The Clarion (Winter 1985)

sculptures, quilts, paintings, weathervanes, furniture and accessories.

EAGLE WEATHERVANE Late 19th—early 20th century.

Anon. Wood and metal. Found in Hillsboro, N.H. This extraordinary sculpture is an assemblage of hand-carved elements and found objects. The feet are cast metal from a piece offurniture. The arrow point, ball & banner tail are from a commercial copper weathervane.

PHYLLIS HADERS

BY APPOINTMENT (212) 832-8181 MAIL ADDRESS: 136 EAST 64TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10021

BROKEN STAR, pieced cotton.

80"x 80': Circa 1880.

Published: Quilts185, Main Street Press

A MASTERPIECE BY WILLIAM MATTHEW PRIOR (1806-1873)

"The Cotton King—Cambridge Mass!' on reverse in Ink. 10" x 14" oil on cardboard (sight) ca: 1840.

Portraits of Black's by Prior number under 12. This example is one of the few in Prior's flat and most desirable style.

Subject to prior sale.

STEVE MILLER • AMERICAN FOLK ART • 17 East 96th Street, New York, New York 101281(212)348-5219 By appointment only

New York City Late 19th Century 22 / 1 2"High Original Paint Photo by Robideau Studios

Malone, NY 12953 Phone: 518-483-4001

CAM ERICAN NT'WES QUILTS 835 MADISON AVENUE,(BETWEEN 69TH AND 70TH STREETS) NEW YORK, N.Y. 10021 TELEPHONE(212)988-2906

Shown: Reading #24

Coming soon: our exclusive collection for The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center at the

W

7Ualleta7 1 Foundation

CATALOGUE

4

20 pages in full color $5.00

WOODARD WEAVE"

F

or two centuries, Americans have enjoyed woven carpets in their homes.

Now, continuing a tradition, here is our own exclusive new collection of all cotton classic woven rugs. WOODARD WEAVE.째 Available in large sizes as well as runners. Twenty-five authentic patterns inspired by Shaker, Amish, Pennsylvania Dutch and rural New England weavers.

Seamless carpets:9' x 12', 6' x9:4' X6 Runners in widths of 27"and 3f Visit our shop featuring an extensive collection of antique American quilts and country furnishings.

THE CLAI,ION

&TM

Cover caption: "Pair oftin candelabra" Artist unknown Hobart, New York ca. 1850 15 x 18" Tin with sand weighted base Gift ofMr and Mrs. James D. Clokey 1984.29.1a and b The Clarion is published three times a year by the Museum of American Folk Art, 55 West 53rd St., New York, NY 10019;(212) 581-2474. Annual subscription rate for MAFA members is included in membership dues. Copies are mailed to all members. Single copy $4.50.

The Clarion, America's Folk Art Magazine.

WINTER, 1985 Published and copyright 1985 by the Museum of American Folk Art. 55 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. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Museum of American Folk Art. Unsolicited manuscripts or photographs should be accompanied by return postage. The Clarion assumes no responsiblity for the loss or damage of such materials.

Change of Address.

Please send both old and new addresses and allow five weeks for change.

Advertising.

The Clarion accepts advertisements only from advertisers whose reputation is recognized in the trade, but despite the care with which the advertising department screens photographs and texts submitted by its advertisers, it cannot guarantee the unquestionable authenticity of objects of quality or services advertised in its pages or offered for sale by its advertisers, nor can it accept responsibility for misunderstandings that may arise from the purchase or sale of objects or services advertised in its pages.

The Museum is dedicated to the exhibition and interpretation of folk art and feels it is a violation of its principles to be involved in or to appear to be involved in the sale of works of art. For this reason, the Museum will not knowingly accept advertisements for The Clarion which illustrate or describe objects that have been exhibited at the Museum within one year of the placing of the advertisement.

CONTENTS

WINTER,1985

MARRIAGE MILESTONES: by Nancy and James D. Clokey III

26

10th Wedding Anniversary Tin

CONTINUITY AND CHANGE:

by Elizabeth Warren

37

THE REDISCOVERED FOLK ART

by Alexandra de Lallier TRADITION OF RIO GRANDE TEXTILES

38

WINNING MOVES:

by Doranna and Bruce Wendel

48

by Lisa Stone

54

by Virginia Parslow Partridge

64

Amish Quilts from the William and Dede Wigton Collection of the Museum of American Folk Art

Painted Gameboards of North America

THE PAINTED FOREST

MADE IN NEW YORK STATE: Hand-woven Coverlets, 1820-1860

Letter from the Director

13

Current Major Donors

18

Museum News

76

Bookshelf

79

Membership

82

Index to Advertisers

88

5

AMERICAN

A

"A Country Sampling."

S

Design:Rob Alschbach, Photography:Louis Remy

pecializing in Private and Corporate Collections of Museum-Quality Period Antiques and related accessories. Appraisals by appointment. Milly McGehee Americana is located at 2918 Sale Street in Dallas, Texas 75219. The telephone number is (214)522-8162.

MILLY IVFGEHEE AMERICANA

Exhibiting in: The "Tri-Delta Charity Antiques Show," March 28-31, 1985/Dallas, Texas

iief ameruansi filkart ommildft0 bettie mintz

child's quilt, Pennsylvania c. 1860,431/4 inches square, very fine quilting, excellent condition.

P.O. box 5943 bethesda, maryland 20814 near Washington, D.C. 301-652-4626

WILLIAM M.DAVIS (1829-1920)

oil on canvas: 111 / 4 x 161 / 2 inches

signed/dated '57: lower right

"Country House", Encouraged by his friend William Sidney Mount, William M. Davis (1829-1920) exhibited at both the National Academy and Brooklyn Art Association in the 1860's.

This work is one of the artist's earliest landscapes.

It probably depicts a scene near his home in Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York.

R.H.LOVE

100 EAST OHIO ST., CHICAGO,IL 60611 312/664-9620 7

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fohoie, flower

Portsmouth, N.H. sampler by Ann Mary Hooker, aged 11, A.D. 1805. Unusually large size —31"x 17".

Compare with example in the Ring Collection, figure 71, "New England Samplers to 1840" by Glee Kruger.

Cigar Store Indian; ca. 1860, original paint;84" (14"base included)• Completely original.

SHEILA & EDWIN RIDEOUT 12Summer Street, Wiscasset, Maine 04578 (207)-882-6420

Hand in Hand Galleries Ltd. 568 Broadway New York, New York 10012 22/219-1844 Major works bought, sold and accepted on consignment.

8

Emma Jane Cady (1854-1933)

Still life with fruit compote and pocket knife.

Executed circa 1895. Transparent and opaque watercolor on paper with the application of mica. Retains its original frame, glass and backing. 16 x20 inches.

The exceptional quality of this work represents a true example of our commitment to our clients in purchasing the finest investment quality furniture, folk art and paintings available today.

David A.Schorsch P.O. Box413 South Salem,N.Y. 10590 Telephone: 914-234-9556 By appointment only

Consultants and Brokers of Fine Americana

The Quilt Book Event ofthe Year!

AMISH QUILT

PATTERNS

Penman Rachel T.

THE WORLD OF AMISH QUILTS The most complete collection of antique Amish quilts ever assembled—from all the major Amish communities.

A celebration of exquisite craftsmanship—and the lives and setting of the people who made them.

Each pattern receives full chapter treatment, complete with description and full-color illustrations of the quilts and the people.

128 pages. 249 color plates. $15.95.

AMISH QUILT PATTERNS A comprehensive how-to book with pattern templates and detailed assembly instructions for making some 30 traditional Amish quilts.

Includes full-sized, removable quilting templates to reproduce the rich stitchery for which antique Amish quilts are so noted.

A companion volume to The World of Amish Quilts which will inspire any quitter to do imaginative or traditional color selection.

128 pages. $10.95.

Quilt Book Order Form

Good Intercourse, Pa. 17534 (717)768-7171 Available in dine bookstores everywhere (or order directly from the publisher by using coupon)

Please send me the following: _copies of THE WORLD OF AMISH QUILTS (a $15.95 each copies of AMISH PArl-ERNS (, $10.95 each Subtotal: Pa. residents add 6% sales tax: Add 5% Postage and Handling: TOTAL ENCLOSED

QUILL-

Name Address (complete) City State

Zip

Mail this coupon with your check (foreign and Canadian orders must be in U.S. funds) to Good Books, Intercourse, Pa. 17534.

(If you prefer credit card, indicate here: Ntwori.,,,rd o visa o Credit Card #

TONY JOSEPH SALVATORE IS NOW REPRESENTED BY:

MARCHE—Z 214 Churchill Road Youngstown, OH 44505 (216)759-8180

ETHNOGRAPHIC ARTS INC. 56 Crosby Street New York, N.Y. 10012 (212) 334-9381 (By appointment)

Exceptional carved frame in untouched condition; 25" x 19"; circa 1840. Period McKinney and Hall prints depict Jack-o-pa (a Chippewa Chief) and Pes-ke-le-cha-co (a Pawnee Chief).

II

JOHN KEITHITSSELL ANTIWF,S, Fine mid-eighteenth century New England high desk chair in a nineteenth century painted surface

For identical example. see Nutting #1867

SPRING STREET SOUTH SALEM,NY: 10590 • (914)763-8144 TUESDAY-SUNDAY 10:00-5:30

Letter from the Director Dr. Robert Bishop

As this issue of The Clarion goes to press, we have just received the results of the sixth annual Fall Antiques Show at the Pier. I am delighted to report that the gala opening of this event, which benefits the Museum's exhibition and educational programs, was an outstanding success, far exceeding our projections. This could only have been achieved through the loyal support of our members and friends. This year's event was generously sponsored by Ethan Allen Inc. through the interest of its Chairman, Nathan S. Ancell.

Through this act of kindness, all proceeds of the evening's event were able to be devoted to Museum programs.

The dedicated efforts ofKaren Schuster and Cynthia V. A.Schaffner,co-chairmen of the Museum's Special Events Committee, deserve special acknowledgment. It is also my pleasure to acknowledge with deep gratitude the outstanding efforts of Sandy Smith in organizing this event.

The Museum's permanent collection has been enriched by the gift of a fine painting, "The John L. Hasbrouck:' by James Bard, the generous bequest of the late Gilvie L. Reeves, Jr. Family and friends of Mr. Reeves have most generously made contributions in his memory, as well, and the Museum would like to extend most sincere thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Reeves, Donald Flodin, Margaret C. Fernandez, Manuela J. Fernandez, Nathan Southard Howard, and to all the others who have been so supportive of the Museum.

It is gratifying that our friends often use a gift to the Museum as a means of paying tribute to others. A fund, for example, has been established to honor the memory of Anthony R. Mathews by Bernard G. Plomp and his friends and associates: Mr. Walter 0. Angel; Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Boudeman; Ms. Pat Guthman; Dr. Donald F. Moyland; Mr. and Mrs. Toby MacCallum; and Mr. and Mrs. Harold Weiss.

Our permanent collection will also

The John L. Hasbrouck; James Bard; 1865; Oil on canvas; 3014 x 507 Gift of GI.(Jack) Reeves, Jr.

benefit by the promised bequest of nineteen important decoys from Eleanor P Staples in memory of her late husband, Philip C. Staples, Jr. I would very much like to congratulate the graduates of our Folk Art Studies Program, offered in conjunction with New York University and conferring degrees at both the Masters and Doctoral levels. Those students awarded the Master of Arts degree since the inception of the program are: Alexandra de Lallier, Mary Ann Demos, Nancy Dorer, Patricia Drummond,Charlotte Emans,Diane Finore, Gretchen Freeman, Edith Herrick, Patricia Hohenberger, Joan

Kleinman, Michael McManus,Henry Niemann, Valerie Redler, Cynthia Sutherland The Museum applauds their dedication to the study of America's folk art heritage.

The Museum's educational program has provided a series of wonderful opportunities for members and friends of

the Museum to obtain a greater appreciation of American folk art. Last month, a full-day symposium based upon the artistic creativity of women in nineteenth-century academies was explored. Organized by Nancy Dorer, our Curator of Education, the day included presentations by Bonnie Pierce Stevenson, Dr. Judith Reiter Weissman, Glee F. Krueger, Charlotte M. Emans, Elizabeth Aldrich, Davida Deutsch and Patricia A. Hurdle.

Our membership calendar lists the many opportunities for education in the field of American folk art available to you. I hope you will want to take advantage of these fine educational opportunities. Please call Nancy Dorer, Curator of Education, at the Museum's administrative offices (581-2474).

This issue of The Clarion will reach you at the beginning of a new year. On behalf of all of us here at the Museum, Trustees, staff and volunteers, I should like to wish you all a very happy new year.

13

London's Centre for English Folk Art and Americana'

CRANE GALLERY

(3 mins. from Harrods)

171A SLOANE STREET,(First Floor), LONDON S.W.1. Tel: 01-235 2464 Sat 10-4 Daily 10-6 (Associated with Crane Kalman Gallery of 178 Bromp ton Road, London S. W.3.

Tel: 01-584 7566& 01-584 3843)

14

Lo...74M

Museum of American Folk Art Administration Dr. Robert Bishop, Director Gerard C. Wertkin, Assistant Director Charles Salamey, Controller Donna Kanner, Accountant Lillian Grossman,Assistant to the Director Jeanne Bornstein, Administrative Assistant Richard Griffin, Clerk

Collections & Exhibitions Elizabeth Warren, Curator Mary Ann Demos,Associate Curator Joyce Hill, Consulting Research Curator Mary Black, Consulting Curator William C. Ketchum, Jr., Curator ofSpecial Projects Cynthia Elyce Rubin, Curator ofSpecial Projects Michael McManus, Curatorial Associate Valerie Redler, Curatorial Associate Jeff Waingrow, Curatorial Associate Rohini Coomara, Gallery Receptionist Joseph Minus, Gallery Assistant Howard Lanser and Joseph D'Agostino,Installations

Departments Anne Minich, Director ofDevelopment Marie DiManno, Museum Shop Manager Nancy Dorer, Curator ofEducation Diane Finore, Director ofSpecial Events Susan Flamm,Director ofPublic Relations Claire Hartman Schadler, Registrar/Exhibitions Coordinator Joan G. Lowenthal, Director ofPublications Edith Wise,Librarian Sara Robinson Farhi, Publications Associate Adrienne Krug, Development Associate Daniel N. Pagano,Development Associate Francine Flynn, Assistant Registrar/Assistant Exhibitions Coordinator Nancy Mead, Assistant Shop Manager Carleton Palmer,StaffPhotographer

Programs Irene Goodkind, Nancy Brown,Co-Chairwomen Friends Committee Dr. Marilynn Karp, Director, New York University Master's Program in Folk Art Studies Dr. Judith Reiter Weissman, New York University Program Coordinator Lucy Danziger, Susan Klein, DocentProgram Consultants Kennetha Stewart, Exhibitions Previews Coordinator Sallie Nelson, Junior League Liaison Nancy Higgerson, Outreach Coordinator

The Clarion Joan G. Lowenthal,Editor Sara Robinson Farhi, Senior Editor Faye Eng, Anthony Yee,Art Directors Ira Howard Levy,Design Consultant Craftsmen Litho, Printers Ace Typographers, Typesetters

Museum Shop Staff Kelle Banks, Dianne Browning,Pam Bucher, Harriet Burnett, Lisa Bynne, Sheila Carlisle, Elizabeth Cassidy, Sharon Cortell, Anne DeCamp, Elsie Dentes, Elena Gordon, Lisa Haber, Caroline Hohenrath, Pat Hough,Claire Hulton, Annette Levande, Nancy Mayer, Laurie McClendon, Sally O'Day, Pat Pancer, Fran Phillips, Rita Pollitt, Raymond Scott, Eleanor Seymour, Myra Shaskan, Caroline Smith, Claire Spiezio, Paula Spruck, Virginia Tierney, Mary Wamsley, Norbert Wills, Helen Zimmerman

a new introduction of multi-dimensional sculptures, wall collages and ornaments plus a new series of decorated furniture by

Ivan Barnett Contemporary American Folk Artist Send $2.00 for color brochure Ivan Barnett Studio, R.D. 1, Stevens, PA 17578 Telephone: (717) 738-1590 We welcome inquiries from collectors, museums and dealers.

Ethnographic Arts Inc. Important Folk, Outsider and Tribal Art

Outsider Art: The 20th Century branch of American Folk Art involving the dreams,visions, obsessions, religious passions and inner rhythms of the individual in a changing society.

The Outsider Artist tends to portray a poetic visual song of survival. His is a shamanistic voice in the contemporary community. He is a necessary subversive in the historical overview of American Art and Tradition.

Randall Morris Shari Cavin-Morris

16

by appointment

56 Crosby Street New York, NY 10012 (212) 334-9381

portant American Furniture,Folk Silver and Ceramics

--

Fine painted silk embroidered picture, Betsey Clarke, probably Litchfield.

Connecticut, early 19th century, 22/ 1 2x 191 / 2inches.

Auction: Thursday and Saturday,January 31 and February 2 at 10:15 am and 2 pm each day.

Exhibition opens Saturday,January 26.

Order illustrated catalogue by sale code NEWPORT-5282 and send check for $16 to Sotheby's Subscriptions, Dept. A282 CL,P.O. Box 4020, Woburn, MA 01888-4020.

