THE CLARION Ea
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AMERICA'S FOLK ART MAGAZINE
The Museum of American Folk Art New York City SPRING-SUMMER 1981
CONTEMPORARY COUNTRY AND FOLK ART OBJECTS... ALSO PRIMITIVE COUNTRY FURNITURE. PROPRIETOR:MARY E. EMMERLING
We are always interested in buying new craft and country folk items.
969 Lexington Avenue(at 70th Street) New York, N.Y. 10021 • Tel 212 •744 6705 Monday thru Saturday, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
79 Jobes Lane,Southampton Long Island, N.Y. 11968 • Tel: 516 • 283 • 2061 April thru December
FALL ANTIQUES SHOW BENEFIT PREVIEW FOR THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART SEPTEMBER 23, 1981 6-10 P.M. PREVIEW TICKETS (212) 581-2474
The American Antiques Show featuring 90 distinguished dealers from 18 states, exhibiting a complete range of American antiques and fine art from the Pilgrim Century through the Arts and Crafts movement.
FORMAL, COUNTRY, SHAKER, VICTORIAN AND MISSION FURNITURE ART DECO - GLASS - CHINA - BRONZE SCULPTURE -QUILTS RUGS - PEWTER -SILVER- JEWELRY - FOLK ART - TOYS - PAINTINGS PHOTOGRAPHY-PRINTS -BOOKS - AMERICAN INDIAN ARTIFACTS
SEPTEMBER 24-271981 NOON-10 PM
SUNDAY NOON-5 PM
PASSENGER TERMINAL PIER THE HUDSON RIVER & WEST 54TH STREET, NYC PARKING AVAILABLE FOR 800 CARS ADMISSION FIVE DOLLARS • RESTAURANT & BAR FACILITIES FREE SHUTTLE BUS BETWEEN THE MUSEUM (49 W. 53rd St.) AND THE PIER
Managed by Sanford L Smith & Associates
Q AMERICAN (ANTIQUESC&QUILTS 1022 LEXINGTON
AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y.10021 PHONE:(212)YU PROPRIETORS: BLANCHE GREENSTEIN, TOM WOODARD
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Indian "Pictograph'. Quilt. Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota. Circa 1900. Made by a Sioux Indian and presented to a South Dakota homesteader as a gift offriendship. 78 x 70 inches. (Illustrated in Quilts in America, Orlofsky, pl. 105.) We are always interested in buying rare and unusual guilts, pictorial, crib, doll, and Amish quilts, paintedfurniture, andfolk art. Photos returned promptly. 2
THE CLA 1\ION
Cover: Sunburst Quilt Possibly Rebecca Scattergood Savery Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1835-40 Pieced cotton chintz 4" 1 2x 125/ 1 118/ Museum qfAmerican Folk Art. Gift ofMarie D. and Charles A .T. O'Neill 1979.26.2 Photo by Terry McGinnis The Clarion, America's Folk Art Magazine, SPRING/SUMMER, 1981 Published and copyright 1981 by the Museum of American Folk Art, 49 West 53rd Street, New York. New York 10019. The cover and contents of The Clarion are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner without written consent. Unsolicited manuscripts or photographs should be accompanied by return postage. The Clarion assumes no responsibility for such material.
CONTENTS / Spring / Summer 1981 Letter From the Director
Dr. Robert Bishop
Anonymous Beauty: Quilts, Coverlets, and Bedcovers Shown at the Museum of American Folk Art Dr. Judith Reiter Weissman Anonymous Beauty: Quilts, Coverlets, and Bedcovers Jo Giese Brown Shown at Fashion Institute of Technology Two "New" Eighteenth-Century Grisaille Kasten Olaf Krans of Bishop Hill Colony
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 of quality or services 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 of folk art and feels it is a violation of its 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.
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Firth Haring Fabend
Anna Wadsworth Murray
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Folk Arts In Finland: Focus on the National Museum of Finland 56 and Seurasarri Outdoor Museum of Helsinki Marsha MacDowell, C. Kurt Dewhurst Noteworthy Items
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Education Report: The Touch Collection Change of Address. Please send both old and new addresses and allow five weeks for change.
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Report From the Friends Committee
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Folk Art Calendar Across the Country Book Reviews
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Our Growing Membership
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Coming Exhibitions at the Museum Index to Advertisers
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Museum of American Folk Art BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MUSEUM STAFF
Executive Committee Ralph Esmerian,President Alice M. Kaplan(Mrs. Jacob M.), Executive Vice President Lucy Danziger(Mrs. Frederick M.), Vice President Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq., Vice President Maureen Taylor(Mrs. Richard), Vice President Kenneth R. Page, Esq., Secretary William I. Leffler, Treasurer Thomas G. Rizzo, Trustee Development Officer Howard A. Feldman, Esq. Karen S. Schuster(Mrs. Derek)
Dr. Robert Bishop, Director Gerard C. Wertkin, Assistant Director Bernice Duerr, Membership Secretary Susan Flamm,Publicity Coordinator Richard Griffin, Clerk Lillian Grossman,Director's Secretary Nora Lucas,Editor, Publications Anne Minich,Development Officer Cordelia Rose,Registrar/Exhibition Coordinator Jessica Schein, Bookkeeper Joyce Cowin and Cynthia V.A. Schaffner, Co-Chairmen Friends Committee Howard Lanser and Joseph D'Agostino,Exhibition Designers Marie DiManno,Exhibition Previews Coordinator
Members Catherine G. Cahill Adele Earnest M. Austin Fine Barbara Johnson, Esq. Margery G. Kahn (Mrs. Harry) Jana Klauer(Mrs. Gerold EL.) Susan Klein(Mrs. Robert) Henry R. Kravis Ira Howard Levy Cyril I. Nelson Jon W. Rotenstreich David Walentas Andy Warhol William E. Wiltshire III Trustees Emeritus Mary Allis Cordelia Hamilton Marian W. Johnson(Mrs. Dan R.) Louis C. Jones Jean Lipman(Mrs. Howard)
EDUCATION PROGRAM Susan Saidenberg,Curator ofEducation Docent Program Consultants, Lucy Danziger and Susan Klein Docent Scheduling, Phyllis Tepper Junior League Liaison, Irene Goodkind Trips and Seminars, Priscilla Brandt Library, Myra Shaskan Interns, Wayne Lempka Amy Trompetter THE MUSEUM SHOP STAFF Margaret Lemont, Manager John Carella Clara Classon Rita Geake Joan Rutenberg Maria Salantre Lisa Salay Nancy Scaia Abraham Silver Edith Wise THE CLARION STAFF Nora Lucas, Editor David Gordon,Art Director Ira Howard Levy, Design Consultant Betsy Butterworth,Intern Ace Typographers, Inc., Typesetting Topp Litho, Printers
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Director's Letter When chartered in 1961 by the Board of Regents of the Education Department of the State of New York, the Museum of American Folk Art expressed the goal to "establish a museum, library, and educational center in the City of New York to foster, promote, and increase the knowledge and appreciation" of American folk art. Fulfillment of this goal comes closer every day. Our collections have grown both in quality and quantity, our library has recently been removed from storage and is once again available for reference, and our educational activities continue to generate praise from many segments of the community. The Museum of American Folk Art and New York University are now offering one of the nation's first programs in Folk Art Studies. The Master of Arts program combines the resources of two distinguished institutions, the Museum of American Folk Art, the foremost urban museum in the country that concentrates upon the field offolk art, and New York University, a pre-eminent private university providing the fundamental depth of a great teaching university. The Folk Art Studies program has the added advantage of proximity to distinguished museums, notable galleries and private collections at the center of the art world. The fifty-four credit Folk Art Studies Program consists of a spectrum of courses designed to broaden not only the understanding of folk art itself but also the context in which it was created, including its artistic, cultural, and social background. Among the courses to be offered are: Folk Arts in American Life American Folk Painting American Folk Sculpture Living Traditions in Art American Decorative Arts American Folk Architecture Folk Art: Textiles and Needlework Art Folk Art: Photography and the Naive Artist Folk Art: Artistic Creativity in the Communal Society Folk Art: Folklore and Folk Literature— A Research Tool for the Art Historian Folk Art: The Twentieth Century Subjects in American Folk Art Topics in American Folk Art Information Systems and the Arts Internships/Apprenticeships in the Arts Additional courses involve investigation of specific areas of folk study. For further information about this new, exciting program, contact The Museum of American Folk Art or Folk Art Studies at New York University, SEHNAP,Department of
Art and Art Education, 735 East Building, Washington Square, New York, N.Y. 10003. In addition to the Folk Art Studies program, several other educational projects and innovative events have been implemented. I wish to thank Professor David Walkowitz of the Graduate History Department at New York University, Professors Phyllis Moe and Jane Benardete of Hunter College, and Ellen Galinsky of The Bank Street School of Education, for joining me on January 21, at the Midtown Center of New York University in a jointly sponsored symposium,"Small Folk: A Celebration of Childhood in America!' The participants, speaking to a standing room audience, explored changing perceptions of childhood in literature, art, and child development. Davida Deutsch, art historian and Museum docent, presented a lecture on samplers at a preview benefit for the Museum hosted by Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc. The lecture detailed in a colorful, informative way the history of the American sampler tradition and focused upon several needlework pieces from the collection assembled by the late Theodore M. Kapnek, former Museum Trustee. The opening of"Records of Passage: New England Illuminated Manuscripts in the Fraktur Tradition" and "The Icons of John Perates" provided the setting for two special lectures in the Museum galleries. Philip Isaacson, a Maine attorney and folk art author and collector, led a tour of the New England frakturs. Panos Stathatos, a GreekAmerican architect and art historian, shared his insights into the background and iconography of the carvings of John Perates. In conjunction with the exhibition "Small Folk" Susan Saidenberg, Curator of Education, prepared a special publication, SMALL FOLK A Gallery Guidefor Children. Sponsored by the Seven-Up Company, the booklet was given to every child who came to the exhibition. Visitors to the gallery would see small children clustered around a case of wooden toys—busily sketching their favorite, or a group of children sitting intently before the wonderful alphabet quilt appliqued with hundreds of everyday objects, identifying and drawing them into their booklets. During its six week run, Museum docents conducted tours for almost six hundred children. Another series of programs were developed by Museum intern Sudee Kugler. In workshops on Fraktur making, both children and adults were taught to use traditional materials and themes in their creative efforts. Our Corporate Membership enrollment continues to grow and on January 26th, the
1. Docent Davida Deutsch lecturing on the American Samplers to be auctioned at Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., at Sotheby's benefit previewfor the Museum. Photograph by Ellin F. Ente 2. Richard Perez and Manny Weiss ofEnglehard Minerals and Chemicals speak with Docent Priscilla Brandt at the Corporate Luncheon. Photograph by Jessica Schein I.
2. Museum invited representatives from national corporations and foundations to a luncheon and special viewing of"Small Folk:' Earl B. Whitcraft, formerly of Mobil Corporation, and Anne Minich, Museum Development Officer, were hosts to 80 persons attending this event. Dr. Barbara Reuter of Philip Morris spoke briefly about the Seven-Up(a subsidiary of Philip Morris) Company's sponsorship of the "Small Folk: A Celebration of Childhood in America!' and about the Museum's Corporate Membership Program, which she urged those present to join. A special thank you is in order to each of you who responded to my recent request for assistance in expanding our membership. New members from across the United States are joined by supporters in eleven foreign countries, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, and West Germany. We welcome our new international members. Robert Bishop DIRECTOR
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AMERICAN PRIMITIVE GALLERY OF FOLK ART 6
(212) 239-1345 Aarne Anton 242 West 30th St., 5th Floor, NY, NY 10001
AMMI PHILLIPS 1788-1865 27 inch x 33 inch oil on canvas. Painted in Saugerties, New York in 1836. Complete provenance furnished to serious potential buyers. Subject to prior sale.
JEREMIAH RUSSELL 1786-1867
ELIZABETH MOOSE RUSSELL 1788-1846
Steve Miller American Folk Art 17 East 96th Street New York, New York 10028 By Appointment only (212) 348-5219
Dealing In Investment Quality American Folk Art.
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London's outpostfor English non-academic art and Americana Paintings, Weathervanes, Decoys, Quilts, Pottery, Country Furniture
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AMERICAN FOLK ART GALLERY
3 4" Portrait of a young woman attributed to W.W. Kennedy. Dimensions without frame: 20" x 23/
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ANTIQUES And The Arts Wreek.ly "Antiques and The Arts Weekly" will keep you informed of coming antiques shows and auctions, new books in the field of antiques, museum exhibitions, prices realized at auction, historical society events, etc. We have published as many as fifty-one pages of auction advertising in one week, plus announced over 75 coming antiques shows. Our advertising lets you know what the dealers are offering, and our feature articles tell you about collections and collectors. So think antiques every week, and do it with us. Use this handy coupon - mail to: The Bee Publishing Co., Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470
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A fine pair of folk portraits; Jacob and Veronica Renninger, Pennsylvania, probably Reading area, circa 1820. Pastel on paper.
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Winterthur Portfolio A Journal of American Material Culture
Unwritten links to the past More and more, the documents we use to read the past have three dimensions. WP is a unique scholarly journal that provides a means of understanding the American past which exclusive attention to political and literary history cannot offer. Written alike for the specialist and the broadly educated reader interested in cultural history, the essays in each issue of WP not only examine the art and artifacts of America: they offer clues to the minds and imaginations of both the sometimes extraordinary people who created these objects and the often ordinary people who used them.
CURRENT AND FORTHCOMING ESSAYS Jules David Prown, Style as Evidence Trudy Baltz, American Pageantry and Mural Painting: Community Rituals in Allegorical Form Simon J. Bronner, Investigating Identity and Expression in American Folk Art Mary Ellen Hayward, Urban Vernacular Architecture in Nineteenth-Century Baltimore Peter M. Molloy, Nineteenth-Century Hydropower: Design and Construction of the Lawrence Dam,1845-48 John Michael Vlach, American Folk Art: Questions and Quandaries Winterthur Portfolio is edited by Ian M. G. Quimby and Catherine E. Hutchins of the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum. Founded as a hardcover annual in 1964, it continued in journal form beginning in 1979.
Winterthur Portfolio (ISSN: 0084-0416) published triannually
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QualityFolk
William Jennys Portrait of Mr. James Clarkson ofNewburyport, 1807; oil on canvas, 30 x 25 inches. The painting is accompanied by the original receipt of payment from Mr. James Clarkson of April 30th 1807 for $25.00, signed by Jennys. Two other 'paintings by Jennys are available as well as an extensive inventory of other fine folk. Send $5.00 for a copy of our Painting Annual and request a current listing of our "Quality Folk".
CHILDS
169 Newbury Street • Boston, Massachusetts 02116 • (617) 266-1108 fine American and European paintings, prints and drawings since 1937. 15
American liblk Art at1dafik,b,ert rigorK irrtaTIT(:ar onekr r
This wort< n 118141. flYiret4sflaYave , WheAld.r.. Alld 11
Griele
Very fine and rare needlework sampler: Matilda Filbert, Pennsylvania, dated 1830, 22% x 17 inches. Sold at our New York Galleries in January 1981 as part of the Theodore H. Kapnek Collection of American samplers.
Sotheby's holds regularly scheduled auctions of American Folk Art each year in New York. For information about buying and selling at auction, please contact Nancy Druckman (212) 472-3512.
SOTHEBY'S Founded 1744
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Q.1-1. LOVE GALLEQIE6 1NCORPOQATED
EDWARD HICKS(1780-1849)
29 x 353 / 4 inches
oil on canvas
"A Peaceable Kingdom" EXHIBITIONS
LITERATURE
Hicks, Kane, Pippin: 3 Self-Taught Pennsylvania Artists. Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1966, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1967.
Alice Ford. Edward Hicks: Painter of the Peaceable Kingdom, Philadelphia, 1952.
Edward Hicks, A Gentle Spirit. Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York, 1975.
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In This Academy, 1805-1876, Philadelphia, 1976.
In This Academy 1805-1876. The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Philadelphia, 1976
L. A. Arkus. Hicks, Kane, Pippin: 3 Self-Taught Pennsylvania Artists. Pittsburgh, 1966.
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A stunning new book by Robert Bishop and Patricia Coblentz A GALLERY OF AMERICAN WEATHERVANES AND WHIRLIGIGS In recent years American weathervanes and whirligigs have become prized collectors'items and have been included in many museum exhibitions. This splendid book is the most comprehensive presentation ofthis delightful form of American folk art. The vanes, made both by individual craftsmen and commercial firms,include an extraordinary variety offorms: arrows,banners, weathercocks,Indians,eagles, barnyard animals and horses, angels, ships,fish, and the Goddess of Liberty. The final section ofthe book is devoted to the equally fascinating whirligigs or wind toys,whose sole function was to amuse as their arms revolved in playful breezes. 230 illustrations in color and halftone, bibliography,index. 1 2"x $27.50, cloth 8/ $16.95, paper
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Also available "A handsome and well-illustrated book'.'—Hilton Kramer New York Times "With its excellent color plates and enlightening text, the book is indeed a'celebration' and will delight the scholar as well as the general reader'—Library Journal 300 illustrations in color and halftone, bibliography, index,85/8"x 1014!$29.95
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Al initialed MG lower left, circa 1920s, 29"x 25" Oil on canvas,
COUNTRY SUMMER Paintings, Quilts, Outdoor and Indoor Sculpture, Furniture and Ornaments An Exhibition at the
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Anonymous Beaty QUILTS, COVERLL IS, A\D 3E9COVERS TEXTILE TREASURES FROM -1A/0 CE\TURIES
Soecial E5<hioition Catalogue to the Vuseum of American Folk Art's Presentation 24
BY DR.JUDITH REITER WEISSMAN GUEST CURATOR Contrary to popular opinion, the earliest bedcoverings in this country were not the patchwork quilts we think of as characteristically American. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries most beds were covered with spreads or "coverlids" in styles like those the colonists had brought with them from England or the Continent. Elaborately quilted, solid color linsey-woolseys (woven of wool with cotton or linen); heavy woolen bed rugs; and lighter weight spreads of English or Indian chintz—"whole cloth" spreads made of one large piece of cloth; these bedcovers remained in fashion through the end of the eighteenth century, though new styles began to emerge. As the old bedcovers wore out, housewives, whose job it was to make the family bedcoverings, salvaged whatever cloth they could, piecing it together or using it for appliqués to create a new cover. From the early quilts extant today, it is impossible to tell which patchwork technique developed first—piecing, where small pieces of cloth are sewn together until they are large enough to cover a bed, or appliquéing, where smaller pieces of cloth are stitched to a larger piece to create an overall design. Sometimes, in fact, both techniques were used in the same quilt. The first pieced covers tended to follow the "central medallion" design in which earlier whole cloth spreads were woven or quilted, with a large figure in the middle, bounded by concentric borders. Later on, some pieced quilts were worked in blocks, smaller units that were easier to handle, and could be carried around as "pick up" work, to be done whenever there were a few spare minutes. The technique of quilting, sewing together several layers of cloth for warmth and protection, is not unique to America. Quilted fabrics were found in the Far East and Europe hundreds of years before the American colonies were settled. But nowhere else do quilted bedcoverings—whether pieced or appliquéd—show the degree of skill and originality seen in the best American quilts. A quilt is simply a fabric sandwich,composed of a top layer, a thick inner filling (usually of cotton or wool), and a bottom layer. The actual quilting or stitching through the three layers holds them together and keeps the filling from shifting, a necessity if the quilt is to retain warmth and survive repeated washings. The quilting may be merely utilitarian, large stitches hurriedly made to get the job done,or tiny, precise stitches(a few extraordinary quilts have as many as forty stitches to the inch)done in elaborate patterns of shells, flowers, feathers, or whatever strikes the quitter's fancy.
