issue of The Clarion. Finally, I turned

MINIATURE: CHILD ON CUSHION; Artist unknown; New England; 1830-1840; Oil on ivory, hair; sight, oval: 23/4 x 21/8". Gift of Howard and Jean Lipman in memory of Joyce Hill.

WEATHERVANE: ST. TAMMANY; artist unknown; East Branch, New York; mid-nineteenth century; molded and painted copper; 101/2 x 103 x 12" deep; Museum of American Folk Art purchase. GIRL IN RED DRESS WITH CAT AND DOG; Ammi Phillips; Amenia, New York; 1834-36; Oil on canvas; 30 x 25". Promised anonymous gift. FANCY WEAVE COVERLET: weaver unknown; possibly Ohio; c. 1840; cotton and wool; 89 x 76'. Gift of Margot Paul Ernst in memory of Susan B. Ernst.

29


to the "History of the Museum of American Folk Art" and the accompanying illustrated "Time Line" by Alice J. Hoffman, which appeared in the Winter, 1989, issue of The Clarion. This document alone consumed a second evening in my preparation for the letter. I urge you all to review the documents cited above, as they provide a detailed look at a past notable for its varied accomplishments. I cannot believe another institution of the size of the Museum of American Folk Art has undertaken more with as much sustained success. As an exhibiting institution we have offered close to 150 shows since our initial loan exhibition presented at the Time and Life Exhibition Center, a public space in the Time-Life Building, New York City, from November 5th through November 18, 1962. Very often, these exhibitions were traditional in every sense. Portraits, landscapes, samplers, and painted and decorated country style furniture as well as decoys, weathervanes, scrimshaw, quilts,

and needlework pictures and but a few of the categories of objects offered to a public that had seldom considered pieces of this sort as major works of art. Other shows have been less traditional and have often even been trailblazing efforts to open the field to new ideas and fresh perspectives. Through the years, important pieces have continued to be acquired by the Museum for the permanent collection. In the last decade an unprecedented cornucopia of gifts have expanded our holdings in many directions. The remarkable portrait"The Little Girl With Her Cat and Doe by Ammi Phillips, a promised gift from an anonymous donor; the "Animal Carnival" Collection, with over 100 carvings from around the world, given by Elizabeth Wecter;"The Bicycle Rider," a larger-than-life, late 19th-century trade sign from Vermont, an accession made possible by David Davies; a large and important collection of woven coverlets from Margot Paul Ernst; another collection of woven coverlets augmented by quilts and other

WHIRLIGIG: FARM VIGNETTE; artist unknown; American; early 20th century; painted metal and glass; 65 x 12 x 28; Promised gift of Dorothy and Leo Rabkin.

textiles from Trustee Cyril I. Nelson; and a most significant collection of Amish quilts from David Pottinger are but a few of the highlights that the last ten years have brought us. The most recent coup for the Museum's permanent collection is the Historical Society of Early American Decoration Collection, assembled by Esther Stevens Brazer and her associates and followers. This recent accession places the Museum firmly in the forefront of yet another whole category of folk arts. No discussion of collection-building for the Museum would be complete QUILT TOP: GEOMETRIC PATTERN; artist unknown; Massachusetts; 1870-80; pieced cotton and chintz; 90/ 1 2 x 90V2. Promised gift of Cyril I. Nelson.

30

without the acknowledgment of the friendship and generosity of Howard and Jean Lipman. In 1981, when the Lipmans decided to dispose of their Connecticut home, their extraordinary collection was acquired by the Museum. Many of the choice pieces were retained, while others were made available to the public for acquisition through a public auction at Sotheby's. Since then, the Lipmans have given the Museum several very special painted and decorated pieces that they had originally retained at the time of the dispersal of their collection. The twentieth-century folk arts have also enhanced our holdings in recent years. Nearly 2,000 works of art have been given by Dorothy and Leo Rabkin,or are now designated as promised gifts to the Institution. It must be immediately apparent why the issue of exhibition space for the permanent collection and for rotating shows has been of such prime concern to the Trustees and professional staff. Under the leadership of Trustee Ralph Esmerian, and with a Building Committee consisting of Karen Cohen, Lucy C. Danziger, Frederick M. Danziger, Theodore L. Kesselman, George E Shaskan, Jr., Nell Singer, and Bonnie Strauss, ongoing efforts have been made to develop a new facility on a site owned for several years by the Museum on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The stop-and-start uncertainties of New York real estate development have plagued us as well, but, at the moment, the future looks bright. A tentative timetable, with a completion date in the near future, should resolve many of the space issues and will provide the physical plant of the Museum to flourish through its exhibition, education, and publishing programs in the years to come. Just as it was impossible to document the range of additions to the collection, it is impossible to recognize all of the sizeable contributions of support from the federal and state governments,from the corporate community, from the foundation universe, and from the individuals who have contributed so substantially to the Museum of American Folk Art over the last 30 years. An institution like the Museum grows because people care and it is loved. I thank each of you for your caring and for your part in our bright future. THE CLARION


JUDITH AND JAMES MILNE

First Time Exhibitor at Fall Pier Show •

Specializing in FOLK ART COUNTRY FURNITURE QUILTS AND ACCESSORIES

• 506 East 74th Street, New York City (212) 472-0107 Weekdays 9:30-5:30 and by Appointment.

Fine 19th Century Horse and Sulky Weathervane; Decorated Blanket Chest painted in the manner of Rufus Porter.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS for the first

Susan B. Ernst American Textile Award sponsored by

THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART The Museum of American Folk Art is pleased to call for submissions for the first Susan B. Ernst American Textile Award. The winner will receive a cash prize of $1000 for the best previously unpublished research paper on any aspect of American textiles. The paper will be published in The Clarion, the Museum's quarterly publication, accompanied by a maximum of four color photographs. The prize will be awarded biennially. Papers submitted must be limited to 5,000 words. The deadline for submission of papers for the first prize is March 1, 1992. Papers will be read by a distinguished panel of experts in the field. The winning paper will be published in the Fall 1992 edition of The Clarion. Entries not chosen for the award will be kept on file in the Museum's library as part of its American Textile collection. Established by Margot and John Ernst in memory of his mother, Susan B. Ernst, the prize is given to promote original research in American textiles. Contributions to the Susan B. Ernst American Textile Award Fund may be sent to the Museum of American Folk Art, Two Lincoln Square, New York, New York, 10023.

Fal11991

31


SCHERENSCHNITTE FINE PAPERCUTTINGS Cut from a single piece of paper in the traditional early American style.

,

PAMELA DALTON RD 2, Box 266A Harlemville Ghent, NY 12075 (518)672-4841

American Folk Art Sidney Gecker 226 West 21st Street New York, N. Y 10011

(212) 929-8769 Appointment suggested

EXTREMELY RARE MORAVIAN DEEP DISH. Bethlehem,Pennsylvania, 1745-1760. Attributed to Michael Odenwalt or Gottfried Aust. Excavated from Front Street, Philadelphia, and in excellent, restored condition; 141 / 2 inches in diameter.

(Subject to prior sale)

32

THE CLARION


SWISS FOLK ART Celebrating America's Roots

S

wiss folk artists have created a colorful range of decorative and utilitarian objects over the past seven centuries. Frequently used in the daily lives of their makers and owners, many of these forms continued to play a role in the lives of Swiss immigrants as they established communities in America. Today these works are admired and studied as vital examples of folk art that have endured in Swiss life and culture.

T

he following articles explore major aspects of Swiss folk art including pottery painting, decorative calligraphy, and textiles. Contributed by leading authorities in the field, they were edited by Cynthia Elyce Rubin, guest curator of the exhibition "Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots." The exhibition is presented by the Museum of American Folk Art at the Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue and 66th Street, New York City and will be on view from September 26, 1991 through January 1, 1992.

The exhibition is sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc. Additional support has been provided by Pm Helvetia, Arts Council ofSwitzerland; Balair Ltd. Air Charter Company of Switzerland;Swissair;and the Swiss National Tourist Office. Fall 1991

33


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A refreshing spirit and liveliness animates the works collected in this traveling exhibition of folk art. "Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots" will tour the United States with objects new to American audiences and then will travel to Switzerland with works never before seen in Switzerland, by American artists of Swiss descent. In offering an opportunity to see the new, and in highlighting both the historical and artistic associations between Switzerland and America, the exhibition will bring audiences in both countries a blend of enjoyment, education, and even revelation. Philip Morris has long had business alliances with Switzerland, and by extending these ties, we are able to strengthen our understanding of each other's cultures. This exhibition will show the relevance of the Swiss legacy to America, and how its enduring traditions have shaped American folk art. On this occasion of Switzerland's 700th anniversary, we are happy to join with Pro Helvetia to bring this enlightening and colorful exhibition to the United States and Switzerland.

ALEARDO BUZZI President and Chief Executive Officer Philip Morris International

35


SWISS FOLK ART Celebrating America's Roots Cynthia Elyce Rubin wiss contributions to American life are little-known; their role in the intellectual, spiritual and material formation of the American Republic is only now beginning to be recognized.' The earliest immigrants arrived with a rich cultural heritage that was expressed in the folk arts of their homeland. Crafts

S

that had played an important role in the daily lives of the immigrants before they left Switzerland — pottery, decorated furniture, and textiles — continued to be made in the new communities they established in America. Other art forms practiced both in Switzerland and America evolved in response to the religious life so central

This illustration is a father's tribute, a page from an autograph album in which Reverend John Joachim Zubly (1724-1781)collected signatures and autographs during his journey to America. He left Switzerland early in the spring of 1744,traveled down the Rhine and arrived in England in May. Settling in America in the autumn of 1744, he remained for some time in Purrysbourg, South Carolina, which his father helped found,and later lived in South Carolina and Georgia. He took a great interest in the political questions of the day and was elected to represent Georgia in the Continental Congress in 1775. He did not believe independence from Great Britain to be America's panacea and was denounced for disloyalty; yet, he remains the most eminent German Reformed minister of the Colonial period. Courtesy The Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society; Lancaster, PA.

36

to Swiss culture. Votive paintings, fraktur writing, and cake or cookie molds are some of the folk arts that reflect the importance of religion and ritual in the hearts and homes of the Swiss people. As immigrants from Switzerland arrived in America, they were frequently assimilated into the multitude of already-established German-speaking communities. Consequently,the identifiably Swiss component of Germanic culture in America has often been ignored. They are, nonetheless, significant in any examination of the material culture "of the European colonial societies that coalesed in the late eighteenth century to form our early nation72 Young America served as both a preserver of values and a changer of values, and its roots, celebrated today for their complexity and richness, demonstrate a continuing vitality of old forms. Switzerland developed as a union of different districts or cantons that, in their arts and their languages, often reflected the cultural influence of the surrounding regions. Four languages are spoken in Switzerland: German, French, Italian, and Romansch, the indigenous group of closely related languages of Eastern Switzerland dating to Roman times. According to legendary accounts, this union, known as the Swiss Confederation, was founded in 1291 by Lake Lucerne, where representatives of the free peasants of the Alpine valleys of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden pledged to aid each other in liberating their lands from feudal Habsburg lords trying to expand their domains. The arrow that THE CLARION


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FRAKTUR; anonymous; inscribed "Barbara Amstutz,1838"; Swiss Mennonite Community, Wayne County, Ohio; 1838; watercolor on paper; 31/4 x 31/4" (unframed). Collection of George and Susan Delagrange.

William Tell shot at the Emperor's bailiff gave the signal for the expulsion of the oppressors.3 In reality, the strength of the union was based on control of the Alpine mountain passes that gave the league its power. By 1513, ten more states, whose people where also fighting off external rule, joined the Confederation. However, internal political and social upheavals began to take a toll and provided the background for Swiss immigration. Few Swiss arrived in America before the eighteenth century. The first documented Swiss on American soil was Theobald d'Erlach (1541-1565), who accompanied the French expedition commanded by Rene de Laudonniere in 1564 to Florida. Captain John Smith,in his General! Historie of Virginia, recorded the names of colonists, including one "William Volday, a Zwitzer by birth:' and in 1687 Jean Francois Gignilliat from Vevey received 3,000 acres from the proprietors of South Carolina "to encourage more of the Swisse Fa111991

nation:'4 It was, however, William Penn's founding of the "Holy Experiment"(as he called his colony of Pennsylvania) that set in motion the first substantial migrations from the German-speaking groups in Europe. Penn made two trips to the Netherlands and Germany in 1671 and 1677 respectively, and his philosophy of religious and economic freedom was further disseminated in pamphlets and through agents hired to recruit colonists. Glowing accounts ofthe New World were also echoed in publications such as Daniel Falckner's Curieuse Nachricht von Pennsylvania, a 1702 tract describing the country where "fertility is excellent...[and] whereby all things grow with a more rapid energy, and give one a second harvest, just as plentiful, if not more:" Possibly the first emigration guide addressed primarily to Swiss people was published in 1711 by Johann Rudolf Ochs at Berne. This Americanischer Wegweiser, written "because of the hard and sad times:' attempted to answer

William Byrd II of Virginia, in attempting to settle his lands with Swiss immigrants, produced this piece of utopian publicity with Samuel Jenner of the Helvetische Societat in Bern. It appeared in Switzerland in 1737 and described Virginia as a land of milk and honey or a "new-found Eden." Courtesy John Carter Brown Library at Brown University.

questions about "the cost of moving" and to describe "which province was the most advisable to select:" Even more effective than these published reports were the letters sent back home and information passed by word of mouth. While destructive wars, religious persecution and relentless oppression were helping to render existence in parts of Europe almost unendurable, immigrants and visitors to the New World told of hardships, but also of abundant land and freedom. No matter how difficult the voyage, the possibilities for opportunity and liberty made the idea of leaving for foreign shores irresistible, and the Swiss began leaving in throngs. There are records of close to 60,000 German entries — which included many Swiss — into the port of Philadelphia between 1727 and 1760. According to Bernard Bailyn, 37


these thousands of Swiss and Germans were "less prone to settle on the farthest frontiers, but neither did they congregate permanently in or close around the main ports of entry!" Moving quickly to join fellow countrymen, they traveled "south through the valley routes,to scatter in settlements in western Pennsylvania, in the valleys of Virginia and inland to North and South Carolina:" New Bern, North Carolina; Purrysbourg, South Carolina — and, in the nineteenth century, Vevey, Switzerland County, Indiana; Helvetia, West Virginia; Highland, Illinois; and New Glaurus, Wisconsin — all became important centers of Swiss settlement. The Amish of Adams County, Indiana, for example, are descendants of nineteenth-century Swiss immigrants; they still speak a Swiss-German dialect. The persistence of Swiss cultural roots in America may be measured by a Mennonite community located near Freeman, South Dakota, whose members still refer to themselves as Schweizer, or Swiss, despite the fact that they migrated from Switzerland to the area of Germany known as the Palatinate in the mid-seventeenth century and to the Ukraine a hundred years later, before arriving in the United States in 1874.

California, pioneered by Johann August Sutter (1803-1880), who is known for the discovery of gold near his sawmill in 1848, later also became the destination for Italian-speaking Swiss. This group was experienced in grape growing and cattle raising, enterprises that they established in the valleys along the California coast and ones that still exist today. Groups fleeing religious persecution formed a strong component of Swiss immigration. Predominant among these groups were the descendants of the Anabaptists, a separatist branch of the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. The Anabaptists were discouraged by the growing wealth and worldliness of the Church and sought a more radical reform than had been advocated by either Luther or Zwingli, the founder of the Swiss Reformed Church. The Swiss Brethren, as they were known, challenged the religious authorities in many ways, including the practice of adult baptism. Anabaptism spread rapidly through Switzerland and southern Germany, and leaders emerged who often gave their names to different sects within the movement. One group of Anabaptists, for example, came to be known as

Mennonites, after Menno Simons. In the 1690s, more than 150 years after the start of Anabaptism, differences within the movement resulted in a struggle for leadership that gave rise to separate factions. Jacob Amman, for instance, was one of many Mennonites who had emigrated from Switzerland to the Alsace region of the Rhine Valley. Amman felt that the atmosphere of religious tolerance and social acceptance encouraged in the region undermined the strict religious nature of the group and threatened their identity. He eventually formed a separatist group known as the Amish that sought to ensure the survival of their beliefs and social unity by establishing their own communities in America. Although the center of Amish activity moved to America, there were small numbers of Amish in Switzerland until the nineteenth century, in Neuchatel among other places; their descendants remain in Switzerland but are now affiliated with the Mennonite church. Throughout the Reformation the Anabaptist movement was characterized by missionary zeal on the part of the leaders and adherents, and subject to persecution by church authorities. In Switzerland, most leaders were mar-

_ l e/ I/

LITHOGRAPH; anonymous; the dowry of a farmer's wife from Lucerne displays a carriage containing her wedding furniture and utensils. Note the painted chest. Swiss immigrants may well have brought similar items when they traveled to the United States; Canton Lucerne; c.1830; paper; 23 x 36.6 cm. Courtesy Swiss National Museum,Zurich.

38

THE CLARION


tyred, and the movement was driven from the cities into rural areas. In 1527, the Cantons of Zurich, Berne and St. Gallen drafted laws ascribing the death sentence to Anabaptists. In 1635, Zurich officials began a systematic effort to eradicate all Anabaptists, torturing some in prisons and expelling others. By 1700, few were left in the region. The largest number had moved north into the Palatinate, and it is from there that the majority of Mennonites traveled to Pennsylvania. Quantities of descriptive pamphlets and advertisements outlining the brilliant prospects for settlers in America were circulated. Some of them were so seductive that governments found it necessary to circulate literature counteracting what was regarded as a dangerous influence. By and large, most European authorities cared little that citizens were leaving; in fact, some rulers in Swiss cantons relished the departure of irksome subjects and even encouraged them. When the exodus reached mass proportions, however, governments issued proclamations to prohibit emigration, but these measures did not stop the flood. Profit-seeking ship owners and transport companies arranged more frequent sailings, while advertising agents and land speculators spread the word. Immigration, regardless of literature pro or con, continued as if impelled by powerful elemental forces. In 1709 William Penn wrote to his secretary,"Herewith comes the Palatines, whom use with tenderness and love, and fix them so that they may send over an agreeable character; for they are sober people, divers Mennonists, and will neither swear nor fight79 Receiving aid from wealthy Dutch Mennonites, a group selected a tract in Pennsylvania between Pequea Creek and the Conestoga River, and settled in what is now Lancaster County. They were so successful in farming and related occupations that, in 1829, a visitor described Lancaster as "the garden spot of Pennsylvania"째 richer than all other regions of the countryside. Being good and carefulfarmers, the early Mennonite settlers frequently had a surplus of produce which they then took to market. In 1739 Jedediah Andrews of Philadelphia observed Fal11991

about the Mennonites, 'They live 60 or 70 miles off but come frequently to Town with their waggons, laden with skins, (which belong to the Indian traders) butter,flour, &c: These products were shipped as far away as Europe and the West Indies." The state of Pennsylvania had become the distribution center for Ger-

man immigrations, as this notice from The Virginia Gazette and Weekly Advertiser of 1788 indicated: PHILADELPHIA, July 17. We have great pleasure in informing ourfriends in the country, that 70 families of Swiss arrived in this port afew days ago in one vessel. They all paid their passages before they sailed, and are cloathed andfurnished with every comfort

CHEST; anonymous; inscription (translation): Two souls are burning in flames with the wording,"Have Mercy Upon Me." Death in white, armed with a scythe and an hour glass is watching and waiting, and we are told, "Flying, Flying as Fast as the Wind,The Clock of Death Does not Give Time." The artist continued with the inscription on the upper molding: "I Write to You, Oh Mortals, Look Here and Read/Soon You Will Find Out What is Said [last word is missing]",and on the lower edge,"Read This, My Friend,and Consider, That I was Like You are Now,and You will Become Like I am."; Brione, Canton Ticino; late 18th century; wood; 104 x 70 x 51.5 cm. Courtesy Museo dell'Arte e delle Wadizione Popolari del Ticino, Bellinzona.

BOX; anonymous; Canton Graubunden; 1716; wood; 42 x 17 x 13 cm. Courtesy Swiss National Museum,Zurich.

39


PAINTING (Alpfahrt und Sennen beim Schellenschuttein)Johannes Zulle (1841-1938); signed "Von Johs. Zulle Eggele 1899"; Eggele; 1899; oil and gold leaf on paper; 17 x 22.4 cm. Courtesy Kunstmuseum,St. Gallen, Depositum der Gottfried Keller-Stiftung.

and necessary of life. As they come from an industrious, frugal, and moral country, enjoying a republicanform ofgovernment, this colony will be highly acceptable. They intend to settle together on a body of new lands, about 30 or 40 miles from the mouth ofConegocheague." From there, German-speaking settlers spread over all the neighboring states — into Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley,from there into North Carolina, and later into Kentucky and Tennessee. From 1816 to 1860, Swiss settled the fertile Mississippi Valley, and from 1865 to 1890, colonists settled in the Midwest, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana. As noted earlier, the West also attracted Swiss settlers, and by 1892 some 30,000 acres in Washington, Oregon,and California were owned by people from the Ticino, the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland." Religious groups continued to immigrate. The Swiss Brethren settled in Ohio and Indiana, where they were often joined by Swiss Mennonites moving westward. Swiss Catholics also established settlements, the most nota40

ble, at St. Meinrad in southern Indiana, started as a Benedictine monastery founded by monks from Einsiedeln in Canton Schwyz. As an educational and pastoral center, it attracted many German-speaking settlers to the region.' Settlers in the new land seemed little interested in the formal fine arts or fashionable literary pursuits. This was, of course, even more true for the earliest immigrants, and the further they were from cities, the less their manners were "calculated to please a man from the lower country' as a Virginia cavalier wrote about the upcountry Germans.' For the "plain people'the Amish and Conservative Mennonites, their way of life often brought them into conflict with the "outside world" (or the "English:' as non-Mennonites are called). They were against war and bearing arms and they rejected all formal oaths; they stood out by their dress, language, and religious observances, and this still remains true today. As the immigrants adapted to life in America, some customs were transplanted, changed, and eventually influenced by and shared with other nearby communities. Folk art had taken many

forms in Switzerland. It was often determined by the regional characteristics of the different cantons and inextricably tied to aspects of work and domestic life, and rich decoration was often lavished on ordinary items. Poyas were painted under the eaves of barns, for example, to document the yearly spring ritual of driving herds of cows into the mountains in Gruyere, Canton Fribourg. The name derives from the local dialect for this spring procession. In America, Swiss craftsmen continued to beautify the useful tools of everyday life. Their embellishment of traditional Rhenish and Swiss motifs — such as the heart, tulip, sunwheel, flowers, birds — on furniture,tools, and documents have made "folk art a component of a common American heritage'The considerable number of artisans involved meant the perpetuation of certain imagery and traditions, and eventually their diffusion among the population. Ofthis Old World visual repertoire of symbols, the heart occupies a central place. Considered to be the source of understanding, love, courage, devotion, sorrow, and joy, the heart is symbolic of many facets of earthly life and pertains to every member of the human race. The most pervasive symbol, however, may be the sun, or

LAEDY WASCHINGTON; attributed to the Sussel-Washington artist; Lancaster County,Pennsylvania; c. 1776; watercolor wash and ink on paper; 151/2 x 18 Private Collection.