Inquiries: Furniture, Leslie Keno,(212)606-7130; Folk Art, Nancy Druckman, (212)606-7225; Silver, Kevin Tierney and Ian Irving,(212)606-7160; Ceramics, Letitia Roberts,(212)606-7180. Sotheby's, 1334 York Avenue at 72nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10021.

SOTHEBY'S FOUNDED 1744 17

r_m Museum of American Folk Art Board of Trustees

Executive Committee Ralph Esmerian President Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq. Executive Vice President Lucy Danziger Vice President Karen S. Schuster Secretary George E Shaskan, Jr. Treasurer Judith A. Jedlicka Margery G. Kahn Theodore L. Kesselman Susan Klein

Members Mabel H. Brandon Catherine G. Cahill Karen D. Cohen Adele Earnest Barbara Johnson, Esq. Alice M. Kaplan Jana Klauer William I. Leffler Ira Howard Levy Cyril I. Nelson Cynthia VA. Schaffner Kathryn Steinberg

Bonnie Strauss Maureen Taylor Helene von Damm Robert N. Wilson William E. Wiltshire III Trustees Emeritus Mary Allis Cordelia Hamilton Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr. Marian W. Johnson Louis C. Jones Jean Lipman

Development Advisory Committee

Jeanne R. Kerr, Vice President, Corporate Contributions, Time Incorporated Richard S. Locke, Executive Vice President, The E. F. Hutton Group

Robert M. Meltzer, Chairman of the Board, Miami-Carey Corporation Richard G. Mund,Secretary and Executive Director, Mobil Foundation

Marian Z. Stern, Assistant Vice President, Community Programming, Chemical Bank Dee Topol, Manager, Shearson/American Express Contributions Program

Current Major Donors

The Museum of American Folk Art thanks its current major donors for their generous support:

Over $20,000 Mr. and Mrs. Frederick M. Danziger *Ethan Allen Inc. Mrs. Eva Feld Estate of Morris Feld Margery G. Kahn Fondation Krikor Fondation Tarex *General Mills Toy Group 18

Institute for Museum Services *IBM Corporation Japan-United States Friendship Commission Jean and Howard Lipman *Manufacturers Hanover Trust Joseph Martinson Memorial Fund National Endowment for the Arts New York State Council on the Arts *Philip Morris Incorporated *Shearson/Lehman American Express Inc. *United Technologies Corporation Estate of Jeannette B. Virgin

$10,000-$19,999 *American Express Company

Adele Earnest Margery & Harry Kahn Philanthropic Fund J. M. Kaplan Fund, Inc. Henry R. Kravis Ira Howard Levy Francis Sirota Martinson, Esq. New York Council for the Humanities Rockefeller Brothers Fund Mr. & Mrs. George Shaskan

$4,000-$9,999 Amicus Foundation *Bankers Trust Company Bernhill Fund *Campbell Soup Company

Current Major Donors

*Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. Mr. & Mrs. Edgar M. Cullman *Federal Document Retrieval Mr. & Mrs. Austin Fine *International Paper Company Barbara Johnson *Katlir, Philips, Ross, Inc. Mrs. Ruth Kapnek Mr. & Mrs. Robert Klein *Mobil Corporation *Seligman & Latz, Inc. Swedish Council of America *3M Company *Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co., Inc. *Time Incorporated Norman & Rosita Winston Foundation

$2,000-$3,000 *Bristol-Myers Fund Catherine G. Cahill *Caterpillar Foundation *Chemical Bank *Coach Leathenvare Joseph F Cullman 3rd *Exxon Corporation *Grace Foundation *Gulf+ Western Foundation *E.F. Hutton Foundation *Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Patricia & Richard Locke *Marsh & McLennan Companies Helen R.& Harold C. Mayer Foundation *Metropolitan Life Foundation *Morgan Guaranty Trust Company *Morgan Stanley & Company *New York Telephone Company *Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation *Rockefeller Center, Inc. *Schlumberger Horizons, Inc. *Seamen's Bank for Savings Alfred Tananbaum Foundation, Inc. *Warner Communications, Inc. William Wiltshire III Robert N. Wilson *Xerox Corporation

The Compton Foundation *Con Edison Joyce & Daniel Cowin *Culbro Corporation *Daily News John K. Davenport *Echo Scarfs *General Foods Corporation Mr. & Mrs. Walter B. Ford II Emanuel Gerard Sumner Gerard Foundation Susan Zises Green Justus Heijmans Foundation *Institutional Investor *International Telephone and Telegraph Judith A. Jedlicka Kriendler Berns Foundation Susan Kudlow *Lever Brothers Company *Macy's New York Christopher Mayer Estate of Myron L. Mayer Meryl and Robert Meltzer *N.L. Industries Foundation *The New York Times Foundation *Polo/Ralph Lauren *Restaurant Associates Industries, Inc. Richard Ravitch Foundation *Reader's Digest Association *Reliance Group Inc. Marguerite Riordon Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III Jon and Sue Rotenstreich Foundation Lorna Saleh Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Schwartz Rev. & Mrs. Alfred R. Shands III Arman & Louise Simone Foundation Herbert M.& Nell Singer *Sotheby's The Stitchery, Inc. Barbara & Thomas W. Strauss Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Tananbaum Issac H. Tuttle Fund H. van Ameringen Foundation David Walentas Robert N.& Anne Wright Wilson

$1,000-$1,999 *American Stock Exchange *American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. *Arthur Anderson & Co. Babtkis Foundation *Bank of New York *B.E.A. Associates *Bill Blass Ltd. *Bloomingdale's *Bozell & Jacobs *Bunge Corporation Robert & Judith Burger *CBS,Inc. *Citibank, N.A. *Chesebrough-Pond's Inc. Mr. 8z Mrs. Peter Cohen

$500-$999 Allan Albert Louis Bachmann Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Frank Barsalona Colgate Palmolive Corp.

Cowen & Company Mr. & Mrs. R.W. Darmnami Mr. & Mrs. Richard Danziger Mr. & Mrs. James DeSilva, Jr. Doyle Dane Bembach E.M.D.L. American Folk Art John L. Ernst Richard C.& Susan B. Ernst Foundation Fischbach Corporation Mr. & Mrs. Edward Gardner

Great Northern Nekoosa Corporation Joyce & Stephen Hill Theodore & Shirley Kesselman Mary Kettaneh Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Lauder Wendy Lavitt Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Levitt, Jr. Mainzer Minton Company Robin & William Mayer Mr.& Mrs. Murray Mondschein Pandick Press, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Moe Rosenman Mrs. WE. Simmons Mrs. Robert Steinberg

The Museum is grateful to the Co-Chairwomen of its Special Events Committee for the significant support received through the Museum's major fund raising events chaired by them.

Cynthia V. A. Schaffner Karen S. Schuster

The Museum also thanks the following donors for their recent gifts to the Permanent Collection and Library: Mrs. Marian B. Baer Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey HI Thomas P Cuff Roy R. Eddey Mrs. Leland E. Fallon Mrs. Lloyd M.Fowler B. H. Friedman Lillian and Jerry Grossman Barbara S. Janos and Barbara Ross Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Karp Mr. and Mrs. James 0. Keene Mr. and Mrs. Murray Mondschein Louis Monza Dorothy and Leo Rabkin Beverly Reitz Mr. Leighton G. Roberts Mrs. William P. Schweitzer Jon Serl The Estate of Gilvie Lester Reeves, Jr.

*Corporate Member A portion of the Museum's general operating funds for this fiscal year was provided by a General Operating Support grant from the Institute of Museum Services, a Federal agency that administers to the nation's museums, and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.

19

WATERCOLOR BY MONTARDIER "J. Doten Master of the Brig Governor Carver, entering The Port of Plymouth, Massachusetts" Signed: "Done by Montardier Havre de Grace The first March 1816"

Specialists in Marine Antiques Scrimshaw, Paintings, Military ik Camphorwood Furniture ad 02%YeAr , , /A 1.

49Y,k. ielffiaVreeelid/rt

JOHN E HINALDI NAUTWAL ANTIQUES & RELATED ITEMS P.O. Box 765, Dock Square, Kennebunkport, Maine 04046 207/967-3218

Christopher Selser American Indian Art 15 Park Avenue New York, NY 10016 (212)684-5853 by appointment

Apache basketry tray, circa 1900.

22" in diameter.

20

Send $3.00 for illustrated fall catalog

Pennsylvania walnut table with removable top, overlapping drawers and Circa 1780-1800.

Tomb of Washington at Mount Vernon Mid-19th century.

DEINNEI.EVISON

1933 Peachtree Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309 (404) 355-0106 Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

PHOTO BY C. EISENBERG.

FISH GAFF

Upper NY State Late 19th Century Cross Cultural Woodlands Indian & Settler

WILLIAM EDMONDSON

CARL HAMMER GALLERY AMERICAN FOLK ART 620 NORTH MICHIGAN •CHICAGO,ILLINOIS 60611 312/266-8512

ANNE & MARTIN ELLMAN • Early Alaskan Eskimo • American Indian • Americana By appointment (914) 457 - 3847 P.O. Box 26 Montgomery, N.Y. 12549 N.Y.C.(212) 757 - 1446 370 W 58 St., N.Y., N.Y. 10019

Sheep Weathervane c. 1880s excellent patina with some gold leaf intact length 29 inches

Civil War period carved wood construction originally from Coney Island 12 x 12 x 11 inches high.

AMERICAN PRIMITIVE GALLERY Aarne Anton(212)239-1345 Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. or by appt.

242 West 30th St., N.Y., N.Y. 10001 23

BAR1HOL9MEW FAIR,LTD. 61 East 57th Street, New York, New York 10022 Fourth Floor (212)644-3717

SWEET NELLIE A • COUNTRY • STORE

Maxfield Parrish Target Game. Parker Brothers, Inc. Copyright, 1913.

We specialize in High Quality Antiques of Childhood. by appointment.

...brings the best in American Country to the city • Antique Quilts • Blankets & Throws • Handwoven Rugs • Country Accessories • Contemporary Folk Art

1262 Madison Ave.(90th St.)• New York, N.Y. 10128 212-876-5775 • Monday-Saturday 10-6 •ftenommor Photo Wayne Goldstem

FRANK MARE SCA AMERICAN SCULPTURE

Portrait of a loved one 12" high,late 19th—early 20th c.

236 West 26 Street • New York, New York • 212•620.0955

By Appointment

U2M

Basket with miniature stone fruit Artist unknown Pennsylvania 1850-1880 Woven tin, stone fruit 6 x 51 / 4 x 43/4" Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey Ill The basket was foundfilled with the fruit, although they may be a later addition. Other examples of woven baskets have been found, including wall pockets and loom baskets.

Photos except where noted—Carleton Palmer

MARRIAGE MILESTONES TENTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TIN

by Nancy and James D. Clokey III "Marriage Milestones: Tenth Wedding Anniversary Tin" will be on view at the Museum of American Folk Art from December 14, 1984 through March 3, 1985.

26

Apron with crimped edging Artist unknown Gobles. Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 291 / 2x 33" Promised gift of Martin and Enid Packard

Photo: WD Pied III

In the last half of the nineteenth century, Americans began to enjoy more leisure time and to plan elaborate celebrations marking important events in life. The need for recreation was asserting itself; events were eagerly anticipated and then remembered for months, even years, afterwards. Because of the Victorian sentimental attitude toward romantic love, weddings and anniversary festivities were particularly enjoyed, the celebrating couples especially indulged.

The custom of presenting couples with gifts made of materials of increasing value through the years originated in Medieval Germany where wreaths of silver and gold were given to mark the twenty-fifth and fiftieth anniversaries, respectively. In this country, the tenth, or tin anniversary, became the most widely celebrated one between the silver and gold; a large and hilarious party often commemorated the event. The special nature of the gifts made it an occasion of fun and gentle teasing.

After ten years of marriage, many of the articles couples had been given to begin housekeeping had worn out with constant use. The guests sometimes provided a new tin "trousseau" of utilitarian gifts. More often, the presents were tin novelties, which provided the evening's entertainment when opened and displayed.

The variety of these whimsies is almost endless, due to the skill and unbounded imagination of the tinsmith.

Most common are articles of clothing and personal adornment. Full-sized ladies' bonnets and riding hats are made entirely of tin and are decorated exclusively with bows; ruffles and feathers are found, as are a variety of gentlemen's hats, from flat "Nantucket" sailor hats to top hats and derbies trimmed with bands of copper.

Shoes and slippers for both genders are of any size—from lilliputian to giant— and are often fairly plain, but sometimes decked out with bows or buckles 27

and, rarely, with painted decorations.

A wide range of jewelry includes earrings, brooches, bracelets, necklaces and rings. Some are set with gems made of paste, or even pebbles; some have pierced or punched designs, and others, certainly more fragile, are made of wire. Collar and cuff sets, neckties and bows, purses, wallets and belts complete the tin wardrobe.

Personal grooming articles were not neglected. Shaving mugs as well as brushes and combs were presented.

The Victorian fashion of adding topknots to the fancy hair styles of the era was emphasized with clusters of elaborate tin curls embellished with tin hair pins the size of turkey skewers!

Perhaps the art of the tinsmith is best seen in the gifts made to decorate the table. Elaborate baskets range in size from tiny bonbon holders made of woven tin in the manner of splint baskets, to fruit containers decorated with stars and flags. One could lay the table with outsized eating utensils, salt and pepper shakers and napkin rings, which were often monogrammed. Individual holders for nosegays of tin often decorated each place setting and matched the centerpiece. Certainly the most beautiful tin cake cover imaginable is a circular one with a beaded edge, and a top encrusted with flowers of every variety, each petal and leaf cut and soldered on separately. A coffee pot topped with the tin silhouettes of a man and a woman is inscribed with the dates 1845-1855; it is the earliest dated piece of anniversary tin known.

Certainly, other, more useful articles were given as gifts. The emphasis on 28

Pipe Artist unknown Pennsylvania 1850-1880 Tin 16 x 15/8" Private Collection Smaller examples of this "church warden's" pipe have been found. The workmanship is precise; the bowl, double walled.

Lady's collar, pierced decoration Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 4" / 8 X 61 Promised gift of Martin and Enid Packard Photo: W.D. Pieri III

Fan Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 9/ 1 2x 2/ 1 2" each piece Promised gift of Martin and Enid Packard Photo: WD. Pieri ill

Lady's comb, pierced decoration Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 614 x 73/ti" Promised gift of Martin and Enid Packard

Photo: WD. Pieri III

the value of industry allowed for utilitarian gifts filled with embellishments of candy, flowers or fruit. However, none of the collections found included many truly functional objects, such as bread and cake pans, strainers, milk and cream pans, as they were put to hard use in the kitchen or barn following the celebration.

Tinsmiths used relatively simple tools to fashion the gifts. Wooden mallets, tin shears or snips, chisels, a soldering iron, a few crimping and rolling machines were about all he needed, along with the patterns (tin templates) for each object. After the sections of an article had been cut, they were soldered together; the seams were hooked over each other, and then hammered tight.

Outside edges were rolled over wire for added strength, or were merely doubled over. Pieces were shaped over forms from tinplate sheets imported, for the most part, from England. Because of the way tin could be cut, soldered and shaped, it was used to make some imaginative and elaborate articles.

The number of tin items from years past found today are proof that the tinsmith did his work well. They show neatly and firmly soldered insets and seams,and very smoothly finished edges.

For the most part, the pieces are made of plain tin, though a few have been coated with a thin layer of asphaltum, a coal tar varnish. Others are personalized with painted decorations—from simple, stylized flowers on a pair of man's slippers, to a complete deck of playing cards, the four suits painted on, and cutouts from photographs used on the face cards.

Because relatively little is known about wedding anniversary tin, many pieces have gone unrecognized or were dismissed as being made as stage props or for the amusement of children. Although numerous individual articles have been found, entire collections from specific parties present a record of the celebrations in the framework of the 29

period. Included in this exhibit are parts of three such collections, two of which were celebrated in neighboring states within a two year period.

The Ontario County Historical Society of Canandaigua, New York, boasts a collection of more than one hundred tin gifts presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson on the occasion of their tenth wedding anniversary in 1867. The invitation, regrets and a catalogue list also survive, giving a clear and complete record of the party.

The second large collection dated two years later, 1869, was given to the Suffield Historical Society in Suffield, Connecticut, by Mrs. Warren Creamer.

The tin gifts were given to her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Burdett Loomis, and described in Early American Decorated Tin Ware by Beatrice Powers and Olive Floyd: Their tenth anniversary in 1869, was a spectacular and memorable event for Mr. and Mrs. Burdett Loomis, of Suffield, and many a forgotten whitesmith and decorator contributed to the day's delight.

Friends, gathered in a festive mood, presented the guest of honor with an extraordinary collection of tin fabricated especially for the celebration. In the collection are a tall beaver hat and bonnet for milady; boots; shoes; slippers; a fan; jewelry; curls; spectacles; an apron; sheep shears; a knife; a razor and a box.

The total was nearly one hundred pieces of tin ware, and they were individually mentioned in a poem written in the meter of "Twas the Night Before Christmas':

Seventeen pieces found together in Gobles, Michigan, by folk art collectors Martin and Enid Packard (all of which have been given as a Promised Gift to the Museum of American Folk Art) are also believed to be from one celebration. At the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont, a display of articles from an anniversary celebrated with tin includes an umbrella and a large hot water bottle. In Pennsylvania, The William Penn Memorial 30

Goblet Artist unknown New York 1870-1880 Tin 43/4 x 3W Private Collection Two tin funnels and three small stamped spoons, identified from a period catalogue as manufactured and sold by the Dover Stamping Company of Boston, have been soldered together to form this piece.