1. Log Cabin—Barn Raising, Circa 1875 Sara Olmstead King Connecticut Pieced velvet, silk, satin, ribbon 667/8 x 67/ 2" 1 A note pinned to this quilt and signed E.M.D.(Mrs. John Elihu Dwight)reads: 'Quilt made by Mother from pieces ofour dresses, among others her own wedding dress, and our first silk dresses. It is in a way a sort ofhistory ofour early days:' A little girl's first silk dress was a symbol ofher growing up and reaching a certain level of maturity, thus the significance ofsuch a dress to a girl's mother. (Gift ofMrs. E. Regan Kerney) 1980.12.1
2.
2. Double Wedding Ring, Circa 1920 Maker unknown Atlantic, Pennsylvania Pieced cotton 845/8 x 67' Although this was a popular quilt pattern, the quilt is unusual because the rings were generally pieced on a lighter background. (Gift ofCyril!. Nelson) 77.402.3 Photography by Terry McGinniss unless otherwise indicated.
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3. Bird ofParadise Bride's Quilt Top, Circa 1858-63 Maker unknown New York State, Albany Area AppliquĂŠd cotton, wool, silk, and velvet on muslin (Sight)84/ 1 2x 695/8" (Gift ofthe Trustees) 1979.7.1 Photographer unknown 4. Daguerreotype of woman believed to be the maker ofthe Bird ofParadise Bride's Quilt Top, Date unknown Artist unknown New York State, Albany Area Daguerreotype (Gift ofthe Trustees) 1979.7.3
3.
5. Newspaper Templates for Bird ofParadise Bride's Quilt Top, Circa 1858-63 New York State, Albany Area Paper The appliquĂŠs on the quilt top were madefrom these patterns cut out ofnewspapers, the dates of which indicate when thefigures were being drawn and cut out. There is no applique on the quilt top ofthe young man, although there is a paper pattern of him. In addition, the top was never quilted. Taken together, these two things suggest that he and the quiltmaker never married. (Gift ofthe Trustees) 1979.7.2 A. through K.
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5.
Quilting is the final step in making a quilt, and it was sometimes done by a woman other than the one who pieced the top. It might have been done by a seamstress who specialized in quilting, or, more frequently, by a group of women who held a quilting bee in someone's home'. Quilts finished at a quilting bee(bound as well as quilted) were usually made either as friendship or presentation quilts to be given to a friend or important member of the community who was moving away,or as part of a bride's trousseau. Traditionally, young women made a baker's dozen of quilts before they married, twelve everyday ones and one bride's quilt, a special bedcovering, as fine as she and her friends could make, to be brought out only for special occasions. The tops would be completed but would remain unquilted until her engagement was announced. Then the bride would invite her friends to spend the day and evening, quilting one or more of the tops she had carefully stored until that day. Stuffing and finishing quilts only when a girl was about to marry was a way of saving money. With cloth scarce and expensive, no one could afford to put fabric into a quilt that might never be used. Some of the quilts that survive today are quilt tops only, leading us to assume they were made by women who never married. One such quilt top (fig.3)is the Bird of Paradise appliquĂŠd top, an elaborate, original design that must have taken hundreds of hours to design and stitch. The presence of a paper template or pattern of a young man, similar in size and style to the young woman pictured on the quilt top, found with the other patterns used to cut out the top's designs, suggests his figure was planned for the top, had the young woman married. On the top as it is today, the square opposite the girl contains not the young man, but a simple pattern of leaves and flowers, an especially striking omission because many of the animals and birds on the top are shown in pairs opposite each other: hummingbirds, ostriches, a rooster and hen, cockatoos, doves, and red-winged blackbirds. The earliest pieced quilts were simple designs based on the square and the rectangle, both easier to cut and stitch than the triangle or diamond, which required more advanced skills. Because a square of cloth could be easily folded and cut into four or nine squares, the four and nine patch blocks became two of the most popular early patterns. Believed to have originated in Massachusetts, the nine patch block was frequently used to start a little girl off on her first quilting lesson. A simple variation of the nine patch design (fig.I6) is composed of square central and corner pieces with the four remaining pieces of the block rectangular, making the overall design a bold geometric. The strong visual impact of this homespun, hand-dyed,
6. Bittersweet XI!, Quilt, 1980 Strip-pieced and marked by Nancy Crow, Baltimore, Ohio Hand-quilted by Velma Brill, Cambridge, Ohio Cotton/polyester, 82 x 82" This quilt is twelfth in a series ofquilt studies, in
which the artist is exploring, through various shapes, the evolution ofa relationship between a man and a woman, and the growth ofthe woman from dependence to independence. The quilt, made ofnine blocks, is strippieced, a traditional
method ofquiltmaking, but new rather than old fabrics are used to allow the quiltmaker greater freedom in achieving the effect she wants. (Anonymous Gift) 1981.3.1
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early quilt marks it clearly as the kind of quilt Jonathan Holstein considers part of what he has called "the American design tradition!" More difficult than designs based on the square or rectangle, both to cut and sew, are the star pattern variations and patterns like the Sunburst, all of which are constructed of hundreds of triangular or diamond shaped pieces. Each small piece must be cut with absolute precision or the quilt will curl or buckle instead of lying flat. Like many quilt patterns, The Variable Star (fig.21),the oldest and simplest version of an eightpointed star, is known by several different names. According to Florence Pet(); the name Variable Star came from those nightly stars that vary in brightness,just as the brightness of the patchwork stars would vary because of the colors and designs of the fabrics used. During the William Henry Harrison Presidential campaign, however, the pattern was renamed with the political slogan Tippecanoe and Tyler Too. Even later, the pattern was known as The Lone Star or Texas Star. Judith Tasker Mount, who made the Variable Star in the museum collection, notes that she prefers to call
the quilt by yet another name, Field of Stars. The nineteenth-century Sunburst quilt (fig. 7), possibly made by Rebecca Scattergood Savery, a Philadelphia quilter, is a rare example of the quilter's art; this difficult pattern was rarely attempted. Cutting and stitching the narrow, diamond-shaped pieces, and arranging them in radiating octagonal rings to create the sunburst effect, requires—along with time and patience— exceptional needlework skills. A Sunburst quilt of similar dimensions, made by Mrs. Scattergood and owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, contains 3,903 diamond-shaped patches. While many quilts were the wOrk of one woman cutting and stitching by herself, others were the product of a joint effort. Such "album" quilts, so called because individual blocks were designed and stitched by different women,served, like the pages of an album, as a remembrance of each quilter for the person to whom they were given. Album quilts generally contain very fine work, because the makers competed with each other to create the most intricate, elaborate block. An autograph quilt(fig. 12)is a type of albt
7. Sunburst Quilt, Circa 1835-40 Possibly Rebecca Scattergood Savoy Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pieced cotton chintz 2x 1251 / 1181 2" / The maker ofthis quilt was very skilled, not only in the precise way she cut and stitched the sunburst, but in her placement of lighter coloredfabrics to accentuate the design. (Gift ofMarie D.and Charles A.T. O'Neill) 1979.26.2 8. Bride's Quilt Top, Circa 1850 Maker unknown Pennsylvania Appliquéd cotton 2x 703/8" 1 86/ A typical bride's quilt with hearts and pineapples. (Gift ofCyril I. Nelson) 77.402.4 9. Stencil Bedspread, 1825-1835 Maker unknown New England Stenciled cotton with fringed edges 4x 86" 1 91/ (Gift ofGeorge E. Schoellkopf) 1978.12.1 Photofrom Helga Photo Studios 10. Gingham Dog and Calico Cat Crib Quilt Circa 1910 Maker unknown Probably Pennsylvania Appliquéd and pieced cotton 345/8 x 283/8" (Gift ofGloria List) 1979.35.1 11. Cookie Cutter Quilt, last quarter ofthe nineteenth century Maker unknown Probably Pennsylvania Appliquéd cotton The back ofthis quilt is strip-pieced with alternate strips of blue and pink calico. 4x 80" / 711 (Gift ofJackie and Stanley Schneider) 1979.21.1 29
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12. 12. Autograph Quilt, 1844 Maker unknown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pieced cotton with ink signatures and drawings 83/ 1 4x 79/ 1 4" Fine penmanship was highly prized throughout the nineteenth century, and those who could sign their names with calligraphicflourishes, did so, as theforty-nine signatures on this quilt attest. Each ofthe small pen and
30
ink drawings is unique, though several portray ships or sailors and a number have pastoral scenes. (Gift ofMarie D. & Charles A.T. O'Neill) 1979.26.1 Photo by Scott Bowron
13. Whig Rose Quilt with Sawtooth Border, Circa 1870 Maker unknown Pennsylvania Pieced and appliquĂŠd cotton 96/ 1 4x 94/ 3 4" In Pennsylvania in the 1840s, this pattern was called Democrat Rose. Although both political parties claimed it, the dispute was never settled. (Gift ofKaren and Werner Gundersheimer) 1980.20.1
quilt in which signatures were included, and, in this case, ink drawings and expressions of sentiment also. The person for whom this quilt was made as yet is unidentified, but the frequency of the family names Scattergood, Savery, and Cresson, along with inscriptions like "A brother's love,' suggest that many of the signers were related and of the Quaker faith. Among the drawings of young girls and boys, sailors, and animals is one that stands out because it records an historical event, the signing of William Penn's treaty with the Indians. The small pen and ink drawing portraying Penn, another Englishman, three Indians, and the treaty, is a simpler version of the famous event than one that appears on an earlier copperplate fabric, sections of which were sometimes used as quilt centers, and which the artist may have seen. AppliquĂŠd quilts and coverlets, because they
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14. Friendship Album Quilt, Nov. I, 1861 Maker unknown New York, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania Appliquéd and embroidered cotton 90¼x 75" The quilt contains the signatures ofN.J. Elmore, Alvina C. Rusco, Mrs. Eldad Miller, Ruth Avery, Emma C. Todd, Carrie Silkman, Belinda Ruseol, Joanna Reynolds, Olive Avery, Nelly Silkman, Fanny M. Cady. Along with traditionallyfound designs are some interesting original touches, like the red stockings and green button shoes, and the dark green coveredbutton grapes in the border. (Gift ofJackie and Stanley Schneider) 1980.8.1. Photographer unknown
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were more elaborate and usually more elegant than appliquéd quilt with some of the feel of a pieced one. Although most of the design is appliquéd, the pieced ones, were most often kept for the "best" pieced sawtooth border, its angles repeated in the quilts. But like the pieced ones, they too were a means of conserving and reusing fabric. In the late outer petals of the appliquéd roses, contributes a eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, floral and bird crispness to the quilt it might otherwise lack. Another quilt (fig. 8), with hearts, pineapples, designs from chintzes were cut out and stitched, by and lovebirds, is a typical bride's quilt. The pinea technique called broderie perse,to plain cotton apples are symbols of hospitality and the hearts, or linen spreads, creating a new bedcovering from used here so lavishly, were considered bad luck in an old one. any quilt other than a bride's. The oak leaves of the In general, appliquéd quilts differ in concept border are also symbolic, signifying long life. and feeling from pieced ones, a difference due— Typical of the detailed designs on album quilts at least in part—to the use of rounded rather than quilts are are those on the Friendship Album quilt(fig.14). pieced Very few forms. straight-edged based on curved shapes(curves are even more dif- The variety of techniques used include appliqué and cut work, embroidery, stuffed work (a techficult to fit together than diamonds and triangles), nique by which filling was put under the appliquéd while curved shapes present no problem in an appliquéd quilt because they are stitched to a foun- piece to give a third dimension), and the original device of covered buttons—used for the dark dation rather than fitted together. A quilt in the Whig Rose pattern (fig.13), is a goodexample of an green grapes on one edge of the border.
15. Double Weave Jacquard Coverlet, Snowflake Medallion with Hemfield Railroad Border, Circa 1855 Possibly Daniel Campbell, William Harper, Martin Burns, George Coulter, or Harvey Cook Pennsylvania or West Virginia Wool and cotton 901/4 x 81" All ofthe above weavers are known to have made coverlets in this pattern. (Gift ofStephen L. Snow) 1980.13.1 16. Nine Patch, Circa 1820 Maker unknown Probably New England Pieced homespun linen and cotton; hand dyed indigo 1 4" 813/8 x 87/ (Gift ofMrs. Jacob M.Kaplan) 1979.17.1 Photo by O.E. Nelson
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While patchwork quilts and spreads account for a large proportion of the bedcoverings made from the eighteenth century to the present, other types were also popular. Stenciling cloth, like grain painting furniture, was a method used by the middle classes to imitate the costlier materials of the more well-to-do. The figures of birds, flowers, and urns seen on the stenciled bedspread (fig.9), though simpler and more abstract, are similar to those on eighteenth century English chintzes and palampores, elaborately patterned cotton bedspreads from India. Done with a mixture of concentrated dye and gum arabic, or a combination of ground pigment
and oil, stenciling required skill and patience; each color in a design had to be applied with a separate, hand-cut stencil, after the preceding color had dried. Done with care, the designs could be clear and sharp as on the spread pictured, but if the stencil was moved even slightly, the design would blur. Unlike stenciled spreads, which were made in the home, woven coverlets were made primarily by professional weavers, almost all of whom were men. Unlike the housewives who rarely signed their quilts or coverlets, these weavers made their names, the date, and sometimes even the name of a person for whom the coverlet was made, a part of
19. Star ofBethlehem, Circa 1860 Maker unknown Possibly Alabama or Florida Pieced cotton 875/8 x 89" (Gift ofPatricia Johnson in memory ofMrs. Genevieve Watson Johnson) 1978.28.1
19.
In the following poem,Looking at Quilts, Marge Piercy, a contemporary American poet, pictures quilts in two ways: as objects of necessity; and as "art without frames': As with other forms of folk art, the utilitarian functions of quilts add to rather than detract from their beauty. In arranging the multi-colored patches of their quilts, the women who made them found a means of expression and created their own legacies.
20. Jacquard Coverlet with Floral Medallion and Rose and Tulip Border, 1844 C. Wiand Allentown, Pennsylvania Wool and cotton 1033/8 x84" A number of"coverlid weavers" worked in Allentown around this time, many ofthem members of the Wiandfamily. (Promised anonymous g(ft) P2.1980.4
LOOKING AT QUILTS by Marge Piercy Who decided what is useful in its beauty means less than what has no function besides beauty (except its weight in money)? Art without frames: it held parched corn, it covered the table where soup misted savor, it covered the bed where the body knit to self and other and the dark wool of dreams The love of the ordinary blazes out: the backyard miracle: Ohio Sunflower, Snail's Track, Sweet Gum Leaf, Moon over the Mountain. In the pattern Tulip and Peony the sense of design masters the essence of what sprawled in the afternoon: called conventionalized to render out the intelligence, the graphic wit. Some have a wistful faded posy yearning: Star of the Four Winds, Star of the West, Queen Charlotte's Crown. In a crabbed humor as far from pompous as a rolling pin, you can trace wrinkles from smiling under a scorching grasshopper sun: Monkey Wrench, The Drunkard's Path, Fool's Puzzle, Puss in the Corner, Robbing Peter to Pay Paul, and the deflating Hearts and Gizzards. Pieced quilts, patchwork from best gowns, winter woolens, linens, blankets, worked jigsaw of the memories of braided lives, precious scraps: women were buried but their clothing wore on. Out of death from childbirth at sixteen, hard work at forty, out of love for the trumpet vine and the melon, they issue to us: Rocky Road to Kansas, Job's Troubles, Crazy Ann, The Double Irish Chain, The Tree of Life: this quilt might be the only perfect artifact a woman would ever see, yet she did not doubt what we had forgotten, that out of her potatoes and colic, sawdust and blood she could create; together, alone, she seized her time and made new.
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21. Variable Star or Field ofStars Crib Quilt, 1979 Judith Tasker Mount Flintridge, California Pieced cotton and polyester with stuffed wdrk 38x 38" It took about 250 hours to piece this quilt, using eleven stitches to the inch in piecing (counting the stitches on one side ofthe seam). The wreaths were stuffedfrom the back with a blunt end, large eye tapestry needle "to spin small pieces ofcotton bat into the stuffed areas:' according to Mrs. Mount. (Gift ofJudith Tasker Mount) 1979.24.1
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22. Chest ofDrawers Jacob Mazur Mahantango Valley, Pennsylvania 1828 Painted wood 48 x 435/9 x 235/8"deep (Bequest ofEffie Thixton Arthur) 1980.2.113 23. Bed Maker unknown New England Circa 1835 Painted 45 x 60 x 80"long (Private collection) 24. Box Maker unknown New England Circa 1835 Painted 14 x 22 x 14" deep (Private collection) 25. Comb-back Windsor rocker Maker unknown 1840 Connecticut Painted wood 4" 1 2x 25/ 1 2x 21/ 1 39/ (Collection ofGary R. Davenport)
21. the weave. This double weave Jacquard coverlet (fig. 15)in the Snowflake Medallion Pattern with the Hemfield Railroad Border is a rare coverlet— only a handful of such pieces are known to exist today. It is believed the coverlet was made to commemorate the opening of the Hemfield Railroad. A portrait of the first president of the railroad, T. McKennan,is woven into the corners of the coverlet. Candlewick spreads, either woven (fig.17)or embroidered, were crafted of thick white cording or "rovine similar to the wicks used in making candles. Woven candlewicks, made at home or by itinerant weavers, were popular during the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Other candlewick spreads were embroidered rather than woven, and were always made at home. The design of such embroidered spreads is distinct from that on the woven examples; woven spreads were made from threads uniform in size, whereas embroidered can-
dlewicks could be made with varying weights of cotton floss. Like this one,candlewick spreads, whether woven or embroidered, frequently had a stepped square in the center surrounded by a series of borders, and the same motifs found in patchwork quilts: pine trees, eight pointed stars, and stylized flowers and urns. Whatever the medium—pieced silk, appliquéd cotton, or hand-loomed wool—the traditional American bedcoverings came into being out of necessity: for the family, the necessity for warmth and comfort;for the woman who made them, the necessity to express herself and decorate her home. For the most part, the names of the women who created these works of art are lost; unlike the professional coverlet weavers, these textile artists were too modest or too shy to sign their names to what they had made. Still, their signatures remain on the quilts and coverlets, in the form of each woman's stitches, as characteristic and unique as her handwriting.
