The Clarion (Summer/fall 1980)

Page 1

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THE CLA ION AMERICAS FOLK ART MAGAZINE

The Museum of American Folk Art New York City


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October30loVember 2,1980

BENEFIT PREVIEW FOR THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART OCTOBER 29, 1980 6-10PM

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 - GLASS - CHINA - BRONZE SCULPTURE QUILTS - RUGS - PEWTER - SILVER - JEWELRY - FOLK ART TOYS - PRINTS - BOOKS - PAINTINGS - AMERICAN INDIAN ARTIFACTS PASSENGER TERMINAL PIER - THE HUDSON RIVER & WEST 55TH STREET, NYC THURSDAY - SATURDAY 1-10 PM SUNDAY 12-5 PM PARKING AVAILABLE FOR 800 CARS


"Formal horse. Cast iron. Outstanding figure with strong sculptural feeling: has been compared to work of Chinese. Pompous,controlled grace. Fine rounded neck,head drawn in,short ears up,straight mane and forelock in relief, wide nervous eyes, very round nostrils. One foreleg lifted high. Flowing tail cut from flat iron. Unlike many modern stylized animals, with strained tightness in their affected poses, this horse gains rather than loses in dignity by the formality of his pose:'*

AMERICAN FOLK ART GALLERY 19 East 76th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021 ALLAN L. DANIEL DOROTHY J. KAUFMAN 212-794-9169 • Tues.-Fri. 11-6 Sat. 12-5

*Description of identical example from: Cahill, Holger, American Folk Sculpture. The Work ofEighteenth and Nineteenth Century Craftsmen (exhibition catalogue). Newark, New Jersey: The Newark Museum,1931.


4 9WOODA tCS(11 QAMERICAN ANTIQUES681,QUILTS 1022 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y.10021 PHONE:(212)YU 8-2906 PROPRIETORS: BLANCHE GREENSTEIN, TOM WOODARD

We are located at the corner of73rd Street and Lexington Avenue and are open Monday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We are always interested in buying rare and unusual quilts, pictorial, crib, doll, and Amish quilts, paintedfurniture, andfolk art. Photos returned promptly.


THE CLARION

Cover: Uncle Sam Artist unknown New York State Late 19th Century Wood, metal; painted L. 55/ 1 2" Moving parts: Uncle Sam's legs and bicycle wheels The Clarion, America's Folk Art Magazine, SUMMER/FALL 1980 Published and copyright 1980 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 the loss or damage of such material. Change of Address. Please send both old and new addresses and allow five weeks for change. Advertising. The Clarion accepts advertisements only from advertisers whose reputation is recognized in the trade, but despite the care with which the advertising department screens photographs and texts submitted by its advertisers, it cannot guarantee the unquestionable authenticity of objects or quality of 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.

CONTENTS / Summer / Fall 1980 Dr. Robert Bishop

Letter From the Director

5

Whirligigs/Windtoys and Woodcarvings: Promised Bequests from the Collection of Patricia L. Coblentz Leo and Dorothy Rabkin New World窶認reedom

Dorothy Rabkin

29

Leo Rabkin

29

Adventures in Folkcarving

Folk Art: The View From New York

The City of Ships

A.J. Peluso, Jr.

Noteworthy Items

56

Coming Exhibitions at the Museum Folk Art Calendar Across the Country

Report From the Friends Committee Docent/Education Report

38

47

52

57 58

59

Coming Events at the Museum

Book Reviews

William C. Ketchum

Ronald de Silva

The Artist as Collector

22

62

64

65

Recent Additions to the Museum Collection Museum Shop Talk

70

Our Growing Membership Index to Advertisers

66

72

84

3


Museum of American Folk Art BOARD OF TRUSTEES

MUSEUM STAFF

Officers Ralph Esmerian, President Alice M. Kaplan (Mrs. Jacob M.), Executive Vice-President Lucy Danziger (Mrs. Frederick M.), Vice-President Jo Lauder (Mrs. Ronald), Vice-President Maureen Taylor (Mrs. Richard), Vice-President Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq., Vice-President and Secretary William I. Leffler, Treasurer Karen S. Schuster (Mrs. Derek)

Dr. Robert Bishop, Director Patricia L. Coblentz, Assistant Director Laura Byers, Exhibition Coordinator Susan Flamm, Publicity Coordinator Lillian Grossman, Secretary Nora Lucas, Managing Editor, Publications Anne Minich, Development Coordinator Jessica Schein, Bookkeeper Dia Stolnitz, Museum Coordinator Oscar Brown, Jr., Clerk Marilyn Glass, Chairman Friends Committee

Members Alice Burke (Mrs. James E.) Catherine G. Cahill Adele Earnest M.Austin Fine Barbara Johnson, Esq. Margery G. Kahn (Mrs. Harry) Theodore H. Kapnek Jana Klauer(Mrs. Gerold EL.) Susan Klein (Mrs. Robert) Henry R. Kravis Ira Howard Levy Elizabeth J. McCormack Cyril I. Nelson Kenneth R. Page, Esq. Diane Ravitch (Mrs. Richard) Thomas G. Rizzo John W. Rotenstreich David Walentas Andy Warhol William E. Wiltshire III

EDUCATION PROGRAM

Trustees Emeritus Mary Allis Marian W. Johnson (Mrs. Dan R.) Louis C. Jones Jean Lipman (Mrs. Howard)

4

Suzanne Stern, Education Coordinator Susan Klein and Dorothy Kaufman, Docent Training Coordinators Phyllis Tepper, Marie DiManno, and Heather Hamilton, Outreach Coordinators Cynthia V.A. Schaffner, Correspondence Coordinator Priscilla Brandt, Field Trips and Seminars Lucy Danziger, Docent Program Consultant THE MUSEUM SHOP STAFF Elizabeth Tobin, Manager Kevin Bueche Sally Gerbrick Lynn Landy Kay Mahootian Nancy Scaia THE CLARION STAFF Patricia L. Coblentz, Editor Nora Lucas, Managing Editor Helaine Fendelman, Advertising Manager David Gordon, Art Director Ira Howard Levy, Design Consultant Ace Typographers, Inc., Typesetting Topp Litho, Printers


114M

Letter from The Director The Museum of American Folk Art continues its efforts to bring wider attention to the folk art field. Since the last Clarion several new projects have been implemented. A Corporate Membership Program is being developed by Anne Minich, Development Coordinator, and Dia Stolnitz, Museum Coordinator. The project has already attracted several new members such as: Philip Morris, Inc.; The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.; and the Xerox Corporation. Among the special benefits connected with corporate Museum membership are folk art lectures given at corporate headquarters by members of the Museum staff. If you know of potential corporate members why not telephone Anne Minich at the Museum office and request a copy of our new Corporate Membership Packet? The Mobil Corporation has just awarded the Museum a generous grant which will enable us to remain open Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 8:30. Admission is free of charge. This program began on April 1 and is designed to broaden community involvement and at the same time make our many fine exhibitions available to a wider audience. Thank you Mobil! The New York Junior League's sponsorship of Thursday evening openings is coming to an end. Junior League participation helped bring the Museum to the attention of the Mobil Corporation. We would like to thank the League for its ongoing involvement and are looking forward to working with its docents who will continue to serve in the galleries both during day and evening hours. The Museum received an Award of Appreciation from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. During the Christmas holiday season, our Outreach educators, under the direction of Suzanne Stern, visited public and private schools where they taught children to make Christmas ornaments based upon weathervane designs. The ornaments and other children's art decorated the Port Authority and Penn Station. Anthony J. Barber, of the Port Authority, wrote: "Our patrons certainly enjoyed the children's creations, and I thank you on their behalf as well as my own:' In April Assistant Director Patricia Coblentz judged a sampler competition of 160 pieces in Birmingham, Alabama. The Museum's 1978 exhibition "A Gallery of American Samplers: The Theodore H. Kapnek Collection" inspired the

editors of Progressive Farmer and Southern Living magazines to host their own show of contemporary samplers stitched in traditional modes. Mary Elizabeth Johnson, editor of Decorating and Craft Ideas magazine and author of craft and needlework books, and Jean Ray Laury, a graphic designer, lecturer, teacher, and author in the textile field, were also judges. Nearly 200 pieces, representing all of the Southern states, were entered. Winning pieces were purchased by the sponsors to be donated to the Birmingham Museum, or hung in their own textile collection on display at the offices of Progressive Farmer. The Fifth Annual Manhattan House Tour on May 3 was another stunning success. I would like to thank its organizer Trustee Jana Klauer, Karen Schuster, and other Museum Friends and volunteers for their efforts in making the exciting Tour possible. A special thanks to the house owners for sharing their homes with us and to volunteer Susan Flamm for the extensive press coverage she achieved. "English Naive Painting:' graciously loaned to the Museum by Mr. and Mrs. Andras Kalman of London, found great favor with all who saw it. This exhibition was first suggested by Museum Friend Eleanora Walker. Her interest in English naive art is detailed on page 63. We would like to thank the Kobrand Corporation, Importers of Beefeater Gin and Otto Roth & Co., for their generous contributions for the reception at the gala opening of "English Naive Paintings:' Beefeater Gin from Kobrand Corporation and a wide variety of English cheeses from Otto Roth & Co. lent a British touch to the evening. During the week of April 14, several Museum employees and docents presented lectures on folk art at Macy's Department Store. This education program was coordinated with the introduction of a line of early American decorative textiles and related home furnishings produced by New Country Gear of New York. Culminating the week's events was an auction held at Macy's for the benefit of the Museum. I would like to thank Hilary Garrison of Macy's for her enthusiastic assistance and Judy Crabic, Betty Martin, and Raymond Waites of Gear for their continuing interest in our programs. Our exhibitions inevitably bring many new friends and members. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau read about our show 5


1.

2.

3.

1. Ocorge Radovanovitch describing methods q' wood preservation as part of the Museum's Conservation Lecture Series. 2. Moving to 47 West 53rd Street. 3. From left: Exhibition Associate Joyce Hill;

Museum Director Dr. Robert Bishop; and Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau examining Morgenthau's Blunt seascape.

6

Photography by Dia Stolnitz

"John S. Blunt, the Man, the Artist, and His Times:' in the New York Times, and realized that in his own collection he had a fine seascape. He brought it to the Museum where it was positively identified as a Blunt and hung on the Museum walls with the other paintings by the Portsmouth, New Hampshire artist. Many members and guests attended the conservation lecture series held in conjuction with the Blunt Show. Kate Dodge, a textile conservator, Margaret Watherston, a painting specialist, George Radovanovitch, a sculpture conservator, and Joel Zakow, who restored Donna Maria by John Blunt, shared their knowledge of preservation and restoration of folk art. I am pleased to inform you that all of the portraits only previously attributed to John Blunt can now be positively identified as the work of this Portsmouth, New Hampshire/Boston, Massachusetts artist. When the paintings were delivered for the exhibition, new discoveries and comparisons were made which confirmed the attributions. These discoveries will be detailed in a forthcoming issue of The Clarion, by Joyce Hill who assisted with the research on the Blunt show. Mr. and Mrs. Leo Rabkin, longtime supporters of the Museum, have generously made a bequest of their entire collection of American folk art. Pieces from this group will be displayed in the handsome exhibition, "Whirligigs, Wind Toys and Woodcarvings: Promised Bequests from the Collection of Leo and Dorothy Rabkin:' starting on August 28. Come to see the Rabkin show which is being designed by Henry Prebys, Manager, Display and Design Department, Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum. It is certain to be one of the most handsome exhibitions ever, for Mr. Prebys is well known both nationally and internationally for his sensitive museum installations of works of art. The Fall Antiques Show, previously held at the 7th Regiment Armory and managed by Sanford L. Smith & Associates, will be presented this year at an exciting new location—The New York Pier, overlooking the Hudson River at 54th Street. This handsome structure with adequate parking facilities for everyone will be the site of one of New York's most exciting events of the Fall Season. Join us for the preview on October 29 which will be for the benefit of the Museum of American Folk Art. Information about preview tickets will be available from the Museum office in the near future. The Fall Antiques Show opens to the general public on October 30 and extends through November 2. A special marine exhibition, devoted to 19th century New York Port Painters, is to be featured. Food and beverages will be available throughout the show at the Pier. I look forward to seeing you there. Dr. Robert Bishop DIRECTOR


The Third Annual

Rochester Town & Country Antiques Show & September 13, 1980, Saturday — 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. September 14, 1980, Sunday — 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. MAYO CIVIC AUDITORIUM —

Rochester, Minnesota

Exhibitors: Champagne Preview and Sale Friday, Sept. 12 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (Reservations required) $25.00/person ($12.50 tax deductible)

• Exhibitor's Forum • Lecture and Coffee • Sunday Brunch • Dollhouse Lecture • Pre-show Tour

ILLINOIS The Federalist Antiques Lawrence E. King The Silver Vault Taylor B. Williams INDIANA Faye and Don Walters IOWA Heritage Antiques KENTUCKY The Apple Tree MAINE Jorgensen's 1685 Mill House MASSACHUSETTS Brimfield Antiques

2-Day Admission — $2.50

MICHIGAN Village Green Antiques Fran Weiss

MINNESOTA Michael Birdsall M. R. Higgins R. K. Klapmeier John Kruesel Mayowood Galleries Jerry Peters Antiques The Plush Horse Tony Scornavacco Thayer Wesley NEW YORK Audree and Bryce Chase Robert Thayer WISCONSIN Terry and Angela Brinton The Brass and Shutters Jean Lineweber Ney-Londes Prescott's Landing Antiques Raven Nest Antiques Verona Sunvold The Victorians

Women's Association of the Minnesota Orchestra

WAM30

To Benefit: • Youth Music Projects • Minnesota Orchestra in Rochester

For Reservation: P.O. Box 252 Rochester, MN 55901

For Information: (507) 288-2866 or (507) 288-1476


JOEL and KATE KOPP

316 EAST 70th St.

Lei NEW YORK,10021

Welk 212 535-1930 *

Although we are best known for our Quilts and Textiles, our shop and gallery always offer a choice selection of WEATHERVANES, FOLK SCULPTURE, PRIMITIVE PAINTINGS, BASKETS, SAMPLERS, HOOKED RUGS,SPONGEWARE AND COUNTRY ACCESSORIES. Please visit us when you are in New York City.


A SHOW AND SALE OF AMERICAN FOLK SCULPTURE AND WHIRLIGIGS FROM AUGUST 26TH,1980BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

STEVE MILLER American Folk Art 17 EAST 96TH STREET NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10028 212-348-5219

9


Rare Nest of Shaker Laminated Top Oval Carriers

JOHN Icg1111 RUSSELL AlVIQUES, Specializing in American Antiques of the 18th & 19th Centuries

SPRING STREET,

SOUTH SALEM

SOUTH SALEM,V10590

RIDGEFIELD, WILTON

4..T684 Directions: Spring St. is located just off Rt. 35, 7.5 miles east of 1-684 From Merritt Parkway,take exit 38(Rte. 123) north to Rte. 35. Turn left. Spring St. is 3rd road on right. Opposite big church.

(914)763-3553 Open Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 to 5:30 pm

10

ROUTE

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NEW CANAAN, NORWALK 11,


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Winterthur Portfolio

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A JOURNAL OF AMERICAN MATERIAL CULTURE Edited by Ian M. G. Quimby and Catherine E. Hutchins "Material culture is the study of the man-made environment. It deals with • all the tangible products of human ingenuity . ... Its purpose is to interpret objects in their cultural context."—Ian M.G.Quimby

L

...... ...... ......... r Appearing since 1964 as an annual collection of essays on the arts in early American • I life, Winterthur Portfolio began publication in Spring 1979 as a quarterly journal with a broadened scope that includes the entire man-made environment in America.

Superbly illustrated articles

I

I on sculpture: Lois Goldreich Marcus, The Shaw Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens: 0 A History Painting in Bronze Richard 1. Betts, The Woodlands James M. Curtis and Sheila Grannen, Let Us Now Appraise Famous Photographs: Walker Evans and Documentary Photography Benno M. Forman, Delaware Valley "Crookt Foot" and Slat-Back Chairs I I • The Fussell-Savery Connection on collecting: Donald C. Peirce, Luke Vincent Lockwood and the Brooklyn Museum methodology: Jules D. Prown, Style as Evidence : •

on architecture: on photography: on furniture:

II : on art history II as well as painting, ceramics, decorative arts, and social history • on

IMO

Published for The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

OR..

Oiligh THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS

Published quarterly

Winterthur Portfolio

D Two-year charter subscription, beginning with the Spring 1979 issue (vol. 14, no. 1) at the 25% discount rate of: D Institutions $36.00 D Individuals $27.00 0 Students $24.00 Add $4.00 for subscriptions mailed outside the USA and its possessions. 0 One-year subscription, to begin with the current issue: D Institutions $24.00 1=1 Individuals $18.00 El Students $14.40

• 111 II

41

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Add $2.00 for subscriptions mailed outside the USA and its possessions. Name Address City

II

• •

State/Country

Zip

Master Charge or Visa accepted. Please enclose account number, Interbank number (Master Charge only), expiration date, and signature. Or mail with your check, money order, or purchase order to The University of Chicago Press, 11030 Langley Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60628. 11/79

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Vibrant and imaginative Baltimore Album Quilt made by Sarah Ann Scott for Rhoda Scott, c. 1850, 84"x 84"

JST -on Court Ave. 111111 J & S Schneider 299 N. Court Ave.•Tucson. Arizona 85701 (602)622-3607•Appointment Advised

13


Oortony,

J

1-215-388-7687

1-302-655-4924

P.O. BOX 3944, GREENVILLE, DELAWARE 19807

Ira Hudson, Hissing Goose, 1920-1930

Peter Watson, about 1928

Ward Brothers, 1922

ot

./z/zett Yi (Woett 62) til/

Vi//aye?gativelk

Yklenekizlica, fifteen minutes from downtown Wilmington, Delaware ten minutes from the B rand ywine River Museum the Winterthur Museum and Loligm)od Gardens 14


Fine Americana

Fine carved and painted wood American eagle, Wilhelm Schimmel, Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania, mid-19th century, height 11 inches, wingspan 171 / 4 inches.

at auction Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11 at 10:15 am and 2 pm each day On view from Saturday, July 5 Illustrated catalogues will be available approximately 4 weeks before the auction. Inquiries: Nancy Druclanan(212)472-3511

Sotheby Parke Bernet•New York Founded 1744 The world's leading firm of art auctioneers 980 Madison Avenue New York 10021 (212)472-3400 15


Advertising Appraisals Auctions Baskets Book Reviews China Clocks Collectors Coming Events Coverlets Decoys Exhibitions Folk Art Furniture Glass Guns History Insurance Investments Lace News Briefs Oriental Rugs Paintings Pewter Prices Quilts Real Estate Restoration Samplers Seminars Shaker Shows Spinning Wheels Stoneware Tools Toys Trends Values

Ohio Antique Review Published monthly exceptJanuary One-year subscription $12.00 Sample copy upon request Ohio

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P.O.Box 538P Worthington,Ohio 43085


QualityFolk

Abraham Delanoy,Jr. (1742-1795) Girl With a Basket of Fruit circa 1785, oil on canvas, 30 x 22 inches. Other fine folk by Ralph Earl, Rufus Hathaway,John Durand, Erastus Salisbury Field, William Jennys, Thomas Ware, Joseph Badger, the Dennison Limner and Aaron D. Fletcher. Send $5.00 for your copy of our Painting Annual with 60 color and black and white illustrations of American and European paintings.

CHILDS

169 Newbury Street • Boston, Massachusetts 02116 • (617) 266-1108 fine American and European paintings, prints and drawings since 1937.

17


The pottery pictured aboveis sought by collectors. Can you identify all of it? It is Bennington, Clewell, Hampshire, Jugtown, Lonhudci, Mossier, McCoy, Nilook, Pisgah Forest Cameo, Rozane, San Ildefonso-Marie and Julian. Can you match the name with the pottery? All but one piece is American; which one? Which is the oldest? Which one demands the highest price in the collectors' market? Answer below.

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BEGINNING OUR NINTH YEAR!