1HE CLARION


sunwheel, which appears in a variety of forms. No other sign appears with as much diversity as the sun, hallowed object of man's worship since time immemorial. It may take the shape ofafan-like rising sun, a serrated disk, or, most frequently, the sunwheel. The swastika, or fylfot cross, [is] derivedfrom the latter by breaking the circumference of the circle. In its lobedform, the whirling swastika was undoubtedly the most popular symbol among the Virginia Germans!' Foremost among the arts that incorporated these motifs is fraktur. According to Don Yoder, fraktur refers "to a folk art drawn, penned and painted on paper, i.e., manuscript folk art. Fraktur centers around a text (usually religious), that is decorated to varying degrees with symbolic designs!' By extension, the term fraktur is today used in the literature of American folk art to refer to any watercolor in the Pennsylvania German tradition that draws on Pennsylvania German iconography and decorative ideas, whether or not a text is included. In Switzerland, it is called Schreibkunst or written art, and according to the catalogue for the exhibition SchreibkunstISchulkunst und Volkskunst in der deutschsprachigen Schweiz 1548 bis 1980," it is documented as being taught in schools as early as 1548. Fraktur writing, primarily executed by schoolmasters, assumed an important role in Swiss life. Its many forms documented milestones in the lives of a community's members — births, baptisms, weddings, and deaths. The decorative motifs used in fraktur incorporated traditional ornamental designs as well as those rooted in religious symbolism. Examples in this exhibition include writing specimens that not only display the schoolmaster's skill but also emphasize the importance in Swiss culture ofthe continuity ofthis tradition as the skills were passed on to students. In the New World, this heritage played an important role. Fraktur produced by the Pennsylvania Germans often bears strong similarities to those executed in Switzerland, suggesting that the large body of decorative symbols seen in American fraktur were founded in Old Fall 1991

World prototypes as well as enhanced by the artist's imagination. German schools, often affiliated with church congregations, stressed writing "both a good hand in cursive script(Schonschrift)and, depending on the talent of the teacher, decorative lettering (Zierschrift)'.'" Eighteenth and nineteenth century extant letters bear evidence of good penmanship. It has also been suggested that, particularly in Pennsylvania, fraktur flourished because there was an artistic vacuum that needed to be filled in the farmer's everyday life.' As rural community life centered around the church, it is not surprising that the majority of fraktur pieces were religious, often relating to a person's "rites of passage:' However, Frederick S. Weiser has suggested that "[n] matter what religious roots surrounded the origin of the design... there is no evidence, at least on the Taufscheine of the secular Lutheran and Reformed Christians, that the decoration had anything to say beyond beauty:'" Of the varieties of fraktur having a religious purpose,the birth and baptismal certificate (Taufschein) is the most common. Confirmation certificates, wedding certificates, and memorials, while not as common in America, also exist. Another important variety of fraktur is the Vorschrift, or writing sample, which was frequently used as a teaching tool. The valentine (or lover's knot) and house blessing appear quite frequently, as do illuminated title pages of books, bookplates, and hymnals. Durs Rudy, Sr., and Durs Rudy, Jr., Pennsylvania schoolmasters and shopkeepers of Swiss heritage, not only created traditional Taufscheine, but are also known for an impressive metamorphosis and some religious compositions that substantially expand the genre. Sects that had been persecuted in Europe tended to allow a free range of visual expression in America. The Mennonites produced fraktur, as did many German-speaking members of the Lutheran and Reformed churches, while a less important fraktur tradition also exists among the Amish. The Taufschein became a quasi-official document, especially when moving to a new locality precluded direct access to church registers. Though never provided with a

seal or official sanction, the Taufschein became accepted as proof of age and church affiliation, a fact that makes the English designation as baptismal certificate less ofa misnomer. A Swiss court in 1783 denied three Virginia orphans the right to theirfather's holdings in Switzerland because these unbaptized boys of sectarian parents could not submit their Taufscheine Although fraktur is usually identified with Pennsylvania, it is evident that the

PLATE; Langnau pottery; inscription (translation): "From clay the potter makes with reason many things. His work is only made of earth. Therefore he cannot become a Sir."; Canton Bern; 1778; earthenware; 30.5 cm. Courtesy Swiss National Museum,Zurich.

PLATE; Heimberg pottery; inscription (translation): "I prefer to live unmarried then to give the trousers to the wife"; Heimberg; 1787; earthenware; 29.6 cm. Courtesy Swiss National Museum, Zurich.

41


art form thrived in Virginia and Ohio as well as in other places where Pennsylvania Germans migrated. The Massanutten Mennonite settlement, now in Page County, Virginia, continued the tradition, producing a number of fascinating examples ranging from traditional birth certificates to an intricate and colorful Zierschrift penned by Jacob Strickler (1770-1842). The Sonnenberg Mennonites who settled in Wayne County, Ohio,in 1819 brought with them Old World values and practices from Canton Berne. Forced to America by religious persecution and economic disasters, the early settlers wove linen, worked in wood, and produced many different fraktur. Sonnenberg fraktur show a wide variety of skill, styles, techniques, and purposes. Handwork, stencilling, ribbon weaving, and cutwork vie with each other separately and in combination. There are bookplates, school books, alphabet and prayer books, vorschrifts,floral pieces, New Year greetings, remembrance of departures, betrothals and marriages, family genealogies, and even yard sticks — all decorated and hand lettered. Dated examples range from the 1830s through the 1880s, making Sonnenberg one of the latest centers of fraktur production." The persistence of fraktur is perhaps the best measure of its importance to its community. Decorated pottery, a more utilitarian folk art form, may have been the only tradition that rivaled its widespread acceptance and use. In seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Switzerland, numerous country potteries supplied utilitarian wares to the local populace. The most important pottery was that in Langnau im Emmental. Reaching a height of achievement around 1720, sgraffito (a decorative technique in which a potter covers an earthenware body with an opaque coat of slip, a liquid clay, and then scratches away or digs out the slip with a tool, partially exposing the clay body) designs offlowers or geometrics gave way to animals and allegorical scenes, usually depicting ordinary people in scenes from daily life. Earthenware plates or 42

SHOW TOWEL; anonymous; Scuol; date unknown; linen and threads; 110 x 40 cm. including fringe. Courtesy Ratisches Museum, Chur.

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SHOW TOWEL; anonymous; initialed C.P.; Lu/Lusai; date unknown; linen and threads; 36 x 117 cm. Courtesy Ratisches Museum, Chur.

jugs decorated with many slips are often dated and include an aphorism engraved around the rim. The Heimberg pottery is of later origin, with a distinctive style emerging after 1780. Decorative motifs of humorous figural presentations, many in costume, often appear spontaneous and comical and normally are done on a blackish ground. In contrast to Langnau, little sgraffito was produced. In both potteries today there has been a revival of production. Although there is no documentation of specific potters coming to America from either Langnau or Heimberg, a great deal of pottery was produced by craftsmen of Swiss heritage such as David Spinner and Absalom Bixler. Earthenware was in daily use and very breakable,so that potteries were always busy. Many individuals were employed,some on a part-time or seasonal basis, so that movement from shop to shop and from Europe to America is readily understandable. No argument can deny the strong similarities between Swiss and American pottery. The existence of wares of similar "shape, body, glaze and slip decoration," enforced by the use of similar motifs such as the tulip, indicate "that the American potters based their conceptions and workmanship on the experience they had had in the old country and on the utensils they had brought over with them Often employing a light-colored slip, designs in sgraffito and decoration of an outer rim or circle, Swiss country pottery relates to that produced in Pennsylvania even today. In The SwissInfluence on the Early Pennsylvania Slip Decorated Majolica, John M. Clarke concludes "I have shown reasons to believe that the designs employed by the Swiss potters on the home soil were those most conspicuous in their influence on the transplanted product. Certainly in the historical collections of Germany,the observer finds fewer suggestions of these motives and designs than among the slip wares brought together in the collections at Basel and Zurich."" Swiss influence is also evident in some American textiles, of which the best example, perhaps, is the Pennsylvania German show or display towel. These decorated towels, with stylized THE CLARION


fg. WARDROBE; anonymous; inscribed "Mathias Horler/Cathrina Mullery"; Canton Appenzell;1782; fir wood;172.5 x 179 x 65 cm. Courtesy Swiss National Museum,Zurich.

motifs done in cross-stitch, are popular decorative items that are similar to the earlier Paradehandtuch of the Grisons or Graubunden region of Switzerland. These were utilitarian items that were hung over the towels for daily use when visitors arrived or on festive occasions. The stylized symmetrical motifs, embroidered in rows of cross-stitch on long panels, were often separated by bands of crochet or cotton. These embroidered towels were the work of adolescent girls whose social development included the mastering of fine needlework skills. The quantity of embroidered decoration varies greatly, with some towels very sparsely decoFall 1991

115

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rated and others a profusion of motifs and representations, but, in general, American examples are less embellished than Swiss ones, and the Pennsylvania examples are more lavish than the ones produced in the Swiss settlements in Ohio and Wisconsin. In a recent exhibition catalogue for "Mennonite Hand Towels and Samplers:' Adel Mattern explains that motifs such as the tulip, crowns, heart, and peacock have "a long tradition of symbolic value in Christian art — an explanation which accommodates the true sophistication of the Mennonite faith and acknowledges the firm ties between the Pennsylvania Germans and 43


BLANKET CHEST; decoration attributed to Johannes Spitler; Shenandoah County, Virginia; c.1800; yellow pine with walnut battens at either end of lid; 253,56x 49/ 1 4 x 22/ 3 46. Private Collection.

European motherland:'" Not withstanding the quantity of show towels produced by the Amish, Mennonites and others, the same vocabulary of motifs executed in much the same manner, indicates an undeniable relationship with Swiss precedents. Together, these three traditions of fraktur, pottery, and show towels illustrate a direct link between Switzerland and America. In other objects, decorative and symbolic traditions evolved in less obvious ways. Painted furniture, for example, while popular on both sides ofthe Atlantic,in most cases does not demonstrate the same continuity of form and decoration. The celebrated Swiss wardrobe was frequently awash with brilliant color, elaborate floral painting and center panels depicting the seasons, alpine landscapes, or the ages of life. In Pennsylvania and Virginia, on the other hand, furniture was often colorful, but generally more restrained. Some decorators used typical Swiss/ German motifs such as hearts, tulips, vines, birds, and unicorns, while others, like Johannes Spitler of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, favored geometric design schemes that echoed the incised and painted decoration found on many Swiss boxes of the period. From birth to death, most activities for the Swiss immigrants, as well as for 44

many others, centered around home and church, places where shared belief systems and traditions were subtly handed down through generations. In the absence of hard evidence,the material objects of household and work routines provide indicators of the importance of background and tradition in daily life. Whether the Swiss migrants blended in with their German-speaking neighbors or set themselves off, as did the Amish and Mennonites, there remained a strong desire to embellish their personal belongings with the visual repertoire of their native land, retained in their mind's eye and giving testimony to an inherent belief in the right to cherish their own unique heritage in their own individual way. This is the freedom that the Swiss immigrant sought in America, and this is what his fruitful roots have yielded. CYNTHIA ELYCE RUBIN, Guest Curator of Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots, is a folk art historian and author. She has previously organized two other exhibitions for the Museum. NOTES 1. For a discussion of how Switzerland contributed to the structural and institutional foundations of American democracy, see James H. Hutson, The Sister Republics: Switzerland and the United Statesfrom 1776 to the Present(Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1991).

2. Francis J. Puig and Michael Conforti, eds., The American Craftsman and the European Tradition 1620-1820(Minneapolis: The Minneapolis Institute of Art, 1989), p. xiii. 3. Dieter Fahmi, An Outline History of Switzerland (Zurich: Pro Helvetia, 1987), p. 21. 4. Leo Schelbert, "Swiss': Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1980), p. 983. 5. Cited in Klaus Wust, "From the First Arrivals to 19007 Span200IThe story of German-American involvement in the founding and development of America (Philadelphia: National Carl Schurz Association, 1976), p. 8. Falckner, agentfor the Frankfurt Land Co., helped dispose of the original Germantown tract. He later became a Lutheran pastor in New York and New Jersey. 6. Leo Schelbert, "Swiss Views of America: to be published in Yearbook ofGerman American Studies 1990. 7. Bernard Bailyn, Voyagers to the West (New York: Vintage Books, 1988), p. 26. 8.Ibid. 9. Cited in Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker,"The Settlement of Germantown,Pennsylvania and the Beginning of German Emigration to North America',' Proceedings of Pennsylvania German Society 9 (1899), p. 89. 10. Anne Royal], Mrs. Royall's Pennsylvania, or Travels Continued in the United States(Washington: printed for the author, 1829), p. 162. 11. Quoted in Hazard's Register of Pennsylvania 15 (March 28, 1835), p. 201, as cited in Steven K. Friesen, "Faith and Furrow; An Exhibit of Mennonite Rural Life at the Hans Herr House Museum',' Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, Vol. X. No. 4 (October 1987), partial reprint, p. 4. 12. Museum ofEarly Southern Decorative Arts research files, The Virginia Gazette and Weekly Advertiser, Richmond, July 31, 1788, 2-2. 13. "Swiss in American Life" (Zurich: Pro Helvetia, 1977), p. 25. 14. Schelbert, Harvard Encyclopedia ofAmerican Ethnic Groups, p. 985. 15. Wust, Span200IThe story of German-American involvement in the founding and development of America, p. 19. 16. Ibid. 17. Klaus Wust, "Folk Design': Arts in Virginia (Fall 1971), p. 42. 18. Don Yoder, Pennsylvania German Fraktur and PrintedBroadsideslA Guide to the Collections in the Library ofCongress(Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1988), p. 9. 19. The exhibition, organized by the Kunstgewerbemuseum der Stadt Zurich, opened June 13August 30, 1981, and travelled to the Gutenberg Museum, Mainz(Germany),September 15-October 25, 1981. The word Fraktur in German refers to a typeface. 20. Klaus Wust, Virginia FrakturlPenmanship as Folk Art (Edinburg, VA: Shenandoah History, 1975), p. 4. 21. Yoder, Pennsylvania German Fraktur and Printed Broadsides, p. 9. 22. Frederick S. Weiser,"Piety and Protocol in Folk Art: Pennsylvania German Fraktur Birth and Baptismal Certificates: Winterthur Portfolio 8(1973), p. 43. 23. Klaus Wust, American Fraktur/Graphic Folk Art 1745-1855(New York: Pratt Institute, 1976), p. 4. 24. Stanley A. Kaufman with Ricky Clark, Germanic Folk Culture in Eastern Ohio (Walnut Creek, OH: German Culture Museum, 1986), p. 39. 25. John M. Clarke, The Swiss Influence on the Early Pennsylvania Slip Decorated Majolica(Albany:The J.B. Lyon Company, 1908), p. 7. 26. Ibid. 27. Ibid., p. 17. 28. Adele Mattern, Mennonite Hand Towels and Samplers(Souderton,PA: Mennonite Heritage Center, 1989), p. 6.

THE CLARION


"... when the work is done, there is a need to account for it not just for a day but forever." G.A. VANONI, 1874

Giovanni AntottickYanoni 1810-1886-

VANONI

King of ex voto Paintings here is not much known about the artist Giovanni-Antonio Vanoni as a man. He was born in 1810 in the tiny village of Aurigeno in the Valmaggio, a narrow, secluded mountain valley in the Canton of Ticino. His parents were subsistence farmers. According to Bianchi, Vanoni became seriously interested in decorative painting in his teens, probably as a result of watching an accomplished chapel painter working in the village.' He went to Milan to learn the trade and apparently faced many hardships while there. Bianchi also talks of possible visits and alfresco work by Vanoni in Savoy and Genoa. It is, however, certain that Vanoni spent time in Rome between 1834 and 1837, where he copied the work of various masters in his Roman notebook (taccuino romano).2 After returning to Aurigeno in 1837, he married his cousin Caterina Vanoni and had ten children. He earned a living as an artist, painting portraits and canvases and decorating churches throughout the region. He also became active in the local political scene. He served as mayor of Aurigeno from 1856 to 1861, and during his tenure he beautified not only the village church but also elaborately decorated the walls of the municipal building. He died at the age of seventy-six, after an active and fruitful life. G. A. Vanoni is recognized as an excellent portrait and fresco artist, but he is known especially for his ex vow paintings. His reputation is well deserved, based on the sheer number of

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Fa111991

EX VOTO from the parish church of St. Gotthard, Intragna, Switzerland; 1904; oil on paper on cardboard; 42 x 31.5 cm. Courtesy Museo di Valmaggia, Cevio. Inscription: G. Piazzoni/20 Ottobre 1904.

45


Ii ii EX VOTO from the church of Madonna del Sasso, Orselina, Switzerland; date unknown; oil on canvas; 47 x 56.5 cm. Courtesy Museo di Valmaggia, Cevio. Inscription: G. R./ Da Ticinesi di q.ti Distretti / andando in Australia 1856/ Spiegando sull'albero della nave/ l'Imagine di Maria SS.ma / del Sasso. People from the Tessin district going to Australia in 1856, with the effigy of Our Holy Lady of the Stone — Madonna del Sasso — on the mast of the vessel.

his works. Of a thousand cataloged ex vow paintings in the sanctuaries and churches of Ticino, 105 are by him. However, it is the high artistic and pictorial quality of most of these paintings that determines his unique status. A subtle and engaging pathos emanates from all Vanoni's votive panels, from the most simple to the most complex, and it is this emotional appeal that has fascinated most critics. So great is the poetry of the figures on his canvases, so clearly drawn are their characters, that most of the reconstruction of the whole body of Vanoni's ex vow work (except for the signed pictures) is based on verbal information and the analysis of his unique artistic manner and style. The examples of Vanoni's work included here are intended to underscore the artistic quality of his ex voto paintings. They also give a sense of the artistic innovations that he brought to the long tradition of ex vow iconography. It should be kept in mind that ex voto paintings cannot be appreciated as aesthetic objects alone, even the most beautiful and successful ones. According to the canons of present-day taste, one looks for ingenuity and freshness in a decorative picture. Ex voto painting is the result of a long tradition of devotional practices and popular culture and has been interpreted in many ways. 46

To RIGH I EX VOTO from the parish church of St. George, Golino, Switzerland; date unknown; 47.5 x 66.5 cm. Courtesy Museo di Valmaggia, Cevio. Inscription: G.R.

BOTTOM RIGHT EX VOTO from the Oratory of the "Poss:' Golino, Switzerland; date unknown; tempera on canvas; 57 x 73 cm. Courtesy Museo di Valmaggia, Cevio. Inscription: G.R.-G.R.

Sometimes it serves as an ethnographic document; or it gives testimony to certain religious attitudes, or it can be the source for an anthropological and psychological analysis of a specific society. The ex voto painter is expected to accept the themes and images traditionally depicted by the public. His task is to show the motive and the occasion of the favor that has been requested — that is, the human context — and, at the same time, he has to make visible the specific divinity that has intervened on the occasion — that is, the divine context. The individuals who have been granted divine intervention both celebrate the great power of the specific divinity they have invoked and publicly demonstrate the particular favor that they have been granted through the details of an ex voto painting. As a rule, the divine realm is clearly demarcated from the human space in

these paintings, but Vanoni handles the iconographic obligation differently. At times the divine occupies more than half of the available surface, yet it is no longer separated from the human realm; the Virgin and the saints are found in a colored and shaded cloud that surrounds and contours the human space. Thanks to the expert use of perspective and the well-proportioned spaces within the whole painting, Vanoni's saints and smiling Madonnas seem to intervene directly in the complex world of the secret sufferings of the kneeling women, the dramatic and clamorous street scenes, and the calamitous and terrible falls he depicts. As genuine and benevolent divine beings they are ready to assist these very real human beings. In order to represent the votive event in its truest possible form and to give more unity to otherwise disconnected spaces, Vanoni deliberately changes the THE CLARION


EX VOTO from the Oratory of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Anne,Tegna,Switzerland; date unknown; tempera on paper; 47 x 56.5 cm. Courtesy Museo di Valmaggia, Cevio. Inscription: P.G.R. Nella circostanza che l'epidemia del cholera morbus affliggeva la citta di Livorno nei mesi de agosto e settembre 1835. The cholera epidemic in the city of Livorno in the months of August and September 1835.

traditional iconographic treatment of the divine protectress and puts the divine space in areas not previously considered admissible. He makes intelligent and creative use of the available forms in contrast to more naive painters. They generally work outside any tradition and only depict their own, idiosyncratic world, while Vanoni not only utilizes all the traditional techniques of his trade, but also has a great talent for the scenic and decorative elements in painting. This can be seen, for example, in his exact renderings of the great baroque altars with their shrines,flowers, and chandeliers and in the complex interplay of small staircases and railings. He borrowed many compositional elements from the prints and engravings of his epoch. In fact, some of the landscape motifs can be found in their entirety in a series of alpine views contained in the taccuino romano. Vanoni's figures, however, approach the grand romantic illustrations that were popular between 1830 and 1850. These illustrations were the source of Fall 1991

inspiration of much of the figurative tradition of the ex vow, but Vanoni, for one, did not renounce his artistic prerogative. He first copied what he saw, then translated, compressed, and exalted it in the complex space of his votive canvases. Several landscapes and the portraits of certain disgraced supplicants are so realistic that they can be individually recognized. Thus, Vanoni took the means, motifs, and structures from many art forms and introduced them to the popular and devotional tradition. It is possible that he sometimes adjusted his execution depending on who commissioned a particular work, but, in general, there is never anything careless or naive in Vanoni's ex vow work. The aesthetic and pictorial value of Vanoni's ex voto paintings is very high. Other researchers have already described the content of the pictures: the sundry woes of poor mountain girls, the secrets of repressed city women, the stories of wounded hunters, and the incredible ships that plowed the seas of emigration. Others have dedicated

themselves to the iconography, to research the psychology on which these votive objects are based. And again, others have studied the specific costumes,customs, tools, and instruments that Vanoni has so realistically and eloquently inserted into his stories. Here, however, the intent is to present a sense of the ex voto work of this extraordinary artist in order to attract attention to the solid artistic value of this aspect of Vanoni's creative expression. This material first appeared in the catalogue, Giovanni Antonio Vanoni 1810-1886 on the hundredth anniversary of his death published by the museum of Valmaggia, Cevio, in 1986. Editorial coordinator, Augusto Gaggioni. Text by Giulio Foletti. Translated by Susanne Cook-Greuter. Translated and published with permission. NOTES I. G. Bianchi, in Gil artisti ticinesi. Dizionarto biografico (Lugano, Switzerland: 1900). 2. These unpublished manuscripts were written between 1834-1837, during Vanoni's Roman sojourn.