26. Quiltingframe Maker unknown Provenance unknown Mid-nineteenth century Wood 36 x 42 x 98" long (Collection ofAmerica Hurrah Antiques, New York City) 27. Quilting Bee Mattie Lou O'Kelley Maysville, Georgia September 1978 Oil on canvas 24 x 36" (Private collection) 28. Pair of Windsor side chairs Maker unknown New England Circa 1840 Painted pine 2" / 2x 151 / 33 x 151 (Collection ofAmerica Hurrah Antiques, New York City) 35
X 29. Album Summer Spread, Circa 1860 Maker unknown New York State Appliquéd and embroidered cotton and silk. 88/ 1 2x 883/8" (Gift ofJackie and Stanley Schneider) 1980.31.1
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NOTES 1. See Harriet Beecher Stowe's story, The Minister's Wooing, for a contemporary view of a quilting bee. 2. Jonathan Holstein, Abstract Designs in American Quilts (New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1971). 3. Florence Peto "Age of Heirloom Quilts7 Antiques, July 1942, p. 32. 4. According to Patsy and Myron Orlofsky in Quilts in America (New York: McGraw Hill, 1974).
30. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Bishop, Robert, New Discoveries in American Quilts. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1975. Cooper, Patricia and Buferd, Norma Bradley. The Quilters: Women and Domestic Art. New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1978. Finley, Ruth E. Old Patchwork Quilts and the Women Who Made Them. Newton Centre, Mass.: Charles T. Branford Co., 1970.
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30. Mariner's Compass, Circa 1885 Maker unknown Maine Pieced and appliquéd cotton 88/ 1 2x 833/8 The nautical design is carried out not only in the central compass, but also in the blue cotton with its tiny white anchors. Two corner patches are initialed "BB:' (Gift ofCyrilI. Nelson) 77.402.1 Photographer unknown
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31. Friendship Album Quilt 1., 1852 ... 1 *til, A Sewing Society ofThe 4 1 1 : -A-*x ** ,---;t7 * # ,; * It lb .r' Methodist Episcopal L. .J * * ' s i c„•prvit ,:, c ••!,',„ N.zit ... Church •',' A 41:kJ. ** I '' ..''' ' . 1 4 6C* lest ".1;-1X? ll 1 Elizabethport, New Jersey Appliquéd cotton e.y'1044,4-214( 4' ****.* *%oz. "r 'A * * 99/ 1 4x 100" *‘"/*/ Presented by the Sewing # 00 # A,,se Society to Mr. and Mrs. t-AOT o 0 d 4. Dunn, missionaries and lay preachers to the South Pacific Islands. It is likely that the church on one of the quilt patches is the donor's church. (Gift ofPhyllis Haders) 1980.1.1 36 31.
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Hall, Carry A. and Kretsinger, Rose G., The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt in America. Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1947.(Out of print but worth searching for.) Holstein, Jonathan. Abstract Designs in American Quilts. New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1971. Holstein, Jonathan. The Pieced Quilt: An American Design Tradition. New York: Galahad Books, 1973. Ickis, Marguerite. The Standard Book ofQuiltmaking and Collecting. New York: Dover, 1949. Orlofsky, Patsy and Myron. Quilts in America.New York: McGraw Hill, 1974.(Out of print, but worth searching for.) Peto, Florence. Historic Quilts. New York: American Historical Co., Inc., 1939. Pettit, Florence H. America's Printed and Painted Fabrics:1600-1900. New York: Hastings House, 1970. Safford, Carlton L. and Bishop, Robert. America's Quilts and Coverlets. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1980.
Dr. Judith Reiter Weissman is afree lance writer and lecturer whose specialties are antique textiles and folk art. She has taught at Hunter College and The University ofPennsylvania.
Conservation ofthe Museum ofAmerican Folk Art's textiles displayed in this exhibition has beenfunded by Xerox Corporation. Additional exhibition support given to the Museum by Chemical Bank and Bates Fabrics, Inc. This exhibition has beenfunded in part by the National Endowmentfor the Arts.
Checklist of Quilts, Coverlets, and Bedcoverings in the Museum of American Folk Art's Permanent Collection Prepared by Penny M.Brickman
Crazy Quilt Circa 1910-19 Matilda Woodard California Pieced, mostly satin on cotton /satin Star designs with featherstitching mostly in gold thread against a green background. Matilda Woodard learned and developed her quiltmaking craft in St. Lawrence County, New York and made many quilts for members of her family. This particular quilt was made after she moved to California to live with her son during the latter part of her life. (Gift of Helen Quincy Woodard, granddaughter of the artist) 72.402.1 Doll's Quilt in Eight-Pointed or Lone Star Pattern Circa 1900 Maker unknown Provenance unknown Pieced cotton Border is blue except for corners of pink squares. Eight-pointed star in the center is made of many patterns against a pink background. Reverse side is a pink floral print. 211/8 x 21'/3" (Gift of Constance Schrader) 76.402.1 Mariner's Compass Quilt Circa 1885 Maker unknown Maine Appliquéd and pieced cotton Center design of stylized mariner's compass with six curving points is in solid red and blue with white anchors. Compass motifs are quilted into white background to further emphasize the nautical theme. Border is composed of triangle and square patterns with the initials "BB" in upper left and lower right corners. 88Y8 x 833/8" (Gift of Cyril I. Nelson) 77.402.1
Geometric Quilt Top Circa 1875 Maker unknown Massachusetts Pieced cotton and chintz Geometric patterns of prints and solids in tans, yellows and browns seem to radiate from a center star. 2" 1 2x 90/ 1 90/ (Gift of Cyril!. Nelson) 77.402.2 Double Wedding Ring Quilt Circa 1920 Maker unknown, Amish Atlantic, Pennsylvania Pieced cotton Interlocking rings are on a dark blue background. Each ring is made up of thirty-two patches; blues, lavenders, pinks, browns, and greens with an occasional red patch to keep the viewer's eye active. 84% x 67" (Gift of Cyril I. Nelson) 77.402.3 Bride's Quilt Top Circa 1850 Maker unknown Pennsylvania Appliquéd cotton Bird, heart and pineapple patterns in green, yellow, and pink are on a white background in six repeating blocks and three sides of border. The hearts suggest this was to be a bride's quilt and the pineapples represent hospitality. 2x 703/8" / 861 (Gift of Cyril I. Nelson) 77.402.4 Kansas "Baby" Crib Quilt Circa 1861 Maker unknown Kansas Pieced and appliquéd, hand-dyed homespun cotton. "Baby" is embroidered in white in the center of five- pointed blue star. Background is red and white striped and border blue with embroidered white stars to match embroidered stars in the center. 3 4" 367/8 x 36/ (Gift of Phyllis Haders) 77.402.5
Log Cabin Quilt— Courthouse Steps Last quarter of the nineteenth century Maker unknown Provenance unknown Pieced cotton White strips with patches of solid colors and prints(probably shirt fabrics) create a sunshine and shadows effect. 80 x 811 2" / (Gift of Mrs. Jacob M. Kaplan) 77.402.6 Log Cabin Quilt— Barn Raising Circa 1860 Maker unknown Probably Alabama or Florida Pieced silk, cotton, corduroy and other fabrics Variety of textures, fabrics and colors with a thin yellow border. The reverse side is yellow. 3 4" 80 x 69/ (Gift of Patricia Johnson in memory of Mrs. Genevieve Watson Johnson) 1978.11.1 Stencil Bedspread 1825-35 Maker unknown New England Hand-stenciled designs on cotton Floral patterns and birds in greens, reds, and blues on white background with fringed edge on three sides. 913/8 x 86" (Gift of George E. Schoellkopf) 1978.12.1 Grandmother's Garden Quilt Top Second half of the nineteenth century Maker unknown New England Pieced printed and glazed cotton Small hexagons are pieced together to create an overall design. Also called a mosaic pattern. 2" / 3 4x 741 97/ (Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Braman) 1978.27.1
Star of Bethlehem Quilt Circa 1860 Maker unknown Possibly Alabama or Florida Pieced cotton Large center star with four smaller stars in each corner and half stars at sides and midpoints; muted brown tones on a cream white background. 875/8 x 89" (Gift of Patricia Johnson in memory of Mrs. Genevieve Watson Johnson) 1978.28.1 Quilt Late nineteenth century Maker unknown USA Pieced cotton Alternating blocks of white with brown and white patchwork squares; printed floral border of light brown on white. 4" 1 3 4x 92/ 95/ (Gift of Carol Wien) 1979.5.1 Bird of Paradise Bride's Quilt Top Circa 1858-1863 Maker unknown New York State, Albany area Appliquéd cotton, wool, silk, velvet on cotton muslin A celebration of flowers, animals, people, butterflies, birds and fruit is arranged on a white background. The words "Bird of Paradise" appear near the center below a brilliantly colored bird of the same name. The newspaper patterns used to create the appliquéd forms accompany the quilt top, along with a daguerreotype of the woman believed to have been the maker. Most of the animals and birds appear in pairs. Among the paper patterns is one of a man which matches the appliquéd form of the woman who appears in the upper right portion of the quilt top. The man's form was never appliquéd to the work nor was the quilt completed. These factors indicate that the maker never married. 2x 695/8" 1 (sight)84/ (Gift of the Trustees) 1979.7.1
37
Centennial Quilt 1876 G. Knappenberger Probably Pennsylvania Pieced and appliquéd cotton Name of maker, date, and "Centennial" appliquéd on both sides of the quilt. Reds, pinks, blues, greens, browns,and orange fabrics used against a white background. 831 / 2x 711 / 2" (Gift of Rhea Goodman) 1979.9.1 Nine Patch Quilt Circa 1820 Maker unknown Probably New England Pieced homespun linen and cotton; hand-dyed indigo Indigo blue large and small patches on a tan background. 813/8 x 871 / 2" (Gift of Mrs. Jacob M. Kaplan) 1979.17.1 Log Cabin Quilt Top — Light and Dark Begun in 1874 Harriet Rutter Eagleson b. 1855 New York State Pieced silk ties and velvet Six blocks by six with black velvets in the centers surrounded by richly colored silks. Border is deep burgundy velvet. 583/8 x 58'/8" (Gift of Miss Jessica R. Eagleson) 1979.18.1 Cookie Cutter Quilt Last quarter of the nineteenth century Maker unknown Probably Pennsylvania Appliquéd cotton "Cookie cutter" forms appliquéd to alternating red and pale orange blocks. The border consists of wide strips of light blue, pink, and green prints with a variation in quilting design from one strip to the next. 713 / 4x 80" (Gift of Jackie and Stanley Schneider) 1979.21.1
38
Variable Star or Field of Stars Crib Quilt 1979 Judith Tasker Mount Flintridge, California Pieced and stuffed cotton, some polyester Stars and stuffed wreaths, surrounded by a sawtooth border, which contains artist's initials "JTM" in dark silk thread and "19791 AM A MOTHER" in quilting stitches at bottom. 38 x 38" (Gift of Judith Tasker Mount) 1979.24.1 Autograph Quilt 1844 Maker unknown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pieced cotton Forty-nine squares contain ink drawings and signatures. Each name is in the off-white center hexagon of a six-pointed star. The stars are one fabric in a dark color range, mostly muted blues, greens, browns, golds, tans, and deep reds. 1 4 x 791 83/ / 2" (Gift of Marie D. and Charles A.T. O'Neill) 1979.26.1 Sunburst Quilt Circa 1835-40 Possibly Rebecca Scattergood Savery Philadelphia', Pennsylvania Pieced cotton chintz Small floral or scroll fabrics in diamond shaped pieces radiate from the center eight-pointed star to the quilt's edges. Darker shades of blue, green, red, and brown predominate; no solid colors are used. The reverse side is one fabric, a striped print. 1181 / 2x 1251 / 4" (Gift of Marie D. and Charles A.T. O'Neill) 1979.26.2 Robbing Peter to Pay Paul Quilt Circa 1860 Maker unknown, Amish Probably Lancaster, Pennsylvania Pieced cotton Half the quilt blocks have red centers surrounded by navy blue; the other half are blue surrounded by red. These appear as overlapping circles when pieced together. This pattern is often called "Orange Peel:' The border is a dark grayish blue. 951 / 4 x 78" (Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Findlay) 1979.33.1
Gingham Dog and Calico Cat Crib Quilt Circa 1910 Maker unknown Probably Pennsylvania Appliquéd and pieced cotton Embroidered saying on quilt reads: "The Gingham Dog went 'bow wow-wow!' The Calico Cat replied 'Me-ow!" 345/8 x 283/8" (Gift of Gloria List) 1979.35.1 Friendship Album Quilt 1852 Sewing Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church Elizabethport, New Jersey Appliquéd cotton Various signed blocks include a church, Bible, and floral and animal motifs. This presentation quilt was given to Mr. and Mrs. Dunn, missionaries and lay preachers in the South Pacific. The textiles used are both solids and large floral patterns on a white background. 99/ 1 4 x 100" (Gift of Phyllis Haders) 1980.1.1 Summer Crib Quilt Circa 1845 Maker unknown Probably Pennsylvania Appliquéd cotton Unique design in solid pink and pink prints on a white background. (sight)331 / 4x 33/ 3 4 (Gift of Kate and Joel Kopp) 1980.5.1 Flag Quilt Top Early twentieth century Bertha Ward Metcalfe Tyrone, Pennsylvania Flannel pieced to muslin backing with buttonhole embroidery stitches Miniature flags of many countries are interspersed with miniature blanket designs of American Indian tribes. These items were included in cigar and cigarette packages. 71 x 57/ 1 4" (Gift of James D. Metcalfe) 1980.7.1
Friendship Album Quilt November 1, 1861 Maker unknown Believed to be from Bedford, New York or New Canaan, Connecticut area, but possibly Pennsylvania Appliquéd cotton Signed by Mrs. Eldad Miller, N.J., Ellmore, Alvina C. Rusco, Ruth Avery, Emma Todd, Carrie Silkman, Belinda Ruseol, Joanna Reynolds, Olive Avery, Nelly Silkman, Fanny M. Cady Variety of patterns, represented by the signed blocks: floral designs, fruit baskets, flag, star, buds, and birds. The most elaborate block, a lush fruit basket and elegantly embroidered butterfly, is signed by Mrs. Eldad Miller with the date. 90/ 1 4 x 75" (Gift of Jackie and Stanley Schneider) 1980.8.1 Log Cabin Quilt—Barn Raising Circa 1875 Sarah Olmstead King Connecticut Silk, velvet, satin, and ribbon Brown ribbed velvet border with a burgundy satin backing. Center portion is comprised of silks from maker's children's first dresses and pieces of her own wedding dress. 667/8 x 671/8" (Gift of Mrs. E. Regan Kerney) 1980.12.1 Double Weave Jacquard Coverlet Snowflake medallion with Hemfield Railroad border Circa 1855 Possibly Daniel Campbell, William Harper, Martin Burns, George Coulter, or Harvey Cook Pennsylvania or West Virginia Wool and cotton Medallions in center with train around border and two profiles of the railroad's first president, T. McKennan, in each corner. The colors are blue and red on white with a fringe on three sides of the edge. 90/ 1 4 X 81" (Gift of Stephen L. Snow) 1980.13.1
Penny M.Brickman works in a major New York City bank as chiefofstaffin the International Personnel Department. She is also enrolled in the Museum Studies program at NYU and is especially interested in textiles, folk art, and old houses.