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FUN BOOK WIWI NEW 11.1111CMPT1ON HOW TO IIHNTWY BENNINGTON POTTERY

by Rkiterd Carter Serve. $4.95 value Were you correct? I to r, Front level: Porcine, Lonnucki, Niloak, Mossier, Clewell, Bennington Bock. raised: Jugtown, Marie and Julian, Hampshire, Pisgah Forest Cameo, McCoy. The iridescent Mossier is French pottery. The Bennington is the oldest, mode besween 1861 and 1881 by E. and L. P. Norton of Bennington, Vt. The Marie and Julian (American Indian, San Ildefonso PueSlo, New Mexico made between 1923 and 1943) wouki demand the highest price.

18


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WOOD CARVINGS • WHIRLIGIGS • HOOKED RUGS COUNTRY FURNITURE • TRADE SIGNS • YELLOW WARE PHOTOGRAPHY.WEATHER VANES • TOYS &TINS 3356 SACRAMENTO STREET • SAN FRANCISCO 415/929-8588 19


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ANTIQUES And The Arts Weekly "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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MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK*ART Introduce yourself to the Museum of American Folk Art and join in the exploration of America's rich folk art tradition. Founded in 1961, this Museum is the only urban museum in the United States dedicated to the exhibition, collection, and preservation of the works of American folk artists, both past and present. We will gladly send you a FREE copy of our publication, The Clarion, America's Folk Art Magazine, which is a membership benefit and inIcludes articles on traditional and contemporary folk art, catalogues of Museum exhibitions, and the "Folk Art Calendar Across The Country': We will also send information on the other benefits you will receive as a Museum member, (in addition to an annual subscription to The Clarion) including: •Free admission to all exhibitions at all times •Private previews of all exhibitions *Advance notice of all exhibitions, classes, lectures, tours •Reduced fee for Special Events, including an Annual House Tour, benefits, antique shows, seminars, classes PLUS •10% discount in The Museum Shop •Rewarding fellowship of volunteer activities ----------------

MII=EN

WHY NOT JOIN IMMEDIATELY! Museum of American Folk Art 49 West 53 Street New York, New York 10019 Name Address City For information on the benefits of Corporate membership, please write or call: Museum of American Folk Art 49 West 53 Street New York, New York 10019 (212) 581-2474

D Individual El Family

State

Zip

$25 $35

D Benefactor $100 0Sponsor $1000 D Sustaining $250 D Life $5000 CI Contributing $50 0Patron $500 (Please add $5 for foreign memberships) All memberships are tux deductible.

INIMIIIIII=1111111M111110=============1=INIMMONINIIIIIIMIIMIM 21


SPECIAL EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

wh.1.. iriigigs Windtoys and Woodcarvings: Promised Bequests From th Collection of Leo and Dorothy Rabkin Patricia L. Coblentz, Curator

22


Photographs by Dia Stolnitz 1. Early Bird Gets the Worm. Artist and provenance unknown. Late 19th century. Wood, wire; painted. H. 42".(Cat. No. 4). Each section moves on this intricately constructed piece. The platform supporting the cardplayers revolves; 2 men play on a seesaw; sawyers operate a 2-man saw;3 men work industriously on the top plafform, and all the while the Early Bird chases the Worm around and around.

4.

This special exhibition of whirligigs, wind toys, and woodcarvings is only a small portion of the collection of Leo and Dorothy Rabkin. They have gathered a wonderful assemblage of handcrafted objects from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries featuring the human form, ranging from figures as small as 1 inch to as large as 6 feet. Most figures are carved in wood, but a few are executed in metal and ivory. Some are as solid as immovable sculpture (fig. 2), while others are as articulated as the great Early Bird Gets the Worm whirligig (fig. 1). Viewing their collection is a visual and mental delight. The Museum of American Folk Art is highly honored to have its permanent collection designated as the repository of this vast, whimsical, historical, and educational collection. Especially entertaining and eye-catching is the portion of the Rabkin collection related to the wind. It is often the topic of general conversation and the subject of many songs and poems; sailors and farmers fear and respect it and at the same time attempt to harness it for their own practical purposes. Weathervanes and wind indicators have been constructed so that these men might "read" the wind and better plan their activities. Around the 12th century windmills were conceived to harness the wind's power for pumping water, grinding grain, and driving sawmills. In the midst of all this furious activity, someone

paused long enough to realize that the same force, in its calmer periods, could produce lovely, chime-like sounds when its breezes gently moved strips of thin wood or small sheets of glass. Others discovered that those giant windmills could be reduced to miniature versions and provide a toy that whirled merrily when fastened to a tree trunk or carried in the hand of a walking or running child. Around 1550 these miniature vanes or wind toys were common in northern Europe. Children's Games, painted by the Flemish Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525-1569), depicts children playing with lance-like toys that have pinwheels affixed to their tips. Small children are still enchanted with these charming devices called whirligigs, a word meaning revolving giddily or merrily that was in use by the 16thcentury. It is not known when the more elaborate versions of these wind toys began to emerge. The earliest American wind toys seem to date from the late 18th or early 19th centuries. By this time, they had evolved to the form of a small, carved wooden figure with arms shaped like propellers. The figure was attached to a rod driven into the ground and, when caught by the wind, the entire figure twirled round and round horizontally with the ground while the paddles furiously whirled perpendicularly. It has been speculated that some of these wind toys acted as scarecrows to frighten

his exhibition has beenfunded in part by Schlumberger Horizons, Inc.

2. Chorus girl. Earl Eyman. Drum right, Oklahoma. Circa 1935. Wood;painted. H. 3 / 3 4". (Cat. No. 140). Although this is a solid piece with no moving parts, the whittler has deftly communicated thefeeling of motion. 3. Hessian soldier on a swing. Artist unknown. Iowa. Late 19th century. Wood, wire; painted. H.19/ 1 2". (Cat. No. 93). It seems unlikely that a smartly uniformed soldier would spend much time on a swing, but apparently somefolk carver thought it was an amusing way to portray him. 4. Hessian soldier. Artist and provenance unknown. 19th century. Wood, leather; painted. H.103/8". (Cat. No. 14). The triangular leather hat is fastened securely to the head of this rather grim soldier, assuring that it will notfly off as he twirls rapidly around on the rod that runs through his torso. His shoulders are extended abnormally so that his arms, which terminate in bladelike devices, will not strike his body as they whirl alongside it.

23


5.(a)Man wearing a bowler hat. Artist and provenance unknown. 19th century. Wood;painted. H. 29". (Cat. No. 16). In addition to thefinely modeledface, natty bowler hat, shaped waistline, and delineated waistcoat, the whittler has given this whirligig very broad shoulders and bent the arms at the elbows to insure that the paddles will not strike the body as theyflail the air. (b)Double-faced man. Artist and provenance un5(c).

5(b).

known. Late 19th century. extending straight out from the shoulders. The Wood;painted. H. 10". (Cat. No. 20). The arms, signalflags are inserted which extendfarther than in small slits at the ends the hips, on this simple of the rods. but truly beautiful piece are affixed directly to the 6. Horse auction. Artist unknown. New York State. paddles; this could be a simplifiedform of the bent Circa 1880. Wood, metal; elbow also.(c)Sailor painted. H. 46".(Cat. with signalflags. Artist No. 1). The large vane and provenance unknown. holding thefish and the 19th century. Wood; small propeller moves painted. H. 9". (Cat. No. back andforth as the 17). Although this wind horses are displayedfor toy is meticulously carved the bidders. The platform holding the horses reand painted, the whittler volves, the auctioneer's chose to use rodlike arms

7. arm holding the hammer moves up and down, and one bidderfrantically waves his arms in the air while two other bidders stand solidly on the side ofthisfascinating whirligig. 7. Articulated and stationary human figure woodcarvingsfrom the Dorothy and Leo Rabkin collection.


birds from gardens. Such an agitated apparition might well have caused many flying predators to seek their food in somewhat quieter surroundings. The larger figures might also have served as weathervanes. In addition to indicating the direction of the wind, its approximate velocity could be determined by observing the speed of the revolving arms. The idea of the wind toy is undoubtedly inherited from virtually every group of settlers in the New World. One of the most popular forms is the "Hessian Soldier" (fig 4). The originals of these sometimes very comical figures could have been crafted by the German troops who journeyed from their homeland and fought for the British during the American Revolution. On the other hand, since the furious activity of the giddily twirling body and flailing arms accomplished nothing, they might well be effigies created by intensely patriotic citizens contemptuous of the efforts of these soldiers to impede the American fight for independence. Most whirligigs are comical in nature and have no purpose except entertainment. They may compare to the charming, individualized "end of day" pieces created by both potters and glassblowers from odds and ends remaining from the day's production. The home craftsman whittling these small figures, either for his own amusement, or as a toy for his children, required little more than his pocket knife, a few blocks of wood, and a sense of humor. The earliest forms are representations of soldiers, cavalrymen, sailors, and Native Americans. Many are done in a complimentary manner while others are definite caricatures,(fig. 3). Each figure invites supposition on the part of the viewer as to the state of the whittler's convictions.

8. Voodoofigure. Artist unknown. New Orleans. 19th century. Wood; painted; glass eyes. H. 13/ 3 4". (Cat. No. 92). A voodoo doll represents the maker's enemy. He believes that when harm is done to the doll, such as pins being stuck into it, his enemy will also be harmed.

Generally the earliest whirligigs are single figures crafted in the round. The best and most obvious way of dating them is by their costumes. There are 3 basic types of single figures differentiated by the manner in which the arms are attached to the axle which runs through the shoulders of the body. Paddles, usually in the form of swords, are attached to the ends of the shaped arms of the most intricately-made figures (fig. 5a). A second type has arms that still terminate in paddles, but are bent at the elbows (fig. 5b). The arms of the third type extend straight out from the body terminating in paddles (fig. Sc). Each design gives a different appearance to the subject.

9. Top row, left to right: Submarine. L. 12/ 3 4". (Cat. No. 38). Drum major and drummer. L. 12/ 3 4". (Cat. No. 36). Dutch girl. H. 6". (Cat. No. 34). Bottom row, left to right: Wind determiner. H.4/ 1 2". (Cat. No. 39). Man riding pig. H. 5". (Cat. No. 33). Chipmunk. H. 7". (Cat. No. 37). Man in yellow convertible. H. 4". (Cat. No. 35). In the early 1920s an unknown craftsman in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, cut these simplefiguresfrom planks of wood, perhaps using a jigsaw andfollowing the designs in a pattern book. The condition of the brightly painted pieces indicates that they were probably displayed in a protected area and never subjected to the changing elements. The submarine's antenna moves as well as its propellers. The drum major twirls his baton while the drummerfollows at the end of the parade. The little Dutch girl plays with a pinwheel. The individual vanes of the wind determiner move back andforth as the entire piece revolves. The smiling pig is doomed never to catch the ear of corn that the rider dangles in front of his snout. The chipmunk is obviously biting a small pinwheel. Depending on the breezes, the man in the convertible is very likely to exceed the posted speed limits.

9.

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11.

10.

12.

13.

Some whittlers, certainly only those with more time, carried the whirligig form from a single figure to a complex design with multiple figures (fig. 6). The vanes driving such a device are at one side of the piece. The figures may perform a chore or an activity in unison, or in some especially elaborate cases, the actions of one figure or group of figures may activate other single figures or groups. These are truly visual delights and undoubtedly elicited many smiles and exclamations of wonder. What a pleasing spectacle it must have been to come upon a yard containing one of these kinetic sculptures. Children would have been intrigued by the sight of miniature sawyers, farmers pumping water for their horses, women scrubbing clothes, horses running, or birds flying rapidly in never-ending circles. Adults probably either pondered over the intricacy of the design or the application of time to such a perfectly useless device, depending on one's attitude toward life. Since whirligigs were made simply for pleasure or whimsy, they were not sturdily constructed and not many early examples survive. The delicate mechanisms on the intricate models have long since lost the ability to function, leaving it to modern imaginations to visualize the working piece. The whirligig did not escape the imprint of the Industrial Revolution. Beginning in the late 19th century most of the figures ceased to be carved in the round and were sawn from boards, producing flat images relying on paint for their decoration. In the early years of the 20th century, handicraft books and magazines began to carry patterns for whirligigs made from planks. The forms changed also; horses and buggies were replaced by automobiles with twirling wheels and a submarine (fig. 9)overshadowed the Indian's canoe. The whirligigs in use today are still eye-catching yard decorations, but most of their individuality is gone. The art of the whirligig is currently being translated into mobiles and electric sculpture by contemporary artists and craftsmen. Many 18th and 19th-century whirligigs, products of immigrant craftsmen and Yankee whittlers who believed that idle hands were the Devil's playthings, have found their way into public and private collections where they are being preserved for future generations to enjoy. Woodcarving, of which whirligigs are only one product, is as old as man. Early whirligigs, windtoys, and woodcarvings were made with the untaught care and feeling so characteristic of American folk art. Carved more for pleasure than profit, these figures represent the artist and circumstances which influenced him. The delicate balance of making a living and making the living worthwhile has its roots in antiquity. The need to relax one's mind and body from the day-to-day efforts of working manifests itself in many ways. Perhaps the cave paintings from earliest civilization are an indication of a desire for decoration as


14. 10.Zozobra (Old Man Gloom). Poppsy Schaeffer. New Mexico. Circa 1935. Wood, paper, tacks, celluloid; painted. H. 59".(Cat. No. 141). Effigies of this type are still used in an annual summerfestival in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They are burned to ward off bad luck during the coming year. 11. Doll. Artist unknown. New York State. Circa 1850. Wood, cloth; painted. H. 26".(Cat. No. 86). 12. Back row, left to right: Devil. Thurman Tinch. Tennessee. 1930s. Wood, metal; painted. H.19". (Cat. No. 85). This fiendish figure, with articulated arms and legs was found in a barn in Tennessee. According to legend, it was hung in the barn to ward offfires. Monkey doll. Artist unknown. Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. 1860. Wood, leather, canvas; painted. H. 13". (Cat. No. 87). Devil. Artist and provenance unknown. Early 20th century. Wood; painted. H. 11". (Cat. No. 67). Skeleton. Artist unknown. New England.

20th century. Wood; was used in either a carmoves as he picks the painted. H. 111 / 4". (Cat. nival or a minstrel show. worms out of thefisherNo. 66). Voodoo doll. (Cat. No. 62). man's bait can; and the Artist unknown. New Orfisherman's leg moves in 14. Farmyard vignette. leans. 19th century. time with his arms as he Artist and provenance un- pulls his rod back and Wood;painted; glass known. 20th century. forth. eyes. H. 13/ 1 2". (Cat. No. Metal, glass; painted. 92). Front row, left to L. 65".(Cat. No. 9). The 15. Left to right: Man in right: Black male squeeze toy. Artist and provenance horse's tail swishes as his electric chair. Artist and provenance unknown. head drops into the unknown. Late 19th cenbucket to drink the water 20th century. Wood; tury. Wood, string; thefarmer is pumpingfor painted. H. 9". (Cat. No. painted. H. 7'. (Cat. No. him; the sawyer is indus- 78). The arms and legs of 58). Voodoo coffin contriously cutting a log into thisfigure can be moved taining twofigures stuck into a variety of positions. pieces; the chicken's tail with pins. Artist unknown. Found at Coney Island, New York. Circa 1960. Wood;painted; cloth figures. H. 3/ 1 2". (Cat. No. 143). Man with Outstretched arms, part of a toy. Artist and provenance unknown. 19th century. Wood;painted. H. 7/ 1 2". (Cat. No. 88). Monkey, part ofa toy. Artist and provenance unknown. 19th century. Wood, metal; painted. H. 8". (Cat. No. 49). 13. Dorothy and Leo Rabkin sit amidst some of their life-sized wooden sculptures. The 54-inchtall blackfigure immediately infront of Mrs. Rabkin was made in the 20th century by an unknown artist in Tappan, New York, and probably

Stylistic similarities indicate that it was made by the same person who crafted thefigure on the far right. Drunkard carrying tumbler and bottle. Artist and provenance unknown. Circa 1925. Wood; painted. H. 13". (Cat. No. 139). Drunkard carrying a jug and a bottle. Artist and provenance unknown. 20th century. Wood; painted. H. 93/4". (Cat. No. 77). 15.

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well as a need to record how many creatures were killed to supply food and clothing or how many enemies subdued to protect one's self and family. Perhaps the same recordings of the day's activities were expressed in three-dimensional likenesses as well as in paintings. Creatures, both animal and human form, carved from a variety of substances, such as wood, amber, and bone, dating from as early as the Ancient Egyptian Empire (2980-2475 B.C.) have been discovered. Those first small carvings, now preserved in museums, are the ancestors of today's whittlings and woodcarvings. Man's first tool was probably a war club modified to an ax-like implement; his second was the knife. He probably soon discovered it was easier to shape wood than stone, for the earliest historical records always mention wood casually, as if it were simply understood that this was the carver's material. The woodcarver's proclivity for carving the human figure seems to be limitless (fig. 7). Man's image, ranging from a few inches high to larger than life, has always been a favorite subject of the whittler. Primitive carvers often caricatured their chiefs in tool handles, worshipped carved wooden idols of their gods, and tortured wooden effigies of their enemies (fig 8). Fathers and fond relatives have long made dolls for the children in their families

(fig. 11). In some cultures, where personal examination of the body was considered indelicate, doctors diagnosed illnesses by having their patients indicate on a carved figure the part of their body that was causing pain. Merchants have called attention to their wares either by displaying them on a mannequin (fig. 13), or by erecting on the premises a figure that indicated their trade. Man has always expressed his concern and contempt for the human race through his carvings, and Leo and Dorothy Rabkin have preserved representations of most of these expressions in their collections which include dolls, store mannequins, ventriloquists' dummies, carnival figures(fig. 10 and 13), trade figures, wind indicators, weathervanes, whirligigs, and whittlers' whimsies such as trapped or caged figures, all-of-a-piece carvings, and figures in bottles. With only a few exceptions, the makers of these mostly one-of-a-kind pieces are unknown since whittlers seldom signed their work. The original purpose of these creations was probably amusement or perhaps the satisfaction of expressing some opinion on the state of the world in a form other than written. They are no longer considered mere toys, but a record of the past and an art form to be appreciated for their sculptural beauty.

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16. Bugler. Artist un17. Woman kicking cob18. Doublefaced man. known. New York State. bler. Artist and proveArtist and provenance unDated 1950. Wood, metal, nance unknown. Early known. Late 19th century. cloth; painted. L. 48". 20th century. Wood, Wood;painted. H. 10". (Cat. No. 40). When the metal; painted; woman (Cat. No. 20). Thisfigure propeller moves the rods has pinhead eyes. L. 34". can be enjoyedfrom eisupporting the bugler's (Cat. No. 11). Evidently ther side since it has body, his legs move as the cobbler is not working visualfeatures on both the though he is dancing to fast enough,for she is front and back of the the tune he is playing. constantly kicking his head. backside as he pounds on her shoe.


New World Freedom by Dorothy Rabkin How did we start on all this? When I came to the U.S. over 30 years ago, I was only interested in Oriental Art and French and German Impressionism. Before I met Leo, I bought 2 little Pennsylvania Dutch scraffito pie plates at a country auction in New Jersey for 500 each, thinking they were Japanese. Then Leo and I met; he liked those 2 pie plates and a few other things I owned; he himself owned a small collection of Mexican whistles. After we were married 22 years ago, we started buying early American country furniture, which was terribly cheap, because we could not afford Swedish Modern then en vogue. We met Richard Lindner, an artist who, because he painted men and women with strong colors, was called by many— mistakenly, he felt—the "Father of Pop Are.' Richard had a small collection of toys, mostly European and a little on the decadent or, at least, unique side. We began picking up toys on our furniture and antique hunting trips as presents for him until we, not long later, discovered that we liked them ourselves—especially those that Richard did not care for, the crude and rustic toys which to me were a kind of revelation. After a childhood of being dragged by my father to the museums every winter Sunday to admire the "perfection of Greek Art" and having the rules of "proper proportions" drilled into me in school art classes, I found the freedom represented in American folk toys and carvings a reflection of the American spirit. Not bound by tradition and rules, the artists used available material to create whatever came to mind. The carvings with hands and feet in absurd proportion to the rest of the body were full of that marvelous sense of humor which makes America so special for me. Leo and I always agreed on what we liked and on practically everything we own. We have bought together, and the whole collection (if you please to call it that) has been accumulated with a minimum of money and a maximum of love and fun. We never thought of it as an "investment"—to us it was money spent as others spend for amusement or clothes. But, as I said before, to me these folk carvings

represent America which accepted me as a Displaced Person without looking for proper proportions (except my political leanings and a healthy body and mind). Many of the small and large figures in the collection have been carved by people who came to this country, as I did, in search of freedom and a life without bondage. They have expressed for me what I want to say: gratitude for what the new homeland has given us all.