47


Engadine Wall Pockets and Embroidery Jenny Schneider

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11.1

FIGURE 1 WALL POCKET; anonymous; Engadine region, Switzerland; eighteenth century; silk and silver and gold threads; 76 x 31 cm. Courtesy Swiss National Museum,Zurich.

all pockets were commonly known over large parts of Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They apparently belonged to a well-furnished living room in those times — not only pleasant to look at, but also very convenient for putting away all sorts of smaller accessories. Wall pockets have three or four compartments, all rather flat, which probably were used mainly for letters and notes. As the German as well as the Swiss name is not wall pocket, but comb pocket (Kammtasche), we think that these also served in ladies' dressing rooms, perhaps as some sort of beauty case to hold various little fashionable trimmings. Looking at the huge number of wall pockets that still exist, we find them made of different materials — wool, silk, linen, and leather — and most of them are embroidered. All sorts of materials and threads can be found,even applied work with gold and silver threads and spangles, pearls and different glass beads imitating garnets and precious stones. A fine Italian example in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is made of silk embroidered with silk floss and metallic thread, trimmed with metal spangles and metallic lace. Some very typical Swiss wall pockets, all very much alike and all doubtless coming from the same valley, the Engadine, an upland valley in the canton of Grisons (nowadays famous for its great resort, St. Moritz) are shown here. The Engadine is a region

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in Switzerland where bright colors are found on everything, from furniture to the cantonal costume. The Engadine wall pockets have three or four compartments; most of them are made of a dark material, wool or silk, embroidered with polychrome silks. The coats-of-arms of the owners as well as the date are sometimes on the top pocket, very rarely the initials of the embroideress. The pockets are lined with plain or raw linen, but often also with a printed fabric. Decorations such as stripes or little flowers are found on these linings, and the pockets are often bound with a red silk ribbon or even with silver or gold lace. The Swiss National Museum in Zurich has in its collections a wall pocket made of four panels and a toppiece with the figure of Hope holding an anchor (figure 1). The edges are bound with a red silk ribbon, and the reverse is lined with a red and black printed cotton. We see,from the bottom to the top panels: 1. LEFT: Patience (Patientia) — woman with lamb. RIGHT: Unknown allegorical figure with no attribute. 2. LEFT: Faith (Fides) — woman with snake wound around a cross. RIGHT: Justice (Justitia) — woman with sword and balance. 3. LEFT: Woman with glass vase orjug. In the white outlines for the embroidery still visible, we recognize some sort of a pillar. Apparently the woman was intended to be Strength

(Fortitudo). RIGHT: Unknown allegorical figure of woman with no attribute, perhaps Mercy (Caritas). 4. LEFT: Prudence (Prudentia) — woman with snake and mirror. RIGHT: Temperance (Temperantia) — woman with jug and cup. 5. Hope(Spes)— woman with anchor. The allegorical figures may have been copied from an engraving, perhaps a series of prints up to now unknown to us. In any case, the women, dressed in the elegant fashion of about 1685-1715, all wear the famous so-called fontange. The fontange, a hairstyle, came from France; all elegant ladies had to wear highly mounted hair stiffened and kept in shape by special thread constructions. With this went a sumptuous dress with some sort of a mantle gathered up in front to show the beautiful dress. Medium-length sleeves had many ribbons above the elbow as well as ruffles (manchettes) of lace, the so-called engageantes. The waist was very small and often closed over an embroidered stomacher. A 25-inch-long steel piece like a fishbone extended downward from the breast in front to give the figure a stiff and immovable support. The mantle was gathered up at the hips and drawn backward, while the dress showed horizontally applied fringes and ribbons. The neck emerged from a wide collar so that gold and silver chains could be seen. We doubt whether in Switzerland anyone really wore the dress as described above. It is

more likely that the embroiderer portraying the figure on the wall pocket took her ideas from prints and books and not from real life. Carnations, as well as tulips, daffodils, anemones, pansies, and roses, were highly favored as floral bouquets on the pockets. The bouquets are bound together by a ribbon bow of polychrome silk. Typical is the effect made with a light and a dark shade. Often next to larger flowers there are smaller ones just to fill the gaps. On some wall pockets even minor details may correspond exactly, also supporting the idea that the same prints were sources for the maker, not only for the figures but also for the flowers. The technique used by the embroiderer was as follows: first, a drawing was made in white ink on the black taffeta. Then came the silk embroidery in satin stitch. Details such as the hair, the curls of the lamb, and the hearts of the flowers are in knot stitch. For jewelry and belts metallic thread was couched down. Each panel was embroidered separately before the whole pocket was put together. Fortunately the Swiss National Museum in Zurich has a single panel illustrating this (see figure 2). Black taffeta laid over linen is embroidered with polychrome silk. On the right half, the outlines of the design in white ink are clearly to be seen, as the embroiderer had not filled in all the outlines. Again, she used the same print for Hope,the elegant lady holding the anchor and pointing at the anemone with the curled petals. Red and red and

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H( 2 LOOSE PANEL OF WALL POCKET; anonymous; Engadine region, Switzerland; eighteenth century; silk and metal threads; 11 z 32 cm. Courtesy Swiss National Museum,Zurich.

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white carnations as well as the roses seen from the back are here again. The wall pockets described above are not dated, but we think they were embroidered around 1710-1730. The Ratisches Museum in Chur has among its collections several interesting wall pockets. One example, in black wool, has flowers in appliquĂŠ instead of silk embroidery, and another with roses, tulips, and carnations is dated as late as 1774. Another wall pocket, now in the Swiss National Museum, must have been embroidered around these years (figure 3). It is the simpler type, again of black taffeta bound with red silk ribbon and covered all over with polychrome silk embroidery, but with only three pockets. The flowers on all panels are bright and decorative but not at all

FIGURE 3 WALL POCKET; anonymous; Engadine region, Switzerland; eighteenth century; silk, wool and silk threads; 76.5 x 31.5 cm. Courtesy Swiss National Museum,Zurich.

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naturalistic. Except for the carnations, hardly any of the flowers can be identified. The symmetrically arranged bouquet in the center has been replaced by slender scrolling branches with symmetrically spaced flowers of various kinds set among them. Several little birds are to be seen, and, in the top panel, an amusingly proportioned woman with a flower in each hand shows nothing of the elegance of the fashionable ladies we have seen before. At the bottom of the second pocket the embroiderer has signed her work by embroidering her initials B Z in silver thread. This is very rare and has not been found on other pockets so far. There is another pocket in the Swiss National Museum consisting of three panels embroidered with polychrome silk originally on white taffeta (figure 4). This has worn off, so that the white lining now shows. The trimming is made of silver lace set on a now completely faded silk ribbon, once a bright pinkish red. The reverse is plain pink cotton. The composition of the panels is the usual one; again, the middle is clearly marked, in the bottom panel by a vase of flowers and in the middle panel by some sort of a bouquet tied with a large ribbon bow. The flowers, too, have been seen before: carnations, tulips, roses and rosebuds, daffodils, forget-me-nots, and pansies, although the pomegranates on the second panel are new. At the bottom, a little vase gathers the different flowers together within its narrow mouth, and its decoration bespeaks the humorous imagination of the embroiderer, for she gave it a human face with its tongue sticking out! The top panel again contains a single female figure amidst all sorts of flowers. Here it is not the allegorical figure of Hope, but Justice holding sword and balance. Her dress is doubtless influenced by the French fashion. Over her a sun and a ribbon of clouds mark landscape and sky. Very important is the panel below this, with the coat of arms of the husband and wife who had this pocket in their household. It was probably made for a special occasion. Next to the coat of arms are their initials;B K refers to Bernhard Koehl, a very important citizen of Chur, who was burgomaster six times from 1690 onward. His wife's surname was Reydt, and the initials of

FIGURE 4 WALL POCKET; anonymous; Chur, Switzerland; 1712; linen and silk threads; 70 x 31 cm. Courtesy Swiss National Museum,Zurich.

her Christian name, A C, probably stand for Anna Catherina. Her family was also very active in politics. Male members of the Reydt family had also been burgomasters of Chur. As the pocket is dated 1712, it cannot have been made as a wedding present but more likely commemorated a wedding anniversary. Comparing this pocket with those discussed earlier, we find many details corresponding in technique, composition, and style of embroidery. Bernhard Koehl's pocket, with its coat of arms definitely related to the town of Chur, illustrates the slight difference between wall pockets of Chur and those of the Engadine valley. The Engadine pockets always had black taffeta grounds while others made outside that district were free in the choice of the ground material. THE CLARION


The typical technique of embroidering in the Engadine valley as described above is used not only on wall pockets but also on objects of feminine costume. There are wonderful bodices of black velvet or wool embroidered all over with the different flowers we have seen before. There are always carnations, which are still the typical flowers of the Engadine. We see them growing in small gardens and well-protected spots, and bunches of carnations glowing in the sun are often seen behind the beautiful wrought iron window lattices of the region. In connection with the bodices, come loose sleeves, embroidered cuffs, little caps, and leather gloves. The gloves are made from lambskin with the wool inside. The outside is dyed dark brown or black and embroidered with silver thread. The cut ofthe bodice has a trilobed ending at the back, unlike other Swiss bodices. A stomacher in the Swiss National Museum (figure 5)is a real beauty. The triangular panel is embroidered with polychrome silks in long and short stitch (streech-stitch) on black silk tabby. Looking more carefully at this taffeta ground, we see that the embroiderer did not take plain black silk but, probably being a good housewife and not wanting to waste anything took a bit

FIGURE 5 STOMACHER; anonymous; Engadine region, Switzerland; eighteenth century; silk with silk threads; Courtesy Swiss National Museum,Zurich. hill /99/

of black silk with some white brocaded flowers on it. She succeeded in covering these very cleverly by embroidering over them or by including them in the embroidered flower arrangement. Three of them can be seen clearly, while the fourth shows only in part, being nearly covered by the left wing of the central motive. Another one appears at the top of the right wing, and a third down at the left near the bottom of the stomacher. The lace-like character of this brocaded flower differs from the somewhat heavy impression that the embroidered flowers and branches give. The whole stomacher is very brightly colored, with much red. The composition tries to be symmetrical. The flowers are more ornamental than those we have seen before and rather hard to identify; only at the upper seam are pansies and carnations recognizable. The reverse of the stomacher is lined with unbleached raw linen, and an ingenious system of wooden sticks gives shape and stiffness. We have found among all the bodices and stomachers from the Swiss mountain valleys that, instead of whalebone, wood has always been used. Of course, whalebone was difficult to obtain and expensive, so that skillful hands copied the whalebone stays in wood, an inexpensive and plentiful material. A final accessory of the Engadine costume is a triangular kerchief(figures 6 and 7) — again of black taffeta with two borders embroidered with polychrome silks. The embroiderer used the same flowers here as on the wall pockets, with the red and white carnations again in an important place in the center. It is interesting to note that many gold threads are used in the kerchiefs. One does not notice them immediately, but they form the outlines of several flowers as well as their hearts, and sometimes they fill small leaves. Among these black taffeta kerchiefs, we also occasionally see gauzy ones in bright colors, with the same polychrome embroidered flower edges. Although the ground material is most delicate, many more silver and gold threads were used on these than on the black kerchiefs. As a whole, the costume of the women and young girls of the Engadine is marvelously colorful. The kerchiefs contrast beautifully with the bright red

Hut_ 6 SCARF: anonymous; Zernez. Switzerland; nineteenth century; wool and threads; 68 x 71 cm. Courtesy Ratisches Museum, Chun

FIGURE 7 SCARF; anonymous; Sent. Switzerland; first half of nineteenth century; silk and threads; 66 x 69 cm. Courtesy Ratisches Museum,Chur.

woolen dress, the white linen collar, and the tiny black velvet cap. The young men wear top hats with black or red coats. It is a brilliant scene on feast days and wedding days when these costumes are worn with their radiant red and multicolored embroidered accessories. The national dress, with its accompanying embroidery and accessories, have helped to develop a very special character in the Engadine. DR. JENNY SCHNEIDER is the former Director of the Swiss National Museum in Zurich. The article first appeared in The Bulletin of the Needle and Bobbin Club, Volume 51, 1968, pp. 3-13. Reprinted with permission. 51


The Poyas of Gruyere pastoral civilization rich in tradition has developed in the Swiss subalpine area situated between the Plateau and the Alps. As early as the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of this region specialized in cattle raising and cheese making, and the mountains were cleared to become meadows. Today, from late May to late September, one can still see cattle grazing on these mountain pastures. This pastoral and alpine economy generated a popular culture that ex-

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pressed itself exquisitely through seasonal customs, costumes, painting, sculpture, and music. Driving the cattle to pasture, a strong moment in the pastoral cycle, has been celebrated in the chants called "songs of the cowhere The most famous "song of the Gruyere cowherds" has become even more popular than the Swiss national anthem! Each time this song was performed during the wine growers festival at Vevey in 1977, it aroused intense emotion in an arena filled with fifteen

thousand viewers. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, representations of driving the cattle to pasture were found simultaneously in three typical regions of subalpine culture: paper cutouts in the Pays-d'Enhaut, small but detailed paintings in Appenzell, and the large, monumental paintings in Gruyere_ Gruyere is a district of the Canton of Fribourg. It was named after the counts who ruled it until the sixteenth century. In turn, it gave its name to a cheese of

T iiE CT L

AR 10 IN

GILBERT FLEURY, VILLARS-SUR-GLARE

Denis Buchs


In spring and autumn,one still encounters many herds on the roads of Gruyere. The cows are decorated with flowers only on their return from the Alps, therefore one does not see this decoration in the poya paintings which represent the departure.

A poya in its preferred location over the door lintel.

POYA anonymous; one finds here the customary order of train du chalet and cows,then bulls, calves and pigs; this poya shows the traditional procession to the alpine meadows;1910; 64 x 280 cm. Collection of Musee gruerien, Bulle.

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international renown. In spite of the deep economic and social changes of the last fifty years, Gruyere today still remains faithful to its bent and while modernizing its methods, the Gruyere peasant still holds to tradition. He likes to adorn the facade of his barn with a poya, that is, a painted representation of the significant activity of driving the cattle to pasture. In the Gruyere dialect, poya first designated the cattle's departure. Later, the term was also applied to paintings representing that event. In Gruyere and in the neighboring areas, five hundred poyas can be seen on farms, probably making up the largest gallery of paintings in the world.

Emergence of the Poya The poya can be located at the end of a slow evolution in Gruyere's popular arts. In the late seventeenth century carpenters gave barn entrances a monumental appearance. The lintels supporting a pediment were adorned with the monogram of Christ (IHS), the date, and the names of the barn's builder and

DETAIL OF A POYA by Sylvestre Pidoux,the foremost poya painter, worked as a charcoalburner. His paintings are fascinating for their composition and are also rich in ethnographical references. C. 1840-1850. Collection of the Musee gruerien, BuIle.

DETAIL OF A POYA by Sylvestre Pidoux; the costumes of the herdsmen ("armaillis") are still worn today and artisans continue to embroider the bell collars with leather thongs. c. 1840-1850. Collection of the Musee gruerien, Bulle.

owner. In the second half of the eighteenth century, family arms began appearing together with floral motifs and rural scenery. The first painted representations of driving the cattle to pasture were executed in the early nineteenth century. One may ask why the painters chose to paint this facet of the cycle rather than the return from the pasture and the invigorated cattle adorned with flowers at the end of the summer, and the answer seems clear. Driving the cattle to pasture in the springtime was chosen for its symbolic power; the peasant painters recorded a time when sap was mounting in the trees, when blood was stirred up in the veins, rather than the time when satisfied bodies were about to face winter. Graphically, it is very important to suggest an ascent in poya art. The painting's position above the barn door also adds a further meaning: the wishes for a good pasture season as well as an abundant haymaking season. As is natural for a work positioned nearly ten feet above the ground, the poya is characterized by a simple composition and a format stretching more than

twelve feet in width. Even though it is a sublimation of an essential moment in the pastoral cycle, the painted poya still has to respect the order established by tradition. The cowherds and cheesemakers frame the herd. At the front, the chief is established through his commanding appearance and costume. Then comes the best cow, adorned with a large bell suspended on an embroidered leather collar. The other cows have smaller bells. A large number of peasants watch over the activity and listen to the harmonious sound of the bells. Calves, a few goats, sheep, and pigs form the rear guard. All the necessary equipment for working in the pasture is carefully displayed on a carriage and protected with a cover. If this cover is red, the owner is saying that his herd is free of debt! At the rear of the carriage, a large upside-down milk boiler constitutes the last element of the parade.

The Poya Painters The first poya painter, Sylvestre


Pidoux (1800-1871), was a master of the genre. Through the present day, each of his followers has been in contact with rural life, and this allows them to record a personal experience. Like Pidoux, a coalman of the forest, these painters are often men of modest means, rural workers or seasonal helpers. As for the cattle raisers, they are generally too busy to take up painting before the time of their retirement. A few women are the rare exceptions to the rule of an art practiced mostly by men. Until the end of the nineteenth century, the poyas remained faithful to Pidoux's schema: the herd filling the entire space on two superimposed registers, with a turning movement indicating the ascent at one end. At that time, the landscape gradually began to occupy more and more space, as if it were meant to emphasize implantation on a ground. The poya painter historically has

tended to organize the elements of his painting on a meaningful scale rather than to adopt classical perspective. This allows him to emphasize the herd and the final destination: the chalet in the mountain pastures. He represents cattle in profile because cattle raisers like to count their cows and appraise their quality quickly. The poyas bear witness to the evolution in cattle-raising techniques. In Sylvestre Pidoux's work, the cows' hides have red or black spots. But in the late nineteenth century, soon after the breeds were separated, paintings show either the black and white spotted Fribourg breed or the red and white spotted Simmental breed. After 1960, the Fribourg breed was crossed with the Canadian Holstein, which has a thinner and more angular body. More recently, the horns of the cattle have been removed, though some painters hesitate to reproduce these new cows faithfully.

A Popular Art Alive Is there any need to prove that poya painting is still a popular art alive in Gruyere? One can give the example of a peasant who recently abandoned the red spotted breed to raise the new black spotted breed. In all logic, he also exchanged the poya on his farm for a new one faithfully representing the cows that he had in his barn. The old poya was given to the collection of the Gruyere Museum at Bulle. Gruyere's poyas have remained faithful to tradition. They have never existed as mere decorations. They celebrate a symbolically rich event that comforts the collective subconscious, and they constitute a source from which it draws its future energy. DENIS BUCHS is Curator at the Gruyere Museum in Bulle, Switzerland. Translated by Chantal Combes.

DETAIL OF A POYA by Sylvestre Pidoux; the "train du chalet"(chalet carriage) carries all the utensils and supplies needed for milking cows and for the production of cheeses,cream and butter. Collection of Musee gruerien, Bulle.

POYA by Lucie Bochud (born 1896); one of the few women painters of poyas;1919; 60 x 202 cm. Private collection.

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1465/ 1 40 AT Nt-i. tAltAn HEAV•pUAKTEM OF MONT %CELLo

JAt. vuEctc.

'OM

tsiQ.%\

The Wisconsin Swiss: Ernest Menolfi and Leo Schelbert

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Frontispiece from a passport issued to Benedict Goldenberger from the Canton of Aargau. Switzerland, on November 22,1848. He left Aargau in 1851, went to Massachusetts, then to Madison, Wisconsin in 1857. Courtesy of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

ew regions of the United States: have attracted as many Swiss as the state of Wisconsin. It registered a steady increase of native Swiss among its foreign-born until 1920, and its southern region became well-known for its Swiss-American presence. Yet throughout, the Swiss remained a rather small group among Wisconsin's people. The 1850 U.S. census, for example, counted a total of 304,756 inhabitants in Wisconsin, of whom 54,312 were born in Wisconsin, 139,166 in other parts of the Union,and 110,471 were foreign-born; among these latter only 1,244 Swiss were counted (the nativity of 807 people remained unknown).` Swiss natives were not only small in numbers, they were also dispersed widely over the state. Moreover, some remained only briefly and others anglicized their last name so that ethnic

F - THE FAMOUS BROWN SWISS COW; Monticello Wisconsin.

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recognition was difficult. For example, Fisch became Fish, or Neukomm became Newcome. Few primary sources for information about the Swiss population exist, and only one brief, although excellent, overview exists.' An adequate portrait of Wisconsin's Swiss is therefore less than simple. The largest increase of Swiss-born residents in Wisconsin occurred between 1850 and 1860; there was then a gradual growth until World War I, after which a steady decline set in. By 1980 Wisconsin had only 1,716 Swiss-born, 1,524 of whom were naturalized U.S. citizens.' The number of new arrivals has also remained small. Decennial census figures, however, represent a mere cross-section at a specific moment and do not reflect the actual coming and going of people. What looks like a smooth development 58

Passing the Painted Stone Carrying Place, with the Swiss Colonists for the Red River Settlement, British North America, October 1821; pen and ink and wash on paper; Peter Rindisbacher; 1821; 71/4 x 87/8". Courtesy Amon Carter Museum,Fort Worth Texas.

was, in fact, a complex migratory movement. Earlier arrivals to Wisconsin moved westward; Swiss who had first settled in the East went to the Midwest; others arrived directly from Switzerland. Thus, many were never recorded in the census although they had cultivated land, had enticed compatriots to a particular place of settlement, and had laid the foundations for new permanent communities. The case of the Dettwiler family from Langenbruck in the Swiss Canton BaselLand provides a useful illustration.' Heinrich Dettwiler (1790-1862) was a well-to-do Swiss farmer who had ten

children, four of whom immigrated to the United States: Johannes (1828-1888) in 1854; Emmanuel (1836-1924) in 1864; Jakob (1830-?) in 1865; and Benjamin (1838-1889) in 1870. They had been preceded by various relatives and acquaintances, some of whom they were to meet once in the United States. Johannes first settled in Wellsboro, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, where he worked in a sawmill before turning to farming. In 1861 he envisioned returning to Switzerland, but the Civil War prevented the sale of his farm. In 1866 he decided to move instead to Green County, Wisconsin; five years later he moved to Glenwood, Iowa; and, in the spring of 1872, he moved to Smith County,Kansas, where he purchased a 160-acre farm. His brother Emmanuel, who arrived in 1864, chose to travel through the northTHE CLARION


Captain W. Andrew Bulger Saying Farewell at Fort MacKay, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin,1815; Peter Rindisbacher; c. 1823; pen and watercolor; 14 x 237/e. Courtesy Amon Carter Museum,Fort Worth, Texas.

eastern and midwestern parts of the United States, taking temporary employment on farms or in sawmills. In 1865 he returned to Switzerland for a brief period, then returned to Pennsylvania, from where he moved to Green County, Wisconsin, in 1866. There he took up farming and prospered, as did his several children. Jakob, the third brother, secretly left his home village of Langenbruck during the summer of 1865 to escape an unhappy marriage. He worked as a carpenter in New York City during his first winter in America, then he, too, moved to Green County, where he remarried in 1868 after a divorce had been granted by the authorities in Switzerland. The youngest brother, Benjamin, arrived in Monroe in 1870, "but not in a pleasant state:' as Emmanuel wrote. "He needed immediate medical attention because of his legs. He also was out of money. ... he is taciturn, very slow at work, an American could hardly stand watching him, his need of tobacco and matches is big, he squanders 1/5 of the day with it.'" In 1874 Benjamin left Wisconsin for Cedarville, Kansas, where he purchased a 160-acre farm adjacent to that of his brother Johannes. He never married, and he died at the age of 51. The story of the Dettwiler brothers shows that their moves involved many phases, that they were driven by different motivations, and that they made choices based on circumstances as well as on personal preferences. The U.S. census documents the wide dispersal of Swiss over Wisconsin's Fa111991

regions as well as their concentration in Green, Dane, Milwaukee, and Buffalo counties. The printed county census data, available only for 1870 through 1940, show that the Swiss went mainly to Green and Milwaukee counties, but that quite a few also settled in Dodge, Iowa, Lafayette, and Rock counties. The counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Jefferson had only small, if fairly stable, Swiss contingents, as did most of Wisconsin's northern regions. After 1900, some earlier centers of Swiss immigration, such as Buffalo, Sauk, Fond du Lac, and Winnebago counties, showed a sharp numerical decline of Swiss-born, largely because of economic change. Swiss were widely dispersed within most counties,

the Green County settlements of Exeter, Jordan, Monroe, Monticello, Mt. Pleasant, New Glarus, and Washington excepted. Yet, the Swiss presence was actually larger than the numbers suggest if one considers the Americanborn descendants of the Swiss-born. The first known group of Swiss to have settled in what is now Wisconsin came to the region via Canada. At the end of the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States, the English authorities decided to dissolve the Swiss regiments in its employment and to offer land in Canada to those willing to stay. About fifty soldiers of Swiss origin decided to join the Red River settlement of the Scot Thomas Dundas, Lord Selkirk. Rudolf de May, a Swiss officer, was sent to Switzerland to entice more settlers, and they arrived in the Selkirk colony after an arduous journey from Europe in 1821. But the harshness of the climate and disastrous harvests induced many families to move southward. Some ofthem went to what is today Lafayette County, Wisconsin, and named their settlement after Henri Gratiot(1789-1836), the son of a French-Swiss fur trader. Among the Gratiot settlers were also the parents of Peter Rindisbacher (1806-1834), whose paintings and sketches are today highly valued for their depictions of the immigrantjourney, of Native American peoples, and of pioneer conditions. Another early center for Swiss immigrants was Sauk County. In 1841 the