Crazy Quilt 1902 Maker unknown Found near Middlebury, Vermont Wool and Cotton Embroidered images of the moon and the stars and the date "1902" are stitched on the twelve squares. The "crazy" patterns which comprise each square are joined by a variety of stitches as are the squares themselves. Dark prints, solids, and plaids predominate. The reverse side is flannel. 63 x 471/8" (Gift of Betty Gubert) 1980.18.1 Whig Rose Quilt with Sawtooth Border Circa 1870 Maker unknown Pennsylvania Pieced and appliquéd cotton Appliquéd floral motif is echoed in choice of flowered prints and pattern of quilting stitches. 3 4" 2x 94/ 1 96/ (Gift of Karen and Werner Gundersheimer) 1980.20.1 Album Summer Spread Circa 1860 Maker unknown New York State Appliquéd and embroidered cotton and silk. Birds and flowers of New York State and baskets, stars, and patriotic flags are within individual blocks. 88Y8 x 883/8" (Gift of Jackie and Stanley Schneider) 1980.31.1 Bull's Eye Quilt Circa 1920 Alverda H. Herb Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Pieced and appliquéd cotton Large bright sunburst is in center circle in pink, white, and green. There is an appliquéd basket of flowers on a blue background in each corner. The border is red and is quilted in a rope pattern. 2" / 4 x 851 1 84/ (Gift of Jackie and Stanley Schneider) 1980.31.2 Collection of Amish Quilts Circa 1880-1960 Midwest Mostly cotton and hand-quilted Various textiles and various dimensions (Gift of David Pottinger) 1980.37.1-93
Tatted Bedcovering Circa 1920 Maker unknown, Shaker Watervliet, New York Cotton or flax Symmetrical designs in a natural tan color 80 x 86" (Promised anonymous gift) P2.1980.1 Tatted Pillow Sham Circa 1920 Maker unknown, Shaker Watervliet, New York Cotton or flax Symmetrical designs on a natural tan color 33 x 33" (Promised anonymous gift) P2.1980.2 Tatted Pillow Sham Circa 1920 Maker unknown, Shaker Watervliet, New York Cotton or flax Symmetrical designs on a natural tan color 33 x 33" (Promised anonymous gift) P2.1980.3 Jacquard Coverlet with Floral Medallions and Rose and Tulip Border 1844 C. Wiand Allentown, Pennsylvania Woven in wool and cotton Coverlet in four colors: red, blue, green, and yellow with fringed edge. "Made by C. Wiand Allentown, 1844" is woven into the coverlet. A Checklist ofAmerican Coverlet Weavers cites Charles Wiand or Weand, born in Pennsylvania circa 1818, as a weaver in the Allentown area in 1840 and in the neighboring area of Trexlertown in 1839,also in Lehigh County. He was included in the 1850 U.S. Census as a weaver in Allentown, Pennsylvania. 1033/8 x 84" (Promised anonymous gift) P2.1980.4
Woven Candlewick Spread Second quarter of the nineteenth century Maker unknown New York Cotton White on white with the initials "AFX" woven in corner 85 x 79/ 3 4" (Promised gift of Jay Johnson) P3.1980.1 Embroidered Candlewick Spread Circa 1830 Maker unknown Provenance unknown Cotton White on white 2x 883/8" / 911 (Promised gift of Jay Johnson) P3.1980.2 Jackie's Tulips, Quilt 1977 Mary K. Borkowski Dayton, Ohio Appliquéd cotton Red and green tulips on a lavender background, signed and dated 2" / 2 x 1041 / 1011 (Promised gift of Jacqueline L. Fowler, made specifically for the donor) P5.1980.1 Crazy Quilt within Contained Borders Last quarter of the nineteenth century Maker unknown Found in New Hope, Pennsylania Pieced silk Brightly colored in red, white, blue, and yellow 2" 1 2 x 44/ 1 80/ (Gift of Jacqueline L. Fowler) 1981.2.1 Bittersweet XII, Quilt 1980 Strip-pieced, and marked by Nancy Crow Baltimore, Ohio Hand-quilted by Velma Brill of Cambridge, Ohio Cotton polyester broadcloth with polyester batting Vibrant shades of red, green, blue, purple, brown, orange, and black and white are used to create a unique design. The border is a deep blue and the reverse side red. 82 x 82" (Anonymous gift) 1981.3.1
Quilt with Center Diamond Circa 1910 Maker unknown, Amish Lancaster County,Pennsylvania Pieced wool, hand-quilted Pink diamond outline within a pink square. The center is dark blue, and the border dark blue and dark green. Elaborate handquilted designs include princess feather stitching on border. 2" 1 84 x 80/ (Gift of Paige Rense) 1981.4.1 Stars Over Hawaii, Quilt 1979 Mary K. Borkowski Dayton, Ohio Appliquéd and embroidered cotton polyester Hawaiian style design in green on light yellow. Small Islands of Hawaii, artist's name and the date are embroidered in green and the border is a narrow green strip. The reverse side is bright yellow and the quilting is done in a grid work pattern of small squares. The Islands of Hawaii were embroidered to cover the discolored remnants of ink spots which accidentally blemished the lovely quilt. This quilt was the second one made in memory of the artist's deceased sister's last vacation trip to the Islands of Hawaii. Dorothy Heery died in 1974. The first quilt Mary Borkowski made in her oldest sister's memory was Hawaiian Fruit Trees, so named, and inspired, from the designs on the shopping bags her sister brought back with her. In writing of her sister's warmth and goodness, Mary Borkowski wishes she could have found a brighter yellow for the back of the quilt. As it is, the quilt is dazzling and the yellow radiant. 99 x 99" (Gift of the artist, Mary K. Borkowski) 1981.5.1
39
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BY JO GEISE BROWN
\otes on Fashion Institute of Technology's Presentation of
Anonymous Beauty: QUILTS, COVERLE IS, A\D 3EDCOVERS TDCILE TREASURES FROV -RA/0 CE\TURIES in conjunction with the V useum of American Folk Art Anonymous Beauty: Quilts, Coverlets, and Bedcoversâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Textile Treasures From Two Centuries is a dual exhibition jointly presented by the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Museum of American Folk Art. Among its instructional departments, the Fashion Institute of Technology maintains divisions of textile design and textile science. Its spacious main floor gallery, located at the Shirley Goodman Resource Center on Seventh Avenue at 27th Street in New York City, is the site of its portion of the exhibition which complements the Museum's presentation of textiles from its permanent collection. The Institute's
exhibition brings together approximately sixty quilts from private collections as well as from such institutions as the Museum of American Folk Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Nineteenth and twentieth-century appliquĂŠ, pieced, and stuffed work quilts are displayed at the Fashion Institute of Technology,with particular emphasis on texture in design. Over the years there has been much study of the many traditional quilt patterns, of their color and design, but the important role texture plays as an integral design element has largely been
1. Trapunto Crib Quilt. Circa 1820. Maker unknown. Baltimore. Cotton. 63 x 557 2. Detail ofGrandmother's Garden Quilt. Circa 1840. M. Clapper. Boonesboro, Maryland. Pieced cottons on cotton accented with trapunto. 105 x 104'.' 41
ignored. The textural impact of a quilt induces a visceral response. The almost irresistible urge to touch quilts—much to the distress of textile conservators and Museum curators who emphasize preservation—is triggered by their texture. Just as, without thinking, one reaches out to stroke a Gaston Lachaise or a Henry Moore sculpture because of its enticing rounded dimensional curves, so is a person drawn to quilts by the same dimensional quality—and magnetism. Texture in quilts can be achieved in at least 3.
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three ways. The first, and most obvious is in quilts which are all texture—a stuffed work or trapunto quilt. In these, the design is chiefly in the texture. In such pieces, the stuffed work creates a clear, pronounced three dimensional effect that is the focus of the quilt's design. The raised patterning of a trapunto quilt requires the intricate process of stuffing minute bits of cotton through threads from the quilt's backing into previously stitched pockets. The result of this painstaking effort, clearly seen in this trapunto crib quilt (fig. 1) is
the sculptured effect of the quilt's subtle appearance. A more frequently seen textural variation is the use of stuffed work in conjunction with another technique such as pieced work or appliqué. The Grandmother's Garden quilt (fig. 2) is a perfect example of an essentially simple patchwork quilt that is enhanced by skillful stuffed work. The three dimensional design of the monocolored portion directs one's eye as forcefully as does the bolder patchwork pattern. Second, a quilt's textural interest may lie in the overall background quilting. A design such as the popular wreath motif in the Star Variation quilt (fig. 3) emphasizes the white "background" as much as the patchwork pattern. In other cases, an overall quilting pattern creates a quilt on quilt effect, rather like a double exposure, in which the stitching pattern is distinct from the fabric design. Or, the background quilting may be so concentrated that the result is a stipplelike texture created by the extremely close stitches. A textural emphasis is sometimes present where it is least expected. Traditionally, the designs of Amish quilts are known for their strong color and form. The texture, or stitching, is secondary. However, on exhibit at Fashion Institute of Technology, will be an Amish bar quilt in which a heavily sculpted central medallion creates a surprising dimensional focus (fig. 4). Finally, the selection of the textiles used in the quilts often results in a piece interesting for its textural make-up. In a log cabin quilt, for example, when an artist places a silk or satin "log" next to a nubby woolen one, she may or may not be aware of the effect this uneven— shiny/flat—surface would create. The Rising-Star quilt at Fashion Institute of Technology achieves a subtle textural effect, not from its intricate quilting, but from the juxtaposition of the shiny double-glazed border with a dull white quilted surface. As previously stated, texture as an artistic element in quilts has been overlooked. It is my hope that by drawing special attention to it in this exhibition at Fashion Institute of Technology, the appreciation of quilts will be enhanced by an awareness of yet another way to enjoy this fine textile art. Full Catalogue Available at Exhibition Jo Giese Brown, an avid quilt collector, is Curatorfor Fashion Institute of Technology's portion of 'Anonymous Beauty: Quilts, Coverlets, and Bedcovers— Textile Treasures From Two Centuries:' Food Editorfor WNBC Televisionfor three years and currently Consumer Reporterfor HOUR MAGAZINE, she is the author of The Good Food Compendium, to be published this June by Doubleday.
3. Star Variation. 1870. Maker unknown. Pennsylvania. Pieced cotton. 78 x 74'.' 4. Amish Floating Bars. Circa 1920. Maker unknown. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Wool. 84 x 74'.' As part ofthe exhibition at F.I.T., Quilts in Women's Lives a twenty-eight minutefilm produced by Pat Ferrero, will be shown regularly. Thefilm presents portraits ofseven contemporary quilters and provides insight into the spirit ofthese women who keep traditional quiltmaking alive.
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Two "New" Eighteenth-Century Grisaille KASTEN BY FIRTH HARING FABEND Two early eighteenth-century grisaille kasten from the Hudson Valley that have recently come to notice may throw some light on certain questions raised by these enigmatic cupboards! Who built them? Who decorated them? What accounts for the decline of the genre? How does this decline relate to the decline of the early Dutch culture itself in America? And did the grisaille painters go on perhaps to other more cheerful techniques of painting furniture, such as japanning, that were coming into vogue in the early 1700s? The builders are elusive. The six cupboards that have already been described by Patricia C. O'Donnell in "Grisaille Decorated Kasten of New York" appear, on the basis of constructional details, to have been built by six different woodworkers Two of the six are at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one in the Hewlett Room and one in storage. A third may be seen at Marlpit Hall in Middletown, N.J., and a fourth at Van Cortlandt House Museum in the Bronx. The fifth is at Van Cortlandt Manor in Westchester County, N.Y., and the sixth is at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware. The two kasten that have recently come to light affirm O'Donnell's conclusion that no two were built by the same workmen. The first of these is in the New York City Hall. Given to the City of New York by the president of the Art Commission, Robert W. De Forest,
1. City Hall kas. Circa 1720. Trompe l'oeil grisaille decoration in these pieces was an attempt to create the effect of elaborate molding and carving ofDutch hardwood prototypes.
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2. City Hall kas. Board and nailed drawer in cornice slides on body ofthe kas. Cherubs decorate both left and right-hand corners ofthe drawer. 2.
in 1914, today, 250 years after its construction, it is still serving a useful purpose, holding not bedding and bed linens, but records and papers. The City Hall kas, like its sisters, measures 611 / 2 inches in height, is 60 inches wide, and 19 inches deep. Front-opening doors reveal two original shelves nailed into place through the front and sides of the kas. An imposing cornice adds 4/ 1 2 inches to the depth of the piece at the top. It appears to be of tulip wood, though it has not been tested. Of board construction with nailed joints, its wide horizontal backboards are grooved to join where they meet the sides in a style unique for this type of cupboard. Moldings are applied and nailed or glued, with nails exposed but painted over. The molding under the cornice is a generous 2/ 1 4inches deep. The legs are so-called stile or board legs, and the four base corners are nailed and glued and reinforced. This kas does not have ball feet, as do some of the others. The nails and hardware appear to be original. The doors are attached by four three-inch butterfly hinges similar to those used on the Van Cortlandt Manor kas. Each hinge is anchored with eight hand-made nails. On the inside of the right-hand door is an iron lockplate with moving parts. The plate is held by four screws. There is a keyhole on the outside right door, on the inside left door an iron hook for closing, and on the drawer an iron pendant loop that goes through to the inside, its prongs separating to hold it in place.
The most interesting structural feature in the City Hall kas is the drawer, which is found not at the base of the kas, as in those at Van Cortlandt Museum, at Winterthur, and at Marlpit Hall, but in the cornice. There is thus a constructional resemblance to the kas in storage at the Metropolitan, which also has a cornice drawer, and to the kas in the Hewlett Room at the Metropolitan, which may have had a cornice drawer at one time. However, despite the presence or suspected presence of a cornice drawer in these three kasten, no other signs exist to suggest that they were built by the same carpenter. In its decorative elements, the City Hall kas is strikingly similar to the other six, particularly to those at Van Cortlandt Museum in the Bronx, at Winterthur, and at Marlpit Hall, with one minor and one major exception. First, this kas exhibits cherubs' faces in the corners of the cornice drawer, linking it to the only other kas in the six known heretofore with this motif: the one at Van Cortlandt Manor. Second, instead of using the traditional gray, white, and black paint, there is good reason to believe this artist may have painted in shades of brown and a mustard or ochre. It is possible, of course, that this color combination is merely the result of an overcoat of yellowish varnish, but a four-inch round circle of the same color paint left by a paint container can be seen on the inside of the left door, where the decorator absentmindedly set it while at work. It seems unlikely that this inadvertent trace of paint on the unvarnished interior would have discolored to the same hue as the (possibly varnished) exterior paint. The fact that his birds, most noticeably the one on the left door, are a cheerful red lends credibility to the suggestion that this artist departed from tradition in his other colors as well. What significance would such a departure from the traditional monochrome scheme have in answering questions about the kasten? The use of black, brown, mustard, and red pigments may suggest simply that the painter found himself in a rural area, without access to a source of storebought paints, and had to improvise with sootblack and earth-rendered browns, ochre, and red. On the other hand, the innovative color scheme may have been one of choice, not necessity. The artist may have had a client who eschewed the spectral gray decoration. This would not be surprising, for a typical grisaille kas often produces a visceral reaction, ranging in viewers from shivers of delight to shudders of distaste. This reaction may be accounted for by a certain quality to the kasten that probably results , from a tension or an incongruity between two perceived traditions, one representing life and depicting fruit, flowers, festoons, birds, and cherubim, and one representing death, and an ashen
palette and long historical associations with grief and melancholy. Specifically, pomegranates, a traditional symbol of fertility, are a dominant element in seven of the eight cupboards. The pomegranates are all burstingly ripe, all split open as if with an impatient lushness to reveal their inner flesh and seeds. On the one kas that does not show a pomegranate, the one at Van Cortlandt Manor, both doors of the cupboard bear extraordinarily womb-shaped pears of surpassing ripeness and juiciness. On all of the cupboards, perfectly round fruit, presumably apples, and bunches of grapes cluster with a tactile, touch-me quality around the large central fruit, and all are suspended precariously on the doors and sides from far-too-slender ribbons that seem ready to give at any moment. And yet at the same time, this rich stylized promise is belied by a spectral, ashen quality that sends a shiver up the spine. The phosphorescent whiteness and grayness of the kasten unmistakably evoke bones and skeletons and death; one becomes vaguely aware, on seeing one of them, of the long associations of grays with sadness and mourning.(From fifteenth-century Flanders a style of grisaille panels depicting Lenten themes spread throughout Europe. This suggests the penitential purposes to which the grisaille tradition has historically adapted itself3.) Gray is a "sad" color in Western culture, usually associated with death and mourning. Yet the paradox here is that gray is used to decorate what was undoubtedly a dowry item in Dutch tradition. All the more reason, then, why clients for grisaille kasten may have begun ordering their grisaille doctored with a little color. The second "new" kas found recently is in a private collection in Troy, N.Y. Again, it appears to have been built by an eighth woodworker, for no constructional idiosyncracies link it with any of the others. Of board and nailed construction, it exhibits no dove-tailing, rabbeting, or other joinery. It is 631 / 4 inches high by 53 inches wide by 191 / 2 inches deep, with board feet. Its somewhat modified cornice holds a board and nailed drawer, which slides in and out on the body of the kas. A modest one-inch molding is applied above the cornice, with a slightly deeper molding (11 / 4 inches) beneath it. Around the bottom of the kas is a 2-inch deep applied molding. Double doors open onto three shelves, which appear to be original. The top, recessed shelf is actually two separate shelves, 8/ 1 2inches deep, / 2-inch square by 7/8-inch and divided by a 171 wide partition. Both small shelves rest on a bead molding nailed through the sides of the kas. (In general, "nailing through" these pieces is standard procedure.) The doors seem to be the work of either a
3. novice, or perhaps a hurried woodworker. The right door, 191 / 2 inches wide by 52 inches, has a vertical 33/4-inch batten overlapping the 183/4-inch wide left-hand door, to which the builder had to add a / 1 2-inch vertical molding to enable the doors to meet in the center. The inside of the right-hand door is reinforced at the bottom by a horizontal batten 181 / 2 by 43/4 inches. The ten ancient nails in this batten are connected vertically and horizontally by the marks of a scribing awl or a compass point, exactly as are the battens on the doors of the City Hall kas. (Compasses were probably employed in all of the kasten to draw the decorative circular fruits and to etch out the trompe l'oeil arches on the doors and sides. In fact, the Troy kas bears on the inside of the left door two compass-drawn "practice" fruit in which the compass points can still be seen!) It is the decorative elements, however, more than the constructional ones that make the Troy kas so breathtakingly interesting. Though the decoration lacks the technical aplomb of the kasten on view at Marlpit Hall, Winterthur, and Van Cortlandt House Museum, the Troy kas is clearly the work of a spirited and inventive soul who did not hesitate to add his own imaginative elements to the traditional fruits-and-birds scheme. First, cherubs and angels are extremely prominent in his design. Only the City Hall kas and the little Van Cortlandt Manor kas depict cherubs at all, and no other kas is graced with
3. City Hall kas, right side, cornice drawer open. Note tongue-ingroove detail where horizontal backboards coincide with set-in shelf clearly nailed through the side.
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4. Kos in the Hewlett Room, Metropolitan Museum ofArt, Gift ofSarah Elizabeth Jones. Circa 1700. Pine and oak. 59 inches high;57/ 3 4inches wide;21 inches deep. New York region, possiblyfrom Woodbury, Long Island. Its construction hints that this kas may once have had both a cornice and a base with drawers. 5. Troy kas. Albany-area. Circa 1730. This example exhibits, besides the traditionalfruit andfestoons, winged insects, still and gamboling animals, and vases offlowers.
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angels. In the Troy kas, a cherub's face with a distinctive bow mouth appears boldly in the center of the cornice drawer, and two sweet-faced angels with deep sweeping wings decorate the top of both doors, the under curve of their wings coinciding with the tops of the typical trompe l'oeil arches. Pendant from the angels are the traditional ribbons from which hang the traditional bunches of fruit. Although the trompe oeil effect of a third dimension is inexpert here, and although the fruit itself is hurriedly and even crudely executed, these "defects" are more than compensated for by the charming presence not only of the two traditional birds and the cherub and angels, but also of a bird in flight, a solemn owl, an assortment of butterflies and dragonflies, a beetle, a mouse or chipmunk, a leaping dog, and a leaping deerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all scattered with a delightful sense of whimsey and also a nice sense of balance among the fruit. On both left and right bottom corners of the front of the kas are vases of tulips and roses that add yet another distinctive element
to this unique piece. Whoever painted the Troy kas has left many clues that should be invaluable in any effort to link him stylistically to known paintings of the period and even perhaps to some of the other painted kasten.
NOTES 1. I am indebted to Robert Bishop and to Patricia Chapin O'Donnell for generously providing me with information that led to the location of these two kasten. The tutelage along the way of both Dr. Bishop and Mrs. O'Donnell has been invaluable to me. 2. Patricia C. O'Donnell, "Grisaille Decorated Kasten of New York;' Antiques, May, 1980, p. 1108. 3. Gray Is the Color: An Exhibition of Grisaille Painting, XIIIth-XXth Centuries, Rice Museum (Houston, 1974), p. 16. Mrs. Fabend is a novelist writing under the name Firth Haring. Herfourth novel, The Woman Who Went Away, will be published in the Fall by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. She is a doctoral candidate at N.Y.U. in American Civilization.
Olof Krans' Images of Bishop Hill Colony BY ANNA WADSWORTH MURRAY Anna Wadsworth Murray curated the exhibition, "Missing Pieces, Georgia Folk Art(1770-1976):' researched and wrote thefilm, "Missing Pieces: Contemporary Georgia Folk Are: Ms. Murray researched and produced her second film, "Bishop while working as executive director of the Bishop Hill Heritage Association. She is now living in Denver writing among other articles, a catalogue piecefor an upcoming exhibition on Illinoisfolk art. 2.