Adventures in Folk Carvings by Leo Rabkin A collection should begin unplanned, unhampered without extraneous problems or limitations. Only after the collection is amassed, is it labeled "collection:' For over 20 years my wife Dorothy and I have collected a rather special kind of folk art which now is in fashion, shown in museums, and mentioned in books and periodicals. To explain how or why this collection was started is much too complicated: simply put, it has been a joint venture which slowly was built on the constant support we gave each other. It is presumptuous to search for basic motives and simultaneously account for all the years before we really considered ourselves collectors. How we decided on the human figure and whirligigs is likewise hard to trace. As an impressionable youth in Cincinnati, I spent many hours browsing, learning, and working in family antique shops. After World War II, I had become an artist in New York, was excited by the City, and was stirred by the abstract expressionist scene of the late 40s and early 50s. I was also conscious of the development of a new interest in American folk art. Galleries were showing this work, articles were being written, and contemporary artists were collecting American folk art not

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Oriental, pre-Columbian, African, etc. When Dorothy and I were married we began to collect folk art, and have continued to show equal interest in both abstract art and folk art. Dorothy says that my work as a vocational counselor and teacher focused on people, and in my hobbies I complemented my abstract painting with an interest in collecting human sculpture—especially whirligigs and human carvings. New York was the Mecca for these 2 types of American art: abstract expressionism and American folk art. It is intriguing that in but a very few years they both had undergone many changes and today receive world-wide praise. An enigmatic connection must exist between the two, although outwardly they appear of opposite persuasions. Beginning in the early 30s, both seemed destined to bring a revolutionary change in the understanding of American art; I do not have the reasons but research and scholarship will reveal the extent to which both arts have fashioned a direction completely separate from the traditions of Europe. In our case, folk art has helped us to see and to understand our rich culture. The moments of pleasure we have from the collection are never-ending. We want to share this collection and hope it will provide enjoyment and a beginning of serious study of a part of our country's past. Our first purchase was not a whirligig, but a small wooden fragmented nude man without feet and with outstreched arms clasping a missing mystery (fig. 3). We test him, but his fierce bearing remains unchanged over the years as we judge and rejudge. He has helped overcome the limitations of our conventional observations. By now we can acknowledge his grim, folk art face. The bulging stomach is of a man of middle age. One concludes that he and almost all of our figures reveal something of the carver's inner soul. This imagery repeats itself again and again, with variations: the figure may suggest a puritanical New Englander, or a patriotic Uncle Sam, a prototype of a worker, or one of many roles in dreams or at play. There seems to be turmoil between reality and escapism. One of my favorite figures focuses on the tension between religion and making a living. This particular "man" (fig. 1), in all probability carved by a Mennonite, was for display in a general store to attest to the proprietor's honesty. When fully clothed, the figure, in his nice wooden hat, must have stood with conviction. By the time we found him in an antique show, he had only his hat; his naked body was neuter—neither woman nor man. It is likely that the sculptor had considerable inhibitions for his religion forbade graven images. Nevertheless, he was an artist unconsciously engrossed in himself. Although in America the abundance of wood gave the artist a great freedom to create without fear of being wasteful, each carving appears to be a sincere, thoughtful undertaking and not a quick

1. Male display figure, unclothed. Artist unknown. Pennsylvania. Possibly Mennonite. Late 19th century. Wood; painted. H. 26'.'(Cat. No. 94)

2. Doll. Inscribed Bob Hines; possible manual training project. Provenance unknown. 20th century. Wood; unpainted. H. I5/ 1 2'.'(Cat. No. 64). Moving parts: legs articulated. 3. Man with outstretched arms, part of a toy. Artist and provenance unknown. 19th century. Wood; painted. H. 7/ 1 2':(Cat. No. 88) 4. Auctioneer and slaves roulette-type game of chance. Artist unknown. Maine. 19th century. Wood, metal, cloth, paper; painted. H. 27.'(Cat. No. 55). Moving parts: heads of slaves nod; auctioneer's hands articulated.


or careless endeavor. This seriousness has produced a group of solemn figures. These carvings were the work of an American breed: "Jack-ofall-Trades:' artists who made their livings in other ways. Europe, conversely, had the artisans who followed a much narrower line, being either craftsmen or artists. Antiquing in Greenwich Village, we were to buy our first whirligig, a small flag. Soon we discovered a very complicated double-wheeled contraption with a bird and 10 figures. The propellers did not work. The figures could not be activated. The monthly checks to pay for it seemed endless. It was a special love. The explosion came when we deciphered all the parts and discovered the worm was missing. As the robin flaps its wings, looking toward the missing worm,6 white men are busily laboring, while below, 4 black men are playing cards and revolving slowly. The Early Bird Gets the Worm became a provocative racial study, and a valuable historical part of our collection. Several years later we made another important purchase—a betting game (fig. 4), in which instead of winning a horse one wins a slave. These provocative pieces came from Maine, where ship captains did heavy business in slave trade, and reflect the legacy of American slavery. Consciously, or unconsciously, the conflicts between blacks and whites confront us each day. Rather than hide from these issues we feel that their acknowledgement can help to broaden America's historical perspective. We have some sculpture executed by schoolchildren. Manual training projects of a bird with propeller wings, a mustached jigger with cigarette and cane, and even an uncompleted articulated doll (fig. 2)—perhaps not folk art in the narrowest sense but valuable information of the times. Folk art has a broad base—examples may come from as many sources as possible, astronomy, the Bible, comic art, symbolism, history, myths, and fables. Collecting, I find, does not follow a logical path. The accidental discovery is always waiting. We have 4 large male figures (figs. 5&6); 2 were purchased from a Connecticut dealer, the other 2 bought singly in Westchester and New York. Though difficult to believe at first glance, the figures were created by the same artist. Upon lab'closer investigation one discovers the identical, unique process in fitting limbs together with plaster. The boots, fingernails, ears, and eyes are the same. In examination, one can see they have all been repainted (by children? by adults?), not well cared for, and one was abused severely. From this experience we avoid restoration whenever possible. It is fortunate that we began collecting in total innocence. Aside from a lack of money, the guide lines we now maintain originated without planning. We could change them, abandon them, and add new ones. For example, mainly because they were much too popular and expensive, we did not

consider buying weathervanes. Furthermore, the vane connotes folk art of lasting qualities, symbolic of elegance, ownership, power. We preferred whirligigs—considerably cheaper—for their fragile, child-like nature. Experimental in conception and tentative in construction, many were never completed and few worked for long. Inadvertently, we have bought many whirligigs which are combination weathervanes. Needless to say, I began to realize my prejudice had to be altered. It is much wiser to bend. It is not for us to formulate any criteria. We would not like to think our primary function is to serve as a type of archivist, gathering firsthand sources, but we do feel a responsibility to collect sculpture that may be found a useful link in America's heritage. We are very happy that this collection will be used to see and to learn. We would like to thank Aarne Anton and his associates Ed Hum!, Michael Huttner, and Dennis Kardonfor their most considerate cooperation in building the basesfor ourfigures.

5. Left to right: Farmer wearing overalls and hat. Artist unknown. Northeastern United States. 20th century. Wood, plaster; painted. H. 71'!(Cat. No. 124). Lumberjack. Artist unknown. Northeastern United States. 20th century. Wood, plaster; painted. H.63W (Cat. No. 123). Lumberjack with ax andjug. Artist unknown. Northeastern United States. 20th century. Wood, plaster; painted. H. 68'.'(Cat. No. 121). Lumberjack. Artist unknown. Northeastern United States. 20th century. Wood, plaster; painted. H.68W (Cat. No. 122) 6. Close up view affigures in No. 5. 5.

6.

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WHIRLIGIGS/WINDTOYS AND WOODCARVINGS CHECKLIST WHIRLIGIGS/WINDTOYS Multiple Figures I . Horse auction Artist unknown New York State Circa 1880 Wood, metal; painted H. 46" Moving parts: platform holding horses, auctioneer's arm, bidder's arms, and vane holding fish with a small propeller 2. Fiddler and dancer Artist unknown New York State 19th century Wood, metal; painted L. 33" Moving parts: men's arms and torsos 3. Uncle Sam Artist unknown New York State Late 19th century Wood, metal; painted L. 551 / 2" Moving parts: Uncle Sam's legs and bicycle wheels 4. Early Bird Gets the Worm Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood, wire; painted H. 42" Moving parts: bird's wings, men's arms and legs, platform holding men, and seesaw 5. Horse and sulky with driver Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood, metal; painted W. 30" Moving parts: horse's legs 6. Sheriff and horse chasing convict Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th or early 20th century Wood, metal; painted L. 14" Moving parts: horse's head and legs and convict's arms and legs 7. Horses in corral Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted L. 191 / 2" Moving parts: platform holding horses and man's arms 32

8. Horserace Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood, metal; painted H. 19½" Moving parts: horses and their riders rock back and forth 9. Farm vignette Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Metal, glass; painted L. 65" Moving parts: horse's head, men's arms and legs, chicken's head and tail 10. Two Punchinello-type men Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 151 / 2" Moving parts: men's arms and torsos 11. Woman kicking cobbler Artist unknown Provenance unknown Early 20th century Wood, metal; painted; woman has pinhead eyes L. 34" Moving parts: woman's leg, man's torso and arms 12. Washerwoman and bluebird Artist unknown Florida 20th century Wood, metal; painted W. 211 / 2" Moving parts: woman's arms and torso 13. Two children on a seesaw Artist unknown New Jersey 20th century Wood; painted L. 34" Moving parts: seesaw Single Figure 14. Hessian soldier Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood, leather; painted H. 10" Moving parts: man's arms

15. Man in green jacket Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; traces of paint L. 26" Moving parts: man's arms 16. Man wearing bowler hat Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; painted H. 29" Moving parts: man's arms 17. Sailor with signal flags Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; painted H. 9" Moving parts: sailor's arms 18. Witch on a broomstick Artist unknown New England Mid-19th century Wood; painted H. 111 / 2" Moving parts: broomstick's propeller 19. Man wearing red jacket and gold hat Artist unknown New York State Late 19th century Wood; painted; tack buttons H. 32" Moving parts: man's arms 20. Double-faced man Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood; painted H. 10" Moving parts: man's arms 21. Man in boat Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood, metal; painted H. 51 / 2" Moving parts: boat has paddles attached midway 22. Indian paddling canoe Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood; painted H. 51 / 2" Moving parts: Indian's arms


23. Indian wearing a cowboy hat Artist unknown Provenance unknown Early 20th century Wood, metal; painted L. 23" Moving parts: Indian's arms and torso

31. Humpty Dumpty Possibly C. Carp Provenance unknown Before 1912 Wood, metal, rubber; painted H. 26" Moving parts: Humpty Dumpty's collar

39. Wind determiner Artist unknown Phillipsburg, New Jersey Early 1920's Wood; painted H. 41 / 4" Moving parts: vanes

24. Woman churning butter Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 17" Moving parts: woman's arms and churn dasher

32. Sailor W. Dunbar Ohio Circa 1915 Wood; painted H. 67/8" Moving parts: sailor's arms

40. Bugler Artist unknown New York State Dated 1950 Wood, metal, cloth; painted L.48" Moving parts: Bugler has articulated legs and torso

25. Farmer milking cow Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted W. 16" Moving parts: man's arms 26. Man sharpening a hatchet Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 20" Moving parts: man's right leg 27. Sawyer Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 10½" Moving parts: man's arms and torso 28. Man riding bicycle Artist unknown New York State 20th century Wood, metal; painted H. 8" Moving parts: man's legs and bicycle wheels 29. Sculler Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood, metal; painted H. 8" Moving parts: sculler's oar-shaped arms 30. Sailor with signal flags Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood, metal; painted H. 13" Moving parts: sailor's arms

33. Man riding pig Artist unknown Phillipsburg, New Jersey Early 1920s Wood; painted H. 5" Moving parts: propeller at end of corncob Stylistic similarities indicate that Nos. 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 are all by the same unidentified maker 34. Dutch girl Artist unknown Phillipsburg, New Jersey Early 1920's Wood; painted H. 6" Moving parts: propeller in girl's hands 35. Man in yellow convertible Artist unknown Phillipsburg, New Jersey Early 1920's Wood; painted H. 4" Moving parts: convertible's wheels 36. Drum major and drummer Artist unknown Phillipsburg, New Jersey Early 1920's Wood; painted L. 123 / 4" Moving parts: drum major's baton 37. Chipmunk Artist unknown Phillipsburg, New Jersey Early 1920's Wood; painted H. 7" Moving parts: propeller on chipmunk's nose 38. Submarine Artist unknown Phillipsburg, New Jersey Early 1920's Wood; painted L. 121 / 2" Moving parts: submarine's antenna and propeller

WOODCARVINGS Articulated 41. Black snap-dancer toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown Dated 1863 Wood, fabric; painted H. 81 / 2" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 42. Doll from a snap-dancer toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown Circa 1865 Wood; painted H. 8½" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 43. Black snap-dancer toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; painted H. 83 / 4" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 44. Dancing man crank-toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; unpainted H. 9/ 3 4" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 45. Hessian soldier flip-over toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; unpainted H. 11" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 46. Mannequin doll Artist unknown Possibly Springfield, Vermont 19th century Wood; unpainted H. 161 / 4" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated

33


47. Female doll with applied breasts and buttocks Artist unknown Maine 19th century Wood; traces of paint H. 14" Moving parts: arms articulated 48. Male doll with black boots Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; painted H. 10½" Moving parts: arms articulated 49. Monkey, part of a toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood, metal; painted H. 8" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 50. Doll, part of a toy Artist unknown New England 19th century Bone H. 9½" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 51. Doll Artist unknown New England 19th century Bone, hair, shell eyes H. 71 / 2" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 52. Doll Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; traces of paint H. 8" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 53. Doll Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; unpainted H. 6" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 54. Ventriloquist's black dummy's head Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood, glass, horsehair; painted H. 10" Moving parts: mouth

55. Auctioneer and slaves roulette-type game of chance Artist unknown Maine 19th century Wood, metal, cloth, paper; painted H. 27" Moving parts: heads of slaves nod; auctioneer's hands articulated 56. Mechanical toy with two black female dancers Toy is activated by clockworks made by an unknown firm Connecticut Circa 1880 Wood, cloth, metal; painted H. 10" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 57. Two dancing figures, one black, one white Artist unknown Virginia Late 19th century Wood, leather, string; painted W. 271 / 2" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 58. Black male squeeze toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood, string; painted H. 7" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 59. Doll Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood; painted H. 7" Moving parts: arms, legs, and torso articulated 60. Uniformed fiddler Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood; painted H. 6" Moving parts: arms and legs Stylistic similarities indicate that Nos. 60 and 61 are both by the same unidentified maker 61. Uniformed man Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood; painted H. 41 / 2" Moving parts: arms and legs 62. Black dancing figure Artist unknown Tappan, New York 20th century Wood; painted; arms missing H. 54" Moving parts: legs articulated

34

63. Male figure Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; unpainted H. 16" Moving parts: legs articulated 64. Doll Inscribed Bob Hines; possibly a manual training project Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; unpainted H. 151 / 2" Moving parts: legs articulated 65. Marionette Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted; lead feet H. 12" Moving parts: arms, legs, and neck articulated 66. Skeleton Artist unknown New England 20th century Wood; painted H. 111 / 4" Moving parts: arms, legs, torso, and neck articulated 67. Devil Artist unknown Provenance unknown Early 20th century Wood; painted H. 11" Moving parts: arms articulated 68. Doll with black hair and beard Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 10" Moving parts: arms and waist articulated 69. Doll Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; unpainted; arms, hands, and feet missing H. 9" Moving parts: legs articulated 70. Female figure Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; unpainted H. 81 / 2" Moving parts: arms articulated


71. Fiddler Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H.61 / 2 " Moving parts: right arm 72. Ballerina Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood with paper; painted H. 5/ 3 4 " Moving parts: arms 73. Three musicians snap-toy Artist unknown Appalachia, Virginia 20th century Wood,fur, metal; painted H. 17½" Moving parts: legs and arms articulated 74. Jig-toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Oak; unpainted H. 81 / 2 " Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 75. Fire truck and 13 firemen toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 29" Moving parts: figures of men rock back and forth 76. Red man, unclothed Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 231 / 2" Moving parts: arms 77. Drunkard carrying jug and bottle Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 9/ 3 4" Moving parts: arms and legs Stylistic similarities indicate that Nos. 77 and 78 are both by the same unidentified maker 78. Man in electric chair Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 9" Moving parts: arms and legs

79. Farmer with pitchfork Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted; glass eyes H. 33" Moving parts: arms Companion to No. 80 80. Farmer's wife Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted; glass eyes H. 261 / 2 " Moving parts: arms Companion to No. 79 81. Clown Schoenhut Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Circa 1910 Wood; painted H. 81 / 2" Moving parts: arms and legs hinged 82. Black man on bucking horse mechanical toy Manufactured by the Mechanical Window Attraction Co. Joplin, Missouri 1910-1920 Wood, metal, cloth; painted H. 25" Moving parts: horse's legs, Lincoln's arm 83. Balancing toy with horseshoe and parrot Albert Zahn Bailey's Harbor, Door County, Wisconsin Possibly 1920s Wood, metal; painted H. 16" Moving parts: parrot on swing 84. Black man playing a guitar Thurman Tinch Tennessee 1930s Wood, metal; painted; plastic button eyes H. 22/ 3 4" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated 85. Devil Thurman Tinch Tennessee 1930s Wood, metal; painted H. 19" Moving parts: arms and legs articulated Found in a barn in Tennessee. According to legend, it was hung in the barn to ward off fires.