Lady's riding hat Artist unknown Ohio 1850-1880 Tin 8 x 14 x 171 / 2" Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey Ill The imagination of the tinsmith is evident here in the detailing of this riding hat, and the ostrich plume echoes the fashions of the day.

Cradle Signed "A.A. Swinton, Jr:' Possibly York County, Pennsylvania 1850-1880 Tin 6/ 1 2x 10 x 6/ 1 2" Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey Ill The applied edge on this and other pieces exhibited here was made by running a strip of tin through a cast-iron geared crimping machine developed early in the nineteenth century.

31

Museum owns a full-sized vase splat chair with a perforated seat, and a tin violin is in the collection ofthe LandisValley Farm Museum. The American Museum in Bath, England, includes a collection of seven pieces. Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, has an elaborate bonnet, and a fruit basket decorated with berries and vines.

In the collection of Museum Village in Orange County, Monroe, New York, is a unique tin wedding certificate of marriage re-celebrated ten years later

by Judson and Anna Schultz. The April 11,1855 edition ofthe Kingston Journal lists as married, "April 3, near Ellenville, Judson Schultz to Anna Eastgate' The tin certificate was signed by Edward W. Bentley who was corresponding secretary of the Ulster County Bible Society at the time; Ellenville is in Ulster County, New York.

Witch's hat Artist unknown New York 1850-1880 Tin 2" / 11 x 111 Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey III Gifts adding to the merriment of the celebration were an important part of the evening's entertainment. This hat would certainly have produced laughter and gentle teasing.

32

Man's slippers Artist unknown Pennsylvania 1850-1880 Tin, painted decorations 111 / 4 x 31 / 2" Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey III These plain house slippers sport red and black flowers on the toes, and are one of the few painted objects found.

Because wedding anniversaries are happy occasions, the tenth was special, perhaps because it marked the completion of a decade of working towards the common goal of a successful marriage.

The opening of the presents, and in some cases, modelling of the whimsical gifts, provided the evening's fun.

Often these tokens were especially selected to please or poke fun at personal interests: a tin horse for the racing fan, a drum major's baton for someone who had led a parade, a tin high chair or cradle for proud parents, a fancy witch's hat for an October anniversary.

Godey's Ladies' Book suggested trophies or "loving cups" as appropriate gifts. A nineteenth century prize for the tin anniversary is a cup with "Sue a Good Sport" spelled out in tin wire.

These, along with items such as scissors, sheep shears and outsized eating utensils, have lasted through the years because of the careful treatment given them.

The folk custom of celebrating the tenth anniversary as the tin wedding was uniquely American, and the tin celebration was a reflection of the manners, morals and tastes of the times.

James and Nancy Clokey are the Guest Curators of "Marriage Milestones: Tenth Wedding Anniversary Tin7 and are also avid collectors of folk art and country furniture.

Spectacles and case Artist unknown New York 1850-1880 Tin and glass 57/s x 71 / 4"(glasses) 6/ 3 4x 2/ 1 2"(case) Private Collection The temples of these glasses fold in half in order to fit into the tin case.

Further Reading 1. Caron, Geralk, The Polite Americans. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1966.

2. Coffin, Margaret, American Country Tinware 1700-1900. New York: Galahad Books, 1968.

3. Dale, Daphne, Our Manners and Social Customs. Chicago: Elliot & Beegley, 1892.

4. Helton, James, A Memoir On A Dutch Golden Wedding Memorial. London: printed for the author, 1891.

5. Lasansky, Jeanette, To Cut, Piece and Solder Lewisburg, Pa.: Oral Traditions Project of the Union County Historical Society, 1982.

6. Powers Beatrice and Floyd, Olive, Early American Decorated Tinware. New York: Hastings House, 1957.

7. Young, John H., Our Department. Detroit: F.B. Dickenson 8z Co., 1885.

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MARRIAGE MILESTONES: WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TIN—Checklist

Tin Artist unknown Glasses: 57/8 x 7/ 1 2 " New England Case: 6/ 3 4x 2W 1850-1880 Private Collection Tin Brooch: 47/3 x 47/8" 1 4x 35/16" 18. Caster Set Earrings: 9/ Artist unknown Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey III New York 1880-1900 10. Witch's Hat 2. Cradle Artist unknown Tin, crimped decoration A. A. Swinton, Jr. 81 / 2x 81 / 2x 5/ 3 4" New York Probably York County, Pennsylvania Private Collection 1850-1880 1850-1880 Tin 19. Bobbin Tin 11 x 111 / 2 " 6½x 10 x 6/ 1 2 " Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey III Artist unknown Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey III Pennsylvania 1850-1880 11. Soldier's Hat Tin, thread 3. Rattle; "For Good Boys Only" Artist unknown 141 / 4 x 31 / 2" Artist unknown Region unknown Pennsylvania 1850-1880 Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey III Inscribed "December 8, 1879" Tin 3 4x lOW 20. Goblet Tin 151 / 4x 6/ 121 / 4x 7/ 1 2x 6/ 1 4" Private Collection Artist unknown New York Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey ifi 1870-1880 12. Gentleman's Hat Artist unknown Tin 4. Lady's Slippers 4/ 3 4x 35/8" Artist unknown New England New England 1850-1880 Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey III 1850-1880 Tin 21. Basket Tin 4/ 3 4x 111 / 2 " 9/ Artist unknown 3 4x3½ x3½" Private Collection New England Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey ifi 13. Lady's Bonnet 1880-1900 5. Man's Hat Artist unknown Tin 101 / 2x 9/ Artist unknown New England 1 2 " 1850-1880 Private Collection Probably Massachusetts Tin 1850-1880 5 x 9/ 1 4" 22. Cane Tin, copper 3½x 131 / 4x 111 / 4" Private Collection Artist unknown Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey B1 Pennsylvania 14. Man's Slippers 1880-1890 Tin Artist unknown 6. Lady's Riding Hat Pennsylvania 36 x 2/ 1 4" Artist unknown Ohio 1850-1880 Private Collection 1850-1880 Tin, painted decorations 11N x 3/ 1 2 " 23. Fan Tin, asphaltum coated Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey Ill Artist unknown 8 x 14 x 7/ 1 2 " Pennsylvania Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey ifi 15. Comb 1850-1880 Tin 7. Basket with Stone Fruit Artist unknown / 4" 1811 / 46x 131 Artist unknown Pennsylvania Private Collection Pennsylvania 1880-1900 Tin 1850-1880 7 x 51 24. Shaving Mug Tin, stone fruit / 4" 3 4" Artist unknown x 51 / 2x 4/ Private Collection Pennsylvania Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey ifi 1850-1880 16. Pipe Tin Artist unknown 8. Pocket Watch and Chain 43/4x6¼" Pennsylvania Artist unknown Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey III 1880-1900 New England 1850-1880 Tin 25. Apron 16 x 15/11" Tin Artist unknown Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey III Watch: 6" diameter Gobles, Michigan Chain: 24" 1.

1880-1900 17. Spectacles and Case Collection of Mr. and Mrs James D. Tin, crimped edging Artist unknown Clokey III 29/ 1 2x 33" New York Promised Gift of Martin and Enid Packard 1850-1880 9. Lady's Brooch and Earrings 1. Pair of Candelabra Artist unknown Hobart, New York ca. 1850 Tin 15 x 18" Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Clokey Ill 1984.29.1 a&b

34

26. String Holder Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin, metal bird / 4 x 4" 51 Promised Gift of Martin and Enid Packard

35. Man's Ibp Hat Artist unknown Orange County, New York 1850-1875 Tin 7/ 1 2x 12" diameter Museum Village in Orange County

27. Fan Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 1 4" 9/ 1 2x 2/ Promised Gift of Martin and Enid Packard

36. Comb with Cluster of Curls Presented to Mt and Mrs. Burdett Loomis, February 2, 1869 Artist unknown Suffield, Connecticut 1869 Tin, ribbon 9/ 1 2x 6/ 1 2 " Suffield Historical Society

28. Rake Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 1 4 x 15A" x 7/ Promised Gift of Martin and Enid Packard 29. Lady's Collar Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Pierced tin 8 x 6/ 1 4" Promised Gift of Martin and Enid Packard 30. Lady's Comb Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 61 / 4 x 7W Promised Gift of Martin and Enid Packard

37. Straight Razor Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Burdett Loomis, February 2, 1869 Artist unknown Suffield, Connecticut 1869 Tin 21 x4" Suffield Historical Society 38. Flat Iron;"to smooth the cares of life" Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Burdett Loomis, February 2, 1869 Artist unknown Suffield, Connecticut 1869 Tin 5 x 4/ 3 4x 7" Suffield Historical Society

31. Scissors Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 75/8 X 251 / 4" Promised Gift of Martin and Enid Packard

39. Knife; "Loomis" Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Burdett Loomis, February 2, 1869 Artist unknown Suffield, Connecticut 1869 Tin 481 / 4 x 4"/16" Suffield Historical Society

32. Crown with Decorations Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 1 2" 73/4 x 7 x 9/ Promised Gift of Martin and Enid Packard

40. Cake Cover Artist unknown Pennsylvania 1880-1900 Tin, applied flower decoration 8 x 14" diameter Private Collection

33. Rolling Pin Artist unknown Gobles, Michigan 1880-1900 Tin 2/ 1 4x 23/g x 19" Promised Gift of Martin and Enid Packard

41. Horse Artist unknown Maine 1880-1900 Tin 5x7 x3" Private Collection

34. Marriage Certificate Artist unknown Ellenville, New York 1850-1875 Tin 7/ 1 2x 10" Museum Village in Orange County

42. Tin Loving Cup; "Sue a Good Sport" Artist unknown Berks County, Pennsylvania 1880-1900 Tin 13 x 9" Collection of David P and Susan M.

Cunningham 43. Man's Pocket Watch with Chain and Fob Artist unknown Berks County, Pennsylvania 1880-1900 Tin Watch: 5 x 4" diameter Chain and fob: 141 / 2 "I. Collection of David P and Susan M. Cunningham 44. Painted Chair Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Burdett Loomis, February 2, 1869 Artist unknown Suffield, Connecticut 1869 Tin, painted 40 x 191 / 4 x 14" Collection of Mrs. Warren M.Creamer 45. Pair of Earrings with Glass Inserts Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Burdett Loomis, February 2, 1869 Artist unknown Suffield, Connecticut 1869 Tin, glass 1 16" 2/ 3 4x 1 / Collection of Mrs. Warren M. Creamer 46. Bracelet Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 13/16" W. Ontario County Historical Society 47. Bracelet Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin Ya" w.

Ontario County Historical Society 48. Thread Holder Presented to Mt and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin x 4/ 3 4x 2" Ontario County Historical Society 49. Fruit Basket Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Pierson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 9/ 1 4x 11" Ontario County Historical Society 35

50. Man's Wallet Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Mrs. Edmund C. Clark Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 344 x 23/4" Ontario County Historical Society 51. Fan Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 81 / 46" I. Ontario County Historical Society 52. Fan Case Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 8Âźx 1W Ontario County Historical Society 53. Fan Case Cover Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 81 / 4 x 13/s" Ontario County Historical Society 54. Cuff Links or Buttons Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Hiram M. Rankine Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 3" 1.

Ontario County Historical Society 55. Fan Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin Tassel: 77/e Fan: 7W Ontario County Historical Society 56. Deck of Playing Cards on Case Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Mrs. M.D. Munger Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 1 4" Cards: 25A3 x 3/ 36

Box:4/ 1 4x 213 / 46x 1W' Ontario County Historical Society 57. Shelf with Ornate Cutouts Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Horace M. Finley Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 1 4x 6/ 1 4" 65/16 x 7/ Ontario County Historical Society 58. Shelf Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Mr. and Mrs. William C. Meek Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 8Âźx 1013/16 X 51 / 4" Ontario County Historical Society 59. Bracelet Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 13/16" w.

Ontario County Historical Society 60. Fan Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by A. G. Coleman Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 9/ 3 4"I. Ontario County Historical Society 61. Cross and Chain Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Mrs. Samuel C. Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 3 4" Cross: 51/s x 3/ Chain: 11" 1.

Ontario County Historical Society 62. Bracelet Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 3/ 4/1w.

Ontario County Historical Society 63. Half Crown Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown

Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 61 / 4 x 7/ 1 4" Ontario County Historical Society 64. Frame and Picture; "Extremes Meet" Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Mr. and Mrs. George Bates Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin / 4" 175/16 x 151 Ontario County Historical Society 65. Brooch and Earrings Set Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Miss A. A. Jewett Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin Brooch: 29/t6 X 13/s" Earrings: 19/16x/ 3 4" Ontario County Historical Society 66. Hair Piece Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 97/16 x 41 / 4" Ontario County Historical Society 67. Ladle with Case and Cover Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Given by Mr. and Mrs. William Adams Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin Ladle: 13/ 3 4x 45/16" Case: 14/ 3 4x 47/8 x 213 / 46" Cover: 14/ 3 4x 4W Ontario County Historical Society 68. Salt Shaker Presented to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York ca. 1867 Tin 213 / 4x 8/ 3 4" Ontario County Historical Society 69. Invitation Given by Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ferris Thompson Artist unknown Probably New York "June 17th, 1867" Printed paper, tin frame 213 / 46x 47/s" Ontario County Historical Society

Continuity and Change: Amish Quilts from the William and Dede Wigton Collection of the Museum of American Folk Art Sunshine and Shadow;Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; 1925-30; Wool,crepe,rayon,cotton;82 X 84'.'

by Elizabeth Warren

Continuity and Change will be on view at the Museum from March 15April 28, 1985, and will be accompanied by an illustrated checklist.

Many of the quilts from the Wigton Collection are illustrated in color in a new book,The World ofAmish Quilts

by Rachel and Kenneth Pellman, published by Good Books.

With the generous gift of the William and Dede Wigton Collection, the Museum of American Folk Art now owns one of the most significant museum collections of Amish quilts in the country.

The Wigtons' 22 quilts, encompassing examples from Lancaster and Mifflin Counties in Pennsylvania, as well as from Amish settlements in Ohio, beautifully complement the Indiana Amish quilt collection given to the museum by David Pottinger in 1980.

The Wigton Collection includes the classic Lancaster County patterns—"Diamond in the Square:' "Bars:' "Sawtooth Diamond;' "Double Nine Patch;' and "Sunshine and Shadow" —all made from the jeweltoned wools and enhanced by the magnificent quilting designs that have made the quilts from this area so famous.

Especially interesting are the quilts from three separate groups in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. The variety of

patterns in the collection from this area range from the brightly colored "Four Patch" variations that are typical of the county to a unique early "Block Work" quilt in somber tones that was sewn from cloth used to make men's suits.

The Ohio quilts also exemplify the individual artistic diversity present in each Amish group and include a blazing "Lone Star" as well as a finely quilted plain gray-and-black example that was probably a coffin quilt.

Mr. Wigton calls his interest in Amish quilts "a natural evolution;' growing out of his family background: his mother's family is from southern Pennsylvania and his grandfather settled in Belleville, in Mifflin County.

The Mifflin County quilts in the collection, therefore, are the Wigtons personal favorites.

Elizabeth Warren is Curator of Collections at the Museum of American Folk Art.

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..........

•

.... '''

Fig. 1 Banded Rio Grande blanket, Spanish New Mexico; ca. 1850-1860; Plain woven, weft-faced in natural white and brown, vegetal yellow, Brazil brown, indigo blue and green dyed handspun native wool;54 X 84'.' Photograph courtesy The Durango Collection.

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M

The Rediscovered Folk Tradition of

RIO GRANDE TEXTILES

by Alexandra de Lallier "Textiles are among the most diverse of American collectibles. Treasured in their own day for their beauty, utility and craftsmanship, they are perhaps even more highly regarded today as documents of our American heritage:" From the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, an ancient textile art begun in the Near East and introduced to Europe in the Middle Ages was revived in emigrant colonies of New Mexico and Colorado. Its course of development followed the social history of three centuries of Southwestern settlement. In the nineteenth century the bold craftsmanship and unique character of the textiles had made them the most widely traded handcrafts of the region, as well as the foundation of a vigorous industry. By the late nineteenth century any knowledge of the craft had disappeared in the outside world. When,in the twentieth century, scholars turned their interest to these textiles, a persistent shadow of mystery trailed the historical reconstruction of the tradition and marked it the least understood ofthe world's textile arts. It took many years for pieces which had surfaced to be classified as Rio Grande type, a folk art tradition brought to America from Spain.

The first Spaniard to open the way to the Southwest, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, set out from Compestela, Mexico, in 1540 to conquer the unchartered land of North America. He headed a company of several hundred

Fig. 2 Detail of/ergo cloth; Spanish New Mexico; ca. 1800-1850; Twill woven in natural white and brown handspun wool; 26 x 70'.' Photograph courtesy The Durango Collection.

soldiers, explorers and Indian scouts who made thejourney along with flocks of sheep numbering in the thousands The group traveled through the western slopes of the Sierra Madre Mountains to Arizona and New Mexico, where they hoped to find the mythical Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. By early summer, they entered the area near modern Albuquerque. Venturing west again, they encountered the Zufii settlements, not the famed cities of gold, but a relatively poor though self-sufficient Indian community.