On a September morning in 1896, Bishop Hill in Illinois was preparing for the fiftieth anniversary of its founding. Trees in the village park were strung with Chinese lanterns. A Swedish flag, stitched by local ladies, was draped over the tiny bandstand to commemorate the original homeland of the immigrants who settled Bishop Hill. The "hospitable Hillites" were in a flurry, cooking for 2,000 who were to reunite in Bishop Hill on September 23 and 24. Former members of Bishop Hill Colony and their descendants from across the United States were returning to their first homestead in America. Their bond of friendship was unusually strong, having lasted from the 1840s and '50s when, together, they had built a communal society which became so prosperous that it could almost have existed independent of the outside world. At this first Old Settlers' reunion, one of the former colonists presented his own visual record of Bishop Hill's communal period, 1846-1861. In notes about the celebration, we find, "Olof Krans is entitled to much credit for the faithful reproduction of old Colony scenes in a series of large paintings. The first dugouts (crude shelters against the Bishop Hill winters) were reproduced, principally from memory and measurements, in one painting. Then there were field scenes of planting, harvesting, pile driving, etc. It was a very interesting collection and deserves, and will
no doubt have, a place with a permanent 1. Self portrait. Olof collection of relics., records, and souvenirs." Krans. 1908. Oil on canAfter the first Old Settlers' reunion, Krans vas. 29" x 23'.' Collection continued to unveil new paintings at each annual ofIllinois Department of Conservation.(Photogathering. In 1912 he gave a collection of his graph by Ray Pearson) work to the Bishop Hill Old Settlers. The collection was placed in the Colony Church, where it is still exhibited today. The paintings are 2. Corn Planting. Olof Krans. Before 1896. Oil now owned by the Illinois Department of Conon canvas. 24" x 39'.' Colservation which operates the restored church as a lection ofIllinois Departmuseum. ment of Conservation. In the intervening years since the turn of the century, Krans' work has been acclaimed as some 3. The Peaceable Kingof America's finest naive art. However, even now, dom. Olof Krans. Second half of the 19th century. few outside Illinois are aware that ninety-six late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Krans Oil on canvas. 18" x 24'.' (Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. paintings are permanently exhibited in Bishop Edwin Braman) Hill. The village has 200 residents, and in spite of its remote location in the midst of farm country, attracts 70,000 a year to its shops, restaurants, museums, and craft workshops. Olof Krans, his parenis, and other family members were among 1,100 or so Swedish religious dissidents who followed the hypnotic lay preacher, Eric Janson, to America to build their "new Jerusalem." In the 1830s and early '40s, when Olof was a small child, Sweden's residents were mostly uneducated farmers and laborers. Many were becoming increasingly disenchanted with the Lutheran state churchâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;they found the clergy's sermons lifeless and hypocritical.
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4. John Bjork. Olof Krans. Circa 1890-1915. Oil on canvas. 35" x 22'.' Collection ofIllinois Department of Conservation. Bjork was a seaman who became a Bishop Hill Colonist.(Photograph by Ray Pearson) 5. Helbom and the Indian. Olof Krans. 1896. Oil on canvas. 34" x 26'! Collection ofIllinois Department of Conservation. (Photograph by Ray Pearson) 4.
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Some of the more devout began to hold illegal meetings in their homes to read the Bible and other religious writings. Among these Devotionalists, Eric Janson became a very popular lay minister. Janson brought a new faith to people who were weary of being threatened with everlasting torment for their sins. He told his followers that a sinless state could be realized on earth by true believers. He insisted that peasants themselves could pray directly to God without a priest's intervention. Janson and his followers finally broke away from the state church. Their zealous activities came to a climax when they held public burnings of popular religious books, excluding the Bible. Janson had proclaimed that only the Bible was a source of truth. In 1846 he and the first group of his followers left Sweden to attempt to build a utopian community in America. Olof Krans departed from Sweden for Bishop Hill in 1850 at the age of 12 with his parents Beata and Eric Olsson. (Olof changed his surname to Krans about 1861). Each Jansonist family contributed all its holdings to a common fund to finance the voyages for both rich and poor. When Krans' father decided to emigrate, he travelled to Gefle, a Swedish seaport, for an apprais41 of a boat and skiff which he owned, taking Olof with him. The shipwright to whom they went asked for a drawing of the boat and
skiff. Olof objected to his father's inaccurate drawing, and sketched one of his own. The ship maker was so impressed with Olof's talent that he said of Olof, "Let me have him and I shall give him an education and he will make his mark in the world."' The Olssons took Olof with them, though, when they journeyed across the Atlantic in a cargo ship to New York, then, on to Chicago. For the first groups of Jansonists who came before the railroad was constructed, the final 160 miles from Chicago to their chosen site in north central Illinois were travelled by foot. The immigrants named their community Bishop Hill Colony after Eric Janson's birthplace, Biskopskulla. In the Colony's first months cold, cramped quarters and inadequate food supplies resulted in many deaths. A cholera epidemic killed about 150. But the colonists eventually built a nearly self sufficient farming and manufacturing commune. They acquired about 12,000 acres and made and marketed along the length of the Mississippi, thousands of yards of linen cloth, hundreds of brooms, and other goods. In 1851, a year after Olof Krans had arrived with his family, Olof's father wrote back to Sweden. He mentioned that Olof and another boy had the responsibility of guarding the wheat, taking dogs along with them, so that no animals could eat it. He reflected that the boys had "real leisure days." A school was provided from the earliest days of the colony, and Olof's father goes on to say that after their first spring, Olof could already read some and was beginning to understand English fairly well.' Olof's jobs in the colony included driving oxen drawn wagons loaded with wood to the colonists' saw mill. Wood from the nearby Red Oak Timber was used to construct their buildings, along with bricks made in their own kiln. Olof also worked in the blacksmith shop, helping to forge hardware for wagons and carriages which the colonists manufactured for sale. One of several mills, the shops, church, and residence buildings are pictured in a townscape which Krans painted in 1895 as a backdrop for the local auditorium. This painting is now housed in the Colony Church, along with those pictured here. In the middle of the last century, during Bishop Hill's palmiest era, the settlement's leader, Eric Janson, became involved in a dispute with a man who had married a colony member. The husband attempted to force his wife to leave the colony against her wishes, bringing a mob into town and threatening to burn the village. According to legend, one of the mobsters disguised as an Indian, planned to scalp one of the colony's leaders. Colonist, Nils Helbom, "dressed himself in a Swedish sheepskin greatcoat, having the wooly side out, so that only his rolling eyeballs
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6.
7.
6. Mary Malmgren Olson. Olof Krans. c. 1890-1915. Oil on canvas. 24" x 18'.' Collection of Illinois Department of Conservation. (Photograph by Ray Pearson) 7. Mary Malmgren Olson. c. 1900. Photograph, courtesy Bishop Hill Heritage Association Collection. Mrs. Olson, thefirst child born in Bishop Hill Colony, was baptised in 1847 in the colonists' temporary tent church.
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were visible," and rushed out to successfully frighten away the imposter.' Their confrontation later became the subject of one of Krans' liveliest paintings.(fig.5) The threatening mob was turned away, and John Root, the husband who had wished to leave the colony with his wife, Charlotta, became more enraged. Finally, one day in 1850, Root shot and murdered Janson. This incident was the prelude to the unravelling of communal life at Bishop Hill. In the following decade a lack of strong leadership, over-extended investments, and diminished economic need for communalism led to the division of property among the individual colonists in 1861. That same year Krans enlisted in Company D, 57th Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Krans became a sergeant in the Union Army. After fighting in the Battle of Fort Donelson, he became ill and was later discharged in June, 1862. He returned to Bishop Hill where he clerked in the general store run by another former colonist. Then Krans "had charge of a photograph gallery on wheels for awhile."5 He moved to nearby Galesburg, Illinois where he married Christina Aspequist. There he took up painting as
a profession. In 1867 he moved to the small town that was to be his home for thirty-five years, Galva,just seven miles from Bishop Hill. During this period in Galva, Krans became a most prolific commercial painter. His work included handsomely lettered shop signs, elaborate painted wood graining, and other decorative painting throughout a number of houses in the area. Only a few examples survive. According to Galva historian, George Swank, Krans "was painting a barn at the Walstrom farm out east of Bishop Hill and he told old Mr. Walstrom, 'You know, you can't mix paint without beer: So Mr. Walstrom went to town...When Walstrom got back with the beer he found out it didn't go in the paint, it went in the painter.' We now know that as a child, Krans observed spatter painted walls and grained woodwork in the colonists' Steeple Building (an apartment house) and in their hotel. These forms of decoration had been popular in the Hillites' native provinces of Sweden: Dalarna, Uppland, and Halsingland. In the last few years, as restoration of the thirteen remaining colony buildings has progressed, fine examples of these forms of decorative painting have been uncovered. Though Krans is not known to have spatter-painted walls,
several examples of his grained woodwork are similar to those of the colonists. His touches of gilt, and elaborate decoration of double parlor doors in several homes reflect the influence of Victorian styles. During the late 1800s Krans began to reflect on his boyhood in the colony. He began painting scenes, from his memories of communal farming methods. One of the most dramatic is his painting of an almost endless row of women, identically and simply dressed, planting corn in a rhythmical procession (fig.3). Though his farm scenes are the most popular and most frequently reproduced works, Krans' portraits deserve attentive study as well. The portraits number more than 60 and were painted mostly from photographs. Even in the early 1900s Krans saw his hometown friends as important historical characters, worthy of permanent commemoration in the colonists' church, where the portraits were placed. Today the Krans portraits may be compared not only with photographs of his subjects, as a few are here,(figs.6&7, 8&9) but also with descendants several generations removed from these subjects. To Bishop Hill's 200 contemporary residents, most of whom are colonists' descendants, the portraits represent family or old friends, as they did to Krans. Krans' portraits and his farm scenes are interwoven with reminiscences passed through these families in a November 1979 documentary film about Bishop
8. 8. Rev. Jonas Olson. Olof Krans. c. 1890-1915. Oil on canvas. 24" x 18'.' Collection ofIllinois Department of Conservation. (Photograph by Ray Pearson)
Krans is said to have ridden up to a friend's house with paintings in his wagon to ask whether his portraits were accurate enough likenesses. To anyone who becomes acquainted with the people of Bishop Hill and their ancestors' portraits, it is clear that Krans need not have worried.
9. Rev. Jonas Olson. c. 1890's. Photograph, courtesy Bishop Hill Heritage Collection. Olson was a farmer and a leader of the Devotionalists in Sweden. He helped promote Eric JansQn's teachings in the Swedish countryside and took part in the Jansonists' book burnings. Olson helped organize the immigration to Bishop Hill and eventually became a trustee of the colony. At one point he unsuccessfully advocated celibacy in the colony, an idea adoptedfrom the Shakers at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. When gold rush fever hit, Olson and a small band of colonists trecked to California in hopes of bolstering the commune's holdings, but returned empty-handed. 55
NOTES: 1. Semi-Centennial Celebration of the Settlement of Bishop Hill Colony (Galva, Illinois: Galva Weekly News Press, 1909), p. 46. 2. Philip J. Stoneberg. Unpublished writings, Special Collections, Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois. 3. Lilly Settendahl, ed. and trans., "Twenty-One Immigrant Letters:'(unpublished letters, 1847-1856, Bishop Hill Heritage Association Collection). 4. Michael A. Mikkelsen, The Bishop Hill Colony: A Religious Communistic Settlement in Henry County, Illinois (Philadelphia, 1972), p. 41. 5. Stoneberg, unpublished writings. 6. George Swank, interview held in Galva, Illinois, March, 1979.(Swank is the author of Painter Krans: O.K. ofBishop Hill Colony, Galva, Galvaland Press, 1976). 7. The 27 minute, 16mm color film, Bishop Hill, may be borrowed or purchased from: The Bishop Hill Heritage Association, Box 1853, Bishop Hill, Illinois 61419. Photographs by Ray Pearson 9.
EUROPEAN FOLK ART
Folk Arts In Finland Focus on the National Museum of Finland and Seurasaari Outdoor Museum of Helsinki
BY MARSHA MACDOWELL AND C. KURT DEWHURST 2.
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The National Museum of Finland provides visitors to Helsinki an impressive introduction to the folklife of Finland. Designed by the well-known architects Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren, and Eliel Saarinen in 1902, the National Museum building (fig. 1) houses the prehistoric, historic and the ethnographic collections (includes the Finno-Ugric materials). As in most Scandinavian museums, the folk arts are included under the ethnographic section. The collections at the National Museum of Finland, while primarily from the late 18th and 19th centuries, clearly reflect shaping by earlier cultural patterns. The exhibitions of folk cultural artifacts are designed to convey to the viewer traditional aspects of Finnish life and, ultimately, the crossfertilization of Finnish culture in the 20th century. The introductory text for the ethnographic section of the National Museum states, "The objects reflect the period of a self-supporting economy and conservative village communities. Finnish peasant culture often retained traditional forms until the 20th century, despite the start of industrialization in the 1860s and 1870s and the competition from urban fashions. Finnish popular culture shows differences between the forest area of eastern Finland and the more fertile provinces of western Finland. The differences are partly due to centuries-old factors in settlement history, and partly to geographical factors': The permanently installed exhibits trace the origins of traditional costumes, music, hunting, fishing, farming, and the folk arts that revolve around human shelter: furnishings, textiles, and household utensils.
1. Exterior of the National Museum of Finland in Helsinki. 2. A drinking vessel of Rusko, Finland-made in 1542 that is considered the oldest known and finestfeasting cup of Finland. 3. "Joululinto" (a Christmas decoration) carved from wood and hung over the Christmas dinner table to symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit. 3. Perhaps the most outstanding artifact featured in the home utensils section is a drinking vessel from Rusko (fig. 2); it is considered the oldest and finest feasting cup preserved in Finland. Carved from the stump of a spruce, this Gothic ceremonial drinking vessel was created in 1542. Similar vessels were made by local craftsmen for nobility in other areas of Scandinavia. Objects in the museum are arranged according to the role they played in community life. Various carved and painted containers are displayed in the context of their use and meaning in cooking, baking, dining, and in celebrations. One notable example is the small carved bird (fig. 3)frequently made from cedar that was hung over bountiful Christmas tables to symbolize the Holy Ghost. The wings of these birds were made with a technique called cedar fan-making that later appeared in American lumber camps as it was practiced by Scandinavian immigrants. The wood is split with a knife, then gently separated without breaking to create a fan effect. Such fans were perfect wings for these ceremonial birds and one example in the collection has two fledgling birds feeding while seemingly resting on the wings of a mother bird. Folk furnishings of Finland in the Middle Ages were virtually all built into the walls of the home. By the 18th century these one-roomed and
chimneyless homes were replaced by stove-heated buildings with an assortment of rooms. The need for flexible furnishings created a demand for pieces of folk furniture. In the artisan tradition, local craftsmen built simple but well-made furniture. Unlike in Sweden and Norway, Baroque and Rococo movements had little stylistic influence on Finnish folk furniture. Local cabinetmakers in the late 18th and 19th century did employ some neoclassical elements but only as a slight modification of the traditional forms. Painted decoration, using a variety of colors, became popular and reached a peak from the late 18th to the early 19th century. Bunk beds, clock cases, cupboards, corner cupboards with built-in clock cases (similar to those of Sweden) and double rocking chairs drew the attention of the painting decorator (fig. 4). Such folk furnishings were for both upper class and peasant homes alike. This practice continued until the end of the 19th century when factory production of furniture replaced the local artisan. Undoubtedly, the most recognizable material folk expression known to the American audience are the "ryijy rugs" (fig. 6). Woven primarily between the 1770s and 1820s, the Finnish folk ryijy rug is the culmination of a long history of rug weaving. Riitta Pylldcanen has noted that, "It
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4. An assemblage of peasantfurniturefrom Ostrobothnia, Finland. 5. This unusual clock cabinetfashioned in the shape ofa peasant woman demonstrates the creativity and humor of the local craftsman. 5. has been established that in Finland this craft is a pristine cultural loan from Scandinavia. The Finnish word rytjya, as well as the Swedish rya, derived from the ancient Scandinavian `ry,"ru: which meant something rough and shaggy. Piled woolen blankets, resembling ryas and dating back to the 9th-12th centuries, have been found in southern Scandinavia in archeological excavations:' Through the years, these early variations served as coverlets, boat rugs and simply bed rugs. One major gallery in the National Museum is devoted to the exhibition of these products of folk weavers. The traditional patterns for the ryijy rugs were filled with motifs such as tulips, carnations, acanthus leaves, palmettes, and heraldic animals. Many of these designs were drawn from samplers or, in some cases, pattern books, but in subtle ways these folk designs were influenced by popular decorative styles such as Baroque, Rococo, and Neo-classical styles. On special occasions, rugs such as the festive bridal ryijy rugs were prepared for presentation. They were frequently passed on from mother to daughter, much like bridal quilts in America. While the ryijy rugs are but one of many traditional textile forms exhibited at the National Museum, they are perhaps the most distinctive and memorable. The outdoor museum known as Seurasaari rests on an island in Helsinki that is reached by a long wooden bridge. Administered by the National Museum of Finland, it was established in 1909 by Professor Axel Olai Heikel. Groups of buildings from every province in Finland were relocated and assembled on the island of Seurasaari with the goal of illustrating and preserving typical local cultures. Most of the buildings are from the 18th and 19th centuries and reflect the earlier traditional patterns of com-
munity life in each area of Finland. Special efforts are made to make the buildings come to life with the human activities that would have occurred in these diverse buildings. The interpretation of the conservative traditions of the pas stresses the cultural influences on Finland from eastern and western Europe. Seurasaari contains five complete farmsteads from different regions, as well as a tenant farm. Housing types from as far away as Lapland are also open to the visitor. In addition, specialized functional building types such as storehouses, cowherd huts, a granary, water mill, a smithy, a windmill, an outdoor bake-oven, a church, and parsonage are arranged in carefully selected natural environmental settings on the island. It i little wonder that the island of Seurasaari is a popular place for local citizens on weekends. Finland has a wealth of local folk museums that deserve attention in a future article. Another fascinating aspect of Finnish folk culture can be appreciated by the visitor traveling through Finland by car. In almost every village in Midwestern Finland, there was at one time a carved and painted pauper figure collection box standing near the main entrance of the parish church (fig. 7). Research on the extant examples has indicated that these pauper figures are related to the medieval Roman Catholic offering boxes. The male figures are believed to be depictions of either Lazarus, the beggar(Luke 16), or Bartimeus, the blind man, who were not declare saints but were both recognizable poor biblical characters. These figures were intended as a means of collecting funds for the poor and made to look as unlike Catholic statuary as possible. Historically, a great number of war invalids needed care after the Finnish war of 1808-09 and
while these collection figures existed prior to the war, they grew in number in the years following that period. These surprising figures stand guard outside brightly painted wooden churches. Generally the figures stand with one hand extended; the other holds a cane. Most all of these figures also have one wooden leg as a reminder of their war effort and their incapacitated state. Oral sources have led scholars to believe that these pauper figures were made by carpenters, builders, shipbuilders, and even local paupers. Searching out these wonderful examples of Finnish material culture makes for rewarding moments of discovery for the traveler by car in Finland. If you go: The National Museum of Finland, Mannerheiminte 34, Helsinki, houses the ethnographic collections which include folk cultural materials. The easily visible tower of the Cityscape dominates the central city. The National Museum is open 11-3 Monday through Saturday and Sunday 11-4 (also Tuesday night 6-9). There is a nominal admission charge. The Outdoor Museum on the island of Seurasaari can be reached by bus number 24 from Erottaja and it is five kilometers from the city center. If traveling by car, one can easily reach the entrance to the museum with a city map although parking is somewhat limited near the bridge to the island. Guided tours are available in English twice daily. Seurasaari is open every day 11:00 to 5:00 and there is an admission charge. Both the National Museum of Finland and Seurasaari have guide books printed in English. Most text panels and labels are only in Finnish though. Refreshments are in a restaurant and cafĂŠ. Information on special exhibitions and activities at either the National Museum or Seurasaari can be found in the free booklet Helsinki This Week that is available at hotels and information centers.