87. Monkey doll Artist unknown Shenandoah Valley, Virginia 1860 Wood, leather, canvas; painted H. 13" 88. Man with outstretched arms, part of a toy Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; painted H. 71 / 2" 89. Doll, armless, unclothed Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood; painted H. 191 / 2" 90. "Trojan War" galley Artist unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wood, cloth; painted H. 11" 91. Preacher holding Bible Inscribed M.L. Provenance unknown 19th century 'Risk, carved; unpainted H. 5" 92. Voodoo figure Artist unknown New Orleans 19th century Wood; painted; glass eyes H. 131 / 2 " 93. Hessian soldier on a swing Artist unknown Iowa Late 19th century Wood, wire; painted H. 191 / 2" 94. Male display figure, unclothed Artist unknown Pennsylvania Possibly Mennonite Late 19th century Wood; painted H. 26" 95. Standing woman Artist unknown Provenance unknown Late 19th century Wood; unpainted H. 4/ 3 4"

Stationary 86. Doll Artist unknown New York State Circa 1850 Wood, cloth; painted H. 26" 35


96. Circus performer on horse 103. Indian squaw, unclothed Artist unknown Artist unknown Possibly Ohio Provenance unknown Late 19th century Possibly 19th century Wood, fiber, leather, metal; painted; glass Wood; painted eyes H. 65" H. 54" 104. Indian with green feather headdress Stylistic similarities indicate that Nos. 96, Artist unknown 97, 98, 99, 100, and 101 are all done by Probably Maine the same unidentified maker Late 19th century Both man and horse have glass eyes; man Wood; painted has applied metal ears; horse has iron shoes H. 56" 97. Crouching man 105. Pointing man Artist unknown James McCallister Edgington Possibly Ohio Ross County, Ohio Late 19th century Late 19th or early 20th century Wood, metal; painted; glass eyes Wood; painted H. 24" H. 21 / 4" Man has green glass eyes and applied metal 106. Man with arms tied above his head ears James McCallister Edgington 98. Man in black shirt, white suspenders, red Ross County, Ohio pants Late 19th or early 20th century Artist unknown Wood; painted Possibly Ohio H. 7" Late 19th century Wood, metal; painted; glass eyes 107. Dwarf or gnome H. 29" Artist unknown Man has glass eyes and applied metal ears; Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania applied buttons may be a later addition Late 19th or early 20th century Wood; painted 99. Man in white shirt, red tie, red suspenders, H. 411 / 2 " black pants Artist unknown 108. Indian brave Possibly Ohio Artist unknown Late 19th century Spokane, Washington Wood, metal; painted; glass eyes Possibly 19th century / 2 " H. 541 Wood; painted; figure and base are all one Man has glass eyes, applied metal ears, piece metal hat, and metal tongue H. 911 / 2" 100. Man in green shirt, white suspenders, black pants Artist unknown Possibly Ohio Late 19th century Wood, metal; painted; glass eyes H. 251 / 2" Man has glass eyes and applied metal ears; applied buttons may be a later addition 101. Monkey Artist unknown Possibly Ohio Late 19th century Wood, tape, metal; painted; glass eyes H. 21" Monkey has glass eyes, applied metal ears, and real animal's teeth 102. Indian squaw with papoose Artist unknown Washington State Inscribed 1892 Wood; painted H. 67"

30

113. Abraham Lincoln; God Bless This Country Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted; sculpture enclosed in a glass bottle H. 8½" 114. Standing man Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted; leather hat; arms missing H. 111 / 2" 115. Man in green trousers and black coat Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 10" 116. Man standing on a stump Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 8" 117. Slingshot in shape of a man Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; unpainted H.6/ 3 4" 118. Man with big nose Artist unknown New York City 20th century Cherry; unpainted H. 41 / 2"

109. Indian doll Artist unknown Possibly from the Ohio Valley Circa 1915 Wood, horsehair, tar; painted H. 23"

119. Man in coat, trousers, and hat Reverend H.L. Hayes Provenance unknown 20th century Walnut; unpainted H. 4¼"

110. Indian squaw Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; unpainted H. 7½"

120. Man sitting on a Windsor settee Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 2W'

1 11. Totem pole with a mermaid and a Bald Eagle Wilfred Cally Deposit, New York Early 20th century Wood; painted H. 19"

121. Lumberjack with ax and jug Artist unknown Northeastern United States 20th century Wood, plaster; painted H. 68" Stylistic similarities indicate that Nos. 121, 122, 123, and 124 are all done by the same unidentified maker

112. Seated black figure Clark Coe Killingworth, Connecticut Early 20th century Wood, metal, fabric; painted; button eyes; metal ears H. 113 / 4"


122. Lumberjack Artist unknown Northeastern United States 20th century Wood, plaster; painted H. 681 / 2"

132. Doll with black boots and black hair Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 8½"

123. Lumberjack Artist unknown Northeastern United States 20th century Wood, plaster; painted H.631 / 2 "

133. Target practice head Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century 142. Black female doll Wood; painted W.S. Rosenbalm H. 131 / 2 " New York State Head was used for target practice by circus performers Circa 1960 Wood, fabric; painted 134. Three-sided head H. 31" Artist unknown Provenance unknown 143. Voodoo coffin containing two figures stuck 20th century with pins Wood; painted; brass tack eyes Artist unknown H. 9½" Found at Coney Island, New York Circa 1960 135. Male head Wood; painted; cloth figures Artist unknown H. 31 / 2" Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted; glass eyes H. 9"

124. Farmer wearing overalls and hat Artist unknown Northeastern United States 20th century Wood, plaster; painted H. 71" 125. Male scarecrow Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted; metal eyes; feet are a later addition H. 71" 126. Male shop figure Artist unknown Maine 20th century Wood; painted H. 69" Companion to No. 127 127. Female shop figure Artist unknown Maine 20th century Wood; painted H. 68" Companion to No. 126 128. Man, woman, and tree Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Cigar box; unpainted H. 2½" 129. Standing armless woman Artist unknown Provenance unknown Probably 20th century Wood; unpainted; perhaps unfinished H. 8" 130. Woman on a pedestal Artist unknown Ellenville, New York 20th century Wood; unpainted H. 7¼" 131. Boy with yellow cap Artist unknown Provenance unknown 20th century Wood; painted H. 41 / 4"

141. Zozobra (Old Man Gloom) Poppsy Schaeffer New Mexico Circa 1935 Wood, paper, tacks, celluloid; painted H. 59" Figures of this type are used in an annual summer festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during which an effigy is burned to ward off bad luck during the coming year.

136. Female head Reg Bouvir Maine 20th century Burl; painted H. 7½" Nos. 136, 137, and 138 are reputed to be portraits of the artists's mother and sisters 137. Female head Reg Bouvir Maine 20th century Burl; painted H. 71 / 2" 138. Female head Reg Bouvir Maine 20th century Burl; unpainted H. 6" 139. Drunkard carrying tumbler and bottle Artist unknown Provenance unknown Circa 1925 Wood; painted H. 13" 140. High-kicking chorus girl Earl Eyman Drurnright, Oklahoma Circa 1935 Wood; painted H. 33 / 4" (cat. #31)

37


CATALOGUE TO THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK AFtT'S SPECIAL EXHIBITION AT

American Folk Art: The View from New York FOREWORD Consisting of approximately 250 to 300 works of art, the exhibition will establish a comprehensive exploration of folk art traditions in New York State from the 17th century through today. It will highlight naive paintings of New York City and New York State and will include sculpture, pottery, ceramics, samplers, textiles, and furniture. Many thanks are due to Dr. Robert Bishop, Director of the Museum of American Folk Art; Dr. William C. Ketchum, Curator of the Exhibition; our Museum staff: Thomas Saltzman, Director; Phyllis Stigliano and Janice Parente, Curators; Constance Schwartz, Educational Director; Holly Pinto, Director of Academic Affairs; Maureen Farrell, Exhibition Designer, and Lloyd Reiss, Crafts Director, at whose suggestion this exhibition was organized.

1980 marks a gala year for the Nassau County Museum of Fine Art in Roslyn. Since its inception in 1975, the Museum, housed in a 19th century Neo-Georgian mansion, has been the site for spectacular exhibitions of outdoor sculpture. The sculpture has been placed in exciting juxtaposition to the natural terrain of the 145 acres of landscaped gardens and fields. The building itself was formerly owned by Childs Frick and is one of the few remaining Gold Coast mansions of Long Island's historic North Shore. In this special year the building has undergone extensive interior renovations, including the restoration of unique original architectural moldings and panels, and the installation of new electrical, plumbing, and fire detection systems. The architectural firm of Kennerly, Slomanson and Smith of New York City has preserved the building's historic integrity, while providing dynamic exhibition space throughout the first and second floors. Office space for the Museum of Fine Art and its sponsoring agency, the Nassau County Office of Cultural Development, will occupy the third floor. Vincent Ciulla Design Associates, Inc., New York City, has provided the final touches in wall paint and floor finishes, exhibition partition systems, and window treatments. The Museum building opened this past June. Its first exhibition in the 10 newly designed galleries, "Contemporary Naturalism: Works of the '70s" features American artists in keeping with The Museum of Fine Art's tradition of exhibiting American Aft. Continuing in this tradition, we are proud to announce the first Fall exhibition, "American Folk Art: The View From New York:' Opening on September 14th and continuing through December 7th, 1980, this exhibition, focusing on New York State, will cover the entire spectrum of American folk art, blending the old with the contemporary and demonstrating a continuity of artistic endeavor by the common man. The exhibition and related lectures will give the public the opportunity to view and understand the important contribution of the American folk artist as a recorder of the people and how they lived in this country.

We are all looking forward to the opening on September 14th. Marcia E. O'Brien Director Nassau County Office of Cultural Development MUSEUM HOURS: Tuesday through Friday—I0:00 A.M.-4:30 P.M. Saturday and Sunday—I:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M. No Admission The Museum is located cffNorthern Boulevard in Roslyn, 2 traffic lights west of Glen Cove Road.

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THE NASSAU COUNTY MUSEUM OF FINE ART, SEPTEMBER 14 THROUGH DECEMBER 7, 1980

LECTURE SERIES The Nassau County Museum of Fine Art in Roslyn is presenting a Famous Art Personalities Series, in conjunction with the exhibition `American Folk Art: A View From New York" opening on September 14th, 1980.

Sept. 25

An Overall Exploration of Folk Art

Dr. Robert Bishop Director, Museum of American Folk Art

Oct. 2

Folk Art: Portrait and Genre Painting

Mary Black Curator of Painting and Sculpture The New York Historical Society

Oct. 9

Origins of Contemporary American Imagery

Ivan Karp Founder and Director OK Harris Gallery

Oct. 16

Shaker Art: A Religious Expression of a Folk Culture

Dr. John Harlow Ott Director & Curator Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Oct. 23

The Connoisseurship of American Folk Art

Thomas Armstrong III Director The Whitney Museum of American Art

Oct. 30

Folk Art in Clay: American Redware and Stoneware Pottery

William C. Ketchum, Jr. Curator of Exhibition Author, Lecturer

The series provides an extraordinary opportunity to listen to and visit with some of the leading authorities in the folk art and contemporary art worlds. All presentations will be held on Thursday evenings at 8:30 P.M. The series is $25.00, $5.00 for each lecture, $4.00 for members, students, and senior citizens. Single seats will be available at the door. Checks should be made payable to Art Enrichment Programs and mailed in care of Nassau County Museum of Fine Art, P.O. Box D, Northern Boulevard, Roslyn, New York 11576. Lectures will be held in the Drawing Room of the Museum of Fine Art. The Museum is located 2 lights west of Glen Cove Road off Northern Boulevard in Roslyn. Special Note: Bus transportation to the Museum of Fine Art in Roslyn from the Museum of American Folk Art at 49 West 53rd St., is available to interested parties desiring to participate in these lectures. Advance reservations are required. Call 516-484-9337. Bus must leave from the Museum of American Folk Art at 7:00 P.M. Round trip transportation is $7.00 per person, for each lecture.

Nassau County Museum of Fine Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York

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American Folk Art: The View from New York by William C. Ketchum Whatever other definitions may be applied, folk art remains preeminently the art of the common people — the reflection in paint, cloth, clay, wood, or metal of the lives and times of its creators. Since New York State has long been recognized as a pivotal point in our nation's economic, social, and artistic life, it is particularly fitting that an exhibition of American folk art should center on objects created in this state. Of course, New York and its people have never been isolated. To the northeast lies New England, to the south and west, Pennsylvania and the Middle Atlantic states. Currents of artistry and craft from all these areas have blended with and enriched the work done in New York. For example, portrait painter Jonathan Budington had 40

a studio in Manhattan in the early 19th century; his Child of the Hubbell Family (fig. 2), however, was painted not in New York but in Fairfield, Connecticut where he also worked for a time. Such crosscurrents in New York art are reflected in this exhibition through the inclusion of numerous related pieces executed in neighboring states. Moreover, the viewer of this exhibition cannot help but be struck by the extraordinary variety of objects presented: paintings in several media, sculptural figures and molded chalkware, textiles, ceramics, and even furniture — all art — folk art. This diversity is understandable; it reflects the diversity of the many peoples who have come to New York, to live and to create. Where academic art required the learning of and adherence to

1. Swan decoy, Captain Harry Jobes, Havre de Gras, Maryland, circa 1955, L. 3.3! Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Alastair B. Martin. 2. Child of the Hubbell Family, attributed to Jonathan Budington, Fairfield, Connecticut, circa 1800, oil on canvas, 24/ 3 4"x 19W Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Wiltshire III.


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certain techniques which were universally recognized and applied in the field, folk art required and requires only an open eye and an open mind. At different times and for different indWiduils, the final product might vary greatly. There is good and bad folk art. Some "works" and some does not. Trained as we are to appreciate the illusion of reality created by the academic artist, the simplicity and openness of folk art may escape us. It is important to bear in mind, though, that the folk artist is generally not concerned with reproducing a photographic reality. He or she prefers to select from memory those elements of a person or a scene which he regards as important and to employ these in constructing a painting or object of his own design. Design is the key word here, for the folk artist is preeminently a designer. This may be clearly seen in a 19th-century theorem painting, which is constructed through use of stencil units, or in the motif of a quilt, such as the so-called Cookie Cutter appliquÊ (fig. 3)which defines the life of its anonymous maker. Design is, however, equally apparent in a 20th-century folk painting such as Antoinette Schwob's Recess, a work in which may be seen the strong line and flat planes of bold colors so characteristic of folk art — and of 20thcentury advertising art (fig. 4). This concern with design is, in part, a reflection of the fact that folk art is craft-oriented. It grows out of the work of the artist and his or her community. This is particularly evident in the histories of many 19th-century limners or itinerant painters. These men and women served a vital function in their own and surrounding communities — to record the faces of their neighbors and the social events taking place about them. Many such painters were also employed as sign and carriage painters and it is likely that their practical neighbors regarded one function as no more important than the other. The importance of craftsmanship is evident also in what one might term the utilitarian area of folk art, the making of objects in which, unlike in paintings, decoration was secondary to function. The decoy maker, for example, worked with a purpose. His creation was successful (marketable) to the extent that it deceived wildfowl. This, however, did not mean that it must look exactly like a duck or a goose. In fact, in the best decoys, such as the magnificent swan by Captain Harry Jobes of Havre de Gras, Maryland (fig. 1), an economy of line and color were employed to create the "image" of a bird and, in so doing, made works of art. Even something as utilitarian as furniture can become folk art. This can be seen immediately upon examination of the painted storage chests


which were once so prevalent in New York and New England (fig. 5). The making of the box itself was simple cabinet work. The free-hand and stencil applied decoration was something else again. The vibrant colors and strongly integrated design reflect the hand of a master folk artist. Many folk artists found beauty in plain wood. The Shaker brother at Mt. Lebanon, New York who made the rocker shown here (fig. 6) would never have thought to paint his piece in the manner of the box. It would have been a form of sacrilege for him to do so. Yet, by refining the design of similar chairs being made in the world outside his religious sanctuary, he achieved a form of functional sculpture. A painting need not be done on canvas or wood or tin or the half dozen other material employed by the folk painter. Instead, needlework, might take the form of a picture or thread painting created from thousands of tiny and intricate stitches. A more utilitarian form was a hooked rug, composed of old rags, dyed and twisted so that they might be punched through a piece of burlap sacking to create a rug and, incidentally, a work of art. Both men and women painted, but for many female folk artists the need to create was often satisfied through their skills in the textile arts. Women stitched samplers and mourning pictures (the latter reflecting their traditional role as keepers of the family history), gathered to create a quilt such as the one which a New Jersey Methodist Sewing Society presented to a family of lay missionaries in 1852 (fig. 7),and employed other means of artistic expression available to them.

This need to create which some authorities view as almost an obsession with certain folk artists' becomes more evident as the artist finds less outlet in his culture. In this respect the 19thcentury folk artist clearly had the better of things. In a predominantly pre-industrial society the folk artist usually performed a real function in the community. He made furniture, drew maps and diagrams of new buildings, recorded births and deaths, baked pottery, or carved the figureheads that were an essential part of every sailing ship. As the 20th century dawned, however, this social utilitarianism diminished. The painter, already robbed of his right to paint portraits by the ubiquitous and more "accurate" camera, saw his function as chronicler of the times usurped by the mass produced print. The availability of factory furniture denied the role of the handcraftsman, and an abundance of cheap textiles relegated the quilter and rug-hooker to the role of hobbyist. By right, folk art should have died then; indeed, for some collectors and authorities who recognize no 20th-century folk art, it did. However, no one told the artists; and they have continued to create, albeit in many cases without recognition. Many writers in the folk art field have commented on this drive to create, but none have expressed the artist's needs quite so well as the country house wife and rug hooker who wrote this simple explanation for the Rural New Yorker: "I enjoy making my own designs. I never knew how to sing or paint or draw; no way to express myself, only by hoeing, washing, ironing, patching, etc., and while I never hope to accomplish anything extraordinary, I do love to plan out and

3. Appliqued quilt in the Cookie Cutter pattern, maker unknown, Pennsylvania, circa 1890, cotton, 82" x 767 Museum of American Folk Art, gift ofDr. Stanley and Jacqueline Schneider. 4. Recess, Antoinette, Schwob, New York, circa 1950, oil on canvas, 24" x 307 The Museum ofAmerican Folk Art, gift of the artist. 5. Dome top chest, artist unknown, New England, 1820-1840, painted and 2"x / stenciled wood, 111 3 47 Museum of American 23/ Folk Art, gift ofJean Lipman 6. Shaker rocking chair, craftsman unknown, Mt. Lebanon, New York, second half of the 19th century, maple with woven textile tape seat. The Museum ofAmerican Folk Art, promised gift. 7. Appliquedfriendship album quilt, Sewing Society of Methodist Church, Elizabethport, New Jersey, 1852, cotton, 99" x 987 Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Phyllis Haders. V"-

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8. Bulto, attributed to Jose Ortega, New Mexico, late 19th century, wood and gesso, polychromed, H. 451 / 27 Museum of American Folk Art, anonymous gift. 9. Carousel Horse,from the shop ofD.C. Muller & Brother, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1902-1909, H.627 Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Laura Harding. 10. Father Time, artist unknown,found in New York State, circa 1910, painted wood and metal, H.48! Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Mrs. John H. Heminway.

44

execute these rugs that are a bit of myself, a blind groping after something beautifur2 Such a woman might have created our hooked representation of Niagara Falls, (fig. 13), perhaps to preserve the memory of a cherished visit to that New York State natural wonder. Though this exhibition reflects the wide range of our State's folk expression, the careful observer will soon note certain themes which appear over and over in the works — family, patriotism, and religion. That these concerns should be so prominent, is quite consistent with the nature of folk art as the art of the people; these are the very ideas and values with which both the artist and those about him were most intimately involved. The three quarters of a century culminating in the Centennial Celebration of 1876, which many feel to have been the golden age of American folk art, saw a rapid expansion of American society. Rails and waterways opened a path to the west. An infant industry sprang into being and with it began a gradual shift from country to city. For a portion, at least, of the common folk, previously

unheard of opportunities were presented. But these were not without their price. Wars were fought, one of which, that of 1812, came perilously close to cutting short the life of the new nation. Even when there was no fighting there was often the feeling of threat from larger and more powerful European armies. Small wonder that patriotism and the symbolism of eagle, flag, and Uncle Sam run throughout the folk art of this period. When a farmer in upstate New York created a gate in the form of the American flag (fig. 12) he was showing everyone where he stood. The family, too, was threatened. Death was a constant companion throughout the 1800s. The Bubonic Plague periodically ravaged New York and Albany, and a dozen now almost forgotten childhood diseases filled the graveyards of town and city alike. Many of the family folk portraits were all too soon to become memorials, while grieving mothers applied their fingers to mourning pictures and hair wreaths. Considering these circumstances combined with a strong religious belief prevalent throughout


12.

the nation, it is understandable that much folk painting had a spiritual theme. Even the attractive samplers worked to show proficiency in needlework as well as basic math and letters often contained a religious message (fig. 11). In the Southwest, expecially, religion was the central fact in the folk artist's life. A carver, such as the one who worked the large Crucifixion shown here (fig. 8)could earn a fair living making religious objects for sale to local churches and to his neighbors. While, in the Northeast, craftsmen rarely earned their keep making exclusively spiritual folk art, nevertheless, religious themes were pursued in paint and wood. Certainly, the unknown New York sculptor who created our remarkable Father Time was commenting upon the transitory nature of life on earth (fig. 10). Another characteristic of 19th-century folk art was the frequency with which it was created cooperatively. We have already alluded to the quilting bee, but other objects were also jointly made., Figureheads and, at a later date, "show figures" and carousel horses were made by

groups of men working together in a small shop. The vigorous carousel horse shown here (fig. 9) loses nothing by the fact that it was shaped by several men rather than 1. Even the application of production line methods and simple factory equipment, as in the case of copper weathervanes, is not necessarily inconsistent with folk art. Just as it has become less utilitarian, so has folk art become less communal. Today's practitioner is more likely to be a social isolate, living alone or in a group in some way cut off from the mainstream. There seems also to be a stronger tendency toward fanciful works or those celebrating times past, either in the life of the artist or the community as a whole. These circumstances, however, have in no way weakened the strength of the artist's statement. Folk art is certainly alive and well in New York State!

11. Sampler, Rozillah Lunt, Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1830, embroidery on linen, 16" x 20'.' Museum of American Folk Art, promised gift. 12.Flag Gate, artist unknown,from the Darling Farm, Jefferson County, New York, circa 1876, painted wood and metal, L. The Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr. 13. Hooked rug, maker unknown, New York, circa 1925, rag on burlap with paint, 20" x 38'.' Museum of American Folk Art, gift ofJoel and Kate Kopp.