Abraham Schmoker,c. 1885, Alma(Stumptown), Wisconsin. He was a Swiss immigrant, hermit; and one of the first settlers of Buffalo County. Gesell Collection, State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

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The route of emigration from Switzerland to New Glarus, Wisconsin,1845. Courtesy New Glarus Historical Society.

distinguished family of Bartholomew Ragatz (1792-1859) settled some six miles west of Sauk City on the Wisconsin River. "The ground was fertile, woods lay near at hand, and spring as well as creek water was easily accessible. Truly, this met heart's desire," one of the immigrant sons later wrote. The good reports sent back to Switzerland attracted some forty families to Sauk County. One of the later arrivals was Henry Ochsner from the Canton of Zurich. From 1849 to 1852 he took a position with a well-established yankee farmer, then bought land in Little Prairie, town of Honey Creek. In 1853 he went back to Switzerland, married Judith Hottinger, then returned with his spouse to Honey Creek, where the family prospered in farming. Ochsner was active first in Republican, later in Democratic county politics. His son Albert became a noted physician in Chicago.' Buffalo County, a third favored area, counted 941 Swiss-born in 1870. The first Swiss arrivals had come from Galena, Illinois, and settled in August 1848 at what was then called Twelve Mile Bluff. They cut firewood for the Mississippi river boats and were soon joined by other Swiss families. Names like Auer, Berni, Muller, Neukomm, Polin, Ruben, Schmocker, Stohr, Urfer, Walser, and Wenger were common. In Alma, as they renamed their settlement, they established shops and businesses,formed sharpshooting and singing societies and, once Alma had become a city in 1885, filled positions such as sheriff and mayor. After 1895 few new Swiss arrived and others 60

moved away; yet, in 1905 every third foreign-born head of household was still of Swiss origin. With the advent of the railroad, river traffic in lumber and grain decreased; Alma's economic position declined and an awareness of the ethnic origins of many of its inhabitants diminished.' New Glarus, in Green County, was Wisconsin's most confident and bestknown township of Swiss origin. It had been planned by an emigration society composed of well-to-do citizens from the Swiss Canton of Glarus. Through their efforts, 193 emigrants left the valley of Glarus in April 1845, 118 of whom settled in on land that now forms the New Glarus township. By 1849, there were 311 inhabitants and 44 farms with 1,330 acres under cultivation. In 1859, New Glarus counted 1,960 inhabitants, 149 farms, and 10,306 cultivated acres. By the turn of the century, contact with Switzerland had weakened, but the residents of New Glarus remained tied to their national and ethnic heritage, if the choice of first names for American-born children is a valid indication. Johannes or Hans had been changed to John, but otherwise Werner, Emil, Jakob, Oswald, and, especially, Fridolin (the name of the patron saint of the Glarnese) remained popular. Also, the first names of girls were chosen according to Glarnese traditions; no favorite American name is apparent in the records of the 1900 census. By the 1950s, contacts with Switzerland had increased again. An historical village was built that features the life of the early settlers; annual William

Tell and Heidi festivals were initiated, and tourism was and still is consciously promoted. Today, these efforts attract thirty to forty thousand visitors each year. Swiss were also relatively numerous in other Green County townships. In 1905, for instance, 91.7 percent of Washington's foreign-born heads of households were from Switzerland, as well as 68.1 percent of those in Mt. Pleasant and 58.2 percent of those in Monroe.' Milwaukee, Wisconsin's main urban center, also attracted a fair number of Swiss. The U.S. Census reported 346 Swiss-born there for 1870, 584 for 1890,653for 1900, and 833for 1910. In 1930, 1,137 people born in Switzerland were counted and in 1940 some 866 people. The Swiss stock, that is Swissborn and their American-born children, was much larger. In 1910, for instance, their number was 1,897; of the American-born, 601 had parents who were both born in Switzerland, while 463 had one Swiss-born parent.째 Milwaukee's Swiss founded a variety of organizations quite early. In 1850 they organized the singing society Frohsinn and a brass band, in 1854 the sharpshooting society Helvetia, which attracted many Germans, and in 1873 a Swiss club for mutual assistance. In 1873 they also founded the Schweizer Mannerchor, a male singing society that promoted the observance of patriotic lore. Inns like E Bachmann's Wilhelm Tell Haus, John Wirth's Helvetia Halle, and A. Fischli's saloon Zum Schweizer Kreuz furthered ethnic Undoubtedly Wisconsin was one of the favored regions of settlement in the United States for Swiss immigrants. In 1870 it placed fifth, after Ohio,Illinois, New York, and Missouri, as it did in 1890 and again in 1900, when Missouri was replaced by California. By 1930, Wisconsin ranked third after New York and California. Its main attractions were good arable land, a landscape that was in part reminiscent of some Swiss regions, and the presence not only of many Swiss compatriots, but also of a vibrant German-language cultural heritage. Emmanuel Dettwiler mentioned some of these characteristics in a letter written in 1865: From Chicago, I traveled to THE CLARION


Wisconsin, to Green County where there are many Swiss settlers especially from the Canton of Glarus a ..I spent ten days in that region reconnoitering in various directions. I liked it very much, beautiful and good land, an abundance of wood, running water, many buildings of the Swiss type, the land is not yet as expensive as in Ohio." The state of Wisconsin also actively recruited immigrants, first in the early 1850s, then again after 1867. Luther Whittlesey, an agent for the Wisconsin Board of Immigration, wrote in 1854 from New York City: Some 6,000 emigrants passed through this city...mostly. from Switzerland...and that too of a class better than usual, most of them had considerable money — all of them had some — I dis-

tributed about 800 pamphlets of Wisconsin (printed in their own language) among them...the vagabonds cannot and will not go to state(s) like Wisconsin — they remain in Eastern cities." Perhaps of greater importance than state-sponsored efforts — these may be viewed as a variation of private entrepreneurial endeavors — were reports of family members, relatives, and acquaintances that induced people to leave home for other regions; yet most decisive in the choices emigrants made, were personal tastes and values as well as the vagaries of fate. Two of the four Dettwiler brothers, for instance, although in quite similar circumstances, not only left their native Switzerland but also Wisconsin to settle finally in Kansas; two opted permanently for Green County, and six of the Dettwiler children did not emigrate.

Swiss newcomers to Wisconsin had varied occupational and social backgrounds. Before 1900, most came from rural areas of Switzerland and were semi-skilled in several occupations. An innkeeper, carpenter, blacksmith, or other specified craftsman was often simultaneously a seasoned farmer. Once in Wisconsin, immigrants therefore adapted quite easily to local opportunities. In Buffalo County they turned to lumbering; in Green County to farming, then to dairying. After 1870, when the mass-grown wheat of the Great Plains was eliminated as a cash crop for family-sized farms, they turned to cheesemaking. Besides adapting to changing market conditions, Swiss immigrant farmers also kept some of their customs. Several report, for instance, that,at the same time they built their log cabins, they also built stables for their cattle to protect them better from the

Members of a schutzenverein (sharpshooters'dub), New Glarus, Wisconsin. Courtesy New Glarus Historical Society.

Fall 1991

61


severe winter climate. They also rotated crops and used manure to prevent soil exhaustion and to increase yields." Occupational data for Wisconsin's Swiss are scarce, but some samples intimate a wide variety of pursuits. Of the initial New Glarus settlers of 1845, sixty-eight had identifiable skills; among those immigrants were 29 weavers, 18 textile workers,7 millers,7 artisans, and 14 farmers. There is evidence that the Swiss were far less agricultural than Wisconsin's Germans even in the agriculturally flourishing southern counties where Swiss were relatively numerous. New Glarus offers an interesting example of the adaptability of Swiss immigrants. By 1870, when dairying became dominant in Green County, the number of cheese factories rose from one in 1870 to twenty-two in 1905. Yet, when the Helvetia Milk Company began producing condensed milk in its New Glarus plant in 1910,"all but three ...ceased operation from one day to the other." No complaints are on record about this abrupt change. It apparently mattered little to Green County farmers whether the milk they sold was condensed or made into cheese, as long as the price for their product was right.' In 1900 Wisconsin counted 7,666

Swiss-born, of whom 58.5 percent were married to a non-Swiss spouse. According to data in Cultural Ethnic Backgrounds in Wisconsin 1905, language played a decisive role in spouse selection; 24 percent of Swiss-born who were women and 34.4 percent who were men had spouses born in Germany. (Besides language, religious affiliation may also have been a major influence.) The 1900 census also reported 19,946 persons with fathers born in Switzerland and 17,189 persons with mothers born in that country. Thus, Swiss traditions fused through intermarriage with those of other foreignborn groups and, by the third generation, had become submerged in the general American culture. First-generation Swiss seem to have been involved only marginally in state and federal political life, possibly due to the absence of a traditional village structure, the language barrier, and the mainly rural character of their concentration. During the Civil War, however, many Swiss actively fought against the Confederate Army. There was a company of "Green County Volunteers" and, especially, Company G in Berdan's regiment of sharpshooters, which had been formed and was commanded by the Wisconsin

Swiss, Kaspar Trepp. The unit served with distinction but suffered heavy casualties; when dissolved in August 1864, it counted a mere dozen men." As to party allegiance, Swiss and their descendants in Wisconsin seem to have favored the Republican Party. Between 1860 and 1880, for instance, the people of Green County, among whom were many Swiss, voted 63.66 percent Republican in presidential contests, as compared to 54.66 percent overall for Wisconsin. Although percentages varied, this remained true for subsequent elections. The years 1932 and 1936 were the only exceptions, when Roosevelt received 63 and 62 percent, respectively; in 1940 and 1944 the Republican majority was reestablished with 56 and 58 percent:6 Denominationally most Swiss were either Reformed, that is, followers of Huldreich Zwingli's (1484-1531) interpretation of the Christian tradition, or members of the Catholic Church. Milwaukee's first Catholic bishop was Martin Henni(1805-1881), who in 1875 was made archbishop. He was assisted by Martin Kiindig(1805-1930)as diocesan Vicar General. In 1891 Sebastian Messmer(1847-1930) was appointed Bishop of Green Bay and later, in 1903, Archbishop of Milwaukee. Johann Anton

The Engen Cheese Factory, owned by Fred Tschantz,1915. Courtesy New Glarus Historical Society.

THE CLARION


at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of several studies on Swiss immigration to America. This is an abridged version of an article which first appeared in the Swiss-American Historical Society Review, Vol. XXV, No. 1, February 1989. Reprinted with permission. NOTES

5 Women with "schutzen-rifles" for sharpshooting; Alma. Wisconsin, about 1885-1910. Gesell Collection, State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

Frey (1831-1912) and Gregor Haas founded the Holy Cross Friary, Mt. Calvary,in Milwaukee,the first monastery of Capuchins and a branch of the Franciscan monastic tradition. A member of that foundation, Antoine Marie Gachet (1823-1894), missionized among the Menominee on the Kenosha reservation, while Jacob Stucki (1857-1930), a Reformed minister, proselytized among the Winnebago people. Over time, Swiss also joined other denominations and became Freemasons. Thus, the main church in New Glarus is Swiss Reformed, but the village also has a Methodist church and a Masonic temple. Although this sketch of the Wisconsin Swiss can only allude to some facts of their history, it shows that they easily became a segment of the American mainstream. Swiss traditions — be they economic,social, political, or religious — were compatible not only with Fa111991

Wisconsin's most dominant group of foreign-born, the Germans, but also with the general population. Thus, for Swiss and their descendants, Wisconsin proved to be a hospitable and congenial place where they faced no problems deriving from their ethnicnational background. By the third generation, most Swiss had become committed Wisconsinites and Americans but often, at the same time, remained conscious and proud of their Swiss heritage. Today, this pride continues with the transmission of traditions, especially in New Glarus, where festivals, costumes,language, and links to the homeland remain steadfast. DR. ERNEST MENOLFI teaches history in a gymnasium in Basel, Switzerland and is the author of two monographs portraying the history of Swiss rural communities. Dr. Leo Schelbert is a member of the Department of History

1. The Seventh Census of the United States (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1853), p. 925. 2. See Frederick Hale, The Swiss in Wisconsin (Madison: The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1984). 3. U.S. Census of Population 1980, Vol. 1, Ch. D., Wisconsin (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1981), p. 8. 4. Hans Dettwiler, Lagenbrucker als Farmer in Amerika vor 100 Jahren. (Liestal: Landschaftler AG, 1977). 5. Ibid., p. 24. 6. See Lowell J. Ragatz, trans. and ed.,"Memoirs of a Sauk Swiss' by the Rev. Oswald Ragatz, in Wisconsin Magazine of History 19 (1935-1936), pp. 182-227. 7. Barbara Anderson-Sannes, in Alma on the Mississippi 1842-1932, ed. Michael Wm. Doyle et al. (Alma, WI: The Alma Historical Society, 1980). 8. See Cultural Ethnic Backgrounds in Wisconsin 1905, Vol. 1, table 1. 9. U.S. Bureau of the Census, Compendium of the Ninth Census (Washington, D.C., 1872), p. 449; Compendium ofthe Eleventh Census(1894), p. 605; Census Reports. Vol. 1, 1900 Population, Part I (1901), p. 803;Thirteenth Census...1910, Abstract ... with Supplementfor Wisconsin (1913), p. 598; Population 1920, Vol. 111(1922), p. 1121;Sixteenth Census ofthe U.S.: 1940 Population, Vol. II, Part 7 (1943), p. 683. 10. Adelrich Steinach, Geschichte und Leben des Schweizer Kolonien in den Vereiningten Staaten von Nordamerika (New York: T. Bryner, 1889), pp. 278-286; John C. Gregory, History of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vol. II (Chicago-Milwaukee: The J.S. Clarke Publishing Co., 1931), pp. 626-627. 11. Dettwiler, Langenbrucker, p. 20. 12. Letter of March 25, 1854; Manuscript Collection, The State Historical Society of Wisconsin in Madison. 13. Dieter Brunnschweiler,"Tradition and Environment as Counter-Influences in the History of New Glarus' in Leo Schelbert, ed., New Glarus 1845-1970. The Making of a Swiss-American Town (Glarus, Switzerland: Kommissions Verlag Tschudi, 1970), pp. 179-182. 14. Ibid., pp. 186-187. 15. Wilhelm Kaufmann, Die Deutschen im amerikanischen Burgerkriege(Sezessions-krieg 1861-1865) (Munchen und Berlin: R. Oldenbourg, 1911), p. 558; Ella Lonn, Foreigners in the Union Army and Navy (New York: Greenwood Press, 1969), pp. 138-139; Robert W. Wells, Wisconsin in the Civil War(Milwaukee: The Milwaukee Journal, 1962), p. 12; Heinz K. Meier,ed.,Memoirs ofa Swiss Officer in the American Civil War, Hedwig Rappolt, trans. (Bern: Herbert Lang, 1972),chronicles the activities of the sharpshooters with much information on Trepp, who hailed from SpItigen, Switzerland. 16. Based on James R. Donoghue,How Wisconsin Voted 1848-1960,(Madison: Bureau of Government University Extension Division, University of Wisconsin, 1962); David L. Brye, Wisconsin Voting Patterns in the Twentieth Century, 1900-1950 (New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1979).

63


Baking Molds in Lucerne Margarete Pfister-Burkhalter hen and where the first decorated molds for flat cakes or pastry appeared can be neither dated nor located with precision. The oldest molds known, decorated with spiral images, were found at Mohenjodoro in the Indus Valley and date from about 2500 B.C. Others, decorated with religious images and geometric figures and dating from about the eighteenth century B.C., were found in Mesopotamia. Whatever the origin, we can presume that in a land in which ancient grains were planted and harvested, baked goods production reached a high level. Due to the fertile mud deposited by annual floods and the not yet deforested woods, Egypt, like the above mentioned areas, also had a luxuriant grain crop cultivated by both farmers and slaves, and the great yield of their harvests allowed for the export of surplus grain. An impression ofthe refined baking craft ofthe Egyptians is found in

W

° CHRISTMAS CAKE MOLD (WORSHIPPING OF THE KINGS); anonymous; 17th century; wood; 19.2 x 3.2 cm. Courtesy Fachschule Richemont, Lucerne.

64

examples left with the dead in their burial chambers; especially striking are the relief images depicting the palace bakery of Ramses III (c.1182-1151 B.C.)found within his grave in western Thebes. The manifold variety of baked goods allows one to surmise that simple baking molds were already in use. The clay molds found in Greece primarily served the ritual purposes of cults in the fourth to first centuries B.C.,if one can judge, by their decoration. These were perhaps influenced by works from Mesopotamia and more certainly from Babylonia. Greece, in its turn, passed its influence to Rome, where the subject matter for baking molds became more mundane. Roman molds depict gladiators and other profane images alongside heros and gods. In the images impressed on to them,the small circular clay molds unearthed sporadically resemble clay lamps. Some years later Christian Egyptians (the Copts) embossed Christian symbols into their consecrated bread by using wooden molds, some of which still survive today. On the northern coast of Africa, in provinces ruled successively by Carthage and Rome, Max Wahren found what is probably the oldest bread stamp with Christian engraving in the possession of a sect known as the White Fathers. Dating from the fourth century, this round form served well as a mold for the host, for it presents a stag surrounded by the inscription EGO SVM PANIS VIVVS DE CELO DESCENDI ("I am living bread decended from heaven"). The design of the engraved side is no different from that of the oldest round molds found on the Roman side of the Alps and dating from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries.... In the many territories traversed by the Roman legions, including Switzerland, fragments of molds have been discovered during excavation. One would like, by glint of this evi-

dence, to hazard a direct influence on the medieval molds of Switzerland. However, one cannot find a single link between the sixth and the fifteenth centuries. This gap of nine hundred years must force us to consider that baking molds can emerge independently of any predecessor, particularly in a region such as Switzerland where pastry chefs were trained. Itinerant apprentice bakers carried many of their belongings with them from their varied native regions, so that the recognition of any specific local types becomes difficult, and such is the case with the molds of Lucerne. Both stone and clay molds were used until the sixteenth century, when wooden molds became more common. The style and approximate age of the wooden baking molds from Switzerland are much easier to determine than their regional origin. The setting of a historical sequence is occasionally facilitated by dated examples comparable in style. Locating origins, however, is made difficult by the dearth of signed molds, especially amongst those crafted within rural areas and small towns. Since the engravers had to live from their craft, many were forced to travel and carried their style with them to different areas. This study attempts to illustrate the particular characteristics of molds around Lucerne. They are almost without exception carved from fruit woods, especially pear. This is always the case of molds for anisette cookies (Anisbroth) and filled honey cakes (Biber), the small rectangular forms for petite gingerbread cookies (Leckerli), and the shaped molds for small filled crĂŞpes (Kriipfli). During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries typically Catholic images, such as the monogram and heart of Jesus and Mary, arose, appearing very much like those illustrated here. Thematically, some of these distinguish THE CLARION


CAKE MOLD (RUTLISCHWUR WITH THE COATS OF ARMS OF THE SWISS CANTONS); anonymous; 18th century; wood; 30.4 x 2.8 cm. Courtesy Backerei Zai, Lucerne.

CAKE MOLD (HEART WITH IHS); anonymous; 18th/19th century; wood; 12.8 x 13.2 cm. Courtesy Sarnen Heimatmuseum.

CAKE MOLD (HEART WITH IHS); anonymous; 1735; wood; 12.8 x 0.9 cm. Courtesy Sarnen Heimatmuseum.

CAKE MOLD(THE CAVALIER WITH MANY CHILDREN); 17th century; wood; 26.6 x 9.8 cm. Courtesy Historisches Museum, Lucerne.

CAKE MOLD(BAROQUE WOMAN); anonymous; 19th century; wood; 27 x 15.5 cm. Courtesy Historisches Museum, Lucerne.

CAKE MOLD (CHRIST AT THE WELL); anonymous; 17th century; wood; 24 x 14 cm. Courtesy Fachschule Richemont, Lucerne.

Fall 1991

CAKE MOLD (PELICAN FEEDING HER YOUNG); anonymous; 18th century; wood; 21 x 2.5 cm. Courtesy Sarnen Heimatmuseum.

65


themselves from their Protestant neighbors by the depiction of Baroque saints and, in a much larger repertoire of images, by their iconography. Such unequivocal differences in the molds designed for Catholic and Protestant patrons disappear when the design reflects biblical, profane, heraldic, or ornamental themes, or when it embraces strictly local motifs. The pelican as a symbol of the sacrifice of Christ was handed down through the Phisiologus, a compilation of Christian symbols in nature dating from the age of early Christianity. Although it had appeared frequently in sculpture and painting from Romanesque times, it is not found in baking molds until the fifteenth century. As a rule, the pelican is depicted nursing its three children with its own heart's blood, as in the example shown here. Carved with verve, this mold dates from the eighteenth century.

In the same century began an initial period of flowering in the art of mold making, confined predominantly to the cities. Increasingly, mold carvers added profane images to their vocabulary. Richly adorned and fashionable women and warrior-like men, often surrounded by flowers and greenery, were often portrayed from this time on.... After Switzerland's confederation, accolades were frequently bestowed upon the unification. The subject matter of mold images was widened through the inclusion of patriotic themes, especially depictions of Riitlischwur, the oath affirming unity, and other historical motifs. A frequent motif might be a bisected laurel garland surrounding an image of the crowned double eagle, or three figures entering into their unity vows over the coats of arms of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden on the meadow of

CAKE MOLD (EWE WITH LAMB); anonymous; 19th century; wood; 14.7 x 21.8 cm. Courtesy Backerei Zai, Lucerne.

CAKE MOLD(LUCERNE LION); signed F. Riecker; 1822; wood;13.5 x 2'1.7cm. Courtesy Fachschule Richemont, Lucerne.