.ota NIA annataa. 6. A "ryijy" rug made in the late 18th centuryfrom Lankaa, Finland on exhibit in the National Museum. 7. A pauperfigure sculpture in wood that serves as a collection boxfor the poor. Note the common elements of the extended hand, the wooden leg, cane and slot to insert donations.
Marsha MacDowell and C. Kurt Dewhurst are both Curators ofthe Folk Arts Division of The Museum, Michigan State University.
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Noteworthy Items Carousel Horse attributed to Charles Carmel Thanks to our astute readers, the Museum's earousel horse, which appeared on the cover of the Winter 1981 Clarion, wrongly attributed to D.C. Muller & Bro. Shop, has been properly identified. Carousel horse authorities, Ms. Charlotte Dinger of Morristown, N.J., and Frederick Fried of New York City, each contacted us to correct the identification as the work of Charles Carmel of Brooklyn, New York. The Museum thanks these concerned members and appreciates all participation from our readers.
Tavern Sign Inquiry
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Carousel Horse Charles Carmel Brooklyn, N.Y. 1914 Wood;carved and painted, glassjewels and horsehair H.62" (Museum ofAmerican Folk Art, gift ofLaura Harding)
This primitive oil on board depicts a tavern, the sign of which reads "Thos. Rice, 1780, Tavern:' It is signed in the bottom right corner by "A. Nilson': and its size, excluding frame is 30 x 23'.' To the best of my knowledge it is all original, including the dark wood frame. It includes a young girl playing with a hoop and stick as well as a gentleman drinking from a crock behind a tree. The men's costumes are olive green and/or brown. Information that the tavern might be the Blue Anchorage Inn in Massachusetts could not be confirmed. Any information about the painting, especially the provenance, should be directed to: Elaine Stark, 36 Laurier Court, Beaconsfield, Quebec, H9W 458.
John Wilkie I am searching for examples of the work of John Wilkie (1793-1840). Mr. Wilkie lived in Schenectady, N.Y. and he travelled throughout the mid-Hudson and Mohawk Valleys, painting portraits and business signs. Most of his work was done between 1830 and 1840. The portraits were signed on the back "John Wilkie, Pinx't:' "J.0. Wilkie, Pinx't:' or "Wilkie, Pinx't" with the date and/or location. The sitter's name was frequently included. If anyone has further information, please contact: Mary Antoine de Julio, On Mariaville Lake, R.D.1, Route 159, Pattersonville, N.Y. 12137.
Illinois Folk Art Exhibition Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences is planning an exhibition of Illinois folk art scheduled for December 1981 through January 1982. The exhibition will cover a broad range of subjects including primitive paintings, decoys, quilts, coverlets, wood carvings, pottery, metalwork, etc., from Illinois, dating from its early statehood through midtwentieth century. While objects such as quilts, paintings, and decoys have often been shown in Illinois, a comprehensive exhibition of Illinois folk art is long overdue. If you or your organization have any items that would contribute to the quality and scope of our planned exhibition, please contact Merle H. Glick, Guest Curator, Lakeview Museum of Arts & Science, 1125 W. Lake Avenue, Peoria, Illinois 61614, (309)686-7000.
Old Japanese Shop Signs An exhibition of these is being planned for Japan House Gallery. If you have or know of any Japanese shop signs, call or write Lea Sneider, 211 Central Park West, New York, N.Y. 10024,(212)724-6171.
Colonial Williamsburg updates folk art coverlet checklist Popular demand has caused the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center in Williamsburg, Virginia to publish a second printing of its profusely illustrated Checklist ofAmerican Coverlet Weavers. Designed to aid those interested in identifying the maker, provenance, or pattern of a coverlet, the 146-page handbook, with more than 100 color and black and white photos, provides biographical and technical information on over 900 weavers. Data recorded since first publication in June 1978 and the names of fifteen recently discovered weavers have been added to the original text. Priced at $15.00(plus $1.00 postage), the checklist is being distributed for Colonial Williamsburg by the University of Virginia Press, and can be obtained by writing the Center at Drawer C, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185.
Ohio Folk Art Association Inspired by the remarkable growth of the Museum of American Folk Art, a small group of enthusiasts in the Cincinnati area have formed an organization to provide a forum for the expression of local interest in folk art. The Ohio Folk Art Association was chartered as a non-profit corporation in June 1980. The founding trustees are: Anita Ellis, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts, Cincinnati Art Museum; Roger Williams, Director, Cincinnati Art Academy; and Richard Rosenthal, a businessman and active collector of contemporary folk art. Richard E. Guggenheim, businessman and folk art collector, is President; Edward Hageman, Dayton, Ohio, artist, collector, and lecturer is Vice President; and Betty Sutherland, a collector active in preservation organizations, is Secretary-Treasurer. The 1980-81 season included lectures on "American Folk Art:' and on "Folk Artist Morris Hirschfield': and a visit to folk artist Elijah Pierce. The Association plans to sponsor an exhibition next year.
Antiques Magazine The Museum's Friends Committee is searching for the January 1922 and the July 1978 through March 1980 issues of Antiques Magazine. Please write or call the Friends Committee at The Museum of American Folk Art,49 West 53rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10019,(212)581-2474.
Workshops and Seminars in Early American Life Eastfield Village Workshops From June through October 1981 the Eastfield Village will hold its Fifth Annual Workshop in Historic Preservation and American Trades. Among the thirteen workshops being offered will be Tinsmithing, Basketry, Cabinetmaking, Picture Framing, Stenciling and Shoemaking. The six housewrighting courses range from timber framing to moldings. Write to Eastfield Village, Box 145 East Nassau, New York 12062 for additional information.
Cooperstown Seminars on American Culture The New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326, offers Seminars on American Culture including: American Decorative Arts, Textiles and Costumes; Miniatures and American Furnishings; The Study and Uses of Local History; Blacksmithing; Basketmaking; Nineteenth Century Open Hearth Cooking; Quilting; and Wall and Floor Stenciling. The programs take place June 28 through July 11.
Old Sturbridge Village Old Sturbridge Village's annual Crafts-atClose Range program offers a variety of early nineteenth-century New England crafts and activities. A Day in the Life of a Farm Family, Blacksmithing, Fireplace Cooking, Printing, Theorem Painting, Spinning, and Frugal Housewives and Farmers are some of the courses offered throughout the spring, summer, and fall at Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts 01566.
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Education Report
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Childrenfrom the Lavelle Schoolfor the Blind examining a whirligig from the touch collection in the gallery. -
The Touch Collection by Susan Saidenberg, Curator of Education The Lectures and workshops detailed in the Director's letter P.5, represent only a portion of the Museum's educational programs. As part of an effort to make the Museum more accessible to the handicapped, we have extended the successful series of gallery tours for special education classes. Prior to its visit, the characteristics of each class are discussed and a tour is tailored to its needs. For example, in February, the tour for a special education class from P.S. 111 in Manhattan, whose teacher stresses ways in which children can take responsibility in their daily lives, focused on the daily life of a child in another century. In the gallery, a baby's needs were discussed and related to the quilts, cradles, and toys in the exhibition. In anticipation of Valentine's Day, the children used our booklet, Small Folk: A Gallery Guidefor Children, to locate heart motifs in children's and doll's furniture and textiles, and left with plans to incorporate their sketches into a class "quilt!' Although the galleries are now housed on the second floor of a non-elevator building, the Museum's new building plans provide for easy entry for all visitors. In the meantime, the newly formed touch collec62
tion is the core of the outreach program, making the permanent collection and special exhibitions accessible to a larger number of the physically handicapped, as well as to other groups interested in folk art programs outside the gallery. The objects in the touch collection may be safely handled because they are not of museum quality and have been especially donated for this purpose. We initiated the touch program during the exhibition "Whirligigs/Windtoys and Woodcarvings: Promised Bequests from Dorothy and Leo Rabkin:' One contemporary whirligig was used in conjunction with children's tours. Activating the whirligig augmented the children's appreciation of the artistic and technical qualities of these wind driven objects. Adult visitors who observed the children often asked if they too could examine our working model. This kind of sensory involvement heightens both emotional and intellectual aspects of a museum visit. Objects convey a real sense ofthe materials and technique as well as the formal characteristics of folk art. A touching and handling collection is the leit motif of a museum visit for visually impaired children. In a program for the Lavelle School for the Blind, we introduced the idea that folk art, the work of untrained artists, was often created for utilitarian purposesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it is "necessity made beautiful': In the gallery during "Small Folk: A Celebration of Childhood in America:' the children examined the touch collection
(composed of objects generously donated by the Museum's staff), and compared the nineteenth-century playthings with their contemporary toys. They noted differences in materials and were quick to comment on the absence of plastic and batteries in the toys of yesterday. One child observed that "Since it must have taken a long time to carve a whimsey, a child really took good care of it:' After their visit, the children wrote letters to the Museum accurately recalling the objects they had examined. Their teacher, Mrs. Wigmore, wrote that for the children "... being able to touch and handle the toys made it especially meaningful for them... All of the children enjoyed the visit, but the little girl who sees the least (in fact she sees little more than light) seemed to enjoy it even more than the others:' We are assembling a group of handling objects for regular use in the Museum. This touch collection will contain both original objects especially donated for such use and reproduction pieces, all of which reflect the diversity of the folk art in the Museum's permanent collection. We hope to secure funding for a travelling kit based on the theme of wood. The kit, to be loaned to teachers and other groups, will contain a set of slides depicting objects in the Museum's collection and a set of wooden handling objects. A teacher's guide will include an introduction to folk art, sheets describing activities for different age groups, and a related bibliography.
Report from The Friends Committee by Cynthia Schaffner Cobblestones, Lumberjacks,Peanut Butter Balls, Hussar Rounds,Lemon Bars, to name just a few of the three thousand Christmas cookies baked by members of the Junior League of Morristown, New Jersey, were enjoyed by Museum members attending the opening of"Small Folk: A Celebration of Childhood in America" on December 11, 1980. Once Upon a House, a cottage industry in Wantagh, New York, created the lovely fabric baskets in which the delectables were displayed, and the tablecloths and monogramed aprons worn by the children who helped serve the cookies. Once again, the imaginative whirlwind coordinating the donation of so much time and talent to the Museum was Marie DiManno, who with her committee of Friends Suzanne Feldman and Gwen Kade have overseen two more splendid special membership openings. The February 11 opening of "The Icons of John Perates" and "Records of Passage: New England Illuminated Manuscripts in the Fraktur nadition" was another testament to Marie's energy. Marie felt that the biblical overtone of The Loaves and Fishes Cookbook, by Devon Fredericks and Susan Costner was in harmony with the theme of the dual exhibition. She called Susan Costner in Sagaponack who was delighted to provide the hors d'oeuvres for the opening. For Loaves and Fishes devotees, the Museum carries the cookbook, and those who attended the opening had a chance to enjoy Susan's crudities and dips, as well as purchase an autographed copy of the book. Bowls and platters for serving the hors d'oeuvres were another creative find of Marie's. At Marie's suggestion, Vermont potter Marion Waldo McChesney created splatterware bowls with a Pennsylvania Dutch heart on the bottom. They were an instant success; each sold on sight. Happily, the Museum Shop carries more of Marion's bowls and platters. Other special touches to the openings have been the magnificent flowers donated by the Village Green Garden in Park Slope and Perriwater Ltd., in Manhattan. Pineapple Primitives in Brooklyn Heights donated the Katja fabric tablecloths for the "Icons" and "Records of Passage" opening, which looked wonderful with the McChesney pottery, and baskets donated by The American Country Store in Manhattan. For both openings we are most grateful to The Buckingham Corporation for its donations of fine wines, and to Nancy Brown who aided in this contribution. Best Way Market,985
Park Avenue, generously donated cups for the evenings, and our thanks, too, to the Canada Dry Corporation for the club soda which is served at all openings. To express the Museum's appreciation, Meryl Griffiths of Lancaster, Pennsylvania designed a lovely fralctur style plaque listing all the contributions for the Icon opening; similarly, Ann Piderit Gibbs did a calligraphic plaque for the "Small Folk:' The Friends Committee thanks Marie, Suzanne, and Gwenâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;three creative and dedicated volunteers.
The Fall Antiques Show The Fall Antiques Show will return to the Pier this year. The Museum's Opening Night Benefit Preview will be September 23,6-10 pm. Karen Schuster and Cynthia Schaffner
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are again serving as chairmen. An eighteenth-century herb garden, a spectacular folk art raffle, and a lecture series on herbs are being planned by the Friends Committee Benefit Sponsorsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nancy Brown,Dianne Butt, Sally Clark, Joyce Cowin, Davida Deutsch, Marie DiManno, Helaine & Burton Fendelman, Susie Feldman, Irene Goodkind, Gwen Kade, Jana Klauer, Sudee Kugler, Wendy Lavitt, Helen McGoldrick, Virginia Saladino, Myra Shaskan, Cecelia Toth, and Jane Walentas. The Spring Meeting of the Friends Committee was held April 7, at which time Joyce Cowin and Cynthia Schaffner were thanked for their year of chairing the Committee and nominations were taken for their successors. The next Friends Meeting will be held in the Fall, but this summer will be busy with preparations for the Fall Antiques Show.
Opening of"Small Folk:A Celebration ofChildhood in America': Marie DiManno, Gwen Kade, Flowers by Perriwater Ltd. Jane Greer Judith Guido Phyllis Haders Pat Hall Heather Hamilton Barbara Hess Joyce Cowin,Co-Chairman Lucy Danziger Jay Johnson Cynthia Schaffner, Co-Chairman David Davies Joan Johnson Gwen Kade, Vice Chairman Davida Deutsch Susan Kessler Irene Goodkind, Secretary Nancy Druckman Jana Klauer Dianne Butt, Treasurer Suzanne Feldman Susan Klein Marie DiManno Burton Fendelman Sudee Kugler Museum Openings Helaine Fendelman Wendy Lavitt Coordinator Susan Flamm Nandine Levy Sara Frassinelli Pete & Anne Lowder Mama Anderson Judy Garfunkel Mrs. Frances Manocher Lee Ann Aukamp Marilyn Glass Helen McGoldrick Casandra Bright Chris Goodwin Mrs. Edwin H. Miller Nancy Brown Nancy Pelz-Paget Ellin Gordon Marjory Chester Samuel Pennington Sally Clark Karen Parker Gray Mrs. Richmond K. Greene Ronnie Potter Alan E. Cober
1980-81 Friends Committee Members
Mrs. Eugene Propp Willa Rosenberg Susan Rotenstnech Virginia Saladino Karen Schuster Myra & George Shaskan Mary D. Skutch Scudder Smith Kathryn Steinberg Kennetha Stewart Maureen Taylor Judith Tishman Cecelia Toth Jane Walentas Eleanora Walker Meryl Weiss Julia Weissman Janine Weller Reva Wurtzburger Riki Zuriff Myra Zuckerman 63
Folk Art Calendar Across The Country Ongoing RICHMONDTOWN RESTORATION The Staten Island Historical Society's ninety-six acre revolutionary village, which includes restored buildings from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries, as well as exhibitions and crafts representing daily life in those centuries, is open Saturday from 10:00 to 5:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00. In addition, during July and August, the site is open weekdays from 10:00 to 5:00. The Richmondtown Restoration, 441 Clark Avenue, Staten Island, New York. (212) 351-1611. Ongoing QUILTS AND COVERLETS A representative group of nineteenth and twentieth-century quilts and covertlets is always on view at the Denver Art Museum, with periodic changes made to protect the objects from overexposure and to give visitors the opportunity to enjoy the full scope of this 300-plus piece collection. Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver, Colorado 80204. Current through June 19, 1981 TEA: A REVOLUTIONARY TRADITION Fraunces Tavern Museum's exhibition explores the social, cultural, political, and economic impact of tea on life in Eighteenth Century America. This exhibition is the first to focus on the history of tea, and the development of tea drinking in Eighteenth Century America from both an historical and an aesthetic perspective. Prints, paintings, decorative arts, rare books, manuscripts, and artifacts from major museums, as well as from antique dealers and private collectors, illustrate the fundamental ways in which tea affected American culture. Fraunces Tavern Museum,54 Pearl Street, New York, New York 10004. Current through July 30, 1981 A FEAST OF COLOR: CORPUS CHRISTI DANCE COSTUMES OF ECUADOR will be at the Renwick Gallery. Among the items on display are embroidered costumes, musical instruments, and paper mache masks all made for this feast day. The decorative motifs on these items represent traditional styles and contemporary interpretations of Ecuadorian life. This material has not been exhibited outside Ecuador before, and the dancing itself, as well as the art it inspires, may well be 64
gone in a few years. Renwick Galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. Current through September 30, 1981 INDIANS: AMERICAN HERITAGE An exhibit utilizing over 200 objects of native American art from the collections of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. The great diversity of "styles" and lifestyles of the North American Indian is shown, with separate areas on the Eskimo, Northwest Coast, California, Southwest, Plains, Massachusetts, and Woodland Indians. The Museum of Our National Heritage, P.O. Box 519, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, Massachusetts 02173.