The Pueblo had inherited a strongly developed weaving tradition from their ancestors, the ancient Basketmakers, who had adopted the back-strap loom from Mesoamerica in A.D. 700. They used it until the development of the standing loom in around 1100. When Coronado located the Pueblo, he found them weaving on upright vertical looms. They were also incorporating plant fibers in the Mayan tradition: agave and cotton (which was the more popular and more widely grown of the two). The finely woven garments worn by the Pueblo women were often made colorful with embroidery,paint or natural fiber dyes.

Coronado had come on a crusade to claim riches and territory in the name of the Spanish crown. Disappointed in the first goal, he pursued the second, capturing the pueblos of the peaceful, agrarian Zufii in July and setting up headquarters for himself and his regiment.

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Fig. 3 Saddle blanket; Pueblo-Rio Grande, northern New Mexico; ca. 1900; Plain woven, weft-faced in multicolor aniline-dyed handspun wool; 31 x 32"; Gift of Mrs. H.H. Bright. Photograph courtesy The Saint Louis Art Museum.

The company had not foreseen the New Mexican climate which parched the land in summer and froze it in winter. As winter approached, under Coronado's command, the soldiers went from pueblo to pueblo, demanding clothing and blankets from the Indians. They used force when met with resistance, and thereby provoked resentment. In the spring the company moved on.

In the late sixteenth century, the first Spanish homesteaders came to the New World, laden with yards of woven goods and bundles of clothing. About four hundred soldiers, settlers and Franciscan monks, along with cattle, horses, goats and sheep, journeyed to northern New Mexico and the valley of the Rio Grande in 1598. Once again, the Pueblo were ordered to keep the foreigners fed and clothed.

Sante Fe, the earliest Spanish town, was founded in 1610, followed by Taos in 1615, Santa Cruz and Los Trampas.

Though the settlers had come with clothing and fabric, they had hoped to be able to import from Mexico in the future. They did not realize the extent of their isolation, and the dangers of Navajo raids, which prevented reliable 40

delivery of supplies.

At least thirty years went by before the colonists felt sufficiently established to turn to their own craft resources.

When they did, they developed a technique rooted in the Spanish, not the Indian, textile tradition, now referred to as Rio Grande weaving (Fig. 1). It was the men who wove, in wool, in contrast to some Indian customs in which the women were the weavers.

The looms upon which they wove were different, too. The treadle loom used by the Spanish was a large, heavy machine with foot pedals, built of handhewn logs. In contrast, the Indian loom was made of poles, and was simple, light and portable. It was constructed to handle a single project at any one time and produced a fringeless textile bound on all four sides. The Spanish loom allowed for narrow lengths with fringes at each end. Later, the textiles could be sewn together to achieve a desired width.

The churro sheep which had been introduced into New Mexico and bred for food became the source for wool,in the old Spanish tradition. Preparing the wool was a multi-step process involving the entire family. The long, coarse

fleece was cleaned, and then spun into yarn on malacates, or hand spindles, before being washed in a bath with a "soapless soap" made from the dried, crushed yucca plant. This step in the process removed the lanolin from the wool.

Once woven,the characteristic Spanish colonial textile had a thick, loose weave, ranging from large-coarse, to smallfine. A natural white woolen fabric, sayal, used mainly as sackcloth or sacking, has the coarsest plain weave.

Sabinilla, less coarse, was made into bed linen, mattress covers and clothing. It was woven also to be used as a canvas for colcha, a Spanish embroidery similar to American crewel work and practiced by the duenas, the matrons of the haciendas To insulate the earthen floors of the adobe houses, a thick, coarsely woven,woolen floor covering called jerga was produced in natural white and black (Fig. 2). Two typical patterns were an all-over stripe and a "checkerboard plaid!' Of all the textiles, woolen blankets, mantas orfresadas, were the mainstay of the colonists. As they became too worn for their original purpose, they served as shawls, cushions, bedrolls, bed-clothes,saddle blankets, burro packs, and, when overly worn, were unraveled and used to mend other textiles. As a consequence of this frugality, no textiles made before 1800 have been found.

The earliest known blankets are woven of undyed white and black (or brown) wool. The textile is divided lengthwise by five wide bands, alternating with narrow stripes. The early Spanish weavings show a natural inclination toward a unique design sensibility, which was more complex than that of comparable Indian blankets (Fig. 3).

As life stabilized in the seventeenth century, textiles were still woven for everyday use, but a new dimension was added with the availability of dyes. Indigo, brought in from Mexico, may

have been the earliest utilized. Anil leaves fermented in clay pots produced a dark, dense mass which was broken into chunks of concentrated dye. They could then be diluted to make many different shades of blue, which enlivened the basic composition of the banded blankets. Moki, an Indian term, is sometimes applied to Rio Grande blankets of this kind for their general resemblance to Hopi blankets. Brazilwood (also known as mahogany)could be ordered from Mexico, and it furnished a range of rich browns. Cochineal was made from the bodies offemale insects living on the nopal cactus. They were collected, dried and ground to a powder to produce reds, oranges and magenta. The complicated reduction processes and importation costs made the foreign dyes expensive, restricting their use; supplementary sources were sought and eventually found among the growing things native to New Mexico.

In season the children gathered blossoms, bark, leaves and roots, which supplied the bases for a spectrum of plant stains and dyes, which were used alone or with accents of the more precious imported colors (Fig. 4).

As a result ofinterrelations and trade with the Indian tribes, an unusual, extended family pattern emerged in the Spanish communities. Navajo children with weaving skills learned from their elders were considered especially prized. In exchange, the Indians could obtain one or more ofthe coveted Spanish possessions: horses, sheep, woolen blankets and silver jewelry. Depending on the status of the family, the young people were accepted into the Spanish households in twos or threes, and known as criados. They held a position closest to that of an apprentice, becoming as much a part of the family as its own children. Many intermarried; others returned in adulthood to their own people and took with them the new techniques they had mastered. A curious category emerged from this ex-

change: textiles made by Indians on Spanish loomst The first recorded weaving workshop was set up in Sante Fe in 1638 under the governor, Luis de Rosas.

More followed in other towns. Workers included Spaniards, but Ute, Mexican and captive Apache made up the

strength of the workforce. Under the Spanish rule a system called encomienda was instituted. It stated that an Indian, once baptized into the Church, became a ward of a Spaniard. In return for paying taxes and duties, often in the form of woven cotton, a baptized Indian was entitled to apprenticeship,

Fig. 4 Banded Rio Grande blanket; Spanish New Mexico;ca. 1850-1860; Plain woven, weft-faced in multicolor handspun native wool;54 x 84: . Photograph courtesy The Durango Collection.

41

protection and certain payment for his hours of labor. Long hours of concentrated weaving were the rule of the workshops, which were soon turning out enough woolen goods to begin exportation to New Spain'.

In its use of wool,rather than vegetable fibers, the Spanish textile tradition cut across cultural differences,exerting a pronounced influence on Indian methods. Within a short time after the Spanish began weaving, the Pueblo

01111111â– 1 " . "" " *

Fig. 5 Sala% sarape: Mexico;ca. 1750; Plain woven, weft-faced in cochineal red, pink, purple, indigo blue and green, vegetal yellow dyed handspun wool on cotton warp;55 x 73'.'

Photograph courtesy The Durango Collection.

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started to use churro wool on their own looms. Sometime between 1650 and 1700, the Navajo, taught to weave by the Pueblo, followed this example of using wool on the vertical loom. Nonetheless, the Indians maintained their own weaving customs in loom and spinning methodse.'

General repression and punitive measures suffered by the Indians finally flared up and exploded in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. As the twice conquered Pueblo were driven away to seek safety in Navajo encampments, the victors returned to resettle the upper river valley. The center of weaving moved to an area near Albuquerque.

Eventually, the colony became stable, with the eighteenth century seeing expansion in all directions.

Each Hispanic family took great pride in its weaving skills. The colorful textiles were often prominently displayed in the houses, and many were handed down as heirlooms. Workshops were weaving in larger quantities to keep up with growing export orders, but the rise in demand began to have adverse effects, for shepherds were rapidly exhausting their supply of fleece as they struggled to meet the demand for wool. The quality of wool and weaving, too, fell sharply. To counter this situation, Governor Mendimienta ordered a ban on trade and export of wool and woolen products in 1770. Further, he prohibited the slaughter of any ewes, the source of the best wool, and he also encouraged more extensive, better sheep husbandry.

Trade fairs had become popular in New Mexico. They were held at different seasons throughout the year— Taos in autumn,San Juan de Los Lagos in winter, and Chihauhau during the summer. The most notable fair, and the oldest, was held annually in Saltillo, Mexico. By the nineteenth century, Spanish New Mexican textiles lagged far behind those of the Indians and Mexicans in appeal, as the quality of

Fig. 6 Saltillo style Rio Grande blanket; Spanish New Mexico; ca. 1850; Plain woven, weft-faced.

Photograph courtesy The Durango Collection.

weaving had not improved. An attempt to reverse this situation was made in 1807 when the brothers Bazan, Don Juan and Don Ignacio, two master Mexican weavers, were brought to Santa Fe to teach weaving. Don Ignacio may have introduced the traditional Mexican Saltillo sarape as a model of fine weaving. In any case, from that time onward, the design began to appear in Rio Grande textiles. The magnificent, colorful Saltillos, named for the Mexican town where they were first woven, were sarapes, or "wearing blankets"(Fig. 5). Each one had a corn-

plex mosaic and striped composition echoing Pre-Columbian design elements with Spanish themes. They were beautifully, quite tightly woven in wool and cotton, and had the texture of silk.

Adapted to the rustic New Mexican looms, woven with coarse spun churro wool and colored with native plant dyes, the Saltillo carried design motifs—such as the "hourglass7 "little hand7 "spot repeat" and the "vertical serrate" that were transformed into something new and exciting as Rio Grande textiles (Fig. 6). The Bazans taught well, and over the next several

years the New Mexican weaving techniques improved markedly, as did the overall quality of the products.

By 1812, two similar woven goods had become very popular, bayeta and bayeton (baize). Both were woven in plain-weave or twill, cleaned, sized or napped, resulting in a cloth similar to a flannel or felt. Bayeta was the lighter of the two, while the texture of bayeton often approached that of a heavy felt.

In 1821 the Mexican Revolution and Independence from Spain led to the opening of the Sante Fe Trail, allowing easier entry and egress of people and goods. Blankets in great numbers were taken away down the Camino Royal to Mexico or dropped off to be sold at mission towns along the way. Naturally dyed Saxony wool yarn, as well as cotton twill backing for colcha embroidery and silk and cotton threads, became available. Saxony yarn was adopted by a number of weavers and found its way into the textiles. Land grants were awarded in the 1840s for southern Colorado, bringing Spanish New Mexicans into the San Luis Valley.

A weaving workshop was soon inaugurated in the new community.

As treaties to control the Indians were enforced, more traders and miners came to New Mexico. For the first time non-Hispanic peoples entered and settled, many of whom came to live in the northern valleys.

Early in the nineteenth century Rio Grande blankets became the most popular and widely traded handcraft of the region, but after 1850 a number of factors adversely affected both the quality and character of the textiles, and brought about their decline. The new settlers introduced the RambouilletMerino strain of sheep, whose fleece was fine, kinky and difficult to clean because of its texture and high oil content. This wool was totally unsuited to the traditional methods of Rio Grande weaving. Unfortunately, the churro and Rambouillet were interbred, lower43

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Fig. 7 Vallero style Rio Grande blanket; Spanish New Mexico; ca. 1880; Plain woven, weft-faced in multicolor aniline dyed 4-ply Germantown yarn; 2 widths seamed,44 x 87!Photograph courtesy The Durango Collection.

ing the quality of wool to the point where textiles made after 1859 are today considered "contaminated" by many experts. Further decline was seen in the quality of dyes, as the vegetable dyes which took time and skill to prepare were suddenly dispensable.

By 1880 the railroad was extended into New Mexico. With it came the arrival of inexpensive commercially made woven goods, chemical dyes and aniline dyed yarns, the best of which were made in Germantown, Pennsylvania. As the alternative products became available in the marketplace, they were readily bought by the weavers who were not adverse to exchanging a laborious process for a simplified one.

Chemical dyes did make shorter work, but they proved to be harsh and problematic, both as solutions and as readydyed yarns. The color bled or faded, and, ultimately, the harsh chemical formula broke down the fibers of the fabric. In appearance the synthetic formulas lacked the warmth and depth of the vegetal dyes and stains. Skeins of commercially dyed yarns often had an acid cast. Although the major centers quickly adopted them, the natural dyes were still preferred in the smaller towns.

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A new design based on eight-pointed stars which recalled those of the Saltillo textiles began to appear in Rio Grande blankets in the 1880s. Woven by the Montoya sisters in El Valle, near Los Trampas, the style became known as "Vallero"(Fig. 7)'. A small star was woven in each corner and was often the miniature of a large, central star. All stood out vividly on a background of graduated diamonds and were framed by a patterned border. In texture as well as design, the blankets were of great interest, for the geometric shapes stood out, almost as if they had been appliquéd. Variations on the theme have also been found (Fig. 8). Two theories have evolved to explain the Vallero design.

One is that Spanish colonists who came into contact with the white homesteaders adopted the eight pointed star ofearly American patchwork quilts and Jacquard coverlets. A second theory is that the Vallero stars were as old as the Spanish link to the Orient and Old Persia, Morocco and Turkey. Indeed, the eight pointed star may be seen clearly in Hispano-Moresque silk weavings of the thirteenth to fifteenth century.

At about the same time as the Vallero was first woven by the Montoya family,

the Ortega family of Chimayo initiated their own style; based on an abstract interpretation of the Saltillo, Chimayo weaving combined Indian symbols with imaginary shapes,on a solid background.

A wide treadle loom was introduced to Chimayo weavers by a trader, J.S. Candelario, in the 1890s! Both the wider loom and the synthetic dyes altered the traditional Rio Grande textiles by allowing the weaver greater room, literally, for experimenting with pattern, and by providing him with a spectrum of prepared colors.

In the late 1880s the market places and trading posts attracted a steady tourist trade. Traders became aware of the rewards of catering to the taste for Indian souvenirs, and particularly, blankets. As a result, many Rio Grande weavers began to imitate the Indian style blankets which seemed to sell better. These influences visibly undermined the quality, individuality and vitality of the finer textiles produced prior to this period. Demand for Rio Grande weaving dropped, and production dwindled to half its previous volume. Following a general decline, workshops in the major towns closed

down. Fine textiles were still produced in Hispanic households in the isolated villages and mission towns; in this way the technique was carefully handed down for many generations. Outside the villages it was all but forgotten.

By the twentieth century there was confusion about textiles which had been rediscovered. Often, when a cotton bed cover was taken apart, it was found to have been protecting a worn woolen textile. The identity of such pieces evaded scholars. For lack of information they resorted to putting the textiles into the category of "Indian made:' even while puzzling over the apparent differences. In weave, texture, edge treatment and design, there was little correspondence to extant Pueblo or Navajo examples. At one point, a theory arose suggesting that the textiles might be the craft of an as yet unidentified Indian group. Many were eventually labeled "Chimayo:'for the small New Mexican town where a similar weaving technique was practiced.

In 1910 the weavings were reidentified by Harry P Mera, a noted Southwestern culture specialist, as Rio Grande textiles. This initial breakthrough inspired a number of other local scholars to work on the subject, but until the 1960s their dedicated advances remained, for the most part, unpublished, known only within the field. For the next several decades following Dr. Mera's discovery, local interest grew, especially among the Spanish-American districts. From 1930 to 1935,Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven worked to establish the Colonial Arts and Crafts School in Galisteo, New Mexico, to revive the craft. A WPA weaving project was begun in the San Luis Valley of Colorado in 1935. In 1940 the allotted funding was exhausted, and the workshop had to be abandoned. It was not until the early 1970s that a second wave of workshops began to revive the craft throughout New Mexico. New interest was

Fig. 8 Indigo vallero style blanket; Spanish Colonial; ca.1880;Plain woven, weft-faced in natural white and black and indigo dyed handspun wool; 100 x 54"; The Alfred I. Barton Collection.

Photograph courtesy The Lowe Art Museum.

awakened, and the Durango Collection of Colorado was founded at this time.

The Museum ofInternational Folk Art, Sante Fe, held weaving and dyeing workshops in 1976 and 1978. Save the Children Federation Chicano Program

initiated regional Rio Grande weaving workshops in 1979.

The 1977 exhibition, "Hispanic Crafts of the Southwest:' was presented at the Taylor Museum, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and set the stage for a major 45

synthesisofpastand presentscholarship in the study of Rio Grande textiles. In 1979 the Museum of International Folk Art mounted a landmark traveling exhibition, "Spanish Textile Tradition of New Mexico and Colorado!'

Many young New Mexican weavers who participated in the workshops of the 1970s were stimulated by this new interest in the arts oftheir heritage. One of the leading artisans is Teresa Arch-

uleta-Sagel of Espafiola, New Mexico, who draws "both inspiration and color from the surrounding land [and] has almost single handedly revived the dormant Rio Grande style of weaving:" As a descendant of New Mexican colonists, Miss Archuleta-Sagel had grown up with an awareness of her ancestry; her great grandfather, Juan Manuel Velasquez, was remembered as the "village weaver" of Coyote, New

Fig.9 Thirty-five Mexican Stars; Teresa Archuleta-Sagel; Espafiola, New Mexico; 1983; Plain woven, weft-faced tapestry weave in natural white 2-ply yarn warp, and indigo dyed 3-ply wool yarn weft;68 x 44"; Collection Miss Helen L. Hurst, Sacramento, California. Photograph courtesy Teresa Archuleta-Sagel.