NOTES 1. Hemphill, Herbert W., Folk Sculpture USA.(New York: Universe Books; Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Museum, 1976). 2. The Rural New Yorker,(New York: The Rural Publishing Co., late 19th century). 45



The Artist as Collector BY RONALD DE SILVA

1. There's no doubt that artists are among the most discerning collectors. Flying blind, without a scholar's backlog of historical allusion or the connoisseurship of the expert, an artist can confront an acre of artifacts—antique or contemporary—and put his finger on the finest as if drawn by a magnet. A case in point is the collection of American folk art assembled by Bernard and Gladys Sanders, in which every scrupulously chosen object reflects the unerring eye of the artist. Bernard Sanders (1916-67) was a surrealist artist whose work was exhibited by Julien Levy, the art dealer and scholar who introduced Dali, Tanguy, Chirico, Magritte, Berman, Gorki, and Joseph Cornell. Neither of the Sanders saw any contradiction between avant garde modern art and the folk art they began to acquire. "I think it's because we never thought of them as `antiques",' says Gladys Sanders. "To us they were as alive and contemporary as a painting by Picasso or a steel sculpture by David Smith!' They were, in fact, drawn to some of their most

cherished objects by a "shock of recognition" when they encountered sculpture or painting of another century that was so close in spirit—and execution—to 20th century art. They never thought of themselves as collectors, never planned to accumulate examples of early weathervanes, carved wood figures or 19th century portraits and landscapes. Their collection happened to them, a spontaneous reflex of discovery. "My husband had an artist's trained and perceptive eye but with me it was pure chemistry—like falling in love," says Gladys Sanders. Dedicated night walkers, they followed a predictable route along Madison Avenue, Third Avenue, and 57th Street where they did their nocturnal window shopping. "The French have a more graphic word," she says."Leche vitrine — lick the window." On one of their late evening strolls they came upon a battered weathervane in the window of Sherry Lehmann, liquor merchants. It was an arresting sight. The Indian brave,

Portrait of a Young Man Seated in a Fancy Chair, attributed to the PriorHamblen School, Massachusetts, circa 1850, oil on canvas, 17'x 25'! On chest,from left: Gentleman in a Frock Coat, artist unknown, probablyfrom Pennsylvania, circa 1850, carved and painted pine, height 25"; Figure ofa minister, artist unknown, probablyfrom Pennsylvania, 1825-1850, carved and painted pine, height 6"; Ship's carving of Turk's head, artist unknown, Boston or Salem, Massachusetts 1820-1850, carved and painted pine, height with base 11 Salt glaze keg with schooner, artist unknown, Essex, Connecticut, circa 1850, height 17"(Under chest).

1. Angel Gabriel weathervane. Artist unknown. New York State. 1800-1875. Carved pine. 45" x 13".

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cut from sheet iron, had lost part of his arms and legs, was minus his feathered headdress and left with only an intimation of bow and arrows. Mottled with rust, the figure still retained small patches of the red clay used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to prepare a surface for gilding. Time and ordeal by fire had transformed a traditional weathervane into a creature of strange and eerie beauty. "To my husband he looked exactly like a Dubuffet," says Gladys Sanders and adds, "only more exciting because it was accidental and needed the collaboration of the viewer to make the connection." They acquired their "Brancusi" in a more conventional environment. The nearly 4-foot high wooden whirligig, carved out of white pine and stained a deep red brown, was found at one of the first of the Park Avenue Armory shows. It was from Pennsylvania, a state in which many whirligigs have been found. For the most part, whirligigs are small wooden figures with articulated paddle arms and were used as decorative objects or toys and often related to the Hessian soldiers so dear to the hearts of Pennsylvania toy makers. The whirligig in the Sanders collection is an exceptionally large and majestic example. Completely modern in concept, the solid, stalwart body and egg-shaped head are abstract and might easily have been created by Brancusi. The figure's presence is comparable to that of the sculpture portrait of Henry Ward Beecher by Corbin in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller collection. The Sanders whirligig has nobility; the strength of the body, the serenity and repose of the face give it a quality that takes it beyond the work of the craftsman into the realm of the artist. It may have been an ornament on the lawn of a prosperous Pennsylvania farmer or merchant. More probably it served as a scarecrow and a whirligig of that size mounted on a pole, turning in the wind and waving its great paddle arms, must have been a fearful sight to hungry birds. One of their smaller wooden sculptures, Gentleman in a Frock Coat, is unique. It stands 25 inches high and was found in New England. Dignified and proud in his Sunday suit, pinkcheeked, dark-haired, and bearded, he is elegantly realized in white shirt, bow tie, and long frock coat. Realism stops just below the knee where the stovepipe legs become abstract. He stands on a slim plinth of wood on the underside of which an inked scrawl, "In my 75th year" is barely legible. This is more than a portrait of a leading citizen, a man of substance, and a reliable church goer; it is the portrait of an era of public rectitude, punctilious manners, and rigid standards of appearance.

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The Bernard and Gladys Sanders collection includes, among others, three 19th century American paintings. House in Yarmouthport, which is a fine example of naive landscape painting. It was done about 1850 by an untutored artist who probably first ruled lines on the canvas and whose perspective was wobbly. The detail is accurate and felicitous—the tidy house with its neat shuttered windows, the touch of lace curtain, and the typically New England swordfish weathervane on the roof of the barn. The naive rendering of the figures is in direct contrast to the exquisite detail of the house and adds to the charm of the scene. Several years ago there was a painting in an exhibit of 19th century landscapes at Old Sturbridge Village that might have been done by the same anonymous artist though it was not nearly as fine. Neither of the Sanders knew that the Portrait ofa Boy they discovered in a Third Avenue shop specializing in Creil porcelain, would later be attributed to William Matthew Prior. They were simply "smitten" by the direct and robust quality of the painting, bought it on the spot and carried it home. The portrait is of a boy in his teens sitting, book in hand, in a fancy chair; it is less solemn than many portraits of the period and the flowered waistcoat and horse stickpin give it a certain elegance. Whether or not it was the work of itinerant artist and sign painter Matthew Prior, it was undoubtedly by one of the members of the PriorHamblen school that Prior and his in-laws set up in "the Painting Garret" in Boston where a group of painters turned out a variety of landscapes and portraits. Bernard Sanders was one of a number of artists—Alexander Brook, Stephan Hirsh, Robert Laurent, Elie Nadleman, William Zorach, and Charles Sheeler were others—who recognized the importance of American folk art and found in it a kinship to the abstract art of this century. Jean Lipman, in American Primitive Painting, pointed out that naive art is invariably distinguished by a unique freedom from reality and has, as a result, an unselfconscious ability to develop the purely esthetic qualities of abstract art. Naive art came from what the artist knew rather than what he saw, or from something remembered but remembered imperfectly. Physical reality was sifted through the mind and personality of the painter but there is a world of difference between the quaint naive painting and one of prime quality which reflects the mental vigor and creative power of the gifted artist. If there is a single unifying theme in the Sanders collection, it is vitality. An exuberant example is the Pennsylvania German fraktur,

diesiromag( 2. Indian weathervane. Artist unknown. Eastern Long Island. 1780-1820. Sheet Iron. Height 54". 3. Mammoth whirligig. Artist unknown. Probably from Pennsylvania. Circa 1850. Carved and painted pine. Height 46". 4. Fish with pilot bird weathervane. Artist unknown. New England. Circa 1850. Carved pine. 2"x 14". 1 19/

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5. View of House in Yarmouthport. Artist unknown. New England. Circa 1850. Oil on canvas. 17'x 25". 6. Figural standard. Artist unknown. Eastern Long Island. Circa 1870. Wrought Iron. Height 20".

5.

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another trophy of a late night ramble. The morning after they spotted it in a dingy Third Avenue window, they went back and bought it. Thefraktur is similar to one titled Das Koenig von Preussen in the Garbisch collection. As the art offraktur, which crossed the ocean with the German refugees from the Palatinate in the 17th century, became assimilated with native American art, it developed new and fresh forms; the painted designs became bolder, the colors livelier. The Sandersfraktur of a soldier on horseback, symmetrically centered among three horses and a guinea hen, may have been done as a practice

sheet by afraktur artist; it is a charming example of a vigorous folk form. The Sanders found the spirited hand-forged wrought iron sculpture of a man holding his hat with one hand and a standard in the other, in Long Island, New York. Made between 1850 and 1870, it is incomplete; the curved top of the standard was designed to support something—an ornament or an artisan's sign. Its economy of line and lightheartedness are reminiscent of Paul Klee; the Sanders nicknamed the figure Joey de Vivre. Another rarity amorig their wooden sculptures is a 6 inch high figure, hollowed to fit over the


neck of a bottle. The figure wears the robes of a preacher whose stern face and admonishing arm warn against the evil of alcohol. Made of white pine (pinus strobus), it is most likely from Pennsylvania. Though Angel Gabriel weathervanes were plentiful throughout New England and the Ohio valley, the Sanders' Gabriel, found on Long Island, is notable for its austere simplicity. Carved out of a single pine plank, it is almost crude in outline. As pure and abstract as the angel is the wooden fish weathervane. Fish weathervanes were common in New England; one of the oldest known American weathervanes is the wooden codfish which was originally on Paul Revere's coppersmith shop in Canton, Mass. The pilot bird perched on the fish is rare. Legend has it that savvy fishermen scanned the seas and headed for waters where they spied a pilot bird, a sign that the fish were running. Especially noteworthy about the Sanders' collection is its wide-ranging variety made homogeneous by a vigilant artist's eye and sureness of taste. "What we looked for," says Gladys Sanders, "is the quality that Elie Nadelman saw in naive art—its simplicity and directness. We never bought anything quaint or gimmicky and we always bought what we couldn't afford. It took us a year to fork up the money for House in Yarmouthport." Today, in Gladys Sanders' Connecticut home, folk art cohabits gracefully with modern sculptor's drawings—Maillol, Moore, Despiau, Matisse, and Lipchitz—among prime examples of 19th and 20th century innovative American, English, and French furniture. There is serendipity in the juxtapositions: the fish weathervane and a carved female figure by a Massassoit Indian share the top of an antique Korean chest with a Henry Moore sketch under a Saul Steinberg drawing of a lion. Portrait ofa Boy hangs over a handsome pine sideboard, flanked by the Gentleman in a Frock Coat. Underneath the sideboard is a salt glaze keg in cream and buff with a crudely drawn schooner in black and deep green. Across from the small terra cotta sculpture by Elie Nadelman is a seven-foot tall Picasso poster of a satyr. The austere Angel Gabriel hangs over a rush headboard beside a sensuous Maillol nude. A marinescape by John Ruben Brown (1840) looks across at a ship's carving of a Turk's head, possibly from one of 3 ships out of Salem, all of which were named Grand Turk. A Lipchitz drawing and two pastel portraits by Sharples frame a window. Culled by an artist, contemporary and antique artifacts straddle the centuries and live together in a peaceable kingdom of the arts. 6. 51


THE MUSEUM PRESENTS "CELEBRATE THE HUDSON" AT THE NEW YORK PIER DURINI

The City Ship os by A.J. Peluso, Jr.

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I am a tourist in time, a visitor to Whitman's "City of Ships!' If I had sailed down the Hudson River one clear day in the 1880s, I would have passed the piers and ships of the Navigazione Generale, the Anchor Line, the White Star Line, and the Red Star Line, the Compaigne General Transatlantique, and Cunard; on the right, at Hoboken, the Fletcher ship yards busy installing steamboat engines; the steamers of the Holland American, the North German Lloyd, and the Hamburg American at rest. On the Manhattan side I would have seen the berths of the Mallory, the Catskill Evening Line, the Clyde, Savannah, Citizens, People's, Hudson River Day Line, Mary Powell Steamboat Company, Old Dominion, Central Hudson, the Maine and Providence lines, and the Fall River Line. At the Battery's turn I would have seen the Iron Steamboat Company loading

for the trip to Coney, the Moran and McAllister tug slips, and the Starin Excursion Pavilion at Whitehall. The Upper Bay would have been filled with sails and races; South Street would have been a forest of masts. My course would have been crossed by ferries: The West New York, Weehawken, Hoboken, Christopher Street, Debrosses Street and Cortlandt Street, the Ellis Island, Staten Island, and Fulton Street. As I passed up the East River and the new Brooklyn Bridge there would have been the Joy Line, and the Bay State, and the Hartford; at Greenpoint the ship yards of Englis and Company. In an hour, I would have seen hundreds and hundreds of ferries, fishing boats, launches, lighters, sandbaggers, schooners, steamboats, steamers, yachts, and yawls. And if I had walked the streets of that crowded and corrupt City of Tammany and Tweed, I would


THE FALL ANTIQUES SHOW have been startled to discover that it had formed the felicitous environment for a monumental outpouring of artistic talent, a talent dedicated to commemorating and celebrating the sights I saw. I could have sampled the life of the saloons and yacht clubs, the piers and offices, the travel agencies and chandler shops, and seen the omnipresent work of James and John Bard, of John V. Cornell, Frederic Schiller Cozzens, Julian 0. Davidson, Antonio Jacobsen, Fred Pansing, Charles Parsons and his son, of A. Cary Smith, of Joseph B. Smith and his son, of James Gale Tyler, Samuel Ward Stanton, and Thomas H. Willis. New York was a city of ships and a city of ship portrait painters, who, without exception, busied themselves for the better part of the 19th and early 20th centuries with depicting the pride of New York's maritime community. Their paintings were commissioned by the ship owners, the men

who made New York's Hudson and East Rivers, its Bays and its ocean lanes to the rest of the world, their business, their pleasure, and their preoccupation. And if I had been able to meet this unique group of artists, I would have been impressed with their diversity and productivity. James Bard, who started it all, painted his first ship portrait as a boy of 12 for Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1827. He lived to paint thousands more until his retirement in 1890. The Englishman, James Buttersworth, would capture the sailing market with his exuberant portraits of the clippers and yachts constructed in New York's yards. He, too, would work uninterruptedly and prodigiously until his passing in 1894. Another Englishman, John V. Cornell, would flash briefly and expertly for the years before and after his unlucky decision to pan for California Gold in 1850. The Parsons family 1. American. Antonio Jacobsen, New York City. 1884. Oil on canvas 23"x59': Private collection. Photo courtesy Stephen Gaillard.

53 Preview and exhibitio, ',aided in part by The Seamen's Bankfor Sayings.


would produce uncounted portraits of clippers, steamers, gunboats, and yachts for the lithographic stones of Currier & Ives and Endicott. Joseph B. Smith would compete with them all until the partnership with his son was destroyed by the War Between the States. The peace of Reconstruction would encourage A. Cary Smith, raised in Chelsea (long after Bard had left), to translate the excitement of yachting to canvas. He was one of the first who could claim any training: Mauritz DeHaas was his early mentor. Smith would turn in later years to the design of yachts for his own students to depict— Archie Smith would become the only man who could boast of having both painted and designed winners of the America's Cup. Another student of DeHaas and protege of Charles Parsons was Julian 0. Davidson, an immigrant from Maryland. His work would often grace the front pages of Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization, and later he would turn his uncommon energies to writing and illustrating children's stories of the sea. James Gale Tyler, a teenager from Oswego when he came to New York to study under A. Cary Smith, soon competed with him for yachting commissions with Bard for portraits of tugs, at which he was particularly adept. He attempted the long climb for "acceptance" at the National Academy and the right clubs, Salmagundi and Century—but never quite made it. In the 1870s, two young men, probably strangers to each other, would come from Denmark. One, Antonio Jacobsen was a violinist and part-time painter of safe doors. He achieved unanticipated financial and artistic success. Who knows how many paintings he fashioned? 2000 have survived! His countryman, a silk worker named Thomas H. Willis, settled in Brooklyn and invented the art of embroidered marine paintings in silk. Frederic Schiller Cozzens would drop out of R.P.I. and his drafting course to champion the

special values that only water color could bring to the art. A latecomer from Newburgh, Samuel Ward Stanton, would not only follow and improve on the work of his precursors (he was a dear friend of Bard) but would also write about the maritime doings of New York in magazines (he edited the Nautical Gazette), and create a new art form in steamboat interior decoration. In the 1880s, Fred Pansing jumped a ship bound from his native Bremen, Germany, to settle in New York. Fortuitously, his brother was already established in Greenwich Village as a Perry Street green-grocer. Bard still lived across the street! Pansing progressed from sign shop to marine artist and serious rival to Jacobsen. By the coming of the Great War, New York's maritime pre-eminence and the importance of the sea began to wane. A.C. Smith, Thomas Willis, Fred Pansing, Charles Parsons, and Samuel Ward Stanton had passed away. Jacobsen would live on until 1921. Cozzens and Tyler were the last to pass away in 1928 and 1931. While each was a player in a tale of personal woe (Willis, his marital problems; Bard, his brother's death in an almshouse; and Jacobsen, his problems with drink), nonetheless each represented the better told tale of the melting pot experience of America. Each was attracted to the land and city of opportunity where hard work and natural talent were nurtured and found reward, where lives could be spent in a world measured by the rhythm of the tides and the sea. They left a profound legacy.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article previews the marine art exhibition, "Celebrate The Hudson:' to be held at the Fall Antiques Show sponsored by Sanford Smith & Associates at The New York Pier, the Hudson River and 54th Street. The Show runs from October 30 through November 2, 1980, and on October 29 a special preview will be held for the benefit of the Museum of American Folk Art.

2. 2. New York. James Bard, New York City, 1887. Gouache on paper, 24"x49/ 1 2'.' Peter Tillou collection. Photo Meyers Studio.

IWIM•e

3. America at Storm King. James Gale Tyler, New York City, 1880. Oil or canvas, 42"x72/ 1 4 !Private collection. Photo courtesy Sotheby Parke Bernet, Inc.

Sion MI

4. Pilgrim in New York Harbor. Fred Pansing, New York City, c. 1900. / 1 27 1 2"x23 Oil on canvas, 13/ Private collection. Photo courtesy Sotheby Parke Bernet.


City of Ships! (0 the black ships!0 thefierce ships! 0 the beautiful, sharp-bow'd steamships and sail-ships!) City of the world! witir WHITMAN 3.

4.


Noteworthy Items Museum Offers Folk Art Course at New York University The Museum of American Folk Art and New York University have recently established an American Folk Art Track within the Masters Program in American Civilization in cooperation with the Museum Studies Program at NYU. Beginning in the fall of 1980, a basic survey of American folk art will be taught by Museum Director, Dr. Robert Bishop, and will include: folk portraiture; landscape; seascape; history and genre painting; watercolor; folk sculp-

ture; utilitarian folk expression; textiles, quilts; ceramics; metals; folk furniture; 20th century folk art; and folk art as an historical document. For further information contact: Professor Paul Baker, Director of American Civilization Program, New York University, 19 University Plaza, Room 403, New York, N.Y. 10003. (212) 598-3322

Jacquard Woven Coverlets Sought for New York State Exhibition Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute and the Gallery Association of New York State are

rmiri planning a traveling exhibition of New York State jacquard-woven coverlets to open in the summer of 1981. We are seeking coverlets by known New York weavers, and information and artifacts pertaining to weavers and the weaving trade. We would appreciate hearing from anyone with relevant material available for research purposes or for loan. Carol E. Gordon Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute 310 Genesee Street Utica, N.Y. 13502

The Museum Requests Our library of The Magazine Antiques is complete except for the January 1922 issue. Please search your attics and bookshelves and contact the Museum office. Thank you.

Carl W.Hambuck, 19th Century Painter Dr. Lewis Wright is seeking information about the life and surviving paintings of Carl W. Hambuck (or Hambook). This native painter worked in the Richmond, Va., area in the 1870's. Write: Dr. Lewis Wright 3505 Old Gun Road Midlothian, Va. 23113.

Do You Have Information on Charles Peale Polk? The Corcoran Gallery of Art is attempting to locate paintings by Charles Peale Polk (1767-1822) to include in a major exhibition of his work to be held during the summer of 1981. Please direct all correspondence to: Linda C. Simmons Associate Curator of Collections Corcoran Gallery of Art 17th St. and New York Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 Peter Lauk Oil on canvas 36" x 27" Signed 1.1. C.P. Polk pinx 1799 (Private collection) 56

This painting is a 20th century copy ofPolk's portrait ofPeter Lauck. I would like to locate the original. The copy is in the possession of descendant ofsitter.