66

Riltli.... Other popular themes and symbolic images included the Lucerne lion, couples in love, the Easter lamb, and women and men, often with many children. Among the unique attributes of Lucerne's best baking molds are a refreshing originality and a natural air. The oldest molds, within which one can sense the artist's struggle with composition, tend to group elements more unevenly than the later serially produced works, and, when the theme, be it religious or profane, does not require the maker's total concentration, the resulting images may produce a delightful impression of play and frivolity. With the development of machines for cutting the rectangular anisette molds at the end of the nineteenth century, demand rose and prices fell. Originality, however, was left by the wayside. Only in the twentieth century did the taste for artistic composition begin to rise again, and Lucerne's bakers and pastry chefs started to commission woodcarvers and engravers to produce monumental molds bearing themes of Lucerne from designs by painters such as Eduard Renggli (1882-1939) and Hans Ziircher (1888-1958) and the painter-carver Hans von Matt(1899-1985). These were made more for the tourist industry and served as display objects rather than as baking molds. Throughout all of Switzerland however, individual engravers and native craft traditions have brought new values to the ancient art of baking molds. Today, these molds continue to be produced for both utilitarian and decorative purposes. The article from which this piece is adapted first appeared as "Luzerner Gebdckmodel vom 16. bis 19, Jahrhundert," in Jahrbuch der Historischen Gesellschaft Luzern, volume 7, 1989, pp. 28-42. The guest curator first saw the molds used to illustrate the article in a 1989 exhibition of Christmas baking forms and molds at the Museum of History (Historisches Museum)in Lucerne organized by its director, Dr. Josef Briilisauer, who directed her attention to this article. Translated by Michael Waldron and published with permission. THE CLARION


Rural Calligraphy in Swiss Everyday Life Hildegard Gantner-Sch lee to ;

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LOVE NOTE;inscription (translation): I offer you my heartfelt greetings through this small letter and would like to know if lam your most beloved one...; Basel; 1829; 8.9 x 12.5 cm. Courtesy Schweizerisches Museum fur Volkskunde.

n various regions of Germanspeaking Switzerland a particular type of popular culture of writing and images emerged during the eighteenth century. These were mostly small sheets of paper with a decorative, handwritten text. The sheets were embellished in many ways: some with ornamental or figurative paintings, others folded for scissor-cutting or worked with pinpricks. These examples of rural

I

Fall 1991

writings or calligraphy were produced mainly for special occasions and celebrated landmarks in the life of an individual such as baptism, name day, birthday, wedding, or funeral, or important events in the course of a year, such as Easter and the New Year, that called for gifts and well-wishing. Some •such mementos were also made for events and celebrations of local or regional importance. Some of these

pieces were destined for a specific person whose name appeared on the work, or they were meant for a special event. There are also pictorial maxims of a more general character and this latter group includes pious exhortations, aphorisms, and the manifold testimonials of friendship and love. These pieces were most likely also presented on traditional occasions for gift-giving.' 67


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MEMORIAL; Conrad Spalinger; 1811; ink on paper; 33 x 20 cm. Courtesy of Museum fUr Gestaltung,Zurich.

The art of calligraphy in people's everyday life is represented here by pieces from the Thurgau, belonging to the Schweizerisches Museum fiir Volkskunde(Swiss Folklife Museum)in Basel, and sheets created by the painter Conrad Spalinger for Johann Jacob Toggenburger, a magistrate in Marthalen, Canton Zurich, belonging to the graphics collection of the Museum fiir Gestaltung Zurich (Museum of Arts and Crafts). Calligraphies from the Thurgau'

Although all pieces from the Thurgau are classified as "calligraphy'; 68

this term should not be applied too strictly because these artists did not all master the art ofcalligraphy to the same degree. Their work spans an entire range from accomplished ornamental writing to letters often placed awkwardly on paper, but all of them have in common the desire to create, with the help of writing and decorations, a document or"memento of love': For the artist who was not a master of calligraphy, writing as such already meant quite an achievement, and whatever the lettering lacked in decorative appeal could be compensated by a more or less elaborate embellishment of the piece. Unfortunately, there are few clues to the creators of these small works of art. Rarely does the name of the recipient

appear, and it is even rarer to find the name of the giver. Because the pieces were removed from their original environs, concrete details concerning them are also lacking. Yet, the general knowledge gained in this respect from other regions may safely be transferred to the Thurgau area.' The design of these pieces, sometimes called "notes" or "little letters': and the handwritings as well as the decorations lead to the assumption that many pieces were done by different people. One group, however, were obviously done by the same hand, a skilled artist who divided the surface symmetrically into various geometric sections, placed the text firmly within the intended space, and filled the part without inscription with delicate flowers on a dark background. Several of these works, created between 1830 and 1840, are remarkable for an addition not otherwise found in the collection — namely, embossed and gilded paper borders glued like a frame around the inscriptions. The fact that the artist of this series created the works "professionally' that is, for sale to any customer, is evident from the consistent execution and from the way they were designed. There is, for example, no reference to a specific person; a love poem could be presented by any male to any female (though hardly the other way around), or a text meant for a special occasion is surrounded by a delineated band, leaving room for specific mention to be added whenever required. Besides these sheets, which the artist must have kept in stock, he also created certain mementos — for example, ones for the dead — for which it is likely that the entire text had to be specially written on each occasion. Many other pieces from the Thurgau originated with experienced calligraphers who were equally skilled with brush and paint. It may be assumed that the pieces preserved here were not the only products of their workshops. As genuine "letter painters" could scarcely have made a living in rural areas(and certainly not as many as are known now as having produced them), the creators of these little works of art must first of all be sought among circles that were otherwise also involved in writing — teachers, ministers, or official scribes. Christian Rubi THE CLARION


found proof in the Bern area that there were also people among the rural craftsmen and farmers who became adept at calligraphy and created such works.' It may certainly be assumed that this was likewise the case in the Thurgau, where such calligraphers could acquire both a reputation and additional income. Until late in the 19th century it was likely that only males produced such congratulatory messages and souvenirs "professionally' because it was widely considered unnecessary for girls and women to indulge in writing. Many pieces might have been lettered and decorated by the giver himself. Awkward handwritings, shaky orthography, and often a less-thanperfect positioning of the text, in the space meant for it, point in this direction. Although "professional" scribes had printed or hand-produced pattern books and sample collections for letter types, texts, and ornaments at their disposal, the amateur artists simply imitated examples known to them.

A Calligraphic Family Chronicle At the outset of the nineteenth century,the skilled artist Conrad Spalinger, who added the word painter to his signed works, created nine calligraphic sheets for Johann Jacob Toggenburger, guild arbiter and president and former district magistrate in Marthalen, Canton Zurich. The earliest work, dating from 1805, is a flyleaf for an interest and accounting book; the others are mementos of the deaths of children, the death of his wife, a new marriage, and, again, the death of a child. In chronological order, we learn the following: On the 6th of March, 1808, Johann Ferdinant Toggenburger was carried to his grave at the age of 36 weeks and 4 days; Johann Ferdina[n]t, who was born on the 18th of June, 1809, died on the 24th of May, 1811; Anna Magdalena Toggenburger died on the 12th of November, 1816, at the age of 36, two days after having given birth to a daughter, Lisette, who herself died on the 20th of October of the following year. On the 15th of December, 1817, the widower, Jacob Toggenburger, married Elisabeth Siber of Goldbach, near Fall 1991

Kiisnacht; and on the 22nd of June, 1819, Johann Eduard Toggenburger, 4 months and a few days old, died. Such a succession of death notices seems startling today. The high birth rate and so much infant mortality of earlier times are expressed here not in statistical terms but as the tragic fate of a family. It is touching to feel the piety and resignation with which the strokes

of the hand of God were accepted. The texts and illustrations on these written epitaphs are based on earlier examples. The then-prevelant language and imagery on these mementos for the dead must have been helpful in dealing with the sad events. On the other hand, the children especially appear on the pieces by Conrad Spalinger as persons with their

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WEDDING WISH; Conrad Spalinger; 1817; ink on paper; 33.8 x 20.9 cm. Courtesy of Museum fur Gestaltung, Zurich. 69


own stories. The epitaph for Johann Ferdina[n]t Toggenburger calls the child unforgettable and dearly beloved. The image shows the naked, little boy, who was barely two years old, standing by a piano and trying to touch the keys, which are almost out of his reach. Beyond the frame, three putti appear, and behind them is Death as a skeleton. Under the image is written: Pious thoughts before the piano. Below follows the message the departed child addressed to his parents. This practice of letting the dead person speak was widespread and meant to offer consolation and hope to the survivors: My God, here is the brother of death again as my eyes and limbs begin to wane And now it won't be long at all that I behold my bed as pall: through Your inscrutable ways. Now God closed my room and freed my soul of all the gloom: God's will has to be carried out My life has reached its final bout now death is coming. In joyful peace I sink my mouth is closed, my eyes' last blink

My life, my body, and my soul to God surrender is my goal. Good night, dear parents, oh, what pains must rack your tender hearts and veins With all the tears that you brought here and see your child now on his bier. May God grant you much consolation Oh, let your eyes not blur with sadness, Thank you for all your love and kindness. HILDEGARD GANTNER-SCHLEE, Ph.D., has published extensively on topics both in Art History and "Volkskunde She is currently a member ofthe staff at the Kantonsmuseum Baselland in Liestal, Switzerland. This article originally appeared in Schreibkunstl Schulkunst und Volkskunst in der deutschsprachigen Schweiz 1548 bis 1980 (pp. 112-114), the catalogue to accompany the exhibition of the same name organized by the Museum fiir Gestaltung Zurich, 1981. Translated by Klaus Wust. Translated and published with permission.

NOTES 1. A peculiar type of rural calligraphy in Switzerland is found in the pictorial maxims created by a calligrapher in Upper Toggenburg about 1810 as reverse glass paintings. 2. The collector who assembled the examples in the Thurgau wrote the following description on its folder: "Peasant Art and Poetry from 1750-1840. One hundred pieces, paintings, writings, stitchwork etc. dedicated to various events in human lives. Collected in the Swiss area on Lake Constance at the beginning of the 20th century by B. Bliggendorfer, Neukirch near Egnach7 Several publicatons deal with comparable examples of rural calligraphy from other Germanspeaking regions of Switzerland. For Canton Bern, see Christian Rubi, Taufe und Taufzettel im Bernerland (Bern, 1968). By the same author, Liebstes Herz, ich bitte Dich. Liebeszeichen und Verlobungsbrauche im Bernerland(Bern, 1969). For the Grisons, see Paul Zinsli, "Volksfiimliche Schreibkunst in Safien vom 17. bis ins 19. ialuhundere.' Schweizeriches Archiv fir Volkskunde (Swiss Archives for Popular Traditions) 47 (1951), pp. 275-288; Leo Zihler, Die von den volkstiimlichen Schreibkfinstlern verwendeten Kupferstichvorlagen7 Schweizerisches Archiv ftir Volkskunde (Swiss Archives for Popular Traditions)52(1956), pp. 227-233; Theo Gantner, "Vollcstfiniliche Graphik und Malerei Graubtindens7 in Hans Erb, ed., Das Riitische Museum, emn Spiegel von Biindens Kultur und Geschichte (Chur, 1979), pp. 426-438. 3. Besides the literature mentioned before see also: Walter Tobler, "Zierschriften und Gedenkbliitter'; in Rene Creux, ed., Volkskunst in der Schweiz(Paudex, 1970); Theo Gantner, "Vorschriften und Probeschriften. Ein Beitrag rum Verhaltnis von Schiller und Lehrer im Schreibunterricht anhand der Besemde des Schweizerischen Museums fiir Volkskunde in Baser,'Schweizerisches Archivfur Volkskunde(Swiss Archives for Popular Traditions) 73 (1977), pp. 144-157. It is surprising that the Thurgau collection does not contain any baptismal certificates, which belong to the traditional calligraphic products in other regions. 4. See footnote 2.

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WEDDING PICTURE; Conrad Spalinger; 1817; ink on paper; 24 x 39.7 cm. Courtesy of Museum fur Gestaltung, Zurich.

70

THE CLARION


Acknowledgments iminutive Switzerland has long had ample power to inspire lasting affection from its visitors. A matchless natural beauty has drawn admiration from the very first travelers in the nineteenth century. Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots bears testimony to the fact that I, too, have been caught up by Switzerland's charm. As a Vassar freshman, during my first trip to Europe, I lived with a family in La Chauxde-Fonds; the next year I shared a room with an exchange student from Zurich. Continuing to visit Switzerland throughout the years, I have enjoyed Swiss hospitality and friendships. It seems particularly appropriate at this time of the seven hundredth anniversary of Switzerland's founding, to reciprocate, albeit in a small way, by sharing with the American public the exuberance of Swiss folk expression and exploring its unique contribution to the heritage of American decorative arts. The history of Swiss immigration to America demonstrates a significant material connection heretofore little known and little investigated. I am deeply indebted to a large number of people who not only provided information and material for the exhibition and catalogue but also provided encouragement and friendship. I thank Dr. Robert Bishop, Director of the Museum of American Folk Art, for recognizing the need to examine the roots of American folk art. To Gerry Wertkin, Assistant Director of the Museum, I am deeply indebted; over the years he has given me not only encouragement and moral support but also helpful counsel from his wealth of knowledge and encyclopedic memory. At the Consulate General of Switzerland, I have been supported by Consuls for Cultural Affaires, Charles Gilheron, Jean-Frangois Guerry, and lastly Lukas Gloor, who, in the final days before the exhibition, has helped me track down a myriad of details and tie up loose ends with his customary good nature and patience. And I thank Ambassador Bernard de Riedmatten, former Consul General of Switzerland

D

Fall 1991

in New York, and Ambassador HansPeter Erismann, Consul General of Switzerland in New York, for their unwavering support and, of course, Anne-Marie Aeschlimann for her continuous help and heartfelt friendship. At the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, D.C., Frangois Barras, ChargĂŠ des affaires culturelles, has greatly encouraged and nurtured my efforts. Philip Morris Companies Inc. has again supported the Museum in a most generous way. Working with Karen Brosius, Jennifer Goodale, Karen Zani, and Posie Di Sesa has been a pleasure. Pro Helvetia, Arts Council of Switzerland, has been supportive from the inception of the exhibition; I particularly thank Dr. Christoph Eggenberger and Hanne Zweifel-Wathrich, who were responsible for my visiting many folk art collections and who gave freely and generously of their time and advice. I owe thanks to many people who have assisted in numerous ways, including Helmut Klee, Erika Lieben, Regula Pickle, and Rachel Rohner of the Swiss National Tourist Office in New York and Eleonora Frizzoni, Esther Wordehoff and Inge Baumann in Zurich. I thank Swiss Air Transport Company, Ltd., for its support of the exhibition; and Balair Ltd. Air Charter Company of Switzerland for helping to make the exhibition possible. In Switzerland, I visited many fine collections and museums and met many people who generously gave of their time and knowledge. I wish to express my grateful appreciation to Colette Mottas-Dreyer, Musee d'art et d'histoire, Fribourg; Max Triet, Swiss Sports Museum, Basel; Max Nadig, Appenzeller Volkskunde Museum, Stein; Vreny Kull and Walter Lampart, Museum ftir Appenzeller Brauchtum, Urnasch; Silvia Demuth and Martin Heller, Museum fiir Gestaltung Zurich/ Graphische Sammlung, Zurich; Augusto Gaggioni, Tiziano Petrini, and Ursula Leeman, Ufficio Cantonale dei Musei, Giubiasco; Dr. Louis Specker, Historisches Museum, St. Gallen; Lorenz Homberger, Museum Rietberg, Zurich; Dr. Ingrid R. Metzger and

Hans-Ulrich Baumgartner, Ratisches Museum, Chur; Dr. Josef Brillisauer, Historisches Museum, Lucerne; Ernst Fasser, Engadiner, Museum, St. Moritz; Dr. Theo Gantner, Schweizerisches Museum fiir Volkskunde, Basel; Denis Buchs, Musee Gruerien, Bulle; Roland Wespe, Konrad Bitterli and former curator Rudolf Hanhart, Kunstmuseum, St. Gallen; Kurt Zutter and former curator Susan RothlisbergerBerger, Heimatmuseum, Langnau im Emmental; Marcel Henchoz, Musee du Vieux Pays d'Enhaut, Chateau d'Oex; George Peer, Unterengadiner Museum, Scuol; Dr. Hermann Grosser, Heimatmuseum, Appenzell; Dr. Andres Furger, Sigrid Pallmert, Dr. Rudolf Schnyder, Bernard A. Schille, and Dr. Lucas Wiithrich, Swiss National Museum, Zurich; Jean-Pierre Jehnini, Musee d'art and d'histoire de la Ville de Neuchatel, Neuchatel; Helga von Gravenitz, Tourist Board, Basel; Willy Rass, Appenzell Tourist Association; Dora Andres of BBR Tourist; Dr. Brigitte Bachmann-Geiser; Dr. Susanne Imbach; Mike McMahon; Patrick Linder; Dr. Margarethe PfisterBurkhalter; Dr. Jenny Schneider; Dr. Hildegard Gantner-Schlee; Steivan KOnz; Monika and Rene Muller; Peter Rudin; Peter Stahli; Walter Anderau, Vice President Corporate Affairs, Jacobs Suchard; David Gillam,Bernard Combremont, and Colette Schertenleib, Fabriques de Tabac Reunies SA; and lastly my most precious Swiss friends, Ruth Freiburghaus and la famille Jenefsky. On this side of the Atlantic, I express my gratitude to Elda Schiesser and her family who introduced me to New Glarus, Wisconsin; Stanley Kaufman of the German Culture Museum in Walnut Creek, and Celia Lehman of the Kidron Historical Society, who introduced me to the Sonnenberg Swiss Mennonite Community of Ohio; Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Sprunger; Frieda Nyhart; Donna and Thomas Weaver, Switzerland County Historical Society; Dr. Leo Schelbert; Erdmann Schmocker; David Babelay; Janeen Joy and Gottlieb Brandli of Monroe, Wisconsin; Tony Maier of the Swiss-American Review; Ariane Braillard of the Swiss Institute; Melissa Sere of the Swiss Wine Information Bureau; Mrs. Marjorie Wyman; Harold Yoder of The Historical Society 71


The Mask as Ritual In many cantons of Switzerland, a variety of evocative rituals survive that reflect the diversity of Swiss culture. Masks frequently take a prominent and colorful role in these events. Some masks, for example, have a ceremonial purpose in seeking to render the land fruitful or to chase away winter; their use reflects traditional ideas about the natural world and the triumph of good over evil. In Lotschental, during Carnival, masks are intended to frighten passersby as part of the pre-Lenten festivities. These masks are said to represent spirts that live in chimneys, their grimacing faces covered in soot. Today professional mask makers compete for the ugliest visage. In Lucerne, a highlight of the Carnival is the Guuggemuusige, or improvised masked bands, who play tunes on their brass and percussion instruments. Basel's Carnival or Fasnacht is probably the largest popular festival in Switzerland and is usually celebrated with some 15,000 masked participants. As a continuing tradition, masks represent an important facet of Swiss folk art; the many forms and shapes they take reflect the creativity of the Swiss and the richness of their culture. CARNIVAL MASK; Niklaus Bless; Mel, Flums, Sarganserland, Canton St. Gallen, Switzerland; date unknown; wood and fabric; 20.5 cm. Courtesy Museum Rietberg, Zurich.

CARNIVAL MASK; Ignaz Ebener; Kippel, Lotschental, Canton Wallis, Switzerland; date unknown; wood with hair and fabric covering for wearer's head; 49 cm. Courtesy Museum Rietberg, Zurich.

WETTSTEIN & KAUF (4)

CARNIVAL MASK; Casimir Gruter; Lucerne, Canton Innerschweiz, Switzerland; date unknown; wood and fabric; 26.5 cm. Courtesy Museum Rietberg, Zurich.

CARNIVAL MASK; Anonymous; Canton Graubunden,Switzerland; date unknown; wood and fabric; 35 cm. Courtesy Museum Rietberg, Zurich.

72

of Berks County; Peter Blume and Jan Reeder, Allentown Art Museum; Kay Schellhase, John Payne and Judy Witham, The Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society; Cindy Hampton, Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau; Reinhild Janzen, Kauffman Museum of Bethel College; Steve Friesen, formerly of the Hans Herr House in Lancaster; Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Reist; Martha Rowe, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts; Klaus Wust; Daniel Slive, The John Carter Brown Library; Delbert Gratz; Jack Lindsey, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Phil Lapansky, The Library Company of Philadelphia; George and Susan Delagrange; Cory Amsler, Mercer Museum; June Griffiths, Lehigh Historical Society; Lockett Ford Ballard, Jr., Rock Ford Plantation & Kauffman Museum; Bruce L. Dietrich, Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery; Shirley Charles Wenger, Mennonite Historical Society; Chantel Combes and Michael Waldron; Martha V. Pike and Kathy Garmil, SPNEA; Susanne Cook-Greuter for a wonderful papercutting; Helen Maguire Muller, whose friendship I deeply value; Pamela Johnson and Alan Cohen of Rogers&Cowan; and Judy Vannais of Vincent Ciulla Design. In addition, I have benefited enormously from the assistance and cooperation of my colleagues at the Museum of American Folk Art. Without them, there could be no exhibition. A special thank you to Jacqueline Atkins for her invaluable editorial skills; to Mell Cohen, her assistant; to Ralph Sessions, Chief Curator, and Stacy Hollander, Associate Curator, for their consummate care and concern; to Ann-Marie Reilly, Registrar, and Lucille Stiger, Assistant Registrar; to Susan Flamm, Director of Public Relations; to Mary Ziegler, who watches over my mail; to Edith Wise, who astounds me with her librarian's instinct for folk art minutiae; and to Lee Kogan,just for being there. Special gratitude is extended to the lenders, whose generosity in sharing has enriched our knowledge of both Swiss and American Folk Arts. CYNTHIA ELYCE RUBIN Guest Curator THE CLARION


THE

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Wilton High School Field House — Route 7, Wilton, CT This uncommonlyfine show is planned, presented and executed with the same care, skill and attention given to the acclaimed Wilton Historical Society Antiques Show. 135 carefully chosen artisans,from 20 states, will exhibit their work in room or gallery settings. These traditionalfolk crafts, created by talented hand-craftsmen, will likely be the heirlooms oftomorrow ... and complement antiquefurnishings in both the country and contemporary home. FOR THE HOME — Primitive, country and period reproduction furniture, including windsor chairs and Shaker furniture and accessories 0 0 0 grain-painted and decorated furniture and accessories 0 0 0 traditional and contemporary hand woven rugs and stencilled floor cloths. Ceramics including porcelains and contemporary pottery. stoneware, slip decorated redwa re in both the New England and Pennsylvania traditions. Framed antique prints, landscape watercolors. and original oil paintings in the primitive style00 0

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Fall 1991

73


!