Current through September 30,1981 STYLE AND THE AMERICAN INDIAN A collaborative exhibition with the Peabody Museum, Harvard University to be held at the Museum of Our National Heritage, showing the style in clothing and home decoration of the North American Indian in the basic areas of his life in the North, West, Central, East, and South portions of the continent. Museum of Our National Heritage, P.O. Box 519, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, Massachusetts 02173. Current through 1981 AMULETS,TALISMANS AND EX-VOTOS This exhibit surveys objects used by individuals to further their relationship with spirits and deities to whom they are devoted. What distinguishes each type is the intent of the user, not quality or design of the object itself. Amulets are worn, carried or simply kept to protect the possessor, often from the feared "evil eye' A talisman not only protects but brings good fortune as well. Ex-votos express gratitude for blessings received, such as a good harvest, favorable weather or recovery from an illness. Museum of International Folk Art, Box 2807, Santa Fe, N.M. 87503. Current through 1981 CELEBRATE! In honor of its 25th anniversary, the Museum of International Folk Art will exhibit 200 mixed-media, multi-cultural objects from the museum's permanent collections. Included are masks, dolls, clothing, textiles, animal carvings, ceramic bowls and plates, musical instruments, ornamental boxes,
religious bultos,jeweled adornments, and silver objects like tableware and decorative household wares. All seven continents are represented. Museum of International Folk Art, Box 2807, Santa Fe, N.M 87503. Current through 1981 BAROQUE TO FOLK An exhibition exploring the varieties of artistic expressions in the New World (Western Hemisphere) after conquests by Spanish explorers. Similarities in colonial style, form, and function are examined through more than 175 figures of Christ, the Virgin, saints, angels, and portable religious art. A final section deals with interpretive changes by craftsmen as ideas were transmitted from colony to colony. Museum of International Folk Art, Box 2807, Santa Fe, N.M. 87503. May 30 through August 31, 1981 COMMON WEALTH: NORTH DAKOTA FOLK ART This exhibition is the first gathering of both historic and contemporary works by the folk artists of North Dakota. Paintings, carvings in bone and wood,drawings, quilts, costumes, utensils, memorial objects, and iron work are among the items collected for the exhibition. The North Dakota Heritage Center, Bismark, North Dakota. June 13 through October 25,1981 PUEBLO TEXTILES The Pueblo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico are famous for their pottery and other arts, but their long tradition of weaving has not received adequate recognition. Starting with beautiful basketry made from native fibers by the prehistoric ancestors of the Pueblo, through developments of a wide repertoire of decorative, complex cotton textiles and woven blankets and garments, the Pueblo have a long tradition of textile artistry. This exhibition includes about thirty outstanding examples of nineteenth and twentieth-century Pueblo weaving as a tribute to a beautiful art that has almost been forgotten by the descendants of its makers. Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver, Colorado 80204. June 15 through September 15,1981 CONTEMPORARY SCRIMSHAW AND IVORY CARVING The Museum of History and Industry is hosting an exciting "first"â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a major group show of carving and engraving in ivory, focusing specifically on recent work in the craft by
artists throughout the United States. The exhibit defines the various traditional forms and methods and will explore the wide variety of contemporary application as represented by approximately one hundred works chosen by jury in open competition in December 1980. In addition to Eskimo and nautical motifs, that for centuries have been the trademark of the craft, the show will include abstract and non-traditional motifs and sculptures that make scrimshaw a serious contender in the context of contemporary crafts. An illustrated catalogue will be produced, subject to National Endowment for the Arts grant approval. The exhibit will also be made available to other museums and institutions after its display period in Seattle. Museum of History and Industry, 2161 East Hamlin Street, McCurdy Park, Seattle, Washington 98112.
June 28 through August10, 1981 AMERICAN HOOKED RUGS, 1850-1957 A traveling exhibition organized by Gallery Association of New York State, "American Hooked Rugs, 1850-1957" includes a colorful sampling of an indigenous Folk Art. The craft of rug hooking, a lengthy process of pulling fabric strips through iwoven backing, developed in North America in the early nineteenth century and flourished for about 100 years. The rugs in "American Hooked Rugs" reveal the craft at both naive and sophisticated stages. Original in design, or drawn from ready-made patterns, the highly individualized motifs may be classified in three major categories: pictorials, florals, and geometrics. Herbert E Johnson Museum, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
June 21, 1981 through thefall BLUE RIDGE FARM MUSEUM The Blue Ridge Farm Museum offers costumed interpreters who perform many of the tasks that would have been done on an early nineteenth-century farm, such as preparing meals and working in the barn or garden. Some simply relax or play instruments. The Blue Ridge Farm Museum,Ferrum College, Ferrum, Virginia 24088.
August30 through September 28,1981 AMERICAN HOOKED RUGS, 1850-1957 See description above. 1890 House, Center for the Arts, Tompkins Street, Cortland, New York.
Book Reviews BARENHOLTZ, BERNARD & MCCLINTOCK,INEZ.
AMERICAN ANTIQUE TOYS 1830-1900. New York: Harty N. Abrams,Inc., 1980. 3 4. approx. 185 blw and 100 286 pp., 11 x 11/ color illus. hardcover. $45.00. It would be difficult for today's child, when looking at his playthings, to envision his life in an era before plastic. However, American Antique Toys depicts the myriad of playthings produced between 1830 and 1900, when toys were made of wood, tin, and cast ironâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at home and in factories. Mr. Barenholtz's extensive collection, which this volume illustrates, is not only among the finest in the world, but reflects his excellent taste and sense of design. His is a personal collection and so has a consistency, complexity, and integrity which make it a delight to behold. There is surprise and humor in his collection without ever a compromise in inherent good design. The collection has been carefully researched and the information given in
October 7through November 8, 1981 COMMON WEALTH: NORTH DAKOTA FOLK ART See description above. The North Dakota State University Art Galleries, Fargo, North Dakota. October II through November 2,1981 AMERICAN HOOKED RUGS, 1850-1957 See description above. Arnot Art Museum, 235 Lake Street, Elmira, New York. December 1981 through January 1982 ILLINOIS FOLK ART EXHIBIT The Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences exhibition will cover a broad range of subjects including primitive paintings, decoys, quilts, coverlets, woodcarvings, pottery, metalwork, and more, which originated in Illinois, from its early statehood to the midtwentieth century. While there have been many exhibits in Illinois featuring specific subjects such as quilts, paintings, and decoys, a comprehensive exhibition of folk art of Illinois origin is overdue. We hope to bring it together with your help (seep. 61 of this issue). The Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1125 Lake Avenue, Peoria, Illinois 61614.
Atr the captions is highly informative as well as enjoyable reading. The photographic illustrations by Bill Holland are a coup in creativity, sensitive to both objects and design, and demonstrating Mr. Holland's obviously fine technical skills. One could not wish for a better presentation of the toys which amused yesterday's children. A beautifully conceived, designed, and produced book which should be treasured by toy collectors, folk art collectors, and anyone else who was ever a child. Reviewed by:Dorothy Kaufman BISHOP, ROBERT & COBLENTZ, PATRICIA.
A GALLERY OF AMERICAN WEATHERVANES AND WHIRLIGIGS. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1981. 128 pp,. 8/ 1 2x11, approx. 231 blw and color illus., hardcover. $27.50, paper. $16.95. While the history of weathervanes can be traces back through European history to 48 B.C., this book is devoted to American vanes,for it was the American craftsmen
that lent these wind indicators the imagination and creativity that elevated them from their function as weather forecasters to one of America's first forms of sculpture. This book is a most delightful sampler of the artistry of individual and commercial craftsmen. An abundance of good, clear, black and white, and color photographic illustrations gives the reader an insight into the variety of pieces which once adorned America's architecture. Now in public and private collections, these objects are coveted works of art. Their original surfaces, enhanced by the action of the elements to fine patinas, tell the history of their service to seamen and farmers. The whirligig or wind toy was an object which seems to have had no function other than to delight and amuse. Hand-carved in the nineteenth century, these toys range from simple figures to complex creations, and are the sculptural inventions of their makers. The captions of this extensive and colorful array of America's weathervanes and whirli65
gigs are well written and informative. This handsome volume should be a treat for those who have long admired these objects and a delightful surprise for those who still think of weathervanes as belonging on barns, not in the livingroom. Reviewed by:Dorothy Kaufman FLECKENSTEIN, HENRY A., JR. SHORE BIRD DECOYS Exton, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1980. 144 pp.,83/4 x 11/ 3 4,157 b/w and 82 color illus. hardcover. $35.00. Shore Bird Decoys is the first book to deal exclusively with working 'antique' shore bird decoys. Shore birds were commercially gunned for the market in unbelievably large quantities until the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 was passed, making the sale of all migratory birds illegal and so ending the commercial hunting of shore birds. After 1918, the only shore birds to remain on the legal game bird list were the black bellied and golden plovers and the greater and lesser yellowlegs. In 1928 they were removed from the list, thus ending the gunning of all shore birds. The majority of shore bird decoys illustrated are therefore assumed to pre-date 1918, since these decoys were made principally for the market gunners. No working shore bird would have been made for legal use after 1928. These decoys are sought by decoy collectors, as well as folk art collectors; each group has its own measure for evaluating the desirability of a particular decoy. In my opinion, Mr. Fleckenstein has satisfied both decoy collectors and folk art enthusiasts with his beautiful photographic study of the shore bird decoys of the Atlantic Seaboard. In addition, these decoys are all in private
collections; it is always a pleasure to see objects which are not generally presented for study elsewhere. The caption information on the abundance of good, clear photographic illustrations contains type of bird, maker, approximate date, and locale when known. Not only is Shore Bird Decoys a beautiful, colorful volume, it is also a useful research tool for collectors. Reviewed by:Dorothy Kaufman
BRANT, SANDRA & CULLMAN,ELISSA SMALL FOLK: A Celebration of Childhood in America. New York:E.P. Dutton, 1980. 180 pp., hardcover,8/ 3 4x 113 / 4,150 b/w and 169 color illus. $29.95. Small Folk: A Celebration ofChildhood in America is a hardbound exhibition catalogue for a joint exhibition of folk art by,for, and about children, at the Museum of American Folk Art and the New York Historical Society. The author/curators of the exhibition have selected over 300 hand-crafted American objects to trace the rising status of the middle class or privileged of America's children from the late seventeenth century through the nineteenth century. The objects, selected from private collections, dealers, and public institutions, were chosen on their merit as aesthetically successful folk art. The emphasis is on the word art, as should be the case in any discussion of folk art. Mrs. Brant and Mrs. Cullman should be commended on their selections, as they have staged a beautiful exhibition with a large number of objects that have never been displayed publicly or published before, adding freshness to some classic folk art master-
pieces, and achieving an art exhibition which is indeed a celebration. The text of the book is a compilation and up-date of the history of childhood in America as it relates to the objects illustrated. Paintings of children, birth certificates, samplers, crib quilts, games, dolls, whirligigs, and a myriad of other objects are included in this art-historical survey of childhood. Small Folk is a worthwhile and very attractive documentation of an important folk art exhibition, as well as interesting reading. Reviewed by:Dorothy Kaufman CANNON,HAL. EDITED BY UTAH FOLK ART Provo, Utah:Brigham Young University Press, 1980.168 pp., paper, 8x 8,150+ blw and color illus. $15.95. This catalogue is the result of a state-wide survey for the study of Utah's cultural heritage, as seen through the diverse, handmade artistic objects of this state's citizenry â&#x20AC;&#x201D;past and present, culminating in the Utah Folk Art Exhibition in 1978. Beginning with the Indian art of Utah, the material is divided into ten subject areas which are generally accompanied by an essay by authorities in these aspects of Utah's cultural history. The material presented here is often quite different from that which the term folk art connotes in the Northeast. Frontier furniture, ranch gear, architecture, Mormon crafts and iconography, quilts, carvings, paintings, and tombstone art are all presented here to broaden the reader's awareness and appreciation of the traditions and aesthetics of the folk art of Utah. Reviewed by:Dorothy Kaufman
Our Growing Membership OCTOBER 1980-JANUARY 1981
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The Museum Trustees and staff extend a special welcome to these new members.
Barbara B. Abrams, New York City Mrs. Elva R. Adams, Lebanon, Ohio Drs. Judith & Ronald Aikawa, Evergreen, Colorado Ms. Judith Alexander, Atlanta, Georgia Aldith S. Allen, Amherst, Massachusetts Mary Lou Alpert Graphics, Yorktown, New York Burton Alter, New York City Paul Anbinder, New York City Mrs. Paul Angiolillo, Roslyn Harbor, New York Ms. Mary Anhaltzer, Portula Valley, California R. Jorgensen Antiques, Wells, Maine Ms. Carol Antonsson, Boston, Massachusetts
Mr. & Mrs. Eldridge Arnold, Greenwich, Connecticut Ms. Maria P. Arnold, New York City Ms. Betty Badgley, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania Megan Bayles, Pound Ridge, New York Beatty & Holzman, Islip, New York Mt R.P. Berglund, Armonk, New York Adele Bernhard, New York City Ms. Nancy Bernhard, New York City Cynthia Biber, Summit, New Jersey Ms. Molly Blayney, New York City Miss Ruth Bluethenthal, New York City Mrs. N.B. Boddie, Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Ms. Susan Borgen, New York City Virginia Brieant, New York City Mr. & Mrs. M.Q. Brown, New York City Ms. Clara H. Brush, New York City Josephine Buchanan, Branford, Connecticut Kenneth J. Budny, Dearborn, Michigan Mrs. Luella Buros, Highland Park, New Jersey Ms. Catherine Calligar, New York City WE. Camochan, Woodside, California Ms. Gail S. Carrel, Bogalusa, Louisiana Lily Cates, New York City Margaret Cavigga, Los Angeles, California Mrs. John C. Chester, Washington, D.C.
Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Illinois Mr. & Mrs. John Clarens, New York City Ms. Marianne Clark, Woodstock, Illinois Jack and Ali Clift, Chelsea, Massachusetts Ms. Carole Cohn, New York City Mrs. Leroy Cook,Toluca, Illinois Ms. Patricia C. Crawford, Spring, Texas Mr. Jack DeFontaine, Brooklyn, New York Derrel B. DePasse, Washington, D.C. Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Dera, Passaic, New Jersey Ms. R.K. DeScherer, New York City Ms. Charlotte Dinger, Morristown, New Jersey Richard Duff, Jr., Kentfield, California Barbar Duke, New York City Eugene Earnest, Morrill, Maine Ms. Victoria Eckvich, Rye, New York Ellen Einhorn, Hewlett Bay Park, New York Mrs. Robert L. Emmet, Jackson, Michigan Mrs. Edward S. Fabian, West Lebanon, New Hampshire Margaret W. Fabian, West Lebanon, New Hampshire Ms. Betty Fairey, Austin, Texas Judith S. Fallick, Langhorne, Pennsylvania Blanche T. Farley, Troy, New York Fearless Design, Santa Cruz, California Mrs. Paul Felzen, New York City Suzanne Firtko, New York City Leonard Fleischer, New York City Robin Fogel & Morris Cohen, Lawrenceville, New Jersey Nina Fraley, Berkeley, California Lynn Frederick, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Ms. Cathy Fry, Highland Park, New Jersey Ms. Debby Fryer, North Caldwell, New Jersey Ms. Carol S. Fuller, Amherst, Massachusetts Mr. Peter Gabriel, Bellerose, New York Galeria Garcia, Albuquerque, New Mexico Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Gargagliano, Larchmont, New York Emmy Giannikas, New York City Mrs. Rebecca G. Giles, Lynchburg, Virginia Mrs. & Mrs. Samuel A. Gillilard, Fairfield, Connecticut Ms. Phyllis J. Gilmore, Lancaster, Ohio David Goldberg, Huntington Woods, Mississippi Mr. Oscar Golodetz, Stamford, Connecticut Prudence A. Goodman, New York City Abby Gouverneur, Providence, Rhode Island Gail R. Gremse, Brooklyn, New York Beverly Griggas, Madison, Wisconsin Peggy T. Hall, Saddle River, New Jersey Mr. & Mrs. Morton I. Hamburg, New York City Julia Hamilton, Birmingham, Alabama Anne C. Haskel, New York City Barbara Hauge, New York City Julie Heller, Provincetown, Massachusetts Donald J. Heng, Jr., Oakland, California Kathleen B. Heng, Oakland, California Ms. Louise Hines, Minerva, Ohio S. Hinkle, Brooklyn Heights, New York Alice Hollander, Hicksville, New York Constance Hornig, New York City Ms. Martha S. Hough, Fryeburg, Maine
Mr. & Mrs. J.M. Jones, Rye, New York Mr. & Mrs. T.E. Jordan, Paoli, Pennsylvania
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Museum of American Folk Art 49 W 53rd St. New York, N.Y. 10019 Attn: Clarion