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Mexico. In 1976, while attending the workshops at the Museum of International Folk Art,she gained new awareness of the relationship between her work and the entire Rio Grande heritage. Today she alternates between five looms, weaving striking modern interpretations, many drawn from the textile vocabulary of her forefathers (Fig.9). In the words of Wilfredo Vigil, a fellow Espafiolan, "Teresa's a perfectionist. I look at her work,knowing that plum root was used, and I can see the tree that the dye came from. Her weaving brings forth our life style and environment!'

Miss Archuleta-Sagel is in the vanguard of a number of contemporary New Mexican women weavers, including Juanita Jaramillo-Lavadie, Maria Vergara-Wilson (Fig. 10), Norma Maestas and Margaret Wood. Several, including Miss Archuleta-Sagel, also teach, lecture and write on Rio Grande textile techniques and history.

On a wider scale, annual fairs and "artisana ferias" are held in the towns as they were in the early days. Today almost every Southwestern museum has a collection of Rio Grande textiles!'

Many have had exhibitions, conferences and seminars on both traditional and new work.

During the centuries of Spanish settlement in the Southwest, more than three major cultures converged, each leaving its imprint upon the other. To a certain degree this situation affected customs, but most influenced were the crafts.

Weaving was particularly redefined. The development of a distinct Spanish American textile art helped restore self-sufficiency to the colonists. From a sarape to ward off the chills of winter, to an "Indian" blanket made for tourist trade, weaving played a tremendous role in sustaining and building the Hispanic society.

At their height, the textiles maintained a strong individual character while boldly blending elements of other cultures. The nineteenth century introduction of mod-

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Fig. 10 Weft ikat weaving; Maria Vergara-Wilson; La Madera, New Mexico; 1982;Ikat weave in natural white, indigo and cochineal dyed handspun wool. Photograph courtesy The Millicent Rogers Museum.

NOTES 1. Robert Bishop, William Secord, Judith Reiter Weissman, Quilts, Coverlets, Rugs and Samplers. The Knopf Collector's Guides to American Antiques (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1982). Introduction, p. 9.

2. The breed of sheep, indigenous to southern Spain, were brawny animals considered well suited to the rigorous march. In contrast to their short, stocky build, the churro had long, lustrous fleece which was entirely suited to spinning and weaving.

3. See Nora Fisher, "Colcha Embroidery:' Spanish Textile Tradition in New Mexico and Colorado (Santa Fe: Museum of International Folk Art and Museum of New Mexico, 1979). See also "Colcha Embroidery Catalogue',' Hispanic Crafts ofthe Southwest, ed.

William Wroth (Colorado Springs: Taylor Museum of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 1977).

4. See Kate Peck Kent, "Spanish, Navajo or Pueblo? A Guide to the Identification of Nineteenth Century Southwestern Textiles!'

Hispanic Arts and Ethnology in the Southwest(Santa Fe: Ancient City Press, 1983), p.

161.

5. "New Spain" in this instance refers to the Spanish territories governed from Mexico City in the sixteenth century, including islands in the West Indies, Central America north of Panama, Mexico and southwestern United States.

6. See Kate Peck Kent,Pueblo Indian Textiles:

A Living Tradition (Santa Fe: School of American Research Press, 1983), p. 11.

7. Juanita Jaramillo, "Rio Grande Weaving: A Continuing Tradition:' Hispanic Crafts ofthe Southwest, p. 14. Miss Jaramillo-Lavadie is the great-granddaughter ofthe weaver Petrita Montoya, one of the originators of the Vallero style.

8. Marian E. Rodee, Southwestern Weaving (Albuquerque: Marwell Museum of Anthropology and University of New Mexico Press, 1977, 1981), p. 155.

9. Charles Bermant, "Spotlight: Southwest Tapestry:' The Washington Post, March 23, 1984.

10. Ibid. Quotation by Wilfredo Vigil.

11. See "Public Collections of Textiles Researched': Spanish Textile Tradition of New Mexico and Colorado, pp. 244-246.

Many individuals have facilitated my research. The list is too long to be printed in full at this time, but I wish to extend my thanks to the following: Miss Teresa Archuleta-Sagel, Mr. Brian Dursum, Dr. David Ecker, Miss Nora Fisher, Miss Ryntha Johnson, Miss Jean Mailey, Miss Rain Parrish, Miss Marian Rodee, Mr. Michael Stephens, Mr. Wilfredo Vigil, Dr. Judith R. Weissman, Mr. Mark Winter.

ern technology made production easier, but greatly diminished the individuality of the textiles, and also lowered the level of quality which, in turn, eventually led to a virtual eclipse of all that was known before.

In the twentieth century, research and historical reconstruction have shed light on the previously obscure history of Rio Grande textiles. As the documents of a folk tradition which took root and flourished in the Southwest, they reflect the creative side of a turbulent but progressive past and represent the rich legacy of the vibrant Spanish heritage in America.

Alexandra de Lallier holds a Master of Arts degree in Folk Art Studies from the Museum of American Folk Art/New York University Graduate Program, and is also a free lance writer on art and social history.

Glossary of Indian Weavers of the Southwest Pueblo

Navajo

A people originally descended from the prehistoric Basketmakers, the Pueblo lived in the area of present day New Mexico and Colorado. Branches included the Hopi of northern Arizona, and the Zuni of western New Mexico.

A tribe descended from the Indian culture groups of northwestern Canada. Earliest evidence indicates that they entered the Southwest in around 1500 A.D. From that time they were seminomadic, moving between northern New Mexico, Arizona and southern Utah.

When Coronado arrived in New Mexico in 1540, they were living in camps west of the Pueblo.

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WINNING MOVES: Painted Gameboards Of North America

by Bruce J. and Doranna Wendel

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, settlers in the United States and Canada made most of what they needed, including their own games.

While lithographed games became available during the mid-nineteenth century,hand-crafted games continued to be made for family use, and also to be given as gifts. Lately, a growing recognition of the beauty and variety of gameboards has surfaced—first in Canada, and, more recently, in the United States.

Much has been written about the attraction offolk art: its spontaneity, vital energy and graphic boldness. Some have postulated that folk art provides viewers with an escape from today's sophisticated and mechanized culture.

Gameboards are no exception. Beyond the superficial charm of eliciting childhood memories, however, gameboards are one of the finest forms of North American folk art.

Variety abounds among the gameboards; not only in the different types of games but in the design variations of the same game—atestamentto the creativity of the individual artists. Some of the boards were made by untrained amateurs, while others were skillfully wrought by carriage or sign painters, who incorporated the deft carving of lines and scrolls of their trades into their boards' decorations. Most were neither signed nor dated, and it is difficult to locate the original playing pieces for most games. All, nevertheless, are graphically arresting, their bold colors and abstract geometric motifs often conjuring comparisons to the best of modern art.

The gameboards on view at the Museum of American Folk Art from December 14,1984 to March 3,1985 are not all strange to the modern day viewer.

Checkers, chess, parcheesi, backgam-

Parcheesi Board Signed "F F Gurney" Pennsylvania 1850-1875 Painted wood 153 / 4x 151 / 2" Collection of Bruce and Doranna Wendel This vibrant example is strikingly modern in design.

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U_M

Checkerboard Chessboard (reverse side) Artist unknown New England Late nineteenth century Painted wood 21 x 20/ 1 4" Collection of Charles L. Flint A particularly striking Victorian example embellished with Oriental motifs, which were popular in the late nineteenth century.

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Parcheesi Board Artist unknown Vermont ca. 1840 Painted wood 141 / 2x 14/ 1 2 " Collection of Bruce and Doranna Wendel "Home" on this parcheesi board is probably the artist's own house set in the verdant, rolling hills of Vermont.

mon, chinese checkers, mill games, darts, "fox and geese" and "wheels of fortune" are some of the best known.

Other games, less well known to us today, including Agon and Ringo, can also be seen. Finally, in the "rare" category, are the one-of-a-kind games, unique and in a class of their own.

While many of the games depicted on the boards, such as checkers and chess, may be of ancient origin, the nineteenth and twentieth century artists from both the United States and Canada who created these objects gave them fresh interpretation with their decorations. Parcheesi, for example, is a "racing" game in which one attempts to reach "Home" first. This point is made clear by the nineteenth century Vermont artist who decorated the center of his board with a painting of his own house.

Others have been enlivened with patriotic motifs, fantasy images and even trompe l'oeil painting. In the patriotic vein is an eye-catching parcheesi board painted in red, white and blue, and a 50

Unknown Gameboard Signed "John A. Rich" Ware, Massachusetts 1877 Painted wood 14 x 14" Collection of Allan L. Daniel This striking gameboard was possibly used to play a variation of backgammon.

Parcheesi Board Artist unknown New England or Canada Early twentieth century Painted wood 19/ 1 4 x 191 / 4" Collection of Charles L. Flint Pure geometry is taken to the third dimension with raised borders.

Checkerboard with Tin Checker Box Signed "Osgood" Connecticut Late nineteenth century Painted wood and painted tin box 21 x 103A" Promised Gift of Patty Gagarin "Night" and "Day" are depicted with exuberance and whimsy in this delightful,one-of-a-kind checkerboard.

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Checkerboard Signed "Joseph Deschenes" Quebec, Canada Dated "1920" Painted and stencilled wood 4" 3 4x 19/ 3 19/ Private Collection The intricately stencilled scarabs, hand painted compass point stars and stippled brush work all indicate a fairly sophisticated artist at work.

checkerboard with eagles embellishing the trays (used to hold pieces) at either end.

Pure magic is evoked by an early nineteenth century board for the "Trip Around the World" game. Perhaps made by a sailor, the decoration includes a mermaid, a sea serpent, a lighthouse, fair maidens, a castle, a dungeon and a sailor being dragged on a "Nantucket Sleighride" by a spouting sperm whale, all leading to a treacherous ladder ascending to the sky.

Many ofthe trompe oeil techniques popular in nineteenth century furniture decoration were also used in this art form. A number of boards on view are either grained or smoke painted, and others have stencil detailing.

It is interesting to note that a great number of gameboards have carved holes or hardware for hanging, leading one to believe that they functioned not only as games but as decorative objects, while others were table tops. A few were designed to fit comfortably on the players' knees. Such details offer 52

intriguing insights into the aesthetics of the owners, and also provide the viewer with a keener understanding of the rare quiet time enjoyed by our forebears.

Many a frosty winter's evening must have been spent by the fire over an engrossing game of chess or "fox with geese:' and the image brings us ever closer to those who lived before us.

Bruce J. Wendel, a graduate of Cornell University and Georgetown Law School,is a Regulatory Attorney for a large corportion. Doranna Wendel studied at the Fine Arts Academy of Florence, Italy and is an illustrator. They are the co-curators of "Winning Moves!'

An 80-page book by the Wendels, with 72 full-color illustrations, published by E.P. Dutton, Inc. in conjunction with the Museum of American Folk Art, will accompany the exhibition. The book will be available in both hardcover ($19.95) and softcover ($10.95) in January at the Museum Book and Gift Shops.

Parcheesi Board Artist unknown New England or Canada Late nineteenth century Painted wood 22K x 22" Collection of Paige and Robin Starr The reverse of this unusual parcheesi board boasts a primitive painting of a steamship and a compass with directionals.

Parcheesi Board Artist unknown New England Late nineteenth century Painted wood 18 x 18" Collection of Bruce and Doranna Wendel The graphic boldness of this board is further enhanced by the artist's use of strong primary colors.

"Trip Around the World" Board Artist unknown Massachusetts 1825-1850 Painted wood 19 x 18"A" Collection of Bruce and Doranna Wendel This naive example of a homemade game,the underlying pencilled graph and compass points indicating that it might have been made by a sailor, is a charming fantasy of faraway places and creatures.

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There is a lodge hall in western Wisconsin called the "Painted Forest:' From the exterior it is a simple white structure with a cedar shake roof, and the black letters, "M.W.A.:' on the front (Fig. 1). Built on a slope of a landscape dramatically carved into hills and valleys, the building resembles other lodge halls and opera houses common at the turn of the century.

However, upon entering, one is immediately struck by its individuality.

The lodge interior, a room sixty-six, by thirty-three, by twenty feet, is entirely Fig. 1 Exterior of Modern Woodmen of America Camp #6190: The Painted Forest

7‘e 7'461/red

by Lisa Stone On October 2, 1878, Ernest Hiipeden boarded "The Herder7 a ship bound for New York from Hamburg. He left his country along with hundreds of fellow Germans in order to establish a new life in America.

It is said that prior to his emigration Hiipeden was a bank teller, an educated man who had studied in several universities. Upon being accused of embezzlement, albeit falsely, he was imprisoned for seven or eight years.

During this period of incarceration Hiipeden taught himself to paint. When the actual thief delievered a deathbed confession, Hiipeden was released.

Strong convicions pitted him against the dominance of militarism in his homeland. He arrived in New York on October 10, 1878.

Twenty years later Hiipeden walked into Valton, a busily developing town in 54

western Wisconsin. Joining in a phenomenon sweeping American culture at the time, a group of Valton men banded together, chartering their branch of a secret fraternal insurance society: the Modern Woodmen of America. Hiipeden was hired by the Modern Woodmen to decoratively paint the interior of their lodge hall in exchange for room and board in a local hotel. He spent two years on this project, which resulted in the creation of a vast painted environment—a space in which the Modern Woodmen could enact their rituals, and, in so doing, take their place in the larger scheme of things in fraternal history.

Like most traditions developing over a period oftime,the Modern Woodmen adapted themselves to the era. They borrowed some rituals and formatfrom the established fraternal tradition,

maintaining certain ancient elements, but departing from others considerably.

In philosophy and way of life they were American pioneers. As "Woodmen clearing the forest for mankind' they were part of the development of the rural Midwest. They borrowed from "the mysteries7 and adopted an appropriate regional image.

The phenomenon of secret societies is not new. Fraternal societies have had a vast and complex existence for centuries. Fraternalism filtered through the Middle East, established itself as a major influence in Europe and eventually spread to the United States.

Though many orders have faded into obscurity, they were a dominant feature of the American social fabric until recently. Almost every town or city had at least one, but more likely, several lodge halls. The Freemasons, Independent

painted with scenes depicting the principles and ritual activities of a fraternal insurance company: the Modern Woodmen of America. From the clouds and treetops in the vaulted ceiling to the bushes and wildflowers on the baseboards, every square inch of wallspace (as well as the canvas stage curtain) is richly embellished, enveloped in a backdrop of dense pine forest.

This "Painted Forest:' as the building is now known, is a masterpiece by the little known but prolific itinerant artist Ernest Flupeden. This continuous panoramic mural is not merely decorative; it illuminates a delicate moment of convergence in the history of fraternalism and the artist in America.

All photographs by Mike McGinnis

Fig. 2 Detail of southwest panel: candidate on goat.

Order of Odd Fellows, the Independent Order of Foresters, the Improved Order of Redmen and the Modern Woodmen of America are just a few in a lengthy list of once thriving fraternal societies.

The premise underlying fraternalism is the imparting of universal truths veiled in allegory by means of ritual initiation and continued ritual enactment. Fraternal architecture, therefore, becomes a metaphor in which "place" reveals "principle!' For centuries, divine rules of architectonics were adhered to in the building of sanctums for secret societies; in this way, a building became the actual embodiment of a creative ideal. Briefly, the fraternal lodge halls were designed as floor plans of the universe. In ritual, the symbolic meaning of the compass directions was of great importance; in the "Painted Forest' each painted landscape reveals 55

its actual and symbolic direction and alludes to a time period, past, present or future, as well.

Hiipeden painted the mural to chronicle the journey of a candidate through initiation, beginning his linear description in the southwestern corner. The wallspace above a closet contains the startling image of a terror-stricken man with his right arm in a sling. Mouth agape and hair standing on end, he rides a goat to the West,the direction of the setting sun and death (Fig. 2). This riveting portrait alludes to the M.W.A. initiation ritual, called the Adoption Ceremony. While most scenes in the mural feature groups of men, this man is alone in a profound sense, as he begins the ordeals of initiation.

In the beginning of the Adoption Ceremony the candidate was stripped of all vestiges of security and comfort 56

Fig. 3 The west wall: M.W.A. member being burned at stake (center), and candidate being dragged to scene of death (left).

Fig. 4 Detail of west wall: candidate being led to campfire scene

and dressed like a pauper. He was then blindfolded, or "hoodwinked!' In this way he was made to feel the burden of self-denial and suffering, and was at the complete mercy of his escorts. After being led through a ritual as a blind pauper, he was placed on a mechanical goat which hung from the ceiling or moved on wheels. The goat and rider were lurched about, disoriented and completely out of control, an experience that was surely both frightening and humbling.

In the mural, the goat and rider head westward. As the painting continues around the corner of the room,they are seen riding toward a tree in its autumnal colors, with an owl perched in its branches. A skull and bones protrude from the grass beneath. Here Hiipeden created a superb image of the scene at the core of the initiation process: the 57

Fig. 5 Detail of west wall: campfire scene with Forest Patriarch in background.