00K REVIEWS

S •

Wrapped in Glory: Figurative Quilts and Bedcovers 1700-1900 BY SANDI Fox Co-published by Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, and Thames and Hudson,Inc. New York, NY, 1990 167 pages, 245 illustrations, 179 in color Hardcover $35.00

Sandi Fox, associate curator of the American Quilt Research Center at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, has contributed a useful research tool for quilt historians in this beautiful book on eighteenth- and nineteenthcentury figurative quilts. Fox has used the thirty-six quilts included here— some of which are well-known through publications or exhibitions — as a vehicle to document social history through material artifacts and, in so doing, she has relied on the quilts themselves to yield up the proof of her conclusions. A great deal of careful research is evident in the primary sources cited. In six years of work, Fox consulted not only genealogies, inventories, legal documents, and census records, but also the popular media of the time — its newspapers, cartoons, prints, illustrations, and fashion plates. She weaves the history of textiles and the techniques of needlework into a chronicle that relates social customs,fashion,and the decorative arts, and thus gives us a new appreciation of these rare quilts and bedcovers. The Rachel De Puy quilt, for example, dated 1805, confirms information about the type of needlework created during the early years of the federal period in Philadelphia. The influence that fashions imported from France and England had on educated, affluent young women can be seen in the needleworker's depiction of the central figures of shepherd and shepherdess. The shepherd wears a frock coat and breeches, and the quilted petticoat of 74

the shepherdess reflects the transition from practical consideration to that of fashionable appeal — her hair is arranged in classically inspired ringlets. Documentation of these fashions is provided by the inclusion of photographs of English tradesmen's cards of the period and the fashion dolls exchanged at the time. The danger that oral tradition can pass along myths in addition to facts is inferred in the analysis of the Couples Quilt. Fox says that a careful examination of the surface of this quilt reveals that it could not have been worked in the antebellum period, to which it has always been attributed. She bolsters her contention by describing the costume of the figures depicted, which date to the late 1870s or 1880s, and she notes that these styles were easily available from mail order catalogues of the time. The many pluses in this book include excellent color and detailed visuals of the quilts. Extensive examples of material to illustrate a design source or confirm historical accuracy are also supplied. However, at times the poor layout of the book makes it difficult to match text and illustration without flipping pages back and forth. In addition, by combining bibliography and footnotes, the reader is forced into a distracting form of mental gymnastics; it would have been more satisfactory had bibliography and footnotes been maintained as separate entities. Possibly because of the combination, some of the quoted text was not fully cited. Still, this is a book that belongs on the shelf of every person who seeks good information backed by solid scholarship. Those who were able to view the exhibition for which this book serves as catalogue are doubly fortunate. PHYLLIS TEPPER is Registrar ofthe Folk Art Institute of the Museum of American Folk Art, a Fellow of the Folk Art Institute, Director of the New York Quilt Project, and sometime quiltmaker.

Other Books ofInterest 55 Famous Quiltsfrom the Shelburne Museum in Full Color. Edited by Celia Y. Oliver. Published in association with the Shelburne Museum by Dover Publications Inc., NY, 1990. 64 pages; 55 color plates. $9.95 paperback. In Tune With Tradition: Wisconsin Folk Musical Instruments. Field research and catalogue essay by James P. Leary; edited by Robert T. Teske. Published by Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, WI, 1990. 72 pages; color plates and black and white photos. $16.00 paperback. Baltimore Album Quilts: Historic Notes and Antique Patterns, A Pattern Companion to Baltimore Beauties and Beyond, Studies in Classic Album Quilt Appliqué, Volume 1. By Elly Sienkiewicz. Published by C&T Publishing, Martinez, CA, 1990. 184 pages; 52 color plates, patterns for making 56 blocks. $23.95 softcover, $34.95 hardcover. Colonial Williamsburg Historic Trades, Volumes I and II. Published by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1988. Volume I, 78 pages; Volume II, 92 pages; black and white photos and line drawings. $4.95, Volume I; $7.95, Volume II; both paperback. From Architecture to Object: Masterworks of the American Arts & Crafts Movement. Introduction by Richard Guy Wilson. Dutton Studio Books,Penguin USA,New York, 1991. 156 pages, 90 color plates, b&w photographs. $35.00 cloth, $22.50 softcover. Unexpected Eloquence: The Art in American Folk Art. By Howard Rose. Published by Raymond Saroff, in association with The Edith C. Blum Art Institute, Bard College, Annandale-onHudson, NY, 1990. 128 pages; color plates and black and white photos. $15.00 paperback. THE CLARION


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G711

DEVELOPMENTS JOHLEEN D. NESTER

Support for "Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots" This issue of The Clarion is dedicated to "Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots:' an exhibition that has been made possible by the generous sponsorship of a long-standing friend of the Museum,Philip Morris Companies Inc. Through its broad spectrum of sponsorship, Philip Morris Companies Inc. supports contemporary and multicultural visual and performing arts as well as major internatinoal exhibitions and tours. The company's support of "Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots" will allow the exhibition to travel to two cities in Switzerland, Zurich and Neuchatel,in addition to the presentation in New York City. "Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots" is the third Museum of American Folk Art exhibition to be sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc. The first,"Small Folk: A Celebration of Childhood in America;' was presented in 1980 and the second, "Southern Folk Art;' was exhibited in 1985. The Museum greatly appreciates the corporation's continued support and commitment to the field of American folk art. Additional support for the United States tour of the exhibition has been provided by Pro Helvetia, Arts Council of Switzerland. After its showing at the Museum of American Folk Art, the exhibition will travel to three cities across the United States: Midland, Michigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Staunton, Virginia. Pro Helvetia is interested in sharing the folk culture of the Swiss people with Americans, hence the Council's support of the United States tour. In-kind support toward exhibition research and shipping has been generously provided by Balair Ltd. Air Charter Company of Switzerland, Swissair, and the Swiss National Tourist Office. The combination of support from 76

these donors will ensure the successful presentation of "Swiss Folk Art: Celebrating America's Roots" in New York, across the United States, and in Switzerland. I hope you will join the Museum of American Folk Art in "celebrating America's roots" with Philip Morris Companies Inc.; Pro Helvetia, Arts Council of Switzerland; Balair Ltd. Air Charter Company of Switzerland; Swissair; and the Swiss National Tourist Office through January 1993.

The Fund for Folk Culture The following piece was written by Peter Mattair, Development and Program Associate at The Fund for Folk Culture. While private foundation start-ups in the United States are generally on the decline, a growth sector in philanthropy has been the community foundation. In a move that extends the definition of community beyond the purely geographical to embrace communities of interest, The Fund for Folk Culture opened its doors on January 1, 1991. Headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, The Fund for Folk Culture has been conceived as a national, publicly supported foundation dedicated to the preservation, continued health, and appreciation offolk cultures here and abroad. The Fund intends to make research, program, and general operating grants to organizations and projects in this area of interest, including the visual arts, and also to provide technical assistance, education, and consultation as services to the field. Guiding the establishment of The Fund for Folk Culture is Jillian Steiner Sandrock, former Program Director and Assistant Secretary of The L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation of Oakland, California. During her thirteen years at Skaggs, Ms. Sandrock instituted that foundation's well-known

Folklore/Folklife Program, which, until its dissolution last year, was the only dedicated source offunding for the field of folk culture in the whole of the private foundation sector in the United States. According to the wishes of the family, The L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation was set up in 1967 to last only a few decades at the most, and last year its Trustees agreed that as part of the planned wind-down, they would reduce the foundation's areas of interest to the four that most closely match the donors' original mandate — performing arts, history, social concerns, and special projects — thus eliminating folklore/folklife and a number of other programs in the process. Fortunately, the Trustees, who include Mrs. Skaggs, felt strongly about the pioneering work that Ms. Sandrock and the Foundation had been able to accomplish through the Folklore/ Folklife Program, and they generously provided a seed grant for the new Fund for Folk Culture; the Fund has also received planning support from the National Endowment for the Arts. As the philanthropic sector incorporates the notions of cultural equity and pluralism into the establishment of cultural policies — recognizing the fundaments of our living heritage, rich and varied as they continue to be — the Fund is clearly a reality whose time has come. For more information about The Fund for Folk Culture, write to Executive Director Jillian Steiner Sandrock, or Development and Program Associate Peter Mattair, at P.O. Box 1566, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-1566, or call the Fund at 505/984-2534. Because the Museum of American Folk Art was the recipient of several grants from the Folklore/Folklife Program of The L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation, it is greatly appreciative of Ms. Sandrock's initiative in starting The Fund for Folk Culture to continue an important, and necessary, source of support to the folk arts field. THE CLARION


Produced by The Kentucky Quilt Project, Inc.

Something Spectacular is Unfolding in Louisville! Louisville Celebrates the American Quilt is a Multi-Event celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 1971 Whitney Museum of American Art Exhibition,Abstract Design in American Quilts. And,it is so much more! Beginning in November 1991, you will be able to see and experience the original landmark exhibition that has changed the way we all appreciate the quilt as an art form and social document. In February and March 1992, you can add five more exhibits to your list of "must do's" including: A Plain Aesthetic: Lancaster Amish Quilts at the J.B. Speed Art Museum;Always There: The African American Presence in American Quilts at the Museum of History and Science; Quilt Conceptions: Designs in Other Media at the Kentucky Art & Craft Gallery; Narrations: The Quilts of Yvonne Wells and Carolyn Mazloomi at the Louisville Visual Art Association; Quilts Now at Zephyr Gallery; PLUS Abstract Design in American Quilts will continue at the Museum of History and Science!

Join Us For Our Special Celebration Weekend,February 6, 7, and 8,1992 Louisville Celebrates the American Quilt will swing into high gear with gallery walks and receptions accompanying each exhibition. In addition, there will be national speakers and four conferences: The African-American and American Quilt; Directions in Quilt Scholarship; Quilts and Collections:Public,Private and Corporate; and Toward an International Quilt Bibliography. A Gala Dinner will wrap up the event on Saturday, night

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with featured speaker,Jonathan Holstein, curator of both the original Whitney exhibition and its reinstallation in Louisville.

In Years To Come,When You're Asked if You Were in Louisville in '91,'92, What will Your Answer Be? For more information, please send a long,business-style, self-addressed,stamped envelope to: Shelly Zegart CIO Kentucky Quilt Project,Inc. 727 West Main Street Louisville, Kentucky 40202

Exhibition leadership support provided by Philip Morris Companies Inc.


JOHN C. HILL AMERICAN INDIAN ART AMERICAN FOLK ART 6990 E. MAIN ST., Second Floor SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85251 (602) 946-2910

Zuni 01la, circa 1880,14

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VISIT THE ALABAMA FOLKS.

0

Personally guided tours to the art studios ofthese Alabama artists: Mose Tolliver Charlie Lucas Annie Tolliver Annie Lucas Woodie Long Bernice Sims Jimmie Lee Sudduth B.F. Perkins and others.

Mose To/liver, artist (left), and Marcia Weber

For additional information about guided tours contact: Marcia Weber 3218 Lexington Road / Montgomery, AL 36106 (205)262-5349

THE MUSEUM

SPECIAL EVENTS

OF AMERICAN FOLK ART requests the honor of your presence at the

MORNING WALKING TOURS $40.00 PER PERSON

OPENING NIGHT BENEFIT OFTHE P9 FALL ANTIQUES AT THE PIER

Includes entrance to the Show, a catalogue, and refreshments.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1991 1000 Am "Living and Entertaining with American Antiques" Martha Stewart

Produced and managed by Sanford L., Smith

ednesday, October pm to 9 pm estive Dress

, 1991

ter 92, Berths 5 and 6 The Hudson River and West 52nd Street New York City ree shuttle buses will leave from the Museum of American Folk Art va and Morris Feld Gallery at Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue and 66th Stre (212/595,9333), on the hour and half hour Opening Night and throughout the

O

78

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1991 10:00 AM "Collecting and Buying American Country Antiques" Mary Emmerlirkg SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1991 10:00 AM "Decorating with Folk Art" Elissa Cullman SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1991 10:00 AM "Discovering American Folk Art for Children and Parents" Cynthia V. A. Schaffner THE CLARION


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MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Committee Ralph Esmerian President Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq. Executive Vice President and Chairman, Executive Committee Lucy C. Danziger Executive Vice President Bonnie Strauss Vice President Peter M. Ciccone Treasurer Mrs. Dixon Wecter Secretary Karen D. Cohen Judith A. Jedlicka Joan M. Johnson Theodore L. Kesselman Susan Klein

Cynthia V.A. Schaffner George F. Shaskan, Jr.

Maureen Taylor Robert N. Wilson

Members Florence Brody Daniel Cowin David L. Davies Barbara Johnson, Esq. George H. Meyer, Esq. Cyril I. Nelson William Schneck Kathryn Steinberg

Honorary Trustee Eva Feld Trustees Emeriti Adele Earnest Cordelia Hamilton Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr. Margery G. Kahn Alice M. Kaplan Jean Lipman

DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Judith A. Jedlicka Theodore L. Kesselman Co-Chairmen Lewis Alpaugh Hoechst Celanese Corporation Gordon Bowman Corporate Creative Programs

Frank Brenner Hartmarx Corporation John Mack Carter Good Housekeeping Jerry Kaplan Better Homes and Gardens Allan Kaufman

Francine Lynch Rachel Newman Country Living Thomas Troland Country Home Barbara Wright New York Telephone

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq. Mrs. Dixon Wecter Co-Chairmen Paul Anbinder William Arnett Didi Barrett Frank & June Barsalona Mary Black Susan Blumstein Judi Boisson Gray Boone Robert & Katherine Booth Barbara & Edwin Braman Milton Brechner Raymond Brousseau Edward J. Brown Charles Burden Tracy Cate Margaret Cavigga Joyce Cowin Richard & Peggy Danziger Marian DeWitt Davida Deutsch Charlotte Dinger Raymond & Susan Egan Margot Paul Ernst Helaine & Burton Fendelman Howard Fertig Fall 1991

Joanne Foulk Jacqueline Fowler Ken & Brenda Fritz Ronald J. Gard Robert S. Gelbard Dr. Kurt A. Gitter Merle & Barbara Glick Baron & Ellin Gordon Howard M. Graff Bonnie Grossman Michael & Julie Hall Lewis I. Haber Elaine Heifetz Terry Heled Anne Sue Hirshorn Josef & Vera Jelinek Eloise Julius Isobel & Harvey Kahn Allen Katz Mark Kennedy Arthur & Sybil Kern William Ketchum Susan Kraus Wendy Lavitt Mimi Livingston Marilyn Lubetkin Robert & Betty Marcus Paul Martinson Michael & Marilyn Mennello

Steven Michaan Alan Moss Kathleen S. Nester Helen Neufeld Henry Niemann Donald T. Oakes Paul Oppenheimer Ann Frederick & William Oppenhimer Dr. Burton W. Pearl Patricia Penn Dorothy & Leo Rabkin Harriet Polier Robbins Charles & Jan Rosenak Joseph J. Rosenberg Le Rowell Randy Siegel Sibyl Simon Susan Simon Ann Marie Slaughter Sanford L. Smith R. Scudder Smith Richard Solar Hume Steyer Jane Supino Edward Tishelman Tony & Anne Vanderwarker Clune Walsh John Weeden G. Marc Whitehead 79


CURRENT MAJOR DONORS The Museum of American Folk Art greatly appreciates the generous support of the following friends: $20,000 and above Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. Asahi Shimbun Balair Ltd. Air Charter Company of Switzerland Ben & Jerry's Homemade,Inc. Better Homes & Gardens Judi Boisson Marilyn and Milton Brechner Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Chinon, Ltd. Estate of Thomas M.Conway Country Home The Joyce and Daniel Cowin Foundation Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick M. Danziger Mrs. Eva Feld Estate of Morris Feld Ford Motor Company Foundation Krikor The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation William Randolph Hearst Foundation James River Corporation/Northern Bathroom Tissue Kodansha, Ltd. Jean and Howard Lipman Joseph Martinson Memorial Fund Steven Michaan National Endowment for the Arts New York State Council on the Arts PaineWebber Group Inc. Philip Morris Companies Inc. Pro Helvetia, Arts Council of Switzerland Dorothy and Leo Rabkin Restaurant Associates Industries, Inc. Schlumberger Foundation Samuel Schwartz Two Lincoln Square Associates United States Information Agency Mrs. Dixon Wecter $10,000419,999 ABSOLUT Vodka Estate of Mary Allis Amicus Foundation Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Martin Brody Lily Cates Country Living Culbro Corporation David L. Davies Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Deutsch Adele Earnest Fairfield Processing Corporation/Poly-filo Daniel and Jessie Lie Farber Walter and Josephine Ford Fund Taiji Harada Hartmarx Corporation Barbara Johnson, Esq. Joan and Victor L. Johnson Shirley and Theodore L. Kesselman Masco Corporation George H. Meyer Kathleen S. Nester New York Telephone Mrs. Gertrude Schweitzer and Family Mr. and Mrs. George E Shaskan, Jr. Peter and Linda Solomon Foundation Springs Industries 80

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Steinberg Barbara and Thomas W. Strauss Fund Robert N. and Anne Wright Wilson Wood Magazine

Mr. and Mrs. Austin Super Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Taylor Time Warner Inc. Alice Yelen and Kurt A. Gitter

$4,000-$9,999 The Bernhill Fund The David and Dorothy Carpenter Foundation Tracy and Barbara Cate Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar M. Cullman Mr. and Mrs. Richard Danziger Department of Cultural Affairs, City of New York Jacqueline Fowler Richard Goodyear Hoechst Celanese Corporation Margery and Harry Kahn Philanthropic Fund Lore Kann Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Robert Klein Wendy and Mel Lavitt George H. Meyer The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. Sallie Mae/Student Loan Marketing Association The Salomon Foundation S.H. and Helen R. Scheuer Family Foundation The William P. and Gertrude Schweitzer Foundation, Inc. Herbert and Nell Singer Foundation, Inc. Sotheby's Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Tananbaum Tiffany & Co. John Weeden The H.W. Wilson Foundation Norman and Rosita Winston Foundation The Xerox Foundation

$1,00041,999 American Savings Bank William Arnett The Bachmann Foundation Didi and David Barrett Mr. and Mrs. Frank Barsalona Michael Belknap Adele Bishop Edward Vermont Blanchard and M. Anne Hill Bloomingdale's Bozell Inc. Mabel H. Brandon Sandra Breakstone Ian G.M. and Marian M. Brownlie Morris B. and Edith S. Cartin Family Foundation Edward Lee Cave CBS Inc. Liz Claiborne Foundation Conde Nast Publications Inc. Consolidated Edison Company of New York The Cowles Charitable Trust Crane Co. Susan Cullman Gerald and Marie DiManno The Marion and Ben Duffy Foundation Deborah Dunn Echo Foundation Ellin E Ente Virginia S. Esmerian Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Ferguson Evelyn W. Frank Janey Fire and John Kalymnios Louis R. and Nettie Fisher Foundation M. Anthony Fisher Susan and Eugene Flamm The Flower Service Emanuel Gerard The Howard Gilman Foundation Selma and Sam Goldwitz Mr. and Mrs. Baron Gordon Renee Graubart Doris Stack Greene Terry and Simca Heled Alice and Ronald Hoffman Mr. and Mrs. David S. Howe IBM Corporation Inn on the Alameda Mr. and Mrs. Yee Roy Jear Judith A. Jedlicka Dr. and Mrs. J.E. Jelinek Isobel and Harvey Kahn Kallir, Philips, Ross, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Kaplan Lee and Ed Kogan Kyowa Hakko U.S.A. Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Lauder Estate of Mary B. Ledwith William and Susan Leffler Dorothy and John Levy James and Frances Lieu Macmillan, Inc. R.H. Macy & Co., Inc. Robert and Betty Marcus Foundation, Inc. Marstrand Foundation C.F. Martin IV

$2,000-$3,999 American Folk Art Society Estate of Abraham P. Bersohn The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Edwin M. Braman Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Brown Capital Cities/ABC The Coach Dairy Goat Farm Mr. and Mrs. Peter Cohen Mr and Mrs. Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Mr. and Mrs. Donald DeWitt Margot and John Ernst Richard C. and Susan B. Ernst Foundation Exxon Corporation Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Einbender Colonel Alexander W. Gentleman Cordelia Hamilton Justus Heijmans Foundation Johnson & Johnson Manufacturers Hanover Trust Marsh & McLennan Companies Christopher and Linda Mayer McGraw-Hill, Inc. Metropolitan Life Foundation Morgan Stanley & Co., Incorporated The New York Times Company Foundation, Inc. Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation Betsey Schaeffer Robert T. and Cynthia V.A. Schaffner Mr. and Mrs. Derek V. Schuster Mr. and Mrs. Ronald K. Shelp Randy Siegel Joel and Susan Simon L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation

THE CLARION


THE SILVERMAN COLLECTION' A Unique Collection of Textile Art Prints

"Navajo Germantown Saddle Blanket" circa 1890 JS-I6

An original signed silkscreen print by Jack Silverman. 41" x 30" ed. of 100 Arches paper $950. "Great collections are often the result of one man's inspiration and determination. Such is the collection of nineteenth century textiles brought together by artist-collector Jack Silverman. Silverman's goal has been simple: to assemble the finest examples of early Pueblo and Navajo textiles that he could find. By traveling throughout the country searching for and carefully buying and trading textiles, Silverman has developed a collection that is stunningly impressive. Accompanying the weavings are serigraphs created by Silverman. Employing a multiple layer technique of silkscreening, he achieves the illusion of woven texture. Through his serigraphs, Silverman seeks to document and disseminate the beauty of his collection." Robert Breunig, Chief Curator, The Heard Museum

Posters also available. Archival posters measure 24" x 36" and are produced on acid-free museum quality paper and printed with the finest fade-resistant inks. $35. MC/Visa

The Silverman Collection

Catalogue $3. 0 1990 Jack Silverman

PO Box 2610, Santa Fe, NM 87504-2610 505/982-6722 FAX: 505/982-6755


CURRENT MAJOR DONORS Helen R. Mayer and Harold C. Mayer Foundation Marjorie W. McConnell Meryl and Robert Meltzer Brian and Pam McIver Michael and Marilyn Mennello The Mitsui USA Foundation Benson Motechin, C.P.A., P.C. National Westminster Bank USA New York Marriott Marquis Mattie Lou O'Kelley Paul Oppenheimer Dr. and Mrs. R.L. Polak Random House, Inc. Cathy Rasmussen Ann-Marie Reilly Paige Rense Marguerite Riordan Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III Joanna S. Rose Willa and Joseph Rosenberg Mr. and Mrs. Jon Rotenstreich Schlaifer Nance Foundation Mr. and Mrs. William Schneck Mr. and Mrs. Richard Sears Rev. and Mrs. Alfred R. Shands III Mrs. Vera W.Simmons Philip and Mildred Simon Mrs. A. Simone Mr. and Mrs. Sanford L. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Solar Mr. and Mrs. Elie Soussa Robert C. and Patricia A. Stempel Sterling Drug Inc. Swiss National Tourist Office Swissair Phyllis and Irving Tepper Anne D. Utescher H. van Ameringen Foundation Tony and Anne Vanderwarker Elizabeth and Irwin Warren Wayside Furniture Weil, Gotshal & Manges Foundation Wertheim Schroder & Co. Mr. and Mrs. John H. Winkler

Louis Bachman Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur Arthur and Mary Barrett David C. Batten Roger S. Berlind Best Health Soda Peter and Helen Bing Robert and Katherine Booth Michael 0. Braun Iris Carmel Classic Coffee Systems Limited Edward and Nancy Coplon Judy Angelo Cowen Edgar M. Cullman, Jr. D'Agostino's Allan L. Daniel The Dammann Fund,Inc. Days Inn — New York City Andre and Sarah de Coizart Mr. and Mrs. James DeSilva, Jr. Ross N. and Glady A. Faires Helaine and Burton Fendelman Mr. and Mrs. Howard Fertig Timothy C. Forbes Estelle E. Friedman Ronald J. Gard General Foods Mr. and Mrs. William L. Gladstone Irene and Bob Goodkind Great Performances Caterers Dr. and Mrs. Stanley Greenberg Grey Advertising, Inc. Connie Guglielmo The Charles U. Harris Living Trust Denison H. Hatch Hedderson Lumber Yard Stephen Hill Holiday Inn of Auburn Mr. and Mrs. Albert L. Hunecke, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Israel Guy Johnson Cathy M. Kaplan Louise Kaminow Mary Kettaneh Barbara Klinger Janet Langlois Peter M. Lehrer Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Livingston Adrian B. and Marcie Lopez

$500-$999 A&P Helen and Paul Anbinder

Hermine Mariaux Michael T. Martin Robin and William Mayer Mr. and Mrs. D. Eric McKechnie Gertrude Meister Gad Mendelsohn Pearson K. Miller New York Hilton and Towers at Rockefeller Plaza Mr. and Mrs. Arthur O'Day Geraldine M. Parker Dr. Burton W. Pearl Mr. and Mrs. Stanley M. Riker Betty Ring Mr. and Mrs. David Ritter Trevor C. Roberts Charles and Jan Rosenak Richard Sabino Mary Frances Saunders Sheraton Inn, Norwich Skidmore Owings & Merrill Smith Gallery Stnithwick Dillon Karen Sobotka Amy Sommer Jerry I. Speyer David F. Stein Edward I. Tishelman Mr. & Mrs. Thomas llift David & Jane Walentas Marco P. Walker Washburn Gallery Frank and Barbara Wendt Anne G. Wesson G. Marc Whitehead Mr.& Mrs. John R. Young Marcia & John Zweig

The Museum is grateful to the CoChairwomen of its Special Events Committee for the significant support received through the Museum's major fund raising events chaired by them. Karen D. Cohen Cynthia V.A. Schaffner

1 SpecialPrograms Open to the Public The following programs will be open to the public in conjunction with the Swiss Folk Art Show,September 26, 1991-January 1, 1992. "Switzerland: An Uncommon View" Tuesday,October 1,1991 at6 pm Curatorial Lecture by Cynthia Elyce Rubin, Guest Curator Video Programs on Swiss folk music, dance, theater, and costume Daily showings at 1 pm and 7 pm Swiss Folk Art Celebrating America's Roots Swiss Folk Art Symposium October 20,1991 Sponsored by The Swiss Institute and the Museum of American Folk Art.