J. Kenneth Kansas, New York City Ms. Florence A. Kaplan, Miami Beach, Florida Ms. Ruth J. Katz, New York City Paulette Kaufmann, New York City John A. Kerley, Fort Thomas, Kentucky Fred King & Susan Smith, Forest Knolls, California Judith Klein, Washington, D.C. J.B. Koegel & L.B. Koegel, New York City Lanark Public Library, Lanark, Illinois Mr. & Mrs. Mart Lapin, Kilgore, Texas Ms. Janice L. LaPorte, Devon, Pennsylvania Elizabeth Lassleben, Whittier, California Ms. Mary B. Leonard, Manchester Center, Vermont Arnold Liebman, New York City Mr. David M. Lilly, St. Paul, Minnesota Terri Lipman, Dallastown, Pennsylvania Mr. & Mrs. Gavin MacLeod, Santa Monica, California Frances Mann, San Francisco, California Ruth W. Marcus, Mamaroneck, New York A.D. Marmion, Fairport, New York Lois Mateus, Frankfort, Kentucky J.F. McBeath, Painted Post, New York Mary E. McCarthy, New York City Vitrice McMurry, New Orleans, Louisiana Ralph K. Merrill, Fremont, Michigan Ms. Barbara R. Merriman, Pleasantville, New York Dr. Edward Micone, Summit, New Jersey Pierson K. Miller, Carlisle, Pennsylvania Ms. Peggy Mitchell, Fayetteville, New York Arthur Moebius, Aurora, Ohio M. Joanne Mohr, Kalamazoo, Michigan Mrs. C.M. Mollett, Hutchinson, Kansas Mr. Bob Morris, Summit, New Jersey Alice Latimer Moseley, Pope, Mississippi Ms. Adrienne Moss, Rockville, Maryland Blanche Moss, Beverly Hills, California Mrs. Alexander Mostrous, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin M. JoAnne Motte, Kalamazoo, Michigan Ms. Suzanne S. Murphy, Milford, New Jersey Ms. Mary H. Myers, Boston, Massachusetts Ms. Anne D. Neal, New York City Mr. Peter R. Nelson, Norwalk, Connecticut Mr. John H. Nettleton, New Canaan, Connecticut Lucille W. Nickerson, Stockbridge, Massachusetts Sally W. Nolan, New York City Nonpareil, M. Freed, Chicago, Illinois Carolyn Nygren, New York City Thomas & Suzanne O'Dea, Lake George, New York
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Mr. 8z Mrs. John Paoluccio, Modesto, California Ms. Susan Parrish, Santa Barbara, California Carole N. Pegoraro, Califon, New Jersey Ellyn Perlman, Great Neck, New York Mr. Anthony J. Petullo, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Ms. Phyllis J. Pezenik, Old Westbury, New York Barbara A. Pierce, Hyde Park, New York Ms. Mary D. Potter, Brookshire, Texas Mr. Daniel C. Prince, Stamford, Connecticut
Jorie C. Johnson, Boston, Massachusetts Ms. Priscilla Johnson, Chappaqua, New York
Charles Randau, Royal Oak, Michigan Flavia Rando, New York City
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Ms. Gail A. Renz, North Quincy, Massachusetts Alfred G. Reylek, Far Hills, New Jersey M. Jane Richard, New York City M.M. Riley, Narvon, Pennsylvania J. Rinderman, New York City Miss Mary W. Roessel, Pottsford, New York Fay Roth, Forest Hills, New York Judi Rubinstein, New York City Judith S. Ruch, New York City Elizabeth P. Ruud, West Redding, Connecticut Ms. Barbara M. Russell, New York City Ms. Enid Sackin, Carmel, New York Mr. A.N. Scallon, Armonk, New York Alvin Schachter, Mequon, Wisconsin L.D. Schaperkotter, Columbia, Missouri Dr. Austin Schlecker, New York City Christiane Schrebler, Cambridge, Massachusetts Cynthia Schwarz, New York City Mr. Bernard Selz, New York City Dr. David M. Shack, West Hartford, Connecticut Mary and Alan Shapiro, Scarsdale, New York
Mr. Thomas G. Shumate, Gibraltar, Michigan Mrs. Charles T. Sikes, Austin, Texas Marilyn M. Simmons, Minneapolis, Minnesota Mrs. Joel Simon, Montclair, New Jersey Ilene Singer, New York City Ms. Mary D. Skutch, New York City Mr. & Mrs. Hamilton Smith, New York City Lou Souders, Millington, New Jersey Marcia Spark,'Meson, Arizona Jane Spitalny, Scarsdale, New York Mr. Lee Stewart, New York City Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Stifel, Washington, D.C. Cynthia Sutherland, San Francisco, California Syracuse University Library, Syracuse, New York Thomas & Nancy Tafuri, New York City Ariel Thomas, Point Richmond, California Mr. Noel Thompson, New Vernon, New Jersey Joel Henry & Denise Vallat, New York City Ruth Montague Victor, Hampton, Virginia M.H. Von Segesser, Zumikon, Switzerland
Ms. Margaret L. Vose, Windham Center, Connecticut Jean M. Warden, Fair Oaks, California Ms. Nancy H. Warren, Santa Fe, New Mexico Nancy G. Watson, Pineville, North Carolina Mrs. Arthur L.S. Waxter, Easton, Maryland Ms. Barbara Westover, Oakland, California Kathleen White, New York City Ronald G. Wickam, New York City Elaine Willson, London W8,England Harriet Wink, Midland Park, New Jersey Ms. Deborah Leigh Wiss, Morristown, New Jersey Mrs. Warren Witzig, State College, Pennsylvania Mr. William R. Wollett, Middletown, New Jersey Mrs. Mickey Zaret, Glenhead, Long Island, New York Sondra & Nicole Zell, New York City Mrs. John W. Zick, Greenwich, Connecticut Ms. Elie A. Zilldia, Geneva, Switzerland
Our Increased Membership Contributions OCTOBER 1980-JANUARY 1981 We wish to thank thefollowing membersfor their increased membership contributions andfor their expression of confidence in the Museum: George & Patricia Arden, New York City Ronald R. Atkins, Bedford, New York Mrs. Jerome Badner, New York City Richard M. Barancik, Barrington Hills, Illinois Mr. & Mrs. F.W. Beinecker, New York City Roderic H. Blackburn, Kinderhook, New York Mr. & Mrs. William Buckett, Honeoye Falls, New York Coach Leatherware, Lillian Cahn, New York City Mr. & Mrs. Harold H. Corbin, Jr., Salisbury, Connecticut Mr. & Mrs. D.B. Currin, Stamford, Connecticut Mr. Allan L. Daniel, New York City Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Danziger, New York City Mr. & Mrs. Robert T. Drake, Winnetka, Illinois Mr. & Mrs. Joel S. Ehrenkranz, New York City Edwin F. Gamble, Brunswick, Maine Dr. & Mrs. Gellhom, New York City Marilyn Gevirtz, Montecito, California Sam & Selma Goldwitz, New York City Mrs. C.V. Henry, III, Leban, Pennsylvania Leon Henry, Jr., Scarsdale, New York Henrietta Humphreys, San Francisco, California Guy Johnson, Red Bank, New Jersey John S. Kartovsky, Bridgeport, Connecticut Mrs. Christine Kehoe, Malibu, California Chris Kirtz & Kate McPherson, Leesburg, Virginia Mrs. Gregor Leinsdorf, New York City Peter Levy, New York City Mr. Walter P. Lewisohn, Yorktown Heights, New York Mr. & Mrs. Carl D. Lobell, New York City Mr. & Mrs. Robert Marcus, Palm Beach, Florida 68
Mr. & Mrs. Harry Meier, Jersey City, New Jersey Steve Miller, New York City Haje Boman O'Neil, New York City Nancy Pelz-Paget, New York City Dr. & Mrs. R.L. Polak, Amsterdam, Holland Mr. & Mrs. Richard Rasso, East Chatham, New York Stanley P. Sax, Birmingham, Michigan Jacqueline & Stanley Schneider,'Meson, Arizona Mrs. L. Wm. Seidman, Washington, D.C. Frederic 8z Jean Sharf, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
U4; 1 11
The Squires Antiques, Lenox, Massachusetts Carolyn E. Stewart, New York City G. Terci, New York City Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Troubh, New York City Mr. & Mrs. D. Walentas, New York City Clune J. Walsh, Jr., Grosse Point Farms, Michigan Mr. & Mrs. Robert Weller, New York City Patricia M. Whitman, Stamford, Connecticut Mr. & Mrs. Charles M. Wilds, Greenwich, Connecticut Mr. & Mrs. Richard H. Witmer, New York City
For those who wish to enjoy the fun and satisfaction of being a
MUSEUM VOLUNTEER
please contact the office about your talents and interests:
o Benefit Events 0 Planning D Decorations Reservations o Large Gifts Information or Solicitation o Mailings o Office Aides (Typing, filing, record-keeping) o Receptionist o Salesperson in The Museum Shop Other volunteer work for which I have special talent or experience 0 Write or call:
Museum of American Folk Art 49 West 53 Street New York, New York 10019 (212) 581-2474
Coming Exhibitions at The Museum THE UNIQUE AMERICAN DECOY Curator: Jeffrey Waingrow MEMBERS'PRIVATE PREVIEW September 2, 1981 OPENING September 3, 1981 CLOSING November 8, 1981 The Museum will mount an exhibition of American wildfowl decoys from the collection of Mr. Donal C. O'Brien. It is the first time the nationally known collection will be publicly displayed. FOLK ART TREASURES FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION AND THE ART OF THE AMERICAN BASKET Folk Art Treasuresfrom the Permanent Collection Curator: Alice M. Kaplan MEMBERS' PRIVATE PREVIEW November 18, 1981 PUBLIC OPENING November 19, 1981 ONGOING Beginning in November, selected works from the Museum's Permanent Collection will be on view. The exhibition will feature a representative grouping of folk art including quilts, sculpture, theorum paintings, weathervanes, pottery, portraits, furniture, whirligigs, and more. Father Time, a carousel horse, Portrait ofChild with a Basket, a Western Amish quilt, an Eastern Amish quilt, and a painted and decorated box are some of the items to be exhibited. The Art ofthe American Basket Curator: Judith A. Jedlicka MEMBERS'PRIVATE PREVIEW November 18, 1981 OPENING November 19, 1981 CLOSING February 14, 1982 Basketry Basketry is an adaptable folk art form—one which will survive as long as man is inspired to create. This exhibition, drawn from Ms. Jedlicka's promised bequest to the Museum's Permanent Collection, will include approximately 150 baskets dating from America's earliest settlements through the twentieth century. Utilitarian baskets used for gathering food, hunting, and storage; baskets made by the Moravians, Shakers, Separatists of Zoar, and Amish; and traditional Nantucket baskets made by sailors will all be displayed. Techniques of basket making, as well as regional differences and characteristics, will be explored.
THE CHALK MENAGERIE AND FOLK ART TREASURES FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION The Chalk Menagerie Curator: Robert Bishop MEMBERS'PRIVATE PREVIEW February 24, 1982 OPENING February 25,1982 CLOSING May 16, 1982 The Museum will exhibit its extensive chalk collection, a bequest of Effie Thixton Arthur. This exhibition will be accompanied by painted and decorated pieces of furniture and by large photo blowups which detail the relationship of chalk figures to high-style Victorian art as exemplified by the work of John Rogers. It will also illustrate the parallel between chalk and English Staffordshire free standing figures and will present unpublished graphic material relating to the distribution of chalk as a work of art.
Folk Art Treasuresfrom the Permanent Collection ONGOING SCHERENSCHNITTE BY HELEN NYCE MEMBERS'PRIVATE PREVIEW May 26,1982 OPENING May 27, 1982 CLOSING August 25, 1982 This exhibition will consist of paper cuttings created by Helen Nyce between 1904 and 1926. Her skill in scherenschnitte led her to study art. She became an illustrator of children's books and stories, using the scissor cutting technique of her early work,for many of her illustrations.
TimeIs Running Out. A landmark is gone. Once again America will commemorate it with a plaque—which can never begin to recreate the true sense of an oldet place and another time. Once again indifference and neglect rob us of the beauty of our heritage. Time is running out. Slipping away. Even now the pendulum swings again. In your town, perhaps. Yet there's hope in the programs of The National Trust for Historic Preservation. Write James Biddle, President, for membership information.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation 740 Jackson Place, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006 69
a 211 jockey hollow rd bemardsuille nj 07924 I. AMERICAN FOLK ART TILE
Authentic reproductions of Americana designs from antique pottery, iron and wood sculpture represented in sculptural relief. MOTIFS: weathervanes, carousel animals, butter molds. USES: decorative Tiles for Floors and Walls; Wall Hangers/Trivets. Handcrafted in the historic American Primative tileworks tradition. Custom designs available. Kindly send $1. for poster/brochure. WEATHERVANES
BETTY OSBAND AMERICANA BUTTERMOLDS
1981 Terra Designs Inc.
cArnerican Country cAntiques 315 EAST 68TH STREET NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10021 211 jockey hollow rd â&#x20AC;˘ bemardsuille nj07924 / 201- 766-3577
70
BY APPOINTMENT
212 628-3697
COUNTRY CURTAINS The City Curtain Country Curtains are a tradition ... years of oldfashioned quality and conscientious service. Country Curtains have lent their special warmth to American homes from Nantucket to Nob Hill. This elegant curtain was inspired by the stately houses on Boston's Beacon Hill. The pearly white or ecru fabric, a silky rayon/ acetate blend by Shumacher, is edged with an exquisite 2114" tassel fringe. 90" wide per pair. Lengths of 54", $33.00 pair, 63" or 72" long, $37.00 pr; 81" or 90" long, $43.00 pr; 102" or 108" long, $51.00 pr. Valance, 12"x96", $16.00 each. Tiebacks, $6.00 pair. Matching bedspread. Please specify color. Add $2.50 postage/handling. Check, money order, Mastercard, Visa. Mass. res. add 5% tax. Send for free catalog. Satisfaction guaranteed.
COUNTRY CURTAINS, AT -DiE RLDLANINN
Dept. 59 Stockbridge, Mass.01262
FOLK ART GALLERY
Policeman Whirlygig Height 16" Original blue paint Circa 1920
HAMMEft Ei HAMMM american folk art 620 NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE SUITE 470 CHICAGO,ILLINOIS 312-266-8512 142 E. 73 St. at Lexington Ave., N.Y.C. 10021 *
212-628.5454 71
290 LAFAYETTE STREET
NEW YORK CITY 10012
D.O.T.1747
FOR MOVING IN & AROUND N.Y.C. • EXHIBITIONS, SHOWS • AIRPORT & PIER PICKUPS
RAINBOW MOVERS (212)431-8550 ART • ANTIQUES• EXPERIENCED • REASONABLE RATES
Nkgilt
We wish to purchase exceptional quilts of this quality. Photos promptly returned.
RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL AMISH CENTER SQUARE QUILT LANCASTER COUNTY DATED 1888• WOOL
JANOS AND ROSS MUSEUM QUALITY AMISH/MENNONITE PIECED AND APPLIQUE QUILTS CIRCA 1845-1940 ALSO AMERICAN FOLK ART 72
BARBARA S. JANOS— BARBARA ROSS 110 East End Avenue(5E)— New York, N.Y. 10028 (212)988-0407 by Appointment Only
EUGENE EPSTEIN AMERICAN PRIMITIVES and others
Uncle Jack Dey Justin McCarthy Inez Nathaniel Pucho Odio Joe Polinsky Old Ironsides Pry
Bill Roseman Nellie Mae Rowe Jack Savitsky Mose Tolliver Chief Willey
22 Wooster St., NYC 10013, By Appointment 212226-7316
Savitsky...
American Folk Art Sidney Gecker (212)929-8769 Appointment suggested
226 West 21st Street New York, N. Y 10011
Extremely fine pair of 19th century decorated chairs in pristine condition. Probably Baltimore.
We are interested in purchasing fine examples of 18th and 19th century Americana. 73
connectic
norma!williamwqngel american antiques and folk art
1
Wiggins Brotherb Antiqueb RFD #1 â&#x20AC;˘ Tilton, N.H. 03276 (603)286-3046
Anonymous "THE LOVERS" (c. 1850) oil on canvas 24" x 19" 74
11058 seven hill lane,potomac,maryland by appointment only
2 0 854
301-299-8430
These re-creations of Early American lighting fixtures and some 250other models may be seen in ourshop. The rod arm chandelier shown on the left, and about 250 other such chandeliers and sconces. faithfully follow the design of colonial craftsmen of some 200 years ago. These fixtures of unlacquered brass take on a rich patina as they age. Also available with an antique pewter plating over solid brass. The chandelier on the right and other sconces,lanterns, shades, planters and liners are all handmade. We also do specialty sheet metal work in brass,copper, pewter and tin. Come visit our shop or send $3.00 for a catalog describing about 50 chandeliers and sconces.
Au entic Designs
330 East 75th St.. Dept. E New York, N.Y. 10021 (212)535-9590
Nineteenth century sheet iron weathervane, 10" high, 12" across (excluding base), 14 gallon NORTON, BENNINGTON jug, Pennsylvania fabric bird, 34" tall.
Inc
Kathy Schoemer P.O. Box 63, New Canaan,Connecticut 06840 (203)966-0841 75
1981 - 1982
SUNDAY
The E.M.C. FRENCH 1981
Concord fintiques Fairs
OCTOBER 18th NOVEMBER 15th DECEMBER 6th 1982 JANUARY 17th FEBRUARY 14th MARCH 14th APRIL 4th
New Hampshire Highway Hotel Concord, New Hampshire
Managed ht. S.K. FRENCH Exeter, N.H.
REPRODUCTION SWAN BENCH
The Essence of Elegant Craftmanship This unusual cast iron swan bench is a 20th Century reproduction of an original 19th Century bench and is suitable for indoor or outdoor use. 76
Planked seats of oak in a natural or painted finish are supported on molded, stylized figures of swans. Height 36 inches, length 5 feet, width 24 inches. $1600. Available only through the Museum of American Folk Art, 49 West 53rd Street, New York, New York 10019.
10021 (212)249-8484 open wednesday through saturday, 11:00-6:00, and by appointment
6.0 0
uLLI _J
0 (/) LLI
4:( Rare small size Index Horse with applied mane, made by J. Howard and Co., West Bridgewater, Mass. 14" x 18". Exceptionally fine patina.
CC
2
Custom Made Stretchers for displaying Quilts & Hooked Rugs Rag Carpets sewn together for Area Rugs
Pie Galinat 230 wlOth St , n,y. , ny. 10014 (212) 741-3259
77
Numti Finm 2101 L Street, kW., Washington, D.C. 20037 Call (202) 223-0673 or (800) 424-8830 (Toll free)
LI CI I lif)3 U4K' /WM FINE /A64(\c?TS CE LfNSU/R SPECI LISTS
• Collectors • Dealers • Museums
NO\
FEARLESS DESIGN Antique Carrousel Figures from Major American and European Carvers As found to completely restored Illustrated Brochure $5.
By Appointment(408)429-8323 Michael McCracken Fearless Design 346 High St. Santa Cruz,California 95060 78
VEST5 , 1917?AVIS Paintings $3,500 to $15,000 Drawings $250 to $1,200
Serigraphs $300 to $400 We will donate 100/o of each sale from this advertisement to The Museum of American Folk Art.
VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT Miller, Addison, Steele, Inc. 5 East 57 Street, NY, NY 10022 (212) 759-1060 Plaza Hotel(original painting & serigraph available)
Robert Thayer American Antiques Forty-eight East Eighty-third Street New York City By Appointment 212-744-1397
War of 1812 Troop's Tinder Horn A reserve supply of Tinder for the troops, to be kept "safe and dry,'" was the responsibility of one soldier on march or during a campaign. FT AY Rhode Island Dated: 1814 Length: 8" From the collection ofDeuere A. Card.
79
Margaret Cleland's Friendship Quilt. Long Island, 1849 and 1850 period. 100" x 100" Pictured and described in Daughter's of the American Revolution National Historical Magazine. August 1941, pp. 20-22.
0f till americanb) filkart ommilmmind wimimAIS bettie mintz p.o. box 5943 bethesda, maryland 20014 301-652-4626
Index to Advertisers Aame, Anton, American Primitive
6
All of us Americans
80
American Folk Art, Sidney Gecker
73
G"1
Eisenberg, Leslie
71
Newcomer-Westreich
21
Eugene Epstein
73
New York/Pennsylvania Collector
22
Osband, Betty
70
Rainbow Movers
72
R.Fl. Love Galleries
19
Fall Antiques Show, The
1
Fearless Design
78
American Country Store
IFC
French, S.K.
76
America Hurrah
BC
Galinat, Pie
77
Hammer & Hammer
71
Anderson, Mama
77
Antiques and the Arts Weekly... 10 75 Authentic Designs Block, Huntington T. Canadian Antiques and Art Review Childs Gallery Country Curtains Crane Gallery Daniel, Allen L Dutton, E.P 80
78 17 15 71 8 9 20
Janos & Ross
72
Johnson, Jay
IBC
Russell, John Keith
13
Schoemer, Kathy
75
Schorsch, David
11
Just Us on Court
23
Sotheby's, Sotheby Parke Bernet, Inc
16
Lisbon, Ceril
12
Terra Design
70
Made in America
18
Thayer, Robert
79
Miller, Addison, Steele, Inc . . . 79
Wangel, Norma & William
74
7 Miller, Steve Museum of American Folk Art.. 76
Wiggins Brothers Antiques
74
Winterthur Portfolio
14
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Woodard, Thomas K
2
69
"The Road Leads On"
Mattie Lou O'Kelley
"Evening Entertainment" Ruth Perkins
"Cafes" Antoinette Schwob
"Winter Magic" Janis Price
1
JAY JOHNSON AMERICA'S FOLK HERITAGE GALLERY 72 EAST 56TH STREET NEW YORK,N.Y 10022 (212)759-7373 SUMMER HOURS:12 TO 5 PM. TUESDAY THRU SATURDAY
JOEL and KATE KOPP
316 EAST 70th St,
NEW YORK,10021
U1116 * 212 "535-1930
*
4p, ilt UNIQUE SILK AND VELVET PICTORIAL QUILT, 76"x 80" DATED 1886
Although we are best known for QUILTS and TEXTILES, our shop and gallery always offer a choice selection of FOLK SCULPTURE, PRIMITIVE PAINTINGS,WEATHERVANES, SAMPLERS, HOOKED RUGS, and COUNTRY ACCESSORIES. Please visit us when you are in New York City our hours are Tuesday窶認riday 12-7 pm, Saturday 12-6 pm Closed Monday.