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journey of the candidate through the enactment of a symbolic death as an approach to wisdom. It was from this corner that the figure of Death emerged.

The western wall is broken by three windows, dividing the mural into four sections. The section following the owl and tree depicts a dense pine forest. In Modern Woodmen lore the forest is a landscape rich in philosophical meaning and representing, "...the primeval forest, where God's first temples resider In some Modern Woodmen lodges the forest was suggested by rugged stump furniture. In this hall, Hiipeden created an interior forest with the paintings.

Continuing westward, the central panel contains a violent instructional scene; a terrified man in street clothing (most likely a candidate)is dragged to a forest clearing, a deep wedge in the

mountains where the landscape appears to be falling in on itself. In the center of this scene of chaos, an MW A. member is being burned at the stake by a band of black-masked, costumed men(Fig. 3). Beyond the flames another man has been stabbed in the heart and lies dying on the ground. This scene vividly suggests a few lessons transmitted in the initiation ritual. The practical purpose of life insurance is emphasized by the suggestion that death may occur unexpectedly at every turn. Aside from the inherent symbolism, the scene is an imaginatively conceived depiction of terror.

In the next tableau, the escort leads the candidate (still noticeably shaken) and points to an exquisitely painted forest clearing (Fig. 4). A luminous sunset descends on what is unmistakenly the primeval forest of M.W.A. philosophy.

In the center of the clearing is a campfire with a tripod and hanging kettle, both items used in M.W.A. ritual. A group of contented Modern Woodmen "neighbors" surround the fire, with a sage, the Forest Patriarch, standing in the background(Fig. 5). Here the Modern Woodmen portray their slogan, "Peace, Light and Safety!' qualities attained by successful initiation.

Where the previous landscape depicted terror, chaos and death, this forest is inviting and intimate, declaring the enveloping protection bestowed by the fraternity. This scene concludes those on the western wall, a series of brilliantly emotional landscapes.

The northern wall is the largest uninterrupted surface in the lodge, and is painted with a lofty expanse offorest; a massive castle stands on a distant mountain. The candidate, no longer af-

raid, is led by the Forest Patriarch(who represents universal wisdom), accompanied by four axe-wielding Modern Woodmen. The Patriarch points to the castle, once again imparting the fundamental lesson of solidity in fraternity.

Here, Northern European architecture is employed to suggest this idea while alluding to the North.

In front of the Patriarch is a fire, its smoke rising up toward the actual chimney of the lodge. Behind him, amidst tall pines, is a persimmon tree.

As the persimmon is not found in Wisconsin, it would appear to have symbolic significance. Traditionally, a large seeded fruit represents fertility, and a billowing fire suggests an animating force—both concepts symbolizing the "feminine!' Unlike the outward structure of government (archetypically "masculine"), fraternal societies 59

Fig. 6 Detail ofthe east wall: woodcutting scene with woman and baby in doorway.

Fig. 7 Detail of the east wall: widow in the M.W.A. Bank of Valton.

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operate within a feminine context, emphasizing the mysterious with symbols and allegory.

The scenes shown on the eastern wall depart from the emotional and philosophical imagery of those on the north and western walls. The rising sun in the East brings daylight, the present and the future. In the first eastern tableau, several industrious Modern Woodmen are in a forest setting, chopping trees and splitting logs. In the background a mother with her baby stands in the doorway of a log cabin, apparently experiencing the security which is the result of an ordered life and diligent labor (Fig. 6). Whereas prior scenes trace a journey, this one represents the initiated's destination. The M.W.A. Official Ritual describes using woodcutting tools:"... to clear the forest and let civilization, commerce and

the arts occupy the goundr This panel shows the Modern Woodmen doingjust that, and this was a stock image found on M.W.A. letterheads and charters.

However, Hfipeden added a young boy to the scene, supposedly Royal Forest, the son of an original charter member.

"Royal Forest" was used as the password to Camp #6190 for several years.

The center scene on the eastern wall portrays a leap from daily life into the future, ostensibly Hiipeden's vision of Valton in one hundred years (1998 or 1999). The result oflabor and growth of the previous vignette are shown. The forest has been cleared of every single tree, and civilization has certainly taken over.

As history would have it, Valton was not transformed into the grand city pictured here; it grew much smaller over the years. Perhaps Hfipeden intended a 61

prediction, as he painted a lonely city with streets receding into infinity, a city with the trappings of a boom town but with very little life or people. He flattered his patrons by painting their names on the business advertisements of the future, and satisfied his own requirement for a city by including a tavern, one of the few establishments actually being patronized! Hiipeden was a known drinker, and it is surprising that he got away with this habit, since Valton and the Modern Woodmen were strictly "dry' The most prominent building in the foreground is the M.W.A. Bank of Valton. A cross section of it reveals a widow in mourning dress, cashing in her M.W.A. policy for $2,000(Fig. 7).

A death has occurred since the last scene, but no Modern Woodmen surround the widow with comfort and sup62

port, a major tenet of M.W.A. conduct.

Ironically, she is the beneficiary of money only. Hiipeden was simultaneously able to satisfy his patrons(by depicting this transaction), while prophetically suggesting the demise offraternity and the subsequent importance of money alone. In this panel Hiipeden painted the symbolic result of civilization, the removal of man from the forest environment. Where the woodcutting scene represented the present, the city truly portrays a vision of the future.

On the final eastern panel are an exquisite forest and meadow. Throughout the rest of the mural this landscape is the context in which events take place.

Here, devoid of ritual overtones, the forest is fresh and undisturbed, bathed in the early morning light. It is here that the ritual ends, but the landscape continues. In this panel there are still traces

of Hiipeden's signature.

To the south, in the segment of wallspace between the anteroom and stage, Hiipeden painted a frame for the M.W.A. charter. It is architecturally rendered and loosely resembles the facade of a Hellenistic temple. On the steps at the base are two Modern Woodmen flanking the document. Within the pediment is the figure of Blind Justice holding her scales, with a cornucopia of gold coins at her feet. At the peak is "The All Seeing Eye' a Masonic symbol appearing on the Great Seal of the United States. An M.W.A. flag dated 1899 flies above.

The southern wall is broken by a stage. The canvas drop curtain in trompe oeil reflects a popular style of the times when Hiipeden worked on the Painted Forest. The drapery is rich and lively, and appears just to have been

!•7

Fig. 8 Detail of the south wall: stage curtain with Hiipeden's signature.

opened with vigor; an exotic, patriotic scene is revealed. The U.S.S. Olympia sinks the Spanish fleet off the coast of Manila, representing a major battle fought in the Spanish-American War. As well as portraying an important current event, this scene relates to M.W.A. history, because many benefits were paid to the widows of Modern Woodmen soldiers who died in this war. At a glance, this maritime scene appears incongruous in a room enveloped in pine forest.

Upon completing the Painted Forest in 1899 (Fig. 8), Hiipeden left Valton on foot and continued his itinerant painter's career in western Wisconsin until his death in 1911. His activities illuminate a unique moment in the history of the artist in America. With the tremendous influx of immigrants to the United States came many people who

made their livings by exchanging services for goods and shelter. At this time, academic painting adhered to continental values, utilizing high classical styles and subject matter. A fresh, unromanticized approach to the new political environment and the natural landscape was often found in the work of the self-taught, or "folk" painters.

Hiipeden's brilliantly cohesive vision, the Painted Forest, is a tremendous example of American folk painting.

Note: All quotations are from The Official Ritual ofthe Modern Woodmen of America, 1909.

Lisa Stone is an artist living in Chicago. She is studying the history of fraternal societies and is interested in the status and preservation of grass roots environments throughout the country.

The Painted Forest underwent extensive restoration, completed in September of 1982. The project was entirely funded by the Kohler Foundation, Inc. of Kohler, Wisconsin, which has done much to recognize and preserve similar environments in Wisconsin. Don Howlett (restorer, with Sharron Quasius, of the Fred Smith Concrete Park in Phillips, Wisconsin) initiated, planned and supervised the restoration. The Modern Woodmen of America generously donated a variety of ritual objects for a small museum. The Painted Forest was presented to Sauk County by the Kohler Foundation, Inc., and is maintained by The Historical Society ofthe Upper Baraboo Valley. The building is open to the public during the summer months on Saturdays between 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and by appointment.

63

Hand-woven coverlets, from the looms of professional weavers working in New York State in the decades before the Civil War, are wonderful examples of an Old World craft flourishing in the New World on the eve of industrialization. In addition to the coverlets themselves, documents also survive to describe the practice ofthis skill, which seems to have been highly valued. In the nineteenth century,a "fancy coverlet7 custom-produced by a professional weaver, was a status symbol so prized by a housewife that many of them were handed down from one generation to the next. Although the coverlet was produced outside the home, a personal connection with family textiles could be preserved by having the woman herself supply the weaver with the homespun woolen yarn, which was in turn combined with factory-spun cotton yarn in the finished product. Marked with her name, the place and, sometimes, the date of weaving, usually on the border or in the corner, the coverlet became a memorial to the woman's industry and way of life. Home weaving of utilitarian fabrics was a feature of early colonial life and continued to be practiced well into the nineteenth century, but advertisements as early as the late eighteenth also promote the services of professional weavers.

At first, professional weavers were

immigrants, so that geography is an important element in the identification of a coverlet. John W. Heisey, editor of A Checklist of American Coverlet Weavers, notes that European-trained weavers tended to settle in certain areas.' In the beginning of the nineteenth century, a number of professional weavers emigrated from Scotland to the lower Hudson Valley and Long Island, bringing with them new techniques and patterns. Originally trained as "Scotch Carpet Weavers;' they continued to

"Made in New York State: Handwoven Coverlets, 1820-1860;' a traveling exhibition of twenty fancy coverlets, will be on view at the Museum of American Folk Art from March 15, 1985 through April 28, 1985. Conceived and organized by Margaret W.M. Schaeffer, Director of the Jefferson County Historical Society, Watertown, New York, the exhibition and tour are made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts,the New York State Council on the Arts, the Gallery Association of New York State, private individuals and foundations. "Made in New York State" is accompanied by an illustrated catalog by Guest Curator Virginia Parslow Partridge.

weave the same double cloth coverlets and carpets in traditional naturalistic patterns in their new homeland. Double cloth "Carpet Coverlets:' as they were often described, differ in construction from those woven by German weavers in Pennsylvania, who seem to have favored a single weave, similar to their traditional weaving ofdamasld Weavers and their trainees migrated from eastern to western New York in the 1830s and eventually, with those from New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania, continued on to the Midwest and Ontario. Later, during the 1840s and 1850s, many newly arrived weavers from Scotland and Germany went directly to the Midwestern states. Traditionally, these Europeanborn, European-trained weavers were male professional craftsmen (who served many years as apprentices and journeymen before they could be recognized as master weavers), whereas the domestic weavers in this country were female and worked in, and for, their own households.

James Alexander and Archibald Davidson were among the trained professionals who wove coverlets in New York State after serving formal apprenticeships under master weavers in the British Isles. Born and trained in Scotland, Davidson became the master weaver in the Ithaca Carpet Factory.

Irish-born,Scottish-trained weaverJames

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Alexander settled in Little Britain, Orange County, New York State, by 1798. Known to have been weaving by 1800, he advertised in 1817 "Flowered double and single Carpet Coverlids and Counterpins of all descriptions—also Flowered and Block Work of the newest Patterns:" He is the first New York State weaver whose training in the British Isles is documented.

Of the forty-five known weavers op-

erating in New York State during the nineteenth century, four kept account books which have survived. The earliest is Alexander's, begun in 1798; the second is the account book of Ira Hadsell of Palmyra, Wayne County, dating from 1851; the third is that of William Wilson, another immigrant weaver, who arrived from Scotland in 1818 in Madison County. The last is John Campbell's, with an initial date of

1859, when he emigrated from New York State to Canada': Wilson's book is privately owned and lists items he received in trade for his coverlets, only two of which have survived or have been identified to date. The other three are of more than passing interest for the details they provide about the various aspects of the weavers' lives.

James Alexander's account book, in the manuscript collection of the New

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Coverlet woven by James Alexander for Jemima Drury 1826 Blue wool and white cotton, free double cloth, two loom widths Museum Village of Orange County, Monroe, New York 71.204.2 Alexander was born in 1770 of Scottish parents in Belfast, Ireland; he was a guild-trained weaver before he immigrated to New York State, where he wove in Orange County from 1800 to around 1830. The order for this coverlet is recorded in Alexander's account book, and the coverlet's design is the only one of Alexander's which can be documented.

Alexander was weaving figured coverlets and carpets in the United States at an earlier period than any other known weaver.

65

York State Historical Association in Cooperstown, New York, is the earliest of these books and is rich in information. From this source it is learned that he wove not only block coverlets but diaper linens and carpets in fancy patterned double cloth (which closely resemble the early coverlets), as well as damask tablecloths in patterns resembling coverlet patterns. By 1820 Alexander was apparently weaving numerous double cloth "flowert" coverlets. Orders with this designation first appear dated 1820, and are listed in his account book together with the names ofthe persons ordering them and the "names to be put in the corners!'

Orders for these particular coverlets total 274. Other interesting informado]; includes notes telling that he supplemented his weaving income by driving team, clearing summer fallow, cutting hemp, crackling and dressing flax and picking stone, among other such activities.

Rarely did Alexander receive cash for his labor, either at the loom or at these many other tasks. According to the practice of the day, he gave credit to his employers for receipts of butter, flower, "candels "vail;' "motton beef, spirits, "re:' "1 barrel of pork;'

Coverlet woven by Archibald Davidson 1838 Blue wool and white cotton, free double cloth, two loom widths New York Historical Association, Cooperstown,New York N-379.46 The name of Archibald Davidson is synonymous with the Ithaca Carpet Factory, where he was the master weaver. Scottish-born and -trained, Davidson is known to have been weaving in Tompkins County, New York, from 1838 to 1848. His trademarks were a signature block —"Woven at the Ithaca Carpet Factory"—and distinctive borders of leaping stags.

66

buckwheat flower, bushels of corn, "pettos and apples;' clams,coffee, tea, "chees;' heads of"cabie shad, barrels of "sider:' "1 pig;' "1 sheep;' barrel of sop:' flaxseed, "1 sickle;' "1 pine board;' "side of sole leather;' killing hogs, making shoes, mending boots, and "pasture for 2 cows:' The second source shedding light on coverlet weaving in New York State consists of the diaries and account books of Ira Hadsell, preserved in the collection of Historic Palmyra, where he wove. His account book, begun March 1, 1851, lists orders for coverlets but for no other types of woven goods.

The orders specify the client's name, sometimes his residence, yarn brought in, the number of single or double coverlets, what seems to be a pattern number, the name to be woven in and the charges. Hadsell asked $2.50 for weaving one double coverlet, $2.00 for one single coverlet, and $4.50 for two "half slay"' coverlets. He wove about 1600 coverlets between 1848 and 1875.

The remaining account book, from late in the period, is John Campbell's; he emigrated from Paisley, Scotland to New York State in 1832 and settled in Onondaga County near Syracuse. The evidence suggests that he was a weaver

there for more than twenty years. Not only his accounts but his loom, complete with two sets of cards, have survived to this day. Campbell also worked in Canada, and evidence of his presence there yields valuable information regarding the end of the heyday of the handwoven coverlet. His loom is, furthermore, the only known loom found with the Jacquard head in place.

Both the loom and the account book are preserved at the Ontario Science Center in Toronto. Unfortunately, no records have been found for Campbell's years of residence in New York State!

Harry Tyler, another prolific weaver of the period, left no written records', (with the exception of one known written handbill). Born in Milford, Connecticut, in 1828, he left instead a rich legacy of many coverlets, woven over a lengthy career from 1834 to 1858, in Jefferson County, and a family to pass on oral and written traditions! The names of his customers were woven into the two bottom corners of the coverlets, along with the words, "Jefferson Co. N.Y.:' but never the name of the weaver. He apparently relied for the most part on his distinctive designs to identify his work. His earliest coverlets use fresh if somewhat traditional motifs similar to the work of the Scottish-born weavers Alexander and Cunningham. Tyler's later designs, however, are highly original and not like those ofany other known New York State weaver. His early corner block with distinctive lion motif was used from 1834 to 1844, during which time he wove all coverlets in traditional free double cloth with a decoupure (the smallest number of warp and welt threads comprising one step in the outline of a pattern)of two and two? When the new eagle block was introduced in 1845, the decoupure was changed to one and one, necessitating a redrawing of all designs, perhaps even the use of a different loom. The change permitted a rounding of outline, more naturalistic forms and the incorporation of mottoes such as "E Pluribus Unum" and "United We Stand:' At this time his designs changed to floral motifs with central medallions. A fruit basket border appeared in 1847, with scrolls and urns replacing the precise apple trees and fences of his earlier borders.

Coverlet woven by Ira Hadsell for Elizabeth Tibbits Palmyra, New York 1851 Red wool and white cotton, free double cloth, full loom width Ailing Coverlet Museum, Palmyra, New York 77.14.1 Ira Hadsell wove with J. Van Ness for several years. Van Ness was weaving in Palmyra, New York, in 1848. When Hadsell, who had grown up in Palmyra and had lived a roaming life as a young man, returned, he set up housekeeping next door to Van Ness.