A full-day program includes continental breakfast and a tour of the exhibition followed by a series of lectures and concluding with dinner at a Swiss restaurant. The fee (without dinner) is $15.00 for members of The Swiss Institute, the Museum of American Folk Art, and the American-Swiss Historical Society; $25.00 for nonmembers. Reservations are necessary. Dinner is additional.

Children's Storytelling Hour The Museum offers a bimonthly storytelling hour as part of its Children's Education Program. Storytellers will read and perform a wide range of folk tales including stories related to objects on exhibition. Free to the public.

For reservations and information call Education Office at 212/595-9533.

"William Tell and Other Swiss Folk Tales" with Storyteller Vit Horejs Saturday, October 5.1991 at 2 pm Saturday. November 9.1991 at 2 pm

"Swiss Folk Tales" with Storyteller Marcia Lane Saturday, November 23,1991 at 2 pm

MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets, New York City


I

0 (..../fntiques Tromotions, Inc. c.marilyn c. y'anki

RONALD COOPER RICH FITZ HOMER GREEN RALPH GRIFFIN LONNIE HOLLEY CHARLIE KINNEY JOE LIGHT ROSIE LEE LIGHT RUTH MAE MCCRANE IKE MORGAN ROYAL ROBERTSON BERNICE SIMS SINGLETON HENRY SPELLER MARY T SMITH JIMMIE LEE SUDDUTH JAMES "SON" THOMAS MOSE TOLLIVER FELIX VIRGOUS WILLIE WHITE

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NEW ORLEANS BLACK INDIAN BEADWORK

BARRISTER'S GALLERY 526 ROYAL STREET NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 (504) 525-2767

Wilton ANTIQUES MARKETPLACE SHOWS "more than just a one-day show...It's the best oneday show I've ever seen..." Scudder Smith, Editor Antiques and Arts Weekly, 12/15/89 *

*

DAR ANTIQUES MARKETPLACE Sunday, September 22

HOLIDAY ANTIQUES MARKETPLACE

Sunday, December 8

Cognoscenti

Wilton High School Field House Route 7, Wilton, CT

presents

10:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. Admission, $5.00

HYBRID-Collecting

Early Buying, 8:30 a.m. — 10:00 a.m. Admission $15.00

FOLK ART

More than 100 exhibitors, from a dozen states IN FULL ROOM SETTINGS American country and period formal furniture of the 18th 8c 19th centuries • Appropriate decorative accessories • Textiles • Folk Art• Fine Art• Prints • Rare Maps • Early Glass • Silver • Jewelry • Architectural Elements.

FROM THE SOUTHWEST By Appointment (301)523-1507 1-800-735-0311

Fall 1991

Richard Edson P. 0. Box 4759 Baltimore, MD 21211

5 'Z mi. north of Exit 40, Merritt Parkway 8 mi. north of Exit 15, 1-95 12 mi. south of 1-84 MCG Antiques Promotions, Inc. Marilyn C. Gould 10 Chicken St., %Mon, CT 06897 (203)762-3525

83


io1144/ear Fektaf.,,,vwzr841 Mose T Howard Finster James Harold Jennings Reverend Benjamin Perkins Woodie Long

F

ive outstanding folk artists have licensed Campus Collection to meticulously screen print their work onto high-quality activewear for all seasons. T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing the work of these fine artists are available just in time for holiday giving. Excellent stock items for galleries, museum shops, or specialty stores. Campus Collection's Folkwear will be on display at the Atlanta Apparel Mart, Suite 8W125A from October 31 to November 6. For more information or to place orders, call 1-800-289-8744 or (205)758-0678, or write Campus Collection/P.O. Box 2904/Tuscaloosa, AL 35403.

Mary T. Smith (b. 1904)

Collection includes: J.B. Murray, Howard Finster, David Butler, Bessie Harvey, Willie White, Mary T. Smith, Jimmy Sudduth, James "Son" Thomas, Royal Robertson, James Harold Jennings, Mose Tolliver, Lonnie Holley, B.F. Perkins, Clementine Hunter and others.

GILLEY8 "WHAT IS THAT OLD CAT" 191/2' x 28" 1984

84

CALLEQY

7520 Perkins Road Baton Rouge, La. 70808 504-767-0526

THE CLARION


SWEETGUM THE SOUTHERN SOURCE FOR DISTINCTIVE ART Also Representing

CHARLIE MAYO Predator and Prey Collection Art Furniture

Mose Tolliver

Bernice Sims

Lonnie Holley

Calvin Livingston

Jimmie Lee Sudduth

Reverend B.F. Perkins

Thornton Dial

Bama Quates

R.A. Miller

Charlie Lucas

Emily Gassenheimer

Buzz Busby

P.O. BOX 5202 • MONTGOMERY, AL 36103 • (205) 567-9798

Barbara Olsen One Woman Show San Francisco October 1991 Information and Invitation by request BARBARA OLSEN STUDIO P.O. Box 10691 Pleasanton, CA 94588-0691 (510) 846-7312 FAX (510) 846-2410 By Appointment 35 x 27 • oil on linen • painted frame • "The Education Sampler"

Fall 1991

85


--GNP-- --GIP.-- --GNP--

JACK SAVITT GALLERY At CAMELOT (Route 100 between Macungie and Trexlertown)

Macungie, Pennsylvania 18062

MARKETPLACE PRIVATE CONSERVATOR is available to work on all textiles and folk-art objects. Please call for a consultation. Condition reports and estimates are free of charge. Rebecca Streeter, 102 Morris St., Jersey City, N.J. 07302, 201/433-6128. AFFORDABLE HANDCARVED WOOD SCULPTURE. Fish and wildfowl decoys, weathervane figures, and more. Most inspired by early American folk art,some new designs. For catalog send $3 to Laine,4 South Hollow Rd., Dix Hills, N.Y. 11746. FOLK AND OUTSIDER ART: Max Romain, Lavern Kelley, Andy Kane, S.L. Jones, Mose Tolliver, Jack Savitsky, Justin McCarthy, J.H. Jennings, and many other artists. Linderman Folk and Outsider Art, 530 West 46 Street, #3W, New York, NY 10036, 212/307-0914. By appointment.

ADVERTISING DEADLINES Jack Savitt, Representing

JACK SAVITSKY 20th Century American Folk Artist • Oils • Acrylics •Drawings For Appointment Call

(215)398-00Th

Issue

Materials Deadline

Publication Date

Winter Spring Summer Fall

September 25 December 15 March 25 June 15

November 30 March 1 June 1 September 1

Camera-ready art preferred.

THE GREY SINIRREL ak .6 06 sio

Celebrating the Spirit of American Craftsmanship

Fine Country and Painted Furniture ti4 Wonderful Windsors Fabulous Folk Art, Fracturs and Faux Finishes Graphic Quilts Serious Scherenschnitte Tantalizing Tole Hand Thrown Pottery and Other Beguiling American examples of wit, whimsey & ingenuity The Grey Squirrel is located upstairs at Five Main St.(Rte 45)in the Village of New Preston, CT. Close to Lake Waramaug, outstanding Inns, Restaurants, Antique shops, Bookstores and Historic Litchfield. Thursday-Monday: Eleven to Five * 203-868-9750

86

MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLRART BOOK AND GIFT SHOP 62 West 50th Street New York, NY 10020-15141 (opposite Radio City bet. 5th and 6th Avenue)

Two Lincoln Square York, NY 10023-6214 (Columbus Avenue bet. 65th and 66th Streets)

Telephone:(212) 247-5611

Telephone:(212) 496-2966

A II 11111 THE CLARION


SHOW YOU CARE WITH THE CARD THAT SHARES. With the Museum of American Folk Art Visa® Classic card every time you use your card the issuing bank will make donations to support the MAFA at no additional cost to you.

Other special features include a line of credit up to $5,000 and immediate cash availability. Extensive travel benefits and services provided at no extra cost include:

The distinctive design of the MAFA Visa® Classic card will identify you as one of thousands who care enough to make a difference. In restaurants, hotels, anywhere you use your card, you spark the interest of others who may want to help.

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The MAFA Visa Classic card is issued absolutely free of an annual fee to our members for one full year.' The annual fee after the first year is a low $20, and the competitive Annual Percentage Rate is just 18.9%.

There's no simpler way to support the Museum of American Folk Art at no additional cost to you. There is nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Certain restrictions apply to these benefits. The summary of credit card benefits accompanying the Preferred Access Checks' describes coverage terms, conditions and limitations. The account is issued and administered by MBNA America Bank, N.A. MBNA Americaa is a federally registered Service Mark of MBNA America Bank, NA. Visa. is a federally registered Service Mark of Visa U.S.A., Inc., used pursuant to license.

APPLY TODAY! 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

1-800-847-7378, ext. 5000

Call now to apply, or if you prefer, complete the application below and mail to: MAFA Visa Classic, P.O. Box 15464, Wilmington, DE 19885-9440.

Be sure to use the priority code when calling: CVZG. PRIMARY APPLICANT SECTION (Please print)

Yes!ahlrtit benefitsdfoerstchrrbi:IdAaFbAovVeisa* Classic card with

POSITION

CVZG 12-922

NAME AS YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO APPEAR ON CARD I T " FIR

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ADDRESS

HOME PHONE)

SOURCE "(Alimony,child support,or separate maintenance income need not be revealed if you do not wish it considered as a basis of repayment) PREVIOUS EMPLOYER (If less than 3 years at current employment) (If at present address less than 3 years.)

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VICKI AND BRUCE WAASDORP 10931 MAIN STREET CLARENCE. NEW YORK 14031 (716) 759-2361

A WHITES BINGHAMPTON 5 GALLON STRAIGHT SIDED CROCK WITH A VERY RARE FOLK ART STYLIZED HOUSE AND TREE DESIGN.

DECORATED STONEWARE

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BRIGITTe t SCHGe W R I

LEON LOARD GALLERY OF FINE ARTS

oaLLeRv•

PRIMITIVE, FOLK & ESKIMO ART

(formerly Arctic Art)

DAVID ALVAREZ LEROY ARCHULETA DEWEY BLOCKSMA DAVID BUTLER HOWARD FINSTER MANUEL JIMENEZ LYNNE LOSHBAUGH TOM MAY CONSTANCE ROBERTS BILLY RODRIGUEZ MOSE TOLLIVER Rancho Arnez by Christine Munger, 20" x 24" 929 BROADWAY

Gallery Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9 am - 4 pm Evenings and weekends by appointment

DENVER COLORADO 80203 (303)825-8555

88

2781 Zelda Road / Montgomery, AL 36106 1-800-235-6273 (In USA)•(205) 270-9010 THE CLARION


The Art of CLAIRE MURRAY

Feathered Friends From a special collection of distinguished American artisans.

Eldred Wheeler of Houston 3941 San Felipe

Houston,Texas 77027

(713)622-6225

SCHOOLHOUSE RUNNER 23" x 73" $275

Kirby Kautz, Mark Kluck, Lou Schiffer'

Claire Murray invites you to send for her latest catalog of heirloom quality hand hooked rugs and kits, needlepoint, quilts, fragrance and ceramics ($5 refundable on first purchase). CLAIRE MURRAY P.O. BOX 1089, DEFT. C NORTH CHARLESTOWN, NH 03603 1-603-543-0137 1-800-323-9276 LONDON•NANTUCKET•SEATTLE•MONTREAL•MELBOURNI-

Fall 1991

89


OUR INCREASED MEMBERSHIP CONTRIBUTIONS MARCH-MAY 1991

We wish to thank the following members for their increased membership contributions and for their expression of confidence in the Museum: Jean Andrews, Huntington, NY Lisa Barry, Vienna, VA Susan Berman, New York, NY The Bullard Family, Highland Park, IL Jeanne & Stuart Bunn,Prairie Village, KS Sean Daniel, Los Angeles, CA Henry P. Deyerle, Harrisonburg, VA Elizabeth Endrom, Briarwood, NY Ellin Feld, Garrison, NY Mr. & Mrs. Lee Gartrell, New York, N1

Charles N. Gignilliat, Jr., Spartanburg,SC Harriet Wohl Goldstein, New York, NY Herman Greitzer, New York, NY Sally Griffiths, Dallas, TX Kathleen Helper, Washington, DC Mary B. Hevener, Arlington, VA Ronald & Alice Hoffman, New York, NY Lynne & Jordan Ingram, Milford, NJ Mary & Robert Jacobs, Englewood, NJ Florine Katz, New York, NY John Kois & Jill Keefe, New York, NY Linda Korsen, Ramsey, NJ Carolyn Kuhlthau, Highland Park, NJ Mr. & Mrs. Nolan L,eake, Atlanta, GA Barbara, Charles & Ann Lehmann, Green Brook, NJ

Mr. & Mrs. Howard Phillips, New York, NY Kate Reed, Montreal, Canada Mrs. Bert Reisman, Westport, CT Mary Ann Seltzer, Overland Park, KS Mrs. Doris Sleight, Grand Rapids, MI Walter & Bruce Smith, Augusta, GA Emily Stein, New York, NY Robert & Patricia Stempel, Bloomfield Hills, MI Martha Roby Stephens, New York, NY Linda Nelson Stocks, Fisher, IL Jane Supino, New York, NY William P. Westcott, Woodstock, VT Nina Williams, Denver, CO Walter & Irene Wolf, Rydal, PA Thomas K. Woodard, New York, NY

OUR GROWING MEMBERSHIP MARCH-MAY, 1991 The Museum trustees and staff extend a special welcome to these new members: Joyce Aaron, S. Orleans, MA Judith W. Abrams, New York, NY Jean Adkins, Fayetteville, NC Jess Aguirre, St. Louis, MO Mitsyo Aiba, New York, NY Akron Art Museum Library, Akron, OH Ms. Donna Albert, Lancaster, PA Ms. Ann Murfee Allen, Richmond, VA Enriqueta Andrade, New York, NY Ms. Patrizia Antotticelli, London, Jane Aruns, Santa Fe, NM Ms. Phyllis A. Askildsen, Burlington, MA Roger 0. Austin, Penfield, NY Julia M. Avery, Guilford, NY Ofra Backenroth, Teaneck, NJ Harry Bader, New York, NY Ms. Jane B. Baird, New York, NY, JoAnn B. Baird, Worthington, 01-1 Ann Baker, Westerly, RI Presentacion Q.Balatbat, Scarborough,CANADA Ms. Helen M.Ballard, Atlanta, GA MaryAnn Balze, Severna Park, MD Iva M.Barnard, Westtown,PA Ms. Judith M.Barnet, Barnstable, MA Ms. Sharon Barr, Philadelphia, PA Mrs. N. K. Barrett, Berwyn,PA Susan Bartels, Karlsruhe, GERMANY Mrs. Deborah Barton, New Rochelle, NY Rachel Baskins, New York, NY Jean M. Bayer, Penfield, NY Rick Bayless, Chicago,IL Mr. & Mrs. Norman Beal, Larkspur, CA Mrs. Mary H. Beals, Waterville, ME Ruth S. Beede, Webster, NY Barbee Bellefeuille,Irasburg, VT 90

Giorgio Benedetti, Bo,ITALY Jane Berk, New York, NY Ms. Bernice Berkower, New York, NY Arlene Bezlewicz, Chester, NJ Mrs. Tom Bird, Radnor, PA Judith Bishop,'Meson, AZ Bette Bliss, Kansas City, MO Jared Block, New York, NY Ms. Elizabeth Bloodworth, Atlanta, GA Jane A. Bolster, Berwyn,PA Jessica Hill Bond, Dorset, VT Ms. Cherie Raines Bonesteele, Salem, OR Hilda Borchending, Lakewood, NJ Ms. Laura Bradbard, Potomac, MD Ms. Irene Braden, Oakland, CA Ms. Sandra B. Breakstone, New York, NY Ms. Virginia Breier, San Francisco,CA Mrs. Grace R. Bremer, Milton, MA Helene Britt, Newark, NJ Mrs. Robert E. Bromley, Rochester, NY Ann E. Bronsky, Binghamton, NY Ms. Sally Brooks, Chattanooga, TN Gail Brown, Wynnewood,PA Kimberly Brown, New York, NY Ms. Gloria Bruere, Floral Park, NY Mr. Gordon Bryars, San Francisco,CA Dian Dincin Buchman, New York, NY Mr. Mark Bullwinkle, Oaldand, CA Faye Liverman Burgos, Nutley, NJ Frances P. Burleigh, Winchester, MA Mary Ann Burns, Glen Gardner, NJ Elizabeth A. Busch, Stonington, ME Mrs. Laura Butler, Honeoye Falls, NY Mr. & Mrs. James Byrne, Avon, CT Ann Cartolano, E. Hartford, CT Dr. John S. Cassella, Lenox, MA Amparo G. Cembrano, Yonkers, NY Cam Chamberlain, Ambler,PA

Deborah Cherniss, Highland Park, NJ Mrs. Wendell H. Chidsey, Westfield Ctr., OH D. A. Chrisman, Roanoke, VA Mr. John Cisney, St. Paul, MN Mrs. John A. Clark, Norwell, MA Susan M. Clark, Saskatoon, CANADA Dorothy Clayton, Valley Falls, NY J. Dudley Clendinen, Atlanta, GA Veda Marie Click, Springfield, MO Mrs. Henry J. Cochran, Jr., Pittsfield, MA Mrs. Margaret M. Coffin, Fort Edward, NY Jodi Colella, Waltham, MA Joan Hayes Conklin, Suffern, NY Ms. Elizabeth Consolvo, Chevy Chase, MD Elizabeth Cooley, East Islip, NY Linda Corshen, New York, NY Ms. Laura R. Corvini, Plymouth, MA Kathryn B. Coughlin, New York, NY Ms. Susan Courtney, New York, NY Romayne Cox, Galveston, TX Mrs. Esther E. Cox, Warren, OH Margie Creek, Moorestown, NJ Evelyn L. Crovo-Hall, Miami Shores, FL Julie Cullen, Cliffside Park, NJ Brenda Cullison, Columbus, OH Linda Cummiskey, Ardmore,PA Gail D'Addio, North Haven, CT Karen D'Auria, Bayside, NY Ms. Linda Daernke, Portland, OR Ms. Elaine Dalzell, Silver Spring, MD Ms. Nancy Dasch, Wyckoff, NJ Deborah Ellen Davies, Osterville, MA Mrs. Richard G. Day, Queensbury, NY Kimmey Decker, Middleburgh, NY Carlotta DeFillo, Staten Island, NY Jan Deitcher, Line Lexington, PA Ms. Pamela A. DeRiso, Flushing, NY Linda S. DesMarais, Englishtown, NJ

THE CLARION


Gr1,11

OUR GROWING MEMBERSHIP MARCH-MAY, 1991

DiFulvio-Covo Family, New York, NY Linda Digiosaffatte, Landing, NJ Linda Dixon, Meridian, ID Ms. Liza Dodson, University, MS Eliza Donhauser, Tarrytown, NY Ms. Janis Donnaud, New York, NY Astrid C. DonneIlan, Hingham, MA Bonnie Dublirer, Wyckoff, NJ Pat Duffy, Pemberton, NJ Ms. Phyllis Dukes, Seattle, WA Ms. Polly Dupont, Kutztown,PA Carol G. Durst, New York, NY Betty S. Eckerson, W. Boxford, MA Ms. Ethel Eckhaus, Ridgefield, CT Ms. Lisa P. Edmiston, Bronxville, NY Roberta Edrington, CoIonia, NJ Mrs. Clyde Ent, Allentown,PA Ms. Judith Erickson, Indianapolis,IN Ms. Rita L. Erickson, Montclair, NJ M.Craig Evans, Paoli, PA Louise Evenden Crafts, Sedona, AZ Mary Jane Favorite, West Milton, OH Barbara Feitel, New York, NY Peter Feldman, New York, NY Alan B. Feltmarch, Newport, VT Ivka Feretich, Scarsdale, NY Margaret J. Ferrer, Reston, VA Norma Finger, Georgetown, KY Susan Fischer, Woodmere, NY Ms. Sibyl Fishbum, Roanoke, VA Carmen Fisher, Galveston, TX Anthonette Fisher, Staten Island, NY Paul Fitzpatrick, Plantation, FL Ms. Mary T. Flanagan, Forest Hills, NY Lunmae E. Flint, Bliss, NY Ms. Mary Flower, New York, NY Ms. Ann Forman, Great Neck, NY Ms. Carole Forsythe, Media, PA K. C. Foung, Scarsdale, NY Peggy J. Frank, Astoria, NY Ms. Doris H. Fry, Delmar, NY Kinuko Fujii, Eugene, OR Dolores C. Fumari, Brandon, VT Mary Jane Gagnier de Mendoza, Oaxaco, MEXICO Janet Gale, Lennoxville, CANADA Patricia Long Gardner, Sparks, MD Ms. Gloria Garigliano, Bayport, NY Kathi Gibennan, Halifax, CANADA Cease Giddings, Evanston,IL Mr. William Gilmore, Lansing, MI Polly Gladding, Montrose, PA Elana Daniels Goldberg, Plainview, NY Chet Goldstein, Iiiscalossa, AL Selma Goodman, Syosset, NY Barbara L. Gordon, Bethesda, MD Inez Goma11, Uxbridge, MA Carolyn Gottfried, New York, NY Keiko Gouke, Sendai, JAPAN Mrs. Rosamond Lees Gow,Pittsburgh, PA Mrs. Georga G. Graham, Baltimore, MD Joyce R. Graziano, Middletown, NY Fa111991