New Publications in the Folk Art Field Folk Art Finder Published by Gallery Press With its March/April, 1980 issue, Gallery Press launched Folk Art Finder, a bimonthly newsletter devoted to folk art of all periods, but emphasizing the 20th century. In hopes of generating an exchange of folk art information among readers, the editors will include: articles on some aspect of folk art; a feature on a 20th century artist; book reviews; a calendar of events; exhibitions; a readers' exchange column; and classified ads. Contact: Florence Laffal, Editor, Gallery Press, 98 North Main Street, Essex, Connecticut 16426,(203) 767-0313.

1-0,17'1

The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts Publishes The Luminary A supplement to the MESDA Journal, Luminary will be published twice yearly, in February and August, which will fall exactly between the usual publication dates of the Journal. The Luminary, however, will report on behind the scenesmatters that the Journal does not. MESDA events, including classes, lectures, exhibits, research and the like will be given space, along with news of field research. Contact: The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Drawer F, Salem Station, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27108.

Newsletter from The Society for Folk Arts Preservation, Inc. The Society for Folk Arts Preservation, Inc., will provide information on living folk art and craft traditions of the world. Its hand lettered and illustrated newsletter will be published three times a year. For further information contact: Evelyn Stern, Executive Director, The Society for Folk Arts Preservation, 308 East 79th Street, New York, New York 10021,(212) 988-0855.

Coming Exhibitions at The Museum

WHIRLIGIGS!WIND TOYS AND WOODCARVINGS: PROMISED BEQUESTS FROM THE COLLECTION OF LEO AND DOROTHY RABKIN Curator: Patricia Coblentz MEMBERS PRIVATE PREVIEW

August 27, 1980 PUBLIC OPENING

August 28, 1980 CLOSING

November 11, 1980 Leo and Dorothy Rabkin, longtime friends of the Museum of American Folk Art, have generously promised much of their extensive collection of 18th, 19th, and 20th century woodcarvings to this institution. The exhibition will focus upon a small segment of their holdings, all of which are based upon the human figure.

SMALL FOLK: A CELEBRATION OF CHILDHOOD IN AMERICAN FOLK ART Curators: Sandra Brant and Elissa Cullman MEMBERS' PRIVATE PREVIEW

December 11, 1980 PUBLIC OPENING

December 12, 1980 CLOSING

February 1, 1981 This major exhibition of over 300 objects in all media of folk art will be a comprehen-

sive view of the life of children in the 18th and 19th centuries. The exhibition will be divided into four areas: "A Child's Depiction;' presented in paintings and sculpture; "A Child's Delight;' featuring children's playthings; "A Child's Discipline;' represented in needlework and calligraphy; and "A Child's Domain;' illustrated in objects related to the physical and psychological well-being of children, including quilts and bedcovers, furniture, and birth and death certificates.

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Folk Art Calendar Across The Country Current through August /7

Current through September 15

October 15 through October 19

ENGLISH NAIVE PAINTING.

PENNSYLVANIA IRONWARE

English naive paintings ranging from portraiture to genre and dating from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries are to be featured in this exhibition from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. A. Kalman, London, England. The Kalman Collection has been exhibited extensively throughout Europe and its first appearance in the United States will be at the Museum of American Folk Art, 49 West 53rd Street, New York, New York 10019.

A loan exhibition of several hundred pieces of Pennsylvania wrought iron is on view at the Hershey Museum of American Life. The exhibition introduces the visitor to the blacksmith shop which has remained virtually the same for over 200 years in the Keystone State. It also shows iron objects as they would have been used in the late 18th century home and farm, in addition to displaying the work of many documented 18th to 20th century Pennsylvania blacksmiths. The Museum of American Life, Hershey, Pennsylvania.

21st ANNUAL MIDWEST ANTIQUES FORUM AT HENRY FORD MUSEUM

Current through August GREAT AMERICAN QUILTS. Rare examples of 19th century quilts from a private collection will be on display at the Wilton Historical Society. There will be exquisite examples in a variety of early designs—Applique, Sawtooth, pieced, and many more. Wilton Heritage Museum, 249 Danbury Road (Rt. 7), Wilton, Connecticut.

August 27-November 9 WHIRLIGIGS/WIND TOYS AND WOODCARVINGS: PROMISED BEQUESTS FROM THE COLLECTION OF LEO AND DOROTHY RABKIN Leo and Dorothy Rabkin, longtime friends of the Museum of American Folk Art, have generously made much of their very extensive collection available to the Museum in the form of a promised bequest. This exhibition will focus upon a small segment of their holdings of whirligigs and wind toys from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, all of which have human figures built into their design.

Current through September 5 BUILDINGS REBORN: NEW USES, OLD PLACES New life given to older structures through adaptive re-use of these buildings, will be explored in this documentary exhibition. Before-and-after photos from all across the United States will be shown. Models will be used to highlight recycling projects of lower Manhattan buildings. Fraunces Tavern Museum, 54 Pearl Street, New York, N.Y. 10004.

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"Collection 19th Century Americana-100 Years of Contrasts;' is the topic of a 3 day seminar on collecting, studying, and caring for antiques. In addition to 12 lectures by well-known authorities, workshops on 7 subjects and tours of 5 houses in Greenfield Village conducted by Curators, Forum Registrants will have opportunities to discuss their collecting and collections with the speakers, curators, and conservators. Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan 48121. Attention: Mrs. Kay Twork.

Current through October 5 THE FOLK POTTERY OF GRAND LEDGE, MICHIGAN. The exhibition, organized by the Folk Arts Division of The Museum at Michigan State University and the Grand Ledge Historical Society, will feature items made by workers at American Vitrified Products Company and at the Clay Products Company, where sewer tile was manufactured. In their spare moments, some of the workers created various clay objects that were then fired in the kilns along with the sewer tile. Their output included animals, such as lions, frogs, and turtles, as well as other items. This folk pottery was produced in the early years of this century. The Museum at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824.

Current through Fall HANCOCK SHAKER VILLAGE SUMMER EVENTS This summer, Hancock Shaker Village will mark the bicentennial of the first local group to join the sect, and the 20 year anniversary of ownership by Shaker Community, Inc., with a schedule of special events. Highlights include: "Shaker Music and Dance;' which will be presented on 15 Sundays between June 22 and October 26; 2 programs on Shaker furniture in July; archaeological sites and water systems in July, August, September, and October; and a kitchen festival of Shaker food specialties. Hancock Shaker Village, P.O. Box 898, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201.

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 museums permanent collections. Included are masks, dolls, clothing, textiles, animal carvings, ceramic bowls and plates, musical instruments, ornamental boxes, religious bultos, jeweled adorn-

ments, 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 2087, Santa Fe, N.M. 87503.

Coming Events at The Museum Celebrate the Hudson From October 30 through November 2, the Fall Antiques show, "Celebrate the Hudson," managed by Sanford L. Smith & Associates, will be held at the New York Pier at 54th Street. 100 leading American Antique dealers from 20 states will exhibit their wares in a modern glass enclosed facility overlooking the Hudson River. On Wednesday, October 29, a benefit preview for the Museum will be hosted by the Friends Committee. From 6:00 to 7:00 special patrons may preview the preview, tickets $60.00; from 7:00 to 10:00 patrons may attend, tickets $45.00. Special exhibitions of marine folk art, and items from the Museum collection will be on view throughout the show.

Would you like to go to Japan? The Friends Committee is considering sponsoring a trip to Japan in conjunction with the Japanese tour of our exhibition "Small Folk: A Celebration of Childhood in American Folk Art," in the Spring or Summer of 1981. The 12-14 day trip will be filled with fine arts lectures, guided tours of collections and museums, and visits to private homes. The $4,000.00 cost includes all transportation, hotels, and breakfasts. In order to plan further, we need to know of your enthusiasm. Please contact the Museum office if you have any interest in the trip, (212) 581-2474.

Pieced Quilt in the Mariner's Compass pattern Artist unknown Maine Circa 1855 Cotton 3 4" 87/ 1 2"x 82/ Promised gift of Cyril!. Nelson

To be presented at "Celebrate the Hudson"

MORE.

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Coming Events at The Museum Exhibition Preview SMALL FOLK:

A Celebration of Childhood in America by Sandra Brant and Elissa Cullman 1.

1. Three Sisters In A Landscape. Henry Walton, circa 1838, oil on canvas. Finger Lakes region, New I York State. 19 x 16". Collection ((Avis & Rockwell Gardiner. 2. Man on Horse, with Dog, Pull Toy. Maker unidentified. Last half of the 19th century. Carved and painted wood, metal. 1 2". Collection Height 17/ ofIsobel and Harvey Kahn. 3. Ciphering book—back endpaper. Made by Elizabeth Murphy, 1801-1802, watercolor and ink on paper. Middletown, New 1 2". CollecJersey. 13 x 18/ tion ((the Monmouth County Historical Associa tion. 4. Sampler. Made by Ann Folwill, dated 1804, silk and metallic threads and painted paper on linen. Burlington County, New Jersey. 174/5 x 124/5". Cour tesy, Museum Fine Arts Boston, Massachusetts. 5. Child's Side Chair. Maker unidentified, circa 1835, wood printed and grained with stencil decoration, rush seat, height 29". Collection ((Gail Gitlen.

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"Small Folk: A Celebration of Childhood in America" is the first exhibition of its kind—a comprehensive and illuminating view of American childhood from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Including over 300 objects in all forms of folk art, by, for, and about children, "Small Folk" presents a major thesis on the status of American youth in our nation's past. Not the petted and pampered children of today, Puritan youngsters were believed to be miniature adults riddled with the evil of original sin. Colonial children were expected to work towards salvation from infancy, and fear and regression dominated every phase of their childhood. Although societal attitudes gradually underwent a positive evolution, even those born at the beginning of the 19th century, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, could reflect that "it was a misfortune to have been born in an age when children were nothing, and to have spent mature life in an age when children were everything!' Under the influence of the European English Enlightenment and the American Revolution, a new appreciation of childhood emerged and ultimately flourished. By the 19th century a belief in the innocence of youth, its innate goodness and virtue, had supplanted earlier prejudices, and an interest in child development became a predominant issue of American popular debate. This preoccupation with childhood culminated in the 20th century's indulgent veneration of children and our youth centered society. Thus, childrearing methods have run full circle "from birch rod to lollipop"...How did this come to be? "Small Folk" traces the emerging status of American youth as it is revealed through the folk art of the late 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Artists have always been the most acute observers of any historical period. Their personal insight allows us to glimpse the true fabric of early American life, to understand dimensions obscured behind

cold facts and figures in history books. No one speaks more eloquently for America's heritage than these painters, carvers, and stitchers, who, often anonymously, created a visual legacy of Colonial, Republican, and Victorian childhood. In organizing the vast quantities of art objects relating to "Small Folk;' the exhibition has been divided into four areas. A Child's Depiction offers paintings of children done in oils, watercolors, and pastels. A Child's Domain includes: "horning and mourning"—pieces created to celebrate a child's birth or commemorate a child's death; objects relating to children's work within the family; and finally the child-scale furniture and quilts provided by loving parents to adorn their children's domain. Objects pertaining to schooling are included under A Child's Discipline. Religion, reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic were given artistic expression in works of art ranging from a decorated hymnal to a carved scrimshaw hornbook, from a richly embellished ciphering exercise to a schoolgirl's sampler. A highlight of the show will be A Child's Delight including children's playthings: carved and stuffed animals, pulltoys, rocking horses, tops, dominoes, board games, dolls, and doll furniture. In selecting over 300 objects for "Small Folk:' we have stressed the art rather than the folk in folk art, choosing only objects which are aesthetically successful as opposed to those with solely historical significance. A large proportion of objects, never exhibited or published before, will be presented, yet, we have not overlooked the old favorites which have become folk art classics. The focus of our study is the child favored by fortune and circumstance, the special child rather than all children. Ours is the youngster who could take time from daily chores to put on his Sunday best and pose stiffly for the "likeness" his parents had commissioned to

preserve his youthful image. Ours is the young girl who could lavish the time and care necessary to produce the masterpieces of needle arts which adorn this exhibit. Ours are the children whose loving parents sewed, carved, painted, and decorated the myriad decorative objects to comfort and amuse their offspring. The concern is not with the indentured child servant, nor with the industrial child laborer but, instead, with the child of the middle class, scion of that vast backbone of America. Hence, "Small Folk" is subtitled "A Celebration of Childhood in America!' While the negative aspects of child-rearing are not ignored, this study focuses on "the becoming:' the progression towards a sympathetic, affectionate appreciation of children. Emerging from the privations of Puritan times, children have become cherished members of society. The American Revolution has fulfilled its promise to the child. In guaranteeing the child's "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness:' thoughtful Americans have established childhood as a special interlude, a magical moment reserved and respected as a preparation for the passage into adult life.


Report From the Friends Committee by Cynthia Schaffner The month of May held two exciting events for the Friends Committee: the Fifth Annual Manhattan House Tour on May 3, and a new members luncheon on May 20. Both events involved the efforts of many old Friends and introduced many more new people to the Committee and the Museum. This year's House Tour was another great success, with a superb collection of homes which included the Soho lofts of David K. Baker and William Hinckley, and Giorgio DeLuca; a home with folk art and American antiques belonging to David and Jane Walentas; the penthouse apartment of Mildred Gilbert; and 2 apartments highlighted by works of contemporary artists, the homes of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Krasnow, and Barbara and Eugene Schwartz. Follow1.

2. 1. Friend Phyllis Haders and the quilt she donated for the House Tour 2. Macy's benefit auction for the Museum, April 20. 3. Carolyn Pemice, Friend Jana Klauer, and Tom Mulligan at House Tour Reception in Museum galleries. photos by Dia Stolnitz 62

ing the Tour was a lovely reception catered by Susan Kessler of the Unforgettable Eatable at the Museum galleries. A quilt donated by Phyllis Haders was raffled at the reception, and provided the graphics for the striking invitations that were designed by the Estee Lauder Creative Department and donated by Deena Packaging. Congratulations to Jana Klauer for her fifth, and best, tour! Jana extends thanks to Marilyn Glass and Barbara Buchholz who helped with the tour and reception plans, and to all the friends who helped prepare and mail the invitations—Dianne Butt, Lucy Danziger, Davida Deutsch, Irene Goodkind, Louise Hartwell, Gwen Kade, Sue Klein, Cynthia Schaffner, Karen Schuster, Myra Shaskan, Kennetha Stewart, Eleanora Walker, and Julia Weissman. Special thanks to Barbara Butt who assisted in coordinating the 40 other volunteers who acted as hosts and hostesses in the homes on the tour—including Carolyn Pemice and Tom Mulligan who met hosting in one of the homes on last year's tour, and are getting married this Summer. On May 20, Joyce Cowin hosted a new members luncheon at her beautiful apartment to introduce new people to the Friends Committee and the Museum. More than 40 old and new friends attended, spending an exhilarating afternoon exchanging ideas and future plans for the Committee and the Museum. Bob Bishop spoke about the Museum's goals and the need for a very active and committed Friends Committee to help insure the growth of the Museum. He stressed the need for a volunteer "staff!' and thus, the importance of using the talents, time, and ideas of all. Our thanks and warm appreciation to Joyce for the lovely afternoon. Thanks, too, to Dianne Butt, Marilyn Glass, Sue Klein, and Cynthia Schaffner for their help in planning. "Welcome!' to all the new members of the Friends Committee. As part of the volunteer effort of the Committee to assist the Museum staff in many of their projects, Friends Committee members, Barbara Buchholz, Jay Johnson, Cynthia Schaffner, and Karen Schuster assisted Dia Stolnitz in gathering objects for the benefit auction on April 20, held as part of a week long event at Macy's Herald Square. While the Summer months are often quieter for the Friends Committee, we hope the enthusiasm and excitement generated by these activities will be sustained, and that the commitment of the new members will stimulate the growth of the Committee and the Museum.


With A Little Help From Our Friends: I first became involved with folk art when Bruce Johnson, then the Director of our Museum, called to ask if I would work with him on an upcoming exhibition on the Cat in American Folk Art. At that time I knew a lot about cats and nothing about folk art. Happily I found that I was not intimidated by the field; I found folk art approachable. I enjoyed reading and learning about it. When the exhibition closed I was invited to become a member of the Friends' Committee, whose principal function, as I saw it, was to propagate the faith. My father died suddenly in November 1976 and I went home rather hurriedly to Scotland for two months. One day there, in the Design Centre in Glasgow, I found myself looking at a poster that took my breath away. A large white ram stood in the foreground of a painting, with buildings, fence, trees, and hills behind it, and no human in sight. In small type above it I read "White Ram bred and fed by R. Smith 18467 In feeling it was quite different from any American folk painting I had seen. The larger type on the poster read English Naive Painting from the collection of Mr. & Mrs. A. Kalman, London. I felt an intense rush of pleasure: British folk art existed. The pleasure changed to anguish when I saw that the exhibition at the Scottish Arts Council Gallery in Edinburgh had closed two days earlier. I subsequently went to Edinburgh and spoke to friends involved in the museum world, the Scottish Crafts Council, and even the Scottish Arts Council. None of them had seen the exhibition and none of these otherwise charming and cultivated people knew anything about folk art, British or American. I had brought from New York a dozen copies of American CATalogue and other folk art books from the Museum Gift Shop and I passed them out along with sermons on the joy of folk art. My friends and new acquaintances continued to be polite and charming but they were clearly nonplussed by my enthusiasm. Toward the middle of December I went to London, planning to call the Kalmans and beg to see their collection. On my first morning there I opened up the London Times at breakfast and screamed. On the Arts page was an article on the Kalman collection which had returned to London and was now being exhibited at Mr. Kalman's own gallery. The reviewer began with the statement "Less attention has been given to the work of unschooled `naive' or 'primitive' painters in England than to their like elsewhere." I sighed in relief and

1. Nell, The Rat-hunter Jno. Whitehead Provenance unknown Oil on canvas 1852 2" / 2"x251 1 20/

English Naive Paintings from the Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Kalman

he rat - hunter. a iced 3 ye-ars and 9 Months. 1. vindication and left at once for the gallery. I was delighted to find that the collection was indeed distinctively British in feeling and contained many more livestock paintings, which particularly impressed and amused me. I spoke to Andras Kalman and his assistant Sharon Roberts about our Museum and my hope that we might one day arrange for his collection to be shown there. Both were warmly receptive to the idea and I returned to New York with a dozen copies of the catalogue of the Kalman collection which I began at once to distribute among friends of the Museum. Everyone praised the catalogue and admired the collection, but to my surprise many on this side of the Atlantic could see no place for British folk art in a museum of American folk art. I was disappointed but I decided that the best thing I could do was to continue to pass out catalogues and sing my song while looking for allies. I am grateful to Adele Earnest whose belief that British folk art should hang in our museum matched my own. I am grateful to Lucy Danziger who dispatched her mother-in-law, Mrs. Louise Danziger, to England to bring back more copies of the catalogue. I am grateful to Beatrix Rumford for her familiarity with the collection, her knowledge of British folk art, and her

insights into the importance of the connections between British and American folk art. In her article "Nonacademic English Paintings:' published by Antiques Magazine, she writes: "One cannot define what is original or American about folk art created in the United States without first considering whether styles of painting and types of decoration used here were derived from, influenced by, or have elements in common with prevailing traditions abroad!' Clearly, however, the fate of British folk art at our museum would depend to a large degree on our new director. Within minutes of meeting Bob Bishop in March 1977, I presented him with a catalogue and pled its case. His reply was a quick smile and an equally quick response that it seemed like a great idea to him. Above all, it is his sharpness of eye and astute knowledge in such matters as obtaining grants and making arrangements for the exhibition that have turned my hope into a reality. I am grateful for this and delighted to have played my part in bringing British folk art to our Museum and to the United States. Eleanora Walker, FRIEND Editor's note: We appreciate Museum Friend Eleanora Walker's enthusiasm, and thank her for introducing the Kalman Collection to all of us. 63


Docent/Education Report by Catherine Calvert

1. Portrait of Museum docents under Erastus Salisbury Field's Joseph Moore and His Family, at a lecture on the Whitney show 'American Folk Painters of Three Centuries." 2. Docent Kathy Steinberg and school children from I.S. 59, in Queens, in Museum galleries during "John S. Blunt, the Man, the Artist, and His Times." photos by Dia Stolnitz

64

Among the 30 groups the docents guided through the Weathervane show were 6-year olds, senior citizens, college students, and trainees from Sotheby Parke Bernet. A special workshop for teachers from the

LA174] Hunter Center for Teachers of the Gifted offered not only an introductory lecture from Lucille Rosen, but a chance to get out the scissors and glue and make their own vanes, an activity enjoyed by teachers as much as children in the Museum outreach program. "The creative part of the session which you conducted was a smasr said coordinator Audrey Feuerstein. "The teachers designed and decorated wonderfully original weathervanes. They were thoroughly involved in the process and very proud of their results!' Docents on duty in the galleries during "The Art of the Weathervane:' found "enthusiastic and interested visitors. They seemed to especially like the videotape;' docent Migs Fiend says. The Spring exhibition, "John S. Blunt: The Man, The Artist, and His Times;' was a catalyst for innovative sessions with children. Several school groups drew portraits of themselves and of others, comparing them with modern polaroid shots and the 19th century works of John Blunt. Other docents brought the Museum's outreach program into department stores: Heather Hamilton spoke on sculpture, pottery, and textiles and Judy Weissman spoke on quilts as part of Macy's folk art promotion. Priscilla Brandt gave an introduction to folk art at Bamberger's in New Jersey. The Junior League docents worked on the Museum's slide show, "What is American in Folk Art?" preparing it for lectures at local community centers and settlement houses. A lecture series for wives of diplomats and United Nations members was sponsored by the National Council of Women of the United States and made many new friends for the Museum."We all know more about this country, its art, and its history through your efforts:' wrote Chairman Betti Hellinger Salzman. Lectures on many aspects of folk art were attended by the docents and members. A Thursday night lecture series for the docents covered topics such as the Bard Brothers, American folk pottery, mourning art, the Shutes, and included a photography workshop sponsored by Nikon. We thank Davida Deutsch, Frank Drouin, George Joseph, Helen Kellogg, Bill Ketchum, and Tony Peluso for their generous help. A tour of the Whitney's tribute to American folk painting given by its curator, Jennifer Russell, and a lecture on The Grandma Moses exhibition at the Hammer Gallery presented by Jane Kallir, Director of Galerie St. Etienne, offered special insights to the docents.