They formed a partnership as weavers. After Hadsell remodeled a loom to weave wide, seamless carpets, they began to weave coverlets with similar, elaborate designs.

Patterns and designs were not always the invention of the weaver, so that they are a useful but not infallible clue to identifying the work. Fancy coverlet weavers, whether trained in Europe or in this country by their peers, may well have been aware of the available published works on weaving. Among these were Alexander Peddie's The Linen Manufacturer, Weaver, and Warper's Assistant, published in Glasgow in 1817, and A Treatise on the Art of Weaving by John Murphy, also published in Glasgow, 1824, and reprinted in 1831.

It is generally believed that patterns for linen and block coverlets may have been passed along to weavers by their masters or obtained from Peddie's or Murphy's treatises or similar published sources. For example, many of Alexander's designs for block coverlets appear to have been taken in numerical order directly from Murphy's patterns for diaper linens: that is, Alexander seems to have scanned Murphy's designs from number one through 69, choosing those which appealed to him

and numbering them in the same sequence, but with his own numbers for use with customers. Block coverlet designs were geometric and are thought to have been derived from diaper linen patterns. They were executed in double cloth because the weave ofthat fabric is identical to that of fancy coverlets.

Fancy woven coverlets with semirealistic floral and other non-geometric designs were referred to as "Patent, Carpet, Damask and Flowered Coverlets:' And table damasks and floor carpets were often produced in the same designs, by the same weavers with the same equipment. Not only were drawlooms used for weaving fancy coverlets, but looms with double sets of harnesses were used instead for producing geometric designs in double cloth and damask-diaper.

The well-designed motifs ofthe center patterns in many coverlets appear to have been the work of artists or skilled designers. On the other hand, many border designs must have been the work of the weavers themselves. In

fact, some border patterns, for example, Alexander's crudely drawn eagle, serve to identify the works ofindividual weavers, even when unsignedl째 Weavers who signed their coverlets make identification easy, but very few unmarked coverlets can be assigned to specific weavers. Attribution then hinges upon place names and dates woven into the coverlet, combined with documentary evidence such as census records, newspaper notices and account books. The usefulness of the pattern alone to identify a weaver was diminished even more after 1840 when the manufacturers of Jacquard equipment sold punched pattern cards for use with their machines.

That many weavers purchased factory-produced punched cards may account for the great similarity ofcoverlet design after 1840. Sometimes the patterns of coverlets woven with the punched cards sold for use with Jacquard equipment should rightfully be attributed to the unknown designers of those cards instead of to individual 67

weavers. It is also possible, however, that an individual weaver would have incorporated the standard units of design or a given motif into his own composition. As a further complication to problems of identification, it is important to note, as well, that coverlets woven with the assistance of the Jacquard machine cannot be distinguished from those woven with the assistance of any one of the other available devices.

During the period when the handwoven coverlet was popular, it was common practice for weavers to hire helpers: other weavers, draw-boys and others. From James Alexander's early accounts, one learns the names ofsome of his assistants: James Robinson and John Wilson were hired as early as 1806:' Samuel Crothers in 1811, John Gibbs in 1818. Both Alexander and Tyler were numbered among the coverlet weavers who employed mem-

bers of their own families in the weaving shops!' Other such information is gleaned from census records.

Archibald Davidson, the Scottish born and trained weaver who settled in Ithaca, New York, had a more ambitious and interesting solution to the problem of acquiring assistants: his weaving shop was eventually designated a "factory!' By November of 1831 he was advertising in the Ithaca Journal as a "Fancy Weaver!' and he became known as the master of the Ithaca Carpet Factory, coordinating the work of at least six people' In operation until the time of the Civil War, in other words,for more than thirty years, the establishment began to weave the words, "Woven at the Ithaca Carpet Factory:' into the corner blocks of the later coverlets. Other factories existed as well. By far, however,the most interesting nineteenth century carpet fac-

Coverlet woven by Harry Tyler for Elizabeth W. Thomson 1839 Red and white cotton, free double cloth, two loom widths New York Historical Association,Cooperstown,New York N-70.75 Harry Tyler, who lived and wove in Butterville, Jefferson County, New York, between 1834 and 1858, was a prolific weaver. One authority conservatively attributes ninety extant coverlets to him. Although he was born in the United States, his initial distinctive corner block was a four-square English lion, probably the handsomest lion used during the period.

68

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tory of all was at the Auburn State Prison in Auburn, New York.

It has been common knowledge for some years that coverlets were woven at Auburn State Prison,and some existing examples are attributed to that source.

Only quite recently has the one Auburn State Prison coverlet having a history of family ownership come to light, making identification possible Other coverlets of the same design exist, along with many other similar ones, and all appear to have been woven with cards purchased, ready punched, for the Jacquard-equipped loom.

The weaving shops at Auburn were set up shortly after the prison was opened in 1817. Records show that the first production, consisting ofclothing, fabrics and blankets, was intended for prison use. Some outside work was taken in; 1834 State Assembly documents attest that "the weaving was

done on account of the Prison for anyone who furnished yarn':'5 When the venture was not financially successful, a contract system was substituted; outside manufacturers contracted for prison labor and the use of the prison workshops and equipment. This change was authorized in 1821, but went into operation slowly. The shop for the "weaving of Carpets, Coverlets, Diapers, Flannels & c" was not contracted until 18331.6 In that year, twenty convicts were employed as weavers, and the State received $.30 per day for their labor.

Five of these were carpet weavers; three were coverlet and diaper weavers.

Among the others employed in the shop were three drawboys!' At this time, the State owned the equipment in the "Carpet Weave Shop:' including looms and a carding machine worth $716.95. The contract was held in 1853 by Josiah Barber and John Loudon. By 1839, under contract to Josiah Barber, the contract was "for the Manufacture of Carpets, and weaving other woolens and cotton cloths, and hair-cloth ..!"8 The inventory of 1841 lists "in the Weave shop—Looms, stoves, desk, spools, tubs, wheels, etc. $626:' In 1843, when new contracts were signed by Josiah Barber for the manufacture of Brussels and ingrain carpeting',9 a significant change had taken place: the inventory lists no looms. It is obvious that Barber had purchased his own looms and had moved them into the prison shops where ample water power was available. In fact, it is possible that the looms may have been purchased from Erastus B. Bigelow, who had that year obtained his patent on the power carpet loom. The 1845 inventory lists four shops in the prison—"Rug Shop, Ingrain Carpet Shop, East Brussels Carpet Shop and West Brussels Carpet Shop!'" No mention was made at this time of coverlet looms. In as much as coverlet weaving had been part of the carpet shop at an earlier date, it is probable that any coverlet loom would have been housed in the ingrain shop, or that the loom there could have turned out coverlets as well as carpets.

In the developing factory system of the 1850s, the wide availability ofcommercially produced punch-card pat-

Coverlet woven by Harry Tyler for Nancy Pierce 1851 Blue wool and white cotton, free double cloth, two loom widths Jefferson County Historical Society, Watertown, New York 1969.121.23 A fruit bowl border combined with graceful floral motifs in the central area ofthis coverlet mark yet another design phase of the Tyler coverlets. Harry Tyler's son, Elman, the older man's most expert weaver, is said to have designed both the eagle corner block and fruit bowl motifs.

terns and the elimination ofthe custommarking of coverlets eliminated the most appealing features of the handwoven coverlets. Although custom weavers attempted to compete with the increasingly available, low-cost, factory-produced coverlets by taking advantage of simpler techniques and newer technology, their efforts to remain competitive were in vain. Current technology continued to cut labor costs in the factories, while growing industrialization minimized the need for highly developed manual skills. Lower prices and a standardized product continued to affect the market for the custom weaver. Finally, the Civil War, with its heavy demand for goods and the resultant governmental contracts, accelerated the industrialization of textile manufacture. The era of the handwoven coverlet drew to a close.

Some coverlet weavers eventually became carpet weavers exclusively as the demand for carpet yardage made its production more lucrative than coverlet weaving. For example, Samuel Butterfield, an associate of James Cunningham in New Hartford, near Utica, was known for his coverlets, damask tablecloths and ingrain carpets' However, toward the end of the period, he bowed to the inevitable, and, together with his sons, began to concentrate on carpet

weaving. We can only surmise that this sequence of events was fairly typical, with other weavers switching to the closely related occupation of producing carpet yardage.

On the other hand, a few weavers moved on to the Midwest, or like John Campbell, to Canada, places remote from the centers of power weaving, where handwoven coverlets remained in demand for a while longer. Others abandoned their craft to continue their lives as full-time farmers, storekeepers, or even as mechanics in textile factories, bringing to an end a short-lived but surprisingly creative episode in the history of one of America's most popular folk art forms.

Virginia Parslow Partridge is a specialist on New York State coverlets and is also the former Curator of the Farmer's Museum, New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown.

NOTES I. John W. Heisey,ed.,A Checklist ofAmerican Coverlet Weavers(Williamsburg, Va.: Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, 1978), pp. 21-22.

2. "Jacquard double cloth was not utilized throughout Pennsylvania, although it is readily found in New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Indiana coverlets. The structure has been documented in examples originating in counties bordering the upper Delaware River ... Its use probably has more to do with settlement patterns and ethnic background' 69

Coverlet woven by D.Shtunp for Mary Emerson Wyoming County, New York 1847 Red wool and white cotton, free double cloth, two loom widths Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum,Rochester,New York 75.440 Shamp is known for only two coverlets, both marked "D. Shamp/Weaver/Perry/ Wyoming County/New York': Ingenious borders depicting Greek Revival houses, together with trees and picket fences, mark these coverlets as his alone.

Janet Gray Crosson, Let's Get Technical: An Overview of Handwoven Pennsylvania Coverlets: 1830-1860, Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Old Fibers, Weavers and Coverlets, 2720 Fiddler's Green Road,Lancaster,Pennsylvania, 1878, P. 16.

3. The following advertisement appeared in the Political Index of Newburgh, New York, for October 28, 1817: The subscriber wishes to inform his friends and the public in general that he has commenced the WEAVING BUSINESS in all its various branches, viz.— Diaper, Damask Diaper of the completest European patterns, superior to any that has been woven in these parts, Carpets, Flowered double and single Carpet Coverlids and Counterpins of all descriptions—also Flowered and Block Work of the newest patterns ... James Alexander.

The advertisement is quoted in "James Alexander: The Little Britain Weaver': Margaret V.S. Wallace, Orange County Post, July 21, 1966.

4. "Carpet Weaving in the United States:' American Advertising Directory(New York: Jocelyn Darling and Company, 1831), p. 349.

5. "Half slay" may be Hadsell's designation for those double cloth coverlets woven with an all-cotton warp and a warp proportion of4:1.

6. There is a worn coverlet in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Can70

ada, which came from the Campbell family.

Woven for "Jessy Campbell:' a sister or sister-in-law of John Campbell, this coverlet is in waft-patterned tabby;the weave appears to be identical to the 1846 coverlet from Wheatland, New York. Weft patterned tabby is a single weave as opposed to the double weave for double cloth coverlets.

7. See Heisey, pp. 111-112.

8. Mrs. A.L. Chapman,"The 1)Fler Coverlets:' Antiques Magazine (13 March 1928), pp.

215-218.

9. The dyes used by Tyler deserve special mention. His daughter, Mrs. Chapman, says, "He used indigo for all the blue and for the red he used cochineal—the bodies of the little red female insect gathered in Central America and Mexico..:' 10. See Alexander's coverlet, 1826. This is the only pattern by Alexander which can be documented at this time. The coverlet bearing the inscription "Agriculture and Manufacturers are the Foundation of our Independence" seems to have been woven in the area of Dutchess County, while those with "American Independence Declared July 4, 1776" may be from Saratoga County.

11. Heisey, p. 118. John Wilson wove coverlets at 16 shillings each.

12. James Alexander's son, Joseph, writing in 1895 for the Newburgh Daily Journal, says that in Little Britain they wove table linens

and fancy "coverlids:' adding that "the first ingrain carpet ever woven in this country was woven in our shop for Gabriel N. Phillips. It was woven on a loom of Brother John's invention. The carpet took first premium at the Agricultural Fair of Orange County in 1819:' 13. Mildred Davison and Christa C. Mayer-Thurman,A Handbook on the Collection of Woven Coverlets in the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1973), p. 98.

14. Charles Semowich, "Coverlets Made by Convicts—Auburn State Prison, New York:' Ohio Antique Review (April, 1983), p. 41.

15. New York State Legislature, Albany, New York, Assembly Document, Vol. 4, Doc. No. 341, March 18, 1834, p. 9.

16. New York State Document, 1835, Vol. 1, Doc. No. 19. Inventory, September 30, 1834, p. 201; Employees, December 31, 1834, p. 206.

17. New York State Legislature, Assembly Document(1843), Vol. 6, Doc. No. 169. Report of April 4, 1843, p.5.

18. Ibid.

19. New York State Assembly Document, 1841, Vol. 2, Doc. No. 31, p. 11.

20. See John S. Ewing and Nancy P Norton, Broadlooms and Businessmen (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1955).

21. New York State Senate Document, 1845, Vol. 2, Doc. No. 46. Inventory, September 30, 1845, p. 26.

O.W."PAPPY" KITCHENS (1901Bruce Brice David Butler Rev. Howard Finster Clementine Hunter John Landry Sr. Gertrude Morgan Popeye Reed Nellie Mae Rowe James "Son Ford" Thomas Mose Tolliver Bill Traylor

11EPIIVO-HAND5-AND A_IPIENDLYJMILE

Chief Willey "HELPING HANDS AND A FRIENDLY SMILE," Acrylic on paper, 1971

Estate of Charles Hutson

GASPERI FOLK ART GALLERY 831 St. Peter Street New Orleans, Louisiana 70116 (504) 524-9373

World Encyclopedia of Naive Art OTO B1HALJI-MERIN AND NEBOAA-BATO TOMAยงEVIe'

This book is the first to provide both a historical survey of naive art together with a comprehensive biographical dictionary of the artists. All the great figures are here: from France, Andre Bauchant, Douanier Rousseau; from the United States, Grandma Moses, Morris Hirshfield and Joseph Pickett. A host of other fascinating artists, from every continent and from forty-eight countries are also included.

740 pages, 11i" x 81", 1000 color and 520 monochrome illustrations. ISBN 0 935748 628 $65 per copy plus 163 shipping and handling.

Please send your orders with payment (check or credit card) to: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd., PO Box 1656, Hagerstown, MD 21740 Telephone orders can be made toll free on 1-800-638-3030 if payment can be made on Visa. AmEx or Mastercard. AAA

SCALA PHILIP WILSON

71

The Ames Gallery features the work of contemporary California artists and American folk art & artifacts.

Concurrent with the changing exhibits, our extensive collection of tramp art, cookware, quilts, contemporary folk painting, and sculpture are always on view.

For current exhibit information, hours, or for an appointment, phone us or write to:

AMES•GALLERY

EPSTEIN/POWELL 22 Wooster St., New York, N.Y. 10013

By Appointment(212)226-7316 Jesse Aaron Steve Ashby Peter Charlie William Dawson Uncle Jack Dey Antonio Esteves Howard Finster Victor Joseph Gatto Justin McCarthy Sister Gertrude Morgan Inez Nathaniel Old Ironsides Pry Nellie Mae Rowe Jack Savitsky Mose Tolliver Luster Willis and others

72

S.L. Jones

Ames Gallery 2661 Cedar Street Berkeley, CA 94708 415 845-4949

wAvAWATAvellgrivAvAerN I••Ak A A•••••• A A4 AillitAA•AA•aikA4

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FOLK ART GALLERY

14 G1444 Root, ittet.44, Alle4 Pof.441444 LATIN AMERICAN & HAITIAN FOLK ART

18th Century Wood Carving 1187 Lexington Avenue New York, N.Y. 10028 Woodcarving by Mexican folk artist Concepcion Ocampo. Overall height 60" HOURS: WED. - SAT 11 AM -6 P.M. & BY APPOINTMENT 75 UNIVERSITY PLACE•NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10003•505-7272

Between 80th and 81st Sts. (212) 628-5454 11-5 Monday thru Saturday

73

Antique Country Furniture and Accessories 456 Main Street Piermont, New York Shop hrs. 12:00 — 4:30 Wednesday thru Sunday

Mil/ffilffiM121Z1ZillIOMZOIZ

Vivian Harnett

MEXICAN DANCE MASKS

— anytime by appointment — (10 minutes south of Tappan Zee Bridge)

(914)365-0333

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KODROS ETHNOGRAPHIC ART Rastero Tecuani Dance. early 20th century

I 415/668-1843 Photos sent upon request

SPECIALIZING IN KITCHEN ANTIQUES

The Gallery of Folk Art 111 WASHINGTON STREET MARBLEHEAD, MASS.01945 617-631-1594

40.4 ART OBJECTS • QUALITY CRAFTS COUNTRY ANTIQUES

-Bee in the Kitchen"

PAT GUTHMAN ANTIQUES

SEND $2.00 FOR COLOR CATALOG. REFUNDABLE WITH PURCHASE.

342 PEQUCYT ROAD • SOUTHPORT • CT • 06490 TEL • 203-259-5743 TUESDAY—SATURDAY: 10 AM -5 PM or to. appointment

74

The Museum of American Folk Art and

Ztntique flionthip invite you to make an important contribution to the Museum of American Folk Art while subscribing to Antique Monthly at a special, low members' rate!