Merry Groszrnami, Eatontown, NJ Guernsey's, New York, NY Kay Haltom, Marietta, GA Ms. Ann M. Hanson, Lincoln, NE Connie Harper, Bronx, NY Ms. Carolyn Harper, Philadelphia, PA Carole Harris, Detroit, MI Cynthia Hartman, Hudson, OH Ms. Julie Harwood, Ionia, MI Dennis Hayes, New York, NY Mr. Jim Hedges, Lookout Mt.,TN Mrs. Charles Heiser, Hudson,OH Masayo Henderson, New York, NY Helen Henderson, E. Brunswick, NJ Lily Henry, New York, NY B. Herberholz, Carmichael, CA Jo Farb Hernandez, Watsonville, CA Mrs. Mollie K. Heron, Lexington, KY Eunice B. Heyman, Baltimore, MD Paula Hill, Harriman, NY Karen Hintz, Randolph, NJ Esther T. Hirshfield, Berkeley Heights, NJ Patricia Hodges, Baldwin, NY Eleanor J. Hoekster, New York, NY Kempf Hogan, Birmingham, MI Mrs. Joyce E. Holzer, Morristown, NJ Mrs. Evalyn Home, Huntington, NY Ms. Diane D. Horowitz, San Francisco, CA Gladys E Hotchkiss, Portageville, NY Eva Humbach, Mt. Vernon, NY Ms. Ellen Hyker, NBC-TV, New York, NY June Iseman, New York, NY Ms. Kate Isod, Fresh Meadows, NY Isabella Brandt Johansen, New York, NY Janis Johnson, New Orleans, LA L. C. Johnson, Wilmington, DE Linda C. Jones, Staten Island, NY Virginia Leigh Jones, Taunton, MA Ms. Blaire Kagan, Valley Stream, NY Molly Davies Kahn,Fort Worth, TX Ardelle W. Karb, Framingham, MA Mark Karelson, Atlanta, GA Kirby Kautz, Hartland, VT Ms. Phoebe Kaylor, New York, NY Helen B. Kazanecki, Brooklyn, NY Mrs. Robert Keegan, Hudson,OH Ms. Brenda C. Kelley, Portland, OR Ms. Linda Gamer Kelly, Los Altos,CA Erin Kelly, Orange, CA Deirdre Kennedy, Montclair, NJ Mrs. Carl R. Kidner, Searsport, ME Ms. Virginia Killmore, Syracuse, NY Joanne S. Kilsheimer, Bethesda, MD Suzanne King, Reading,PA Christine King, Bronx, NY Yuri Kita, Yardley, PA Mr. & Mrs. Alan J. Klawans, Willow Grove,PA Judith Klein, Flushing, NY Claire Kleiner, Tenafly, NJ Barbara Kligerman, Philadelphia, PA Ms. Melba Kline, Northbrook, IL Barbara Knickerbocker, Victor, NY

Dave Knoke, Atlanta, GA Austin V. Koenen, Pompton Plains, NJ Emil Komfeind, Leawood, KS Sherrill Kraus, New York, NY Arlene Kreisler, Forest Hills, NY Mr. Michael Kuhn, Houston,TX Kazuo Kusunoki, Fort Lee, NJ Mrs. Gertrude La Placa, Lakewood, NJ Virginia H. Lamba.ck, Ft. Monmouth, NJ Sharon Landis, Berlin, MD Elizabeth C. Larter, Rochester, NY Vera S. Lasch, Hasbrouck Hts., NJ Marion LeBow, Great Neck, NY Laurena Lehr-Fraser, New York,IsIY Mrs. Arlene C. Lennox, Marblehead, MA Audrey Leung, New York, NY Carol Levenson, Chicago, IL Ms. Florine Lewis, Swarthmore,PA Kim Little, Parkton, MD Jaci Locker, New York, NY Ms. Laura Lopata, New York, NY Sherrill Lord, Princeton, NJ Phyllis M. Lotz, New York, NY Mrs. James W. Loveland, Rochester, NY Mrs. Sally R. Lovely, Hilton Head,SC Mark Lyman, Lakeside Group, Chicago,IL Sara MacGregor, State College, PA Kimberly Maier, S. Orange, NJ Margaret Maier, Lincolnwood, IL Dolores M. Malenka, Staten Island, NY Michael Males, Ridgewood, NJ Joella Malick, Allenwood, NJ Mr. Gerald Malina, New York, NY Virginia Malone, New York, NY Mr. James Manfredonia, New York, NY Ms. Kay Marshall, Rockville, MD Ms. Therese S. Marshall, Westport, CT Marshfield School of Weaving, Plainfield, VT Evelyn Martin, New York, NY Patricia A. May, Springfield, IL Wyrelene S. Mays, Columbus,OH Pauline G. McCall, Tampa,FL Margaret M . McGill, No. Bergen, NJ Bobbi Finley McTague, San Jose, CA John McVay, Southfield, MI Mrs. Jacques Megroz, Mamaroneck,NY Connie Melashenko, Loma Linda, CA Ms. Kathryn D. Metcalfe, Yonkers, NY Ms. Evelyn S. Meyer, New York, NY Mark Casey Milestone, Winston-Salem, NC Mrs. Janet E. Miller, New Bern, NC Ms. Ellen M. Miller, Dallas, TX Mr. Michael Miller, New York, NY Irene P. Miller, Croton-on-Hudson, NY Mary Ann Miller, St. Louis, MO Mr. Erick F. Moeller, Roanoke, VA Karen Mogenson, Woodridge, NJ Victoria F. Morris, Chappaqua, NY Jean M. Morton, Beecroft, NJ Mr. Alan Moss, New York, NY Mrs. E. Murder, Roslyn, NY Mr. Charles Munro, Longboat Key,FL Ms. Anita Murphy, Kountz,e, TX 91


Leroy Almon Sybil Gibson James Harold Jennings R.A. Miller

B.F. Perkins Jim Sudduth Mose Tolliver Knox Wilkinson Jr. Fred Webster

art resources Inc 2203 Oakawana Rd. Atlanta, GA 30345 (404)982-0597 Dealer inquiries welcome

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92

THE CLARION


D. J. Malczewski ARTIST

Peter Malczewski 1895-1981 Cigar Box

(716) 671-1258

"AH DREAMLAND!" THE WORKS OF TIREE HUDSON Walter Tiree Hudson was born in the Valley of Virginia in 1943. He has been painting for over ten years, first with chalk on the walls of an apartment building in Richmond and now on art board, canvas and "found" materials. His characters and symbols make up a world of "living guardians and spirits" who protect him from an uncaring and hostile society.

G.H. VANDER ELST Non-Traditional Folk Art Ah Heartus, 1990 (8"x 8", Tempra & Acrylic on Board)

Tiree Hudson

1323 Mallard Drive Franklin, TN 37064 (615)794-9631

Howard Finster• Joseph Hardin • Lonnie Holley • James H. Jennings• B.F. Perkins • Robert Roberg Robert E. Smith • Hugo Sperger • Vannoy Streeter • Jimmie L. Sudduth • Mose Tolliver • Fred Webster Fa111991

93


OUR GROWING MEMBERSHIP MARCH-MAY, 1991

Yoshie Nagawa, Tokyo, JAPAN Helen K. Neesemann, Brooklyn, NY Rosemarie Newberry, Middletown, NJ Kikuko Nezuka, Chappaqua, NY Natalie Norris, Roanoke, VA Antoinette Nowell, Silver Spring, MD Barbara O'Neil, Bedford Hills, NY Margaret E. O'Neill, Jersey City, NJ Blair C. Ohaus, Far Hills, NJ Katherine N. Ohmann, Lyons, NY Barbara J. Olsen, Pleasanton, CA Mr. Howard Orr, Western Springs, IL Masuyo Otsuji, Otsu City, JAPAN Sigrid S. Ouderkirk, Canton, NY Julia Pagan, Westwood, NJ Ms. Joy Park, Alexandria, VA Andrew Parker, Jr., Washington, DC Lorraine Parks, Freeport, NY Yvonne Pask, West Hartford,CT Oleeta Patterson, Waco,TX Natalie G. Paul, Andover, MA Diana Pearson, New York, NY Jeanne E. Pearson, Woodbury, NY Ginette Peckerman, New York, NY George M. Pehlgries, Sunnyside, NY Mr. Charles Rand Penny, Lockport, NY Ms. Audrey Perry, Tuxedo Park, NY Mr. Lloyd F. Peskoe, Colts Neck, NJ Mr. Ronald G. Peters, Chappaqua, NY Jane W.Path, Williamstown, MA Lillian Petruzzi, Floral Park, NY Mr. Robert Piscatori, Taunton, MA Roberta Poalillo, Wall, NJ Dan Pohl, Amherst Jct., WI Amy Pollack, New York, NY Camille Poma,co, Newton, NJ Barbara Pond, Little Compton, RI Mr.& Mrs. Leonard S. Porter, Shrewsbury, MA G. Julie Powell, Merion, PA Stephen Powers, So. San Francisco, CA Dr. & Mrs. Sergio Prosperi, Reading, PA Diane K. Prout, Madison, CT Frances Puccinelli Gallery, Carpinteria, CA Sally Quinn, Huntington, NY Mr. & Mrs. Marvin S. Rappaport, Hoholcus, NJ Sandra F. Reed, Milford, DE Wendy Reed, Bath, ME Jill Reese, Rittman, OH Mr. Richard Reinhardt, San Francisco, CA Ms. Linda Reuther, San AnseImo,CA Ms. Bobbie Ribatt, Roslyn, NY Mr. Don Rice, Oakland, CA Ms. Inger Richards, Littleton, CO Jean Roach, No. Syracuse, NY Annrae Roberts, Rio Rancho, NM Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Robertson, Los Angeles, CA Mary K. Robinson, W. Newbury, MA Mrs. Theodore W. Robinson III, Greenwich, CT Judith J. Roche, Solebury,PA Mike Rodriguez, Santa Fe, NM Mr. & Mrs. Yale Roe,Scarsdale, NY

94

Mr. & Mrs. Ben Rose, San Francisco, CA Mr. & Mrs. Charles Rosenblum, Flossmoor, IL Jayn Rosenfeld, New York, NY Mt & Mrs. James Ross, Cooperstown, NY Longina E. Rossi, Wynnewood, PA Carmel Roth, New York, NY Lenard Roth family, Colorado Springs, CO Lisa Rothstein, Forest Hills, NY S. Roubinek, New Canaan, CT Mr. Jerry Roy, Oakland, CA Carole A. Russo, Mineola, NY Pavel Ruzicka, Spring Valley, NY Barbara Sala, Montreal West, CANADA Ms. Suzanne S. Salomon, New Canaan, CT Marion P. Sanford, Glastonbury, CT Mary E. Sanford, Newton, NJ Mazzoni Sauro, Firenz,ITALY Eileen E. Schulhoff, Staten Island, NY Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Seirup, Fairfield, CT Susan Shaw, New York, NY Leslie Shaw, Gillette, NJ Mrs. Suzanne Shawe, New York, NY Sandra Sheiber, Boston, MA Phyllis Sherman, Glens Falls, NY Ms. Dorothy Shields, Philipsburg, PA Mr. Daniel Shyu, Brown Deer, WI Ms. Janet L. Sickel, Chatham, MA Ms. Hilde Siegel, New York, NY Jay M. Siegelaub, Montrose, NY Ms. Patricia A. Siegle, Brooklyn, NY Ms. Camille Sigmund, Scotch Plains, NJ Grace W. Signaigo, Somerville, NJ Patricia Silagy, Huntington, NY Ms. Julie Silber, San Francisco, CA Sheila Ruth Simon, New York, NY Corey S. Singer, Atlanta, GA Mary Alice Kenny Sinton, Ponca City, OK Jean Skinner, Hershey,PA Ms. Susan Skinner, Los Angeles, CA Sheryl Skolnik, Holmdel, NJ Mrs. Robert A. Slater, Sun City, CA Dave Sleppy, Atlanta, GA Ruth C. Sloan, Ridgewood, NJ Patricia M. Slowik,Princeton, NJ Ivy Smiley, New York, NY Alice D. Smith, Feeding Hills, MA Mr. & Mrs. Howard Solomon,Greenbrae, CA Something Special, Berkeley, CA T. P. Speer, Oberlin, OH Helen Squire, Demarest, NJ Barbara L. Squire, Marlborough, NH Mr. David St. Germain,Gilboa, NY Mr. Joe Staler, Franklin, TN Mr.& Mrs. Gary Stass, New Canaan,CT Judith Stein, Woodbridge, CT Barbara Steinman, New York, NY Ms. Ina Stentiford, Brookville, NY Ms. Marie Stevens, Great Falls, VA M. Stewart, Westport, CT Edward H. Stone, Bowie, MD Cynthia Stone, Gales Ferry, CT Alice Strom, Winnipeg, CANADA Martha H. Streuver, Denver, CO Marie Stunner, Traverse City, MI Mrs. Hilda P. Suhm,Westfield, MA

Swets Subscription Svce., Berwyn,PA Mrs. Harriet Syversen, Closter, NJ Lee Tackett, Ithaca, NY Mr. & Mrs. Myles H. Tanenbaum, Bryn Mawr,PA Ms. Joy Taylor, Roosevelt Island, NY C. Teiger, Forest Hills, NY Mary Tendall, Garner, IA Ms. Helen E. Thieme, Morristown, NJ Mildred Thomas, Shaker Heights, OH Mrs. Bernadette F. Thompson,Claremont, NH Bonnie Jean Thornton, Redmond, WA Mrs. Sara C. Tiffany, Hilton Head,SC Mrs. Marie Tinker, Pacific Palisades, CA Eric & Billie Tolmach, Mt. Airy, MD Toy & Miniature Museum, Kansas City, MO Joan M. Tracy, Manlius, NY Betty Trumpy, Blue Mounds, WI Ms. Patricia'Ricker, Winder,GA Hope'Rimy,Los Angeles,CA Jan Urpi, Brooklyn, NY Mrs. Margaret E. Van Alstyne, New York, NY Mr. John W. Vandervliet, New York, NY Ann Venieleis, Muncy,PA Ms. Mary Ann Vento-Perez, Brooklyn, NY Ghislaine Verschoren, Versailles, FRANCE Ann Vincenzo, Staten Island, NY Mr. Joe Wack, Centerpoint, WV Ms. Nancy E. Wahlin, New York, NY Sharon Waidmann, Monroe,OH Ms. Christina Walldey, Sherbome, ENGLAND Elaine D. Ward, Long Island City, NY Mrs. W. W. Watkins, Swarthmore, PA Faythe M. Weaver, New York, NY Mrs. An Webb, Haverhill, NH Ms. Jeanette L. Webber,Chadds Ford,PA Ms. Margaret L. Weimer, Villanova, PA Mr. Jay Wehnert, Houston, TX Ingerid Weintraub, East Norwich, NY Doris Wells, Ph.D., Ridgewood, NJ Kathy Werger, E. Windsor, NJ Marty Weming, Rockville, MD Mrs. A. Wertheimer, Fayetteville, NY Ms. Phyllis S. Wetherill, Washington, DC Mr. James R. White, Gaithersburg, MD Martha M. Wilbur, Wayneberg, VA Mr. Stanley Wilder, Baton Rouge,LA Ms. Elizabeth Willett, Pelham, NY Jerry B. Williams, Nashville, TN Bernard Williamson, Magnolia, TX Mr.& Mrs. Council Wooten, Jr., Winter Park, FL Mr. Joe Wright, Toronto, CANADA Mitchell Yannack, Erwinna, PA Ms. Susan Yelen, Kingston,PA Kazuko Yonekura, Kobe, JAPAN Erma M. Yost, Jersey City, NJ Ms. Mary K. Young, Atlanta, GA Mrs. Joe Young, Atlanta, GA Karen Zinsmaster, Oakland, CA

THE CLARION


Sanford Smith's 13th Annual

Fall Antiques Show At the Pier

The American Show The most important American Antiques Show in the country, featuring 110 distinguished dealers from 22 states, Exhibiting a complete range of American Antiques, Quilts, Folk Art, Ceramics and Fine Art.

OCTOBER 17-20, 1991 Thursday - Saturday 11AM-9PM • Sunday 11AM-6PM Benefit Preview: The Museum of American Folk Art• October 16, 1991 • Information:(212)595-9533

Passenger Pier 92 • West 52nd Street & The Hudson River • New York 110 Exhibitors • All Items for sale FREE SHUTTLE BUS BETWEEN THE MUSEUM GALLERY (COLUMBUS AVE & 66TH STREET)& THE PIER Admission Ten Dollars

Parking Available

Restaurant

Wheelchair Accessible

Exhibitors Arizona Campbell-Belikove California Sherwoods Spirit of America Lyons Ltd. Connecticut Advertising Americana / Allan Katz Nikki & Tom Deupree Penny & Ronald Dionne Joel J. Einhorn Michael Friedman Marion Harris Stephen & Carol Huber E.G.H. Peter Quester Gallery Shoot the Chute Frederic I. Thaler Peter H. Tillou Fine Arts Delaware James M. Kilvington Illinois Harvey Antiques Frank & Barbara Pollack Indiana Robert Brown Native American Parrett / Lich Inc. Carol Shope Kansas Fine Americana Kentucky Shelly Zegart

Louisiana Didier Inc. Maine Rufus Foshee Antiques Pine Bough: JoAnne Fuerst Robert 0. Stuart Co Withington Wells Maryland All of Us Americans Folk Art Architectural Americana Aileen Minor Antiques Stella Rubin Cecelia B. Williams Elaine Wilmarth Massachusetts By Shaker Hands Stephen Score Elliott & Grace Snyder Walters • Benisek Art & Antiques Victor Weinblatt Michigan Elliott & Elliott Haymarket Antiques & Designs Denny Tracey Missouri Douglas L. Solliday New Hampshire Peter Pap Oriental Rugs New Jersey Betty J. Osband / Paul F. Elliott New Mexico William E. Channing Morning Star Gallery

New York City America Hurrah Antiques American Primitive Gallery T.J. Antorino Antiques Cynthia Beneduce Margaret B. Caldwell Allan L. Daniel Deco Deluxe Harris Diamant Richard &. Eileen Dubrow Antiques Laura Fisher Sidney Gecker Bruce Gimelson Alan M. Coffman Renate Halpern Galleries Hillman-Gemini Jay Johnson America's Folk Heritage Kelter-Malce Kendra Krienke Judith St James Milne Susan Parrish Poster America Ricco / Maresca Gallery David A. Schorsch Smith Gallery Brian Windsor Americana New York State Charles Brown & Company Dennis & Valerie Bakoledis Courcier & Wilkins Jacqueline Donegan Patricia & Richard Dudley Gaglio & Molnar

Lenny & Nancy Kislin Susan & Sy Rapaport Richard & Betty Ann Rasso Sterling & Hunt Trotta - Bono Walowen & Schneider Ohio Beck - Mohawk Pennsylvania Bucks County Antiques Marcy Burns American Indian Arts Chew & Formicola Bea Cohen Gordon S. Converse & Co. The Cunninghams Mary K. Darrah M. Finkel & Daughter Pat & Rich Garthoeffner Antiques Fae B. Haight Harry B. Hartman William & Connie Hayes Christopher & Jim Hirsheimer Katy Kane Chris A. Machmer Antiques Olde Hope Antiques The Philadelphia Print Shop Francis J. Purcell II Antiques The Robertsons Howard & Linda Stein Robert Thomas Virginia John L. Long Washington D.C. Rooms & Gardens


JAY JOILXSON America's Folk Heritage Gallery 1044 Madison Avenue, N.Y., N.Y. 10021

Tuesday thru Sunday 11-6 Closed Monday. 212-628-7280 "Pennsylvania Folk Art Collection" Circa the 1940's Artist Unknown

INDEX TO ADVERTISE America Hurrah 17 American Masterpieces 20 American Primitive Gallery 7 Ames Gallery of American Folk Art 16 Art Resources,Inc. 92 Joshua Baer & Company 15 Barrister's Gallery 83 The Brooks Collection 73 C & T Publishing 92 Campus Collection 84 Robert Cargo Folk Art Gallery 10 Cognoscenti 83 Country Folk Art Festival 75 Pamela Dalton 32 Susan B. Ernst American Textile Award 31 Epstein/Powell 24 Laura Fisher Antiques 2 Folk Art Society of America 75 Gasperi Gallery 21 Sidney Gecker American Folk Art 27,32 Giampietro 13 Gilley's Gallery 84 Grass Roots Gallery 27 96

The Grey Squirrel 86 Grove Decoys 27 Anton Haardt Gallery 19 Herrup & Wolfner 4 John C. Hill 78 Lynne Ingram 21 Martha Jackson 11 Jay Johnson Gallery 96 June Lambert Antiques 24 Leon Loard Gallery 88 MCG Antiques Promotions, Inc. 83 Main Street Antiques 19 D.J. Malczewski 93 Market Place 86 Maryland Bank of North America 87 Frank J. Miele Gallery Inside Front Cover Steve Miller 1 Judith & James Milne 31 Claire Murray 89 Museum of American Folk Art Fall Antique Show 78 Museum of American Folk Art Book & Gift Shop 86

Leslie Muth Gallery 25 Barbara Olsen 85 Outside-in 16 Roger Ricco/Frank Maresca 5 Stella Rubin 25 John Keith Russell Antiques, Inc. Back Cover Jack Savitt Gallery 86 Brigitte Schluger Gallery 88 David A. Schorsch 28 The Silverman Collection 81 S.C. Singer 3 Skinner, Inc. 6 Sanford L. Smith & Assoc. 95 Sweetgum Galleries 85 The Tartt Gallery Inside Back Cover G.H. Vander Elst 93 Vicki & Bruce Waasdorp 88 Marcia Weber 78 Eldred Wheeler of Houston 89 Wilton Historical Society 73 Thos. K. Woodard 8 Shelley Zegart/Kentucicy Quilt Project 77 THE CLARION


THE TARTT GALLERY

JIMMY LEE SUDDUTH,Figures on Old Barn Boards, six from a set of ten, 1991, house paint and natural pigments on wood,57 x 10"

Continuous Inventory includes works by: Leroy Almon, Z.B. Armstrong, Georgia Blizzard, Alexander Bogardy, Raymond Coins, Ralph Griffin, Joe Hardin, Lonnie Holley, Pappy Kitchens, Justin McCarthy, Jake McCord, Ronald Musgrove, Butch Quinn, Mary T. Smith,Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Son Thomas, Mose Tolliver

2017 QUE STREET, NW WASHINGTON,DC 20009 Tel 202-332-5652

Fax 202-462-1019


18th Century New England Adjustable Candleholder,

•G STREET,SOUTH SALEM, WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY. 10590 763-8I-!4 • FAX:(914)763-3553 TUESDAY-SUNDAY 10:00-5:30


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