Book Reviews William Wroth THE CHAPEL OF OUR LADY OF TALPA. The Taylor Museum of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 1979. 103 pp. 8"x10". 48 color and black & white prints. Those taking a special interest in the art, history, and culture of the Spanish southwest will appreciate William Wroth's new volume on the chapel of Our Lady of Talpa. Not for casual consumption, this is a sharply focused, well documented and researched study of a family chapel in the small northern New Mexico village of Rio Chiquito. The chapel was built in the 1830s by Don Nicholas Sandoval and maintained by the Sandoval and Duran families for over 100 years. In the 1940s the contents of the chapel were sold to a Colorado Springs collector and in 1976 the Taylor Museum installed the collection in a permanent display carefully designed to give the look and feel of the original chapel. The project concluded with the publication of this exhaustive essay. Concerned as it is with historical specifics, The Chapel of Our Lady of Talpa provides a detailed illustration of life in a 19th century Spanish New Mexican community. Reviewed by: Laura Byers Robert Bishop. FOLK PAINTERS OF AMERICA. New York, E.P. Dutton, 1979. 255 pp. 368 b&w illus. and 70 color plates. Folk Painters of America is a book that will appeal both to folk art aficionados and to the novice but curious reader. Rich in anecdote and interlaced with quotes from the most articulate sources in the literature of folk art, the book offers a world of knowledge. The book is organized by geographical area. This format allows us to comprehend the parallels between the cultural development of the regions and stylistic development of the art that the people produced. The art of the people is demonstrated in its full scope. Expressions of all Americans—rich and poor, rural and urban, formally educated or self-taught—are brought together in this book, showing us art that is often more an expression of feeling than just an attractive design. The art is often strong and sometimes not pretty. The emotional range of the selected pictures is broad, reflecting the diversity of the country itself. Dr. Bishop's vast knowledge and long experience in the field of folk art have enabled him to tap some hitherto un-

FAIrl heralded collections, both private and public. Many of the pictures come from recently acquired collections indicating that what is depicted is not absolutely out of reach of the present day collector. Comparable material still comes on the market. This, of course, is especially true of contemporary folk art which is sprinkled throughout the book and is intelligently integrated in the flow of the continuing creation of folk art in America. Reviewed by: Allan L. Daniel Jean Lipman and Tom Armstrong, eds. AMERICAN FOLK PAINTERS OF THREE CENTURIES. New York: Hudson Hills Press, Inc., 1980. 240 pp. 67 b&w illus., 159 color illus., hardcover, $35.00 American Folk Painters of Three Centuries is an anthology of the 37 artists represented in the Whitney Museum of American Art's 1980 exhibition of American folk paintings. This publication and its associated exhibition mark the first time an American museum has undertaken a major exhibition of paintings by folk artists and displayed them in their rightful place as important American art by outstanding artists. The artists were chosen by the editors Jean Lipman and Tom Armstrong with the advice of three consultants: Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr.; Beatrix T. Rumford; and Alice Winchester, all of whom are noted authorities in the field. The editors selected artists they felt to be the best American folk painters, limiting their choices to those whose lives could be documented with a reasonable amount of certainty and, in most cases, to those who have left a substantial body of work. The artists are grouped by century and arranged alphabetically within those categories, with the heaviest concentration, 22 artists, in the 19th century. Since the backgrounds of most of these artists have, until recent years, remained obscure, the editors asked the outstanding authority on each artist to contribute a chapter to this anthology. Therefore each biographical essay includes previously published information, properly credited, as well as the most recent information gathered on these artists. Each painter is represented by several outstanding works all reproduced in color totaling 159 masterpieces of American folk painting. Included are works by John Brewster, Jr., Rufus Hathaway, James & John Bard, Erastus Salisbury Field, Edward Hicks, Charles Hoffmann, Jurgan Frederick Huge, Noah North, Ammi Phillips, Rufus

Porter, Asahel Powers, John Kane, Olof Krans, and Horace Pippin. American Folk Painters of Three Centuries is an important, beautiful and informative volume that every art collector will delight in owning. Reviewed by: Dorothy). Kaufman Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr. DECOYS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION. Exton, Pennsylvania. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 1979. 272 pp. over 750 b&w illus. Covering the area of the Atlantic flyway from New Jersey to North Carolina, this book illustrates and discusses over 750 decoys and their makers. Mr. Fleckenstein has divided the area into chapters on the decoys of the New Jersey coast, Delaware River, Susquehanna Flats, Chesapeake Bay, Eastern shore of Virginia, and Back Bay-Currituck Sound. The black and white photographs are clear and captioned with the type of bird, date, maker, locality, and condition of the paint. In a separate chapter the author has alphabetically arranged biographical sketches of all the known makers of the region. This book will serve as an invaluable aid to decoy enthusiasts in identifying birds and their makers in the mid-Atlantic region. Reviewed by: Dorothy). Kaufman E. Jane Townsend. GUNNERS PARADISE: WILDFOWLING AND DECOYS ON LONG ISLAND. Stony Brook, N.Y. The Museums at Stony Brook. 1979. 152 pp., 347 illus. This book is both a history of gunning on Long Island as well as the catalogue of the collection of decoys at The Museums of Stony Brook. There are nearly 300 decoys in the collection of which 236 are illustrated in black and white and 11 in color. The emphasis is on Long Island decoys; however there are some fine carvings from other eastern regions. Included are many wonderful examples of the works of three of the finest Long Island carvers known: Thomas H. Gelston; William Bowman; and Obediah Verity. Miss Townsend has done a splendid job of documenting and footnoting her findings, opening the trail for future research. Having interviewed many of Long Island's older residents who remember the days of market gunning, she has secured knowledge which might soon have been lost forever. Decoy collectors and Long Island historians will want to add this attractive, informative book to their libraries. Reviewed by: Dorothy). Kaufman 65


Recent Additions to Museum Collections -stir Those who believe that American folk art has surrendered itself in this century to technological innovation, to formal sophistication, or worse, to cunning naivete, should reconsider. To be sure, the look of what qualifies as genuine folk expression has changed with the times, but everywhere

Folk Art in These Times by Laura Byers

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there are untrained practitioners forging independent experience into original artwork. Collecting 20th century folk art, a special pursuit of the Museum of American Folk Art, is an adventure that calls for expertise plus daring. Happily, many of our patrons possess just that combination. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak of Washington, D.C., collect contemporary art. The couple has recently donated 16 works to this Museum, including those by William Fellini, Victor Joseph Gatto, Jesse Howard, Lawrence Lebduska, John Roeder, and Clarence Stringfield. A New York City house painter, William Fellini, devoted leisure hours to painting canvases such as The Old Mill. Three drawings and one painting by Victor Joseph Gatto also number among the Museum's collection of 20th century art. Though Gatto's world was bounded on either side by Manhattan's Hudson and East Rivers, he painted fantastic scenes of the grasslands of Africa and the crusty terrains of distant planets, vivid only in his own imagination. His Tiger and Strange Animals is among the Rosenak's recent gifts to the permanent collection. Jesse Howard, born in 1885 in Shamrock, Missouri, received scanty schooling before he drifted westward in search of fortune. After living in Yellowstone for a while, he returned to Missouri, settling in Fulton. There he began to build between himself and the world a great wall consisting largely of hand painted signs, biblical quotations, and expressions of Howard's personal philosophy. From this assemblage, the Museum has just acquired Free Thought and Free Speech and The

Name ofEach in New Book. Lawrence Lebduska, born in Baltimore

in 1894 of Czech parents, began work as a mural painter. John Roeder emigrated to the United States from Europe. The son of a stonecutter, he left Luxembourg to settle in California. Roeder was a deeply religious man who began to build a miniature village and chapel in his back yard. He populated this environment with cement figures and ornamented it with paintings on canvas and glass. His Fire ofLove is an oil work of his later years. Clarence Stringfield, born in Tennessee in 1903, took up carving in the '30s to pass time while he was bedridden. He continued to carve after his recovery, making woodblock prints as well as freestanding sculpture. His Carving ofa Woman dates


from the early years of his career, while his Print of a King, sepia woodblock, is a later by-product of his carving interest. Both are new gifts to the permanent collection. The Rosenaks have also given us two face jugs, one especially fascinating grotesque by the Georgia potter Lanier Meaders, and a milder North Carolina version from the Westrnore Pottery. Mr. and Mrs. William Leffler of New York have given the Museum The Art Gallery by Gustav Klumpp. Klumpp is a painter whose style and subject matter recall that of another modern, Morris Hirshfield. Klumpp came to New York from Germany in the 1920s. It was not until after his retirement in 1964, though, that he began to paint at the encouragement of a 4. local Senior Citizen Center. The Art Gallery is one of Klumpp's many vigorous tributes to the female nude. Two 19th century paintings, a stylish allegorical landscape scene and a primitive depiction of a Lancaster County Farm are the gifts of George J. Arden. New to the Museum's collections are 5 outstanding quilts and a handful of ceramic items. Phyllis Haders, of New York, has made a gift of her appliqued Friendship Album Quilt. The textile was stitched by the Sewing Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Elizabeth Port, New Jersey in 1872 and presented to church missionaries in the South Pacific. Several unusual motifs, the Church, a red Bible inscribed "God is Love:' wise men, and Noah's Ark are incorporated into the design of this quilt. Two lovely 19th century quilts, each intriguingly titled, have also been donated to MAFA. Stanley and Jacqueline Schneider 5. of'ilicson, Arizona have awarded the Museum with a Cookie Cutter quilt and from Mr. and Mrs. Peter Findlay, of New York, comes the Amish work entitled Robbing Peter to Pay Paul. In addition to these full-sized quilts, the Museum adds two crib quilts to its collections. Joel and Kate Kopp have given a delicately colored summer weight crib quilt top. From Gloria List of Los Angeles we received a pieced and appliquĂŠd crib quilt with a calico cat and gingham dog, illustrated in The All American Dog. A hooked rug dating from the 19th century is this season's final addition to the Museum's textile collection. Mrs. Gertrude Schweitzer of Colts Neck, New Jersey has given a pair of ceramic lions produced by the Fenton Works, Bennington, Vermont, and dated 1849. For these many gifts, old and new, the Museum offers its sincere thanks.

1. These pottery lions made by the Fenton Works in 1849 are the gift of Mrs. Gertrude Schweitzer. (79.700.1) 2. Grotesque jugs, sometimes called "monkey jugs," are entertaining variations on a traditional, utilitarianform. This example by Lanier Meaders of Cleveland, Georgia, is the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak. (80.700.1) 3. Free Thought and Free Speech, done in oil on board, is an abbreviated sermon on board by contemporary painter Jesse Howard, and is a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak. (80.101.3) 4. The Art Gallery, by Gustav Klumpp, is a 20th century tribute to the female nude. The painting is a gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Leffler. (79.101.7) 5. This hooked rug is the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Grossman, Jr. (80.403.1) 6. The use of bold color and pattern often associated with Amish quilt making characterizes this quilt in the Robbing Peter to Pay Paul pattern, which was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Peter Findlay. (79.402.11)

6. 67


ITEMS ACCESSIONED DECEMBER 1979-MARCH 1980 79.101.7 The Art Gallery Gustav Klumpp Provenance unknown Date unknown Oil on canvas 251 / 2" x 191 / 2" Mr. and Mrs. William Leffler

80.100.0 Name ofEach Book in New Book Jesse Howard Provenance unknown September 24, 1976 Paint on canvas 40" x 57" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak

80.109.1 Tiger and Strange Animals Victor Joseph Gatto New York Circa 1950 Ink on paper 111 / 2" x 8/ 3 4" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak

79.101.8 Lancaster County Farm Scene W. Bill Pennsylvania Circa 1890 Oil on canvas 30" x 35" George J. Arden

80.101.1 Old Mill William Fellini Provenance unknown Date unknown / 4" Oil on linoleum 14' x 101 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak

80.109.2 Print of King Clarence Stringfield Provenance unknown Date unknown Sepia woodblock 12" x 18" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak

79.101.9 Allegorical Scene Artist unknown Provenance unknown Circa 1850 Oil on canvas 30" x 42" George J. Arden 79.402.6 Pieced quilt in Cookie Cutter pattern Maker unknown Probably Pennsylvania Last quarter of the 19th century Cotton 70/ 1 2" x 791 / 2" Dr. Stanley and Jacqueline Schneider 79.402.10 Pieced Quilt in Robbing Peter to Pay Paul pattern Amish Probably Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Circa 1860 Cotton 90" x 98" Mr. and Mrs. Peter Findlay 79.402.11 Pieced and appliquĂŠd crib quilt Maker unknown Probably Pennsylvania Circa 1910 Cotton 28" x 35" Gloria List 79.700.1 Pottery Lions, pair Fenton Works Bennington, Vermont 1849 Glazed stoneware H. 12" Mrs. Gertrude Schweitzer 68

80.101.2 Fire ofLove John Roeder Provenance unknown Date unknown Framed oil on cardboard 26/ 3 4" x 46" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak 80.101.3 Free Thought and Free Speech Jesse Howard Provenance unknown Date unknown Oil on wood 29" x 46" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak 80.101.5 Woman Looking in Mirror Victor Joseph Gatto New York Circa 1950 Oil on board 6" x 9/ 1 4" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak 80.103.1 Two Women Lawrence Lebduska Provenance unknown July 1965 Pastel on paper 11" x 14" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak 80.103.3 Train and Farm Welsh Provenance unknown 1970 Pastel on cardboard 4" x 8/ 3 4" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak

80.109.3 Strip Tease Bank Blonde Victor Joseph Gatto Provenance unknown Date unknown Ink on paper 11" x 8/ 3 4" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak 80.109.4 Incoming Tide Victor Joseph Gatto New York Date unknown Ink on paper 111 / 4" x 83 / 4" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak 80.110.1 Drawing of My House Creek Charlie Provenance unknown Date unknown Crayon and string on cardboard 6" x 7" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak 80.110.2 Two Horses S.L. Jones Provenance unknown Date unknown Crayon on paper / 4" 24/ 1 4" x 181 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak 80.110.3 Two Heads S.L. Jones Provenance unknown Date unknown Crayon on paper / 2" 181 / 2" x 131 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak


80.110.4 Textures by Sunrise Nellie Mae Rowe Provenance unknown Date unknown Crayon on paper 9/ 3 4" x 12" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak

80.700.2 Face jug Westmore Pottery Provenance unknown 20th century Glazed redware 1 2 " x 7" 9" x 7/ Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak

ACC 80.2 Pieced quilt top Bertha Ward Metcalfe Tyrone, Pennsylvania Circa 1905 Flannel on muslin 71" x 78" James Metcalfe

80.201.1 Carving of a Woman Clarence Stringfield Provenance unknown Circa 1930 Wood 20/ 1 2"x 4/ 1 2" x 5" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak

The Board of Trustees Salutes the Junior League of New York

80.402.1 AppliquĂŠd friendship album quilt Sewing Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Elizabethport, New Jersey 1852 Cotton 99" x 98" Phyllis Haders

Dear Mrs. Davis:

80.402.2 AppliquĂŠd summer weight crib quilt top Maker unknown Probably Pennsylvania Circa 1845 Cotton 351 / 4"square Joel and Kate Kopp 80.403.1 Hooked rug Maker unknown Provenance unknown 19th century Wool 44" x 31" Mr. and Mrs. Edward N. Grossman, Jr. 80.404.1 Child's dress worn by Dora Ettinger (1895-1980) Maker unknown New York Circa 1893 Cotton and cotton lace L. 41" Mrs. Clarisse Rudrames 80.700.1 Grotesque face jug Lanier Meaders Cleveland, Georgia 20th century Ceramic, glazed 10" x 8" x 7" Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rosenak

April 24, 1980 Mrs. Christina Davis President New York Junior League 130 East 80th Street New York, New York 10028

The New York Junior League's interest and participation since 1978 in the programs of the Museum of American Folk Art have made a major contribution to the Museum. The Museum has benefited visibly from the Junior League volunteers who comprise one half of the volunteer staff of the Museum Galleries and the Outreach Program. The advice of the League's chairpersons has been invaluable. It was through the Junior League's pioneering effort that the Museum for the first time was able to remain open to the public one night a week. These new evening hours allowed many New Yorkers previously unable to visit the Museum a chance to view the exhibitions and now Mobil Corporation has agreed to continue this sponsorship. A fine group of Junior League volunteers staffed the evening program while another group successfully joined the Museum in the day and weekend programs. Another joint project was the excellent slide presentation "What is Folk Art" that received a Silver Award at the 21st International Film and Television Festival and a citation from the Art Libraries Society of North America, New York Chapter, for its "impressive design and quality of reproductions:' This slide program in addition to being valuable as a teaching aid to docents, is also shown to children in New York City public and private schools and to community centers under the auspices of the Outreach Program. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the Junior League on future projects and extend a personal thanks for its aid and advice. Sincerely, Ralph Esmerian Chairman of the Board Dr. Robert Bishop Director Lucy, Danziger Vice President and Educational Consultant

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Museum Shop-Talk Elizabeth Tobin For those of you who have shown a special interest in past exhibitions, we are summarizing certain exhibition catalogues which you may not realize are still available. These catalogues, published by the Museum, are neither in book form nor included in recent issues of the magazine. A few of them such as the first of the Bicentennial catalogues, The Fabric of the State (May 23-July 10, 1972), with Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr. as curator and Jean Lipman's An Eye on America (March 13-May 14, 1972) are now out of print.

Sign of Gabriel, Flag or Indian Chief

Metal of the State (May 1-July 1, 1973) is a catalogue which surveys metal craft in New York State from colonial days to the 1930s. This was the second of 5 separate exhibits on New York State's historical development as seen through various arts and crafts. Curator Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr. included objects both utilitarian and decorative, handcrafted and manufactured. There are brief paragraphs describing the use and development of iron, tin, copper, lead, and pewter. There is a check list of 196 items and 10 illustrations. 24 pages. 2.00. In Pottery ofthe State (April 18-June 2, 1974) guest curator William C. Ketchum, Jr. gives the history and development of New York State potters and their potteries. In this third bicentennial exhibition catalogue, there is a checklist of 85 items and 21 illustrations divided among either redware or stoneware jugs, crocks, and chums. The cover is printed with a full page facsimile of the stock inventory with prices dated December 27, 1884 from Hart Brothers, manufacturers of and Dealers in Stone Ware, Rockingham Ware, etc. 14 pages. 2.00.

Guest curators Joel and Kate Kopp were responsible for the milestone exhibit from the world of hooked rugs, Hooked Rugs in the Folk Art Tradition (September 18, 1974-January 19, 1975). There are 4 color photographs, including the cover, 68 black and white illustrations, and a checklist of 65 items. A brief introduction includes drawings of the cross section and reverse side views of yam sewn, shirred and hooked rugs, and summaries of these three techniques. 40 pages. 4.00. Calligraphy: Why Not Learn to Write (January 29-March 23, 1975) was curated and written by Bruce Johnson when he was director of this Museum. He brought to our attention the discipline of "beautiful writing" as it developed into a form of American folk art. The catalogue comprises a check list of 186 items and 23 illustrations, including excerpts from 19th century calligraphic instruction books. Bruce turned the figure of the right handed calligrapher on the catalogue cover so that he would appear to be as left handed a calligrapher as Bruce was himself. 20 pages. 2.00.

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Rq,6111A1 by.p, CURATOR, yoL.H, 9.4Htdy OtsWicaoon of Thy American Aftocun, of Natural History

Museum of Early

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At the Sign of Gabriel, Flag, or Indian Chief is a 1965 reprint from Curator, Vol. 1. No. 2, a quarterly from The American Museum of Natural History, written by Mary C. Black, director of our Museum at that time. For those of you who wish either to be reminded of or first learn about our early history and the events in the folk art world, preceding MAFA's organization, this is a most informative article. Included are illustrations of our three now legendary figures, Gabriel, Flag Gate, and Chief Tammany, and 6 installation shots from four early exhibitions. 13 pages. 2.00.

70

:47 çpL OF THE sr

The Pottery of the

State

April 18—lune 2,1974


Guest Curator Mama K. Brill prepared the catalogue for the fourth of the Bicentennial series, Wood Sculpture ofNew York State (April 2-June 1, 1975). In her introduction she discusses cigar store figures, trade signs, circus and carousel carvings, ship figureheads, decoys, whirligigs, toys, and weathervanes. There is a checklist of 139 items and 19 illustrations. 18 pages. 2.00. The Paper of the State (April 9-June 2, 1976), the fifth and final Bicentennial exhibition was assembled by guest curator N. F. Karlins. Karlins has written a 6 page introduction with 29 illustrations and check list of 219 objects which succeeds in proving paper folk art to be an "extremely varied and rich field!' She provides Appendix A,4 pages of notes on people, places, and things in the exhibit and Appendix B,2 pages with instruction on the care of works of art on paper. 32 pages. 2.00. Mama Brill Anderson returned as guest

curator for Selected Masterpieces of New York State Folk Painting. She says she strived toward "gathering a collection that could convey the spirit of New York State Folk Painting!' The text, 21 photographs and check list of 51 items depict the style and flavor of early New York. Although there are some 18th and 20th century paintings, the majority are from the 19th century. 16 pages. 2.00. Best ofFriends—To Bruce Johnson (Special Memorial Exhibition June 7-September 3, 1977) was made possible through the efforts of Museum members who loaned objects from their personal collections. This exhibition was dedicated to Bruce Johnson, who, as the catalogue stated, was "responsible for the dynamic revitalization of the Museum of American Folk Art during his two year term as Director!' Mrs. Riki Zuriff was chairman of the Exhibition Committee and Burton Fendleman was guest curator. H. R. Bradley Smith, cata-

logue author, wrote of Bruce and some of the lending members who shared anecdotes about the objects they had loaned. There is a checklist of 104 objects and 21 black and white illustrations. 31 pages. 2.00. Sandra Brant and Elissa Cullman were the guest curators for Andy Warhol's Folk and Funk (September 20-November 19, 1977). Brant and Cullman have succeeded well in presenting Andy Warhol, the collector, as the catalogue indicates with a "distinct taste for defects..." often choosing those "which show wear!' Warhol is quoted as saying, "I don't believe in restoration. I really don't. I think things should look just as they are!' And they did. There are 17 illustrations with a cover in color and a check list of 85 items. 24 pages. 2.00. SPECIAL OFFER UNTIL JANUARY 1, 1981. Any three catalogues for 5.00 with the exception of Hooked Rugs in the Folk Art Tradition which is 4.00. Please add 1.50 for postage and handling.

71


Our Growing Membership DECEMBER 1-FEBRUARY 29 The Museum Trustees and steextend a special welcome to these new members. Florence Aaron, New York, New York Mr. and Mrs. Robert Abel, Rydal, Pennsylvania Letitia D. Allen, Charlestown, West Virginia Mr. & Mrs. Peter Allen, Waco, Texas Mr. Mario Allio, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Don Almquist, Bridgeport, Connecticut Morgan Anderson, Shepherdstown, West Virginia Mrs. Lloyd Appleton, Madison, Connecticut Carolyn Payne Barnes, New York, New York Janke Bates, Dallas, Texas Darwin D. Bearley, Akron, Ohio Conger Beasley, Jr., Kansas City, Missouri Mrs. Arthur Bellis, New Hope, Pennsylvania Cynthia Beneduce, New York, New York Dr. & Mrs. E. Roy Berger, East Setauket, New York Robert 8z Judy Bergner, New Rochelle,New York Jane M. Bescherer, Wilton, Connecticut James R. Besser, Park Ridge, New Jersey Mrs. Lois Bickel, Edina, Minnesota Mrs. E.P. Biever, Cumming, Georgia Bodine/Schever, New Paltz, New York Mr. J. Robert Bower, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Amy A. Boyer, New York, New York Jeanne Bradshaw, New York, New York Kenneth Brooker, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Mrs. Sue Brown, Phoenix, Arizona Peggy Bulger, White Springs, Florida INV. Burmeister, Richmond Hill, New York Tom Campanella, New York, New York Mrs. Celia S. Cain, San Francisco, California John D. Cain, Lowman, New York Georgia Cane, Bronxville, New York Ms. Elsie Carrington, Prospect, Virginia Margaret Carruthers, Gamerville, New York Patricia A. Casey, New York, New York Marjorie E. Chapman, Chesterfield, Missouri Colleen Charleston, Wayne, Pennsylvania Edna Chauser, N. Bay Village, Florida Kathleen Coffin, New York, New York Maud D. Cole, Astoria, New York Marilyn Day Comann, Aurora, Colorado Mr. Thomas Conway, New York, New York Catherine Rowan Cragin, Salem, Massachusetts Bennie L. Craig, San Jose, California Mr. & Mrs. H.B. Cross, Dorset, Vermont Mr. & Mrs. D.B. Currin, Stamford, Connecticut Molly E. Daniels, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania B.R. DeWoody, New York, New York Nancy Doty, Raleigh, North Carolina Louise C. Dunlap, Washington, D.C. Elizabeth Eakins, New York, New York Evelyn Egan, Austin, Texas Ms. Sharon Eisenstat, Summit, New Jersey Elin Elisofan, New York, New York Patricia Ellis, Fort Lee, New Jersey Abram Epstein, New York, New York Eva Feld, Clifton, New Jersey Douglas S. Fischer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sandi Fox, Los Angeles, California

72

Ursula M. Fox, Elmwood Park, New Jersey Mr. & Mrs. John Freeman, Washington, D.C. Jeffrey N. Gaines, Brooklyn, New York Mrs. Finn Galin, Rye, New York Mrs. Joe Gamble, Nashville, Tennessee Sidney & Sandra Gecker, New York, New York Linda Gehringer, Grand Rapids, Michigan Arthur Gelgoot, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Marilyn Gevirtz, Montecito, California Mrs. Russell Gingrich, Cleona, Pennsylvania Mr. & Mrs. William Gold, Brooklyn, New York Mrs. Harold Gottlieb, Southfield, Michigan Alexandra Grave, Guilford, Connecticut Mrs. Mary T. Greason, Forest Hills, New York Rebecca L. Grenga, Youngstown, Ohio James Grievo, Jr., Watchung, New York Ms. Sali Griffiths, Dallas, Texas John P. Guttenberg, Alexandria, Virginia Mrs. Joan B. Hall, Havana, Illinois Sara Hall, Albuquerque, New Mexico Arthur B. Halpern, New York, New York Barbara K. Hamblett, East Lansing, Michigan Raymond G. Handley, Palo Alto, California H. Baird Hansen, Cazenovia, New York James M. Hansen, Santa Barbara, California Deborah Harding, New York, New York Rosina Harris, London, England Mrs. Doris Hartstone, Arcadia, California Margaret Whelan Heede, Sacto, California Paul Helgesen, York, Pennsylvania Leon Henry, Jr., Scarsdale, New York Mrs. Bertil Hillner, Northfield, Illinois Joan Hintenneister, Brooklyn, New York Richard & Eileen Hoffman, Washington, D.C. Barbara Howard, New York, New York Michael Howard, Brooklyn, New York Sarah Hunt Antiques, Welch, Minnesota Mrs. H.R. Jacobs, Eugene, Oregon K. Jakobsen, New York, New York Mrs. Ann Gambling Janelli, Lakeville, Connecticut Susan Jarcheimer, New York, New York Mrs. William Jennings, Greenwich, Connecticut Mrs. Norman Jeter, Hays, Kansas Mt & Mrs. David Jones, Ridgewood, New Jersey Mark I. Kalish, East Meadow, New York Mr. & Mrs. Leon Kaplan, Brooklyn, New York Barbara W. Kaufman, Maplewood, New Jersey Gayle Ann Kellner, San Diego, California Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Kessler, Hartsdale, New York Mrs. Joe Ed Ketner, Shreveport, Louisiana Sharon King, Hillsdale, New York Mrs. Velma Kirch, New York, New York Mrs. Arthur Knorr, New York, New York Mr. Albert Koren, New York, New York Ms. Janet Kreger, Lansing, Michigan Mrs. Bessie Kritzer, Orchard Park, New York Marsha Krueger, Louisville, Kentucky Norm & Pam Lacayo, Honolulu, Hawaii Anne Stern Langer, Woodbridge, New Jersey Lapham & Dibble Gallery, Inc. Shoreham, Vermont Mrs. Karen Levering, Sherbom, Massachusetts Judith Levinson, New York, New York Noreen Lewandowski, New York, New York Mrs. Peter Lopes, Hyner, Pennsylvania

Ifyou change your mailing address, please be sure to . .

•send us your OLD and NEW addresses •include ZIP codes for both •try to give us 5 weeks advance notice Thank you for your co-operation ...

Museum of American Folk Art 49 W. 53rd St. New York, N.Y. 10019 Attn: Clarion


Mrs. Virginia G. Lubrano, Brooklyn Heights, New York Eleanor H. Lucas, Larchmont, New York Mr. & Mrs. B. Ludwig, Port Washington, New York Mary Mashuta, Berkeley, California Norman Mattison, Small Point, Maine Mr. Chester Mayer, New York, New York Janet McCaffery, New York, New York Catherine McGeoch, Montrose, New York Mr. William B. McHenry, New York, New York Barbara L. Medford, Arlington, Texas Mr. & Mrs. Richard Melchner, Larchmont, New York James Meyer, Wyncote, Pennsylvania Angie Mills, Chicago, Illinois Esther Morse, New York, New York Marion & Geoffrey Moss, New York, New York Mrs. Billie Nqlson, Santa Fe, New Mexico Melvin Nickerson, Chicago, Illinois Jim Oliver, Jeromesville, Ohio Mary Orlando, New York, New York HeIla Ossenberg, New York, New York Emily Parker, Cleveland, Ohio Billy Patete, Charlotte, North Carolina Eleanor Pepper, New York, New York Mrs. Bradford Perin, New Canaan, Connecticut Carol Phillips, Scotch Plains, New Jersey Martin Puryear, Chicago, Illinois Eugene Rappaport, Cambridge City, Indiana Charles M. Renick, New York, New York Ms. Marilyn Resnick, New York, New York Marion Reitmeier, Oakland, California Ms. Rita Rickert, Woodbury, New York Jeannette Rindge, River Edge, New Jersey Siser Roberts, Cambridge, Massachussetts Mrs. Gretchen Rogers, Farmville, Virginia Mrs. Stephen J. Rogers, Ann Arbor, Michigan Barbara Rosen, Wayne, New Jersey Leslie & Ronald Rosenzweig, Short Hills, New Jersey Tom Rowlands, Yannouthport, Massachusetts Paula Rubenstein, New York, New York Carol K. Rusk, Easton, Pennsylvania Warren Russakow, Bronx, New York David S. Sacks, Los Angeles, California Enrique E. Sajor, III, M.D., Phoenix, Maryland Shelley Sams, Cincinnati, Ohio Richard B. Sanders, Cortland, New York Coal Miner Jack Savitsky, Lansford, Pennsylvania Bernard Schrager, South Bend, Indiana Frederic & Jean Shari, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Stephanie Siegel, Thompson, Connecticut Ellen H. Silver, Brooklyn, New York Rose W. Sims, Atlanta, Georgia Carol U. Sisler, Ithaca, New York Elizabeth E Slater, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mrs. Randy Slotkin, Lake Ronkonkoma, New York Cathy Smith, Neshanic Station, New Jersey Marilyn Lewis Smith, Lawton, Oklahoma Albert W. Spear, Fairfield, Connecticut Sara Spencer, Ossining, New York Jane E. Stepanski, Westfield, New Jersey Cynthia Stewart, New York, New York Mrs. Marilyn D. Stewart, Rochester, Minnesota Robert K. Stovall, Lynchburg, Virginia Mrs. Arlene Strader, Union, Ohio Sal Stratis, Brooklyn, New York Edward M. Strauss, Jr., New York, New York Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Strauss, New York, New York

Katharine W. Suchmann, New York, New York Jack Sweeney, Larchmont, New York G. Terci, New York, New York Thorncliffe House Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Phyllis Thunborg, Corrales, New Mexico Patricia "'limas, Neshanic Station, New Jersey Mrs. Elizabeth Rimer, Geneseo, New York George Van Walleghem, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan Suzanne Velick, Oak Park, Michigan Gay E. Vincent-Canal, New York, New York Willem Volkersz, Kansas City, Missouri Ruth Ann Waite, New York, New York Clune J. Walsh, Jr., Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Jan Wass, Rochester, New York Mr. & Mrs. Ervin K. Wax,'llickahoe, New York Kay Hill Weaver, Starkville, Mississippi Anthony S. Weiner, Sylvania, Ohio Mrs. Lynn Weiner, Larclunont, New York Lois Weingarten, Teaneck, New Jersey Carol Weinstein, New York, New York Mrs. Richard L. Weise, Baltimore, Maryland Roberta Wexler, Larchmont, New York Barbara Whitby, New York, New York Tim Williams, Mount Vernon, Missouri Sanford I. Wolff, New York, New York Mr. C.G. Zug, III, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Miss Elizabeth L. Zug, New York, New York

We wish to thank thefollowing membersfor their increased membership contributions andfor their expression of confidence in the Museum: Robert A. Dodd, Washington, D.C. Timira Freedman, Swampscott, Massachusetts Marilyn D. French, Riverdale, New York Mr. & Mrs. Herbert B. Fried, Glencoe, Illinois Mr. & Mrs. Michael Goyda, East Petersburg, Pennsylvania Mrs. Aniel Hubbell, John's Island, South Carolina Mr. & Mrs. Elliott Kamen, New Hope, Pennsylvania Martin Landey, New York, New York 10021 Flo Morse, Bedford, New York Vera Neumann, Croton-on-Hudson, New York Dr. & Mrs. M. Newman, 6 High Acres, St. Louis, Missouri Mr. Harry T. Peters, Orange, Virginia Mrs. David K. Reeves, Princeton, New Jersey Mr. James R. Squire, Lincoln, Massachussetts Edward B. Stvan, Chagrin Falls, Ohio Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Thoburn, Jr., Hudson, Ohio Mrs. Robert Wilbur, Waynesboro, Virginia Nancy Wing, New York, New York Dr. Lewis Wright, Midlothian, Virginia

Dear Members: Many corporations sponsor matching gift programsfor the arts, including museums. Those listed below will provide information about their programs. If your own company is not mentioned, we urge you to investigate yourfirm's policy, and hope you will take advantage of any program that exists. Allied Chemical Foundation, Morristown, New Jersey Bankamerica Foundation, San Francisco, California The Brunswick Foundation, Inc., Skokie, Illinois Celanese Corporation, New York, New York The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., New York, New York Citicorp, New York, New York Frederick, W. Cook & Co., Inc., New York, New York Cooper Industries Foundation, Houston, Texas The Corning Glass Works Foundation, Corning, New York CPC International, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey The Ensign Bickford Foundation, Simsbury, Connecticut The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, New York, New York Gulf Oil Foundation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The Gulf & Western Foundation, New York, New York Houston Natural Gas Corporation, Houston, Texas International Minerals & Chemical Corporation, Northbrook, Illinois Kimberly-Clark Foundation, Neenah, Wisconsin Kirkpatrick Oil Company, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Lever Brothers Company, Inc., New York, New York Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Massachusetts Merit Gasoline Foundation, Ardmore, Pennsylvania Mobil Foundation, Inc., New York, New York Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York, New York, New York Murphy Oil Corporation, El Dorado, Arkansas The Northern Trust Company, Chicago, Illinois Philip Morris, Inc., New York, New York The Quaker Oats Foundation, Chicago, Illinois Sun Company, Radnor, Pennsylvania Textron, Inc., Providence, Rhode Island Time Incorporated, New York, New York Transamerica Corporation, San Francisco, California Wellington Management Company, Boston, Massachusetts Xerox Corporation, Stamford, Connecticut

73


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please contact the office about your talents and interests: O Benefit Events Planning J Decorations 0 Reservations O Large Gifts Information or Solicitation o Mailings 0 Office Aides (Typing, filing, record-keeping) 0 Receptionist 0 Salesperson in The Museum Shop Other volunteer work for which I have special talent or experience 0 Write or call:

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Museum of American Folk Art 49 West 53rd St. New York, N.Y. 10019

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114.. Dealers in frmr gh Rare Shaker W .for Museums I and Collectors. Appraisalsauthenticators.W

RA/ LTD.

R.D. BOX 226, RAUP ROAD CHATHAM,NEW YORK 12037 518 392-9654 Unique Canterbury, New Hampshire Shaker Eldress 10drawer cupboard in original red stain. Formerly in the Jordan collection. Dim.: H. 61", W. 37/ 1 2", D. 14". Price available on inquiry. Photographed at the Darrow School, site of the original Shaker settlement in New Lebanon, New York. The tannery building in background. Exhibiting in September at Newport Harbor Art Museum Show and Theta Charity Show. We shall also be exhibiting in October in New York City at The Fall Antiques Show, Celebrate the Hudson.

Index to Advertisers America Hurrah American Country Antiques

8 83

Antiques & the Arts Weekly 20 Anton, Aarne 76

Fall Antiques Show, The I FC

Ohio Antique Review

16

Folk Art Finder

81

Olde Hope Antiques

77

Folk Art Gallery

79

Otto Roth and Co., Inc.

78

Pottery Collectors Newsletter

18

Rappaport, Eugene

82

Art Cellar, The Art Cellar, The

12

Galinat, Pie 82 Greenwillow Farms Ltd. . . 84 Janos & Ross 78

77

Johnson, Jay

Ashton-Osband

75

Just Us on Court Avenue . .13

Block, Huntington T.

76

Kiracofe & Kile

Borton, Sally

14

Kobrand Corp

Burke, Corinne

82

Leech, Robinson Associates74 Lisbon, Ceril 19

Childs Gallery Collector's Choice, The Country Curtains Daniel, Allan L. Eisenberg, Leslie

84

17 . 81 80 83

Miller, Steve

IBC BC 79

9 74

Naive Art Gallery National Trust for Historic Preservation ....83

Rochester Town & Country Antique Show, The

7

Russell, John Keith, Antiques Inc.

10

Saddler, The

81

Sotheby Parke Bernet

15

Tewksbury Antiques

80

Thayer, B

75 11

Winterthur Portfolio Woodard, Thos. K.

2


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OIL ON CANVAS 50"X 72" 1976

JAYJOHNSON AMERICA'S FOLK HERITAGE GALLERY 72 East 56th Street New York, N.Y. 10022 Hours: Tues thru Sat 12-5

(212)759-7373


KIRACOFE AND KILE

Lebanon County, Pennsylvania applique (History of quilt is available to purchaser)

955 Fourteenth Street • San Francisco 94114. By Appointment• 415/431-1222 Also by appointment in New York Los Angeles and other cities on request


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