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Subscribe now! You save onethird off the regular single copy price and MAFA receives needed financial support for the upcoming season!

Each month Antique Monthly, the nation's only fine antiques newspaper, will bring you the latest information you need to enjoy your antiques to the fullest.

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Museum News

SPECIAL THANKS TO EVA FELD Among the many friends and supporters of the Museum of American Folk Art, Eva Feld has earned a special place. Through her generosity, two important Museum funds have been established that have had a major impact on two critical areas in the development of the institution: the growth of the permanent collection and plans for the expansion of the Museum's facilities.

The Eva and Morris Feld Folk Art Acquisition Fund, established by Mrs. Feld in memory of her late husband in 1981, has permitted the Museum to acquire a number of important works of art for the permanent collection. Among these are several wonderful examples of early New England painted and decorated furniture, a fine watercolor portrait by J.A. Davis, and a whimsical nineteenth-century wool winder carved in the form of a standing woman.

These and other accessions made possible

Eva Feld on a recent visit to the Museum galleries.

by Mrs. Feld's kindness have substantially enhanced the breadth of the permanent collection.

The Eva and Morris Feld Building Fund was established in 1982 to assist the Museum in the development of permanent Museum galleries and ancillary facilities on 53rd Street. Since the establishment of this Fund, Mrs. Feld thoughtfully has added to

its principal through additional contributions. The Feld Building Fund is a vitally important element in the Museum's longrange planning.

Mrs. Feld's great generosity has not been limited to the Museum of American Folk Art. In New York she is an active supporter of the Metropolitan Opera and The Jewish Museum. Long interested in Jewish community affairs, she is a member ofthe Board of Trustees of the Daughters of Miriam Center for the Aged in Clifton, New Jersey, and Temple Emanuel in Passaic, New Jersey. Her interest in Jewish affairs has led to her establishment of two kindergartens in Israel.

For her assistance in helping the Museum of American Folk Art to realize its goals, Mrs. Feld deserves the gratitude of all friends ofthe Museum. Her generous spirit, kindly nature and caring commitment are a great encouragement to all those working for the future of the institution.

THE FALL ANTIQUE SHOW BENEFIT "From Hearts and Hands;' the Opening Night Benefit of the Fall Antique Show, raised over $100,000 for the Museum on October 24 at the Passenger Terminal Pier.

The Honorary Chairman of the Evening was Nathan S. Ancell, Chairman of Ethan Allen Inc. The Co-Chairwomen of the benefit were Museum Trustees Cynthia V.A. Schaffner and Karen S. Schuster; Walking Tour Chairman,Davida Deutsch;Exhibition Curators were Cynthia V.A. Schaffner and Susan Klein. Sanford L. Smith again produced and managed the Show, which included 100 dealers. Our thanks to all these people who created a memorable and exciting evening for all who attended.

The kind contributions and donations of many were deeply appreciated and added immeasurably to the evening. The Buckingham Corporation generously donated the wine, and we extend thanks to them and to Richard L. Newman, President of Buckingham, for this donation. Canada Dry provided the soft drinks, and JC Penney donated wonderful sheets from The Mary Errunerling Collection, which were 76

A "heart-y" meal was enjoyed by the more than 20(X)people who attended the opening night benefit. used on the tables. Schecter Lee and John Bellacosa of Twist and Shout designed the engaging invitations for the evening and The Walbern Press donated the printing.

Our thanks to each of these companies.

Under the direction of Nancy Brown,

Co-Chairwoman of The Friends Committee, gift bags were given to all who attended. Inside the bags, donated by Art & Auction, were lovely gifts from OSCAR DE LA RENTA,Parfum Stern,Inc.,Restaurant Associates Industries,Inc.;Scar,-

Bookshelf Sara Robinson Farhi

FOLK ART IN AMERICA

By Adele Earnest.

145 pages, black and white and color illustrations. Schiffer Publishing Ltd.: Exton, Pennsylvania. $35.00 Folk Art in America, written by one of the founders of the Museum of American Folk Art and present Trustee Emeritus, is a rich history and "personal view" offolk art collecting and scholarship in America. Mrs. Earnest conveys a sense of discovery and excitement as she traces her life with folk art,from the days when she and her husband explored antique shops on Saturday afternoons in the Pennsylvania countryside, to the present and her interest in the future of the Museum of American Folk Art. The pioneer spirit is evident throughout the text. The transformation of the old root cellar and a barn into a fine antique gallery on her property in Stony Point, New York was accompanied by forays with her friend Cordelia Hamilton to the New England port towns, New Bedford, Boston, Salem and Newburyport, where the two found whale weathervanes, a whale oil shop sign, a rare carving of a whaling scene,fish vanes, mermaids and an exquisite Triton blowing a wreathed horn.

Mrs. Earnest's travels and explorations led to encounters and friendships with such early collectors as Henry Francis duPont, Titus Geesey, Mme. Gamma Walska, Jean Lipman and Nina Fletcher Little, among others. Electra Havemeyer Webb, the founder of the Shelburne Museum, called her "Earnest!' She comments,"and I guess I was!' Mrs. Earnest's enthusiasm captured the interest of many people, including that of Marian Willard, whose Willard Gallery housed "Early American Sculpture" in 1953. Other exhibitions followed, focusing for the most part on sculptural forms rather than paintings or textiles. At the Willard Gallery were presented the works of unrecognized or forgotten folk artists, such as Will Edmondson, whose sculptures Mrs. Earnest first saw in the garden at Louise Dahl-Wolfe's house. Clark Coe's "Killingworth figures" and the delicate, ethereal carvings of John Scholl were both brought into the public eye by exhibitions at the Willard.

Finally, it became evident to Mrs. Ear-

nest that the folk art of America needed a permanent home. With a generous pledge from Joseph B. Martinson and the zealous energy of a handful of folk art enthusiasts, the Museum of Early American Folk Arts was born. Its first exhibition, presented at the Time-Life Building in 1962, included 106 carvings and paintings of the finest quality, objects which "have now become bright stars in our firmament!' Mrs. Earnest writes: There on Sixth Avenue, were ship figureheads that had sailed the China seas; and weathervanes of whales, horses, angels and roosters that forecast the weather without the help of radio or television. There were portraits of ancestors, grim pioneers, who had the courage to come to this new country and pursue the dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The years following saw the establishment ofthe home ofthe Museum,at 49 West 53rd Street, and Mrs. Earnest's text provides a history of those years, until the present day.

The triumphs and growing pains of the fledgling museum are told, and the gathering strength of the Museum of American Folk Art today is conveyed. Folk Art in America is a lively history, in some ways an autobiography of a collector, in others the "biography" of a vital force in American art. The volume contains many expressions of gratitude and acknowledgements;it is the folk art community who owes Mrs. Earnest the deepest gratitude, for all her efforts have successfully established not only an artform in the American tradition, but a fine museum, as well.

THE JEWISH HERITAGE IN AMERICAN FOLK ART

By Gerard C. Wertkin and Norman L. Kleeblatt.

128 pages, black and white and color illustrations. Universal Books:New York. $22.95 hardcover, $10.95 softcover This fine volume accompanies the exhibition of the same title, presented at The Jewish Museum in conjunction with the Museum of American Folk Art and on view until March 15, 1985. Gerard C. Wertkin,

Assistant Director of the Museum of American Folk Art, and Norman L. Kleeblatt, Curator of Collections at The Jewish Museum, have conducted extensive and insightful research into this area of folk art which has, until now, received almost no attention. The project is the first to explore the unique phenomenon ofJewish folk art in America,and its purpose is to shed light and understanding on some of the many art forms associated with Jewish culture in America. Many ofthe objects have associations with ceremonial functions, such as marriage contracts, a ceremonial chair, prayer shawl bags, Torah binders and plates to be used on thejoyous holidays of Hanukkah and Purim, while many of the others involve the secular life translated into the Jewish cultural experience. Among these are such beautiful objects as decorated family records, striking portraits of adults and children, papercuts and silhouettes., of individuals and entire families. A uniquely Jewish art, micrography, practiced since the ninth century, is illustrated with the "Portrait of Mrs. S. Brody': completed in New York in 1858.

Essays written by Mr. Wertkin, Mr. Kleeblatt and Mary Black, as well as copious explanatory captions for the objects included in the exhibition, carefully unfold the story of the Jewish people and Jewish culture here in North America, and place the art objects in historical context. The Jewish Heritage in American Folk Art is a landmark study of great importance, and it is hoped that it will pave the way for future scholarship examining this fascinating and rich aspect of the American experience.

FOLK HEARTS

By Cynthia VA. Schaffner and Susan Klein.

108 pages, black and white and color illustrations. Alfred A. Knopf:New York. $25.00 Folk Hearts is more than what its subtitle says it is, "a Celebration of the Heart Motif in American Folk Art!' It becomes a symbol of its very subject: with colorful pages, and chapter headings illuminated with minute details from actual folk painting. What's also special about Folk Hearts is its perfectly engaging text and breadth ofinforma79

Bookshelf

lion. Beginning with a history of the heart motif, the chapters unfurl a wealth of objects upon which this age-old symbol of devotion recurs and recurs—on fraktur painting for birth and baptismal certificates; quilts, bodkins, rugs and samplers; furniture and boxes; jagging wheels and cookie cutters; andirons and a child's stirrup; and of course, love tokens, valentines, love letters and even a whalebone busk, with the word "love" inscribed within an embellished heart. The ideal oflove is seen in its many facets: of courage, friendship, courtship, fidelity, felicity and romance. Informative captions and rich, fine quality photographic reproductions only add to the great charm, beauty and interest of Folk Hearts.

LITTLE BY LITTLE

By Nina Fletcher Little.

292 pages, color and black and white illustrations. E.P Dutton, Inc.: New York. $65.00 "It never occurred to us that others did not eat off blue Staffordshire plates or use old leather firebuckets for waste baskets;' say the three children of Bert and Nina Little in the foreward to Mrs. Little's new book. It is a fine, generously illustrated and fascinating volume of a life spent collecting and living with antiques. Always interested in the history of their objects, the Littles have been great scholars in the field from the early days, when they participated in such newly-founded study groups in Boston as the Rushlight Club, the Early American Glass Club, the Wedgwood Club and the China Students' Club. Little by little, through the years the pair culled Staffordshire; marine paintings; fireboards; portraits, landscapes, interiors; furniture and textiles; children's toys and other accoutrements. Purchases were not only made to be used,but to be studied,and Mrs. Little describes how she often bought china in order to examine various types of borders and ornamentation. With respect to painting, she says, "Although artistic appeal is always a prominent factor, documentary background is an important element to me, as my personal interest in folk painting combines both the historical and aesthetic approach:' 80

Little by Little is beautifully written, lively, inspiring and eminently informative.

Both sleuthing and armchair collectors alike are sure to enjoy it.

CRAZY QUILTS

By Penny McMorris.

127pages, color and black and white illustrations. E.P. Dutton, Inc.:New York. $29.95 hardcover, $18.95 softcover Not only does Crazy Quilts fully illustrate the development of the crazy quilt style, examine construction techniques and typical motifs, but it also documents the history of a true "craze" sweeping America from 1876 to 1900. Within the craze fads flourished and died, and new ones grew up in their stead. Women were so enthralled with crazy quilts that they thought of hundreds of ways of embellishing them; some even appliquéd stuffed animals, such as chipmunks preserved by taxidermy, onto their creations. Sunflowers enjoyed the limelightfor a while,inspired by the boutonnieres worn by Oscar Wilde on his American tour in 1881 and 1882, only to be supplanted later by other delights. McMorris'entertaining, historically rich text, and wealth of illustrations, of quilts, their makers and advertisements relating to the "crazies': make Crazy Quilts a highly recommended book. Within the sober reign of Victoriana was the quirky frivolity of this phenomenon, that so fittingly provided the finishing touches for parlors gilded with tassels and loaded with clutter.

HOMAGE TO AMANDA

By Edwin Binney, 3rd and Gail Binney-Winslow.

96 pages,full color illustrations throughout. RK Press:San Francisco. $16.95 This volume,the catalog for an exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Art, traces the development of American quiltmaking, from the infant days of America to the present. All of the quilts are from the collection of Edwin Binney, 3rd, and his daughter, Gail Binney-Winslow. The book is dedicated to Binney's great-great-grandmother, Amanda Davisson, herself a quiltmaker.

What is particularly interesting about Homage to Amanda is the fact that it is an "anatomy" of a collection. In the words of William C. Chandler, Associate Curator of the San Diego Museum of Art, "Their approach to collecting is at once deeply personal, and academically detached, a combination of two complex and creative personalities!' The collection is also characterized by an attachment to indigo-blue- and white quilts. Gracing the pages in a clear chronological sequence are such greats as a Baltimore Album Quilt—a spectacular hexagonal star with a crazy border—and a contemporary quilt designed and quilted by Gail Binney-Winslow. The excellent quality of the photographs and of the book as a whole make it an attractive addition to any quilt lover's library.

WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NAIVE ART Edited by Ow Bihalji-Merin and Nebojga Tomagevie.

740 pages, 1,000 color illustrations and 520 black and white illustrations. Scala Books, Distributed by Harper and Row Publishers, Inc.:Scranton, Pennsylvania. $60.00 until February 28, 1985, $67.50 thereafter This is the first publications to provide a historical survey of naive art as a whole, together with a comprehensive biographical dictionary of the artists themselves—on an international scale. Authors and leading world authorities on the subject define naive art in the introduction, and relate it to archaic, folk and primitive art, as well as to the art of children. The evolution of naive art is traced in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Haiti, Japan, China and Australia. The body of this comprehensive resource is composed of alphabetically arranged biographies of about one thousand artists from forty-six countries, each written by a team of experts. Julia Weissman,a recognized expert in the field of American folk art, and co-author, with Bert Hemphill, of Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists, is a major contributor to this new volume. Fine color reproductions and careful organization contribute to the World Encyclopedia of Naive Art's usefulness and accessibility.

HEDGEROW HOUSE Publishers of Fine Art

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'34.2-&+ .6139CDEPC.M: ..§K-Ki.MN 0. : M.:ST1JVWXY2 abedergbi'PY jklinDoPqr1,,'-'tvvwxyz.,5234$67 w'muffht b cAllartha cSoxdkccria. glib!!. Aged /3.1836.

Presenting our new full color catalogue of Hedgerow House fine art prints. Featuring for first time our unique collection of American Folk Art reproductions. Each subject has meticulously reproduced in full color. They represent the finest examples of American Fo Art reproductions available today. Send check ($7.50); catalogue will be shipped UPS prepaid.

HEDGEROW HOUSE INC. • 230 FIFTH AVE. • NEW YORK, NY 10001 • (212) 679-2532

8!

Our Increased Membership Contributions May—August 1984

We wish to thank the following members for their increased membership contributions and for their expression of confidence in the Museum:

James Gentry, Asheville, NC Jerri Golden, San Francisco, CA Barbara Goldfarb Interiors, Little Silver, NJ Fred & Judith A. Guido, Jr., Pelham Manor, NY Carole M. Guyton, Tampa,FL Ben & Linda Hirsch, Exeter, NH

Kathryn & James Abbe, Jr., Oyster Bay, NY Raye Virginia Allen, Washington, DC Louis H. Blumengarten, Brooklyn, NY Mr. & Mrs. James H. Brandi, New York, NY Mrs. Robert Brown, New York, NY Robert T. Cargo,Tuscaloosa, AL Romayne Cox,Galveston, TX John L. Cross, New York, NY David Davies, New York, NY Leslie Keifer De Rego, Antigua, Guatemala Maureen Decherd, Dallas, TX Richard J. Dionne, Hamden, CT Domodidovo, Ltd., New York, NY Marjorie Eyrick, New York, NY Beverly Field, Dallas, TX Kathleen Follette, Santa Monica,CA Jacqueline Fowler, Stamford, CT

John Ka!lir, Scarsdale, NY Susan Jackson Keig, Chicago, IL Mary Kettaneh, New York, NY Mr. & Mrs. Martin Klenert, Old Westbury, NY Susan C. Kudlow, Washington, DC

Bernard Riordon, Nova Scotia, Canada Mr. John Savitsky, Lansford,PA Dr. °fella Schnipper, Tenafly, NJ W. Simmons, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Sinkoff, Lake Success, NY Walter E. Smith, Augusta, GA Tom Somerville, Dallas, TX Mr.& Mrs. Gary Stass, New Canaan, CT Mr. & Mrs. David Supino, New York, NY Rubens Teles, Brooklyn Heights, NY Robert Bruce Torgny, Los Gatos, CA John Ricker, Westport, CT

Mr. & Mrs. William E. Laverty, Brooklyn, NY Harriet B. Marple, Washington, DC George H. Meyer, Birmingham, MI Ben Mildwoff, New York, NY Priscilla Miller, New York, NY Anthony D. Naccarella, New York, NY Maureen E. Nash, Hackettstown, NJ Charles & Constance Needham, Westport, CT Mr. & Mrs. Peterson Nelson, Denver, CO Albert Nerken, Brookville, NY Jane & Nigel Noble, Brooklyn, NY H.C. Randolph, Sr., Plymouth Meeting, PA

Judith T. Wagner, Alamo,CA Eleanora Walker, New York, NY Mrs. C.L. Washburn, Middleburg, VA George J. Wells, Glen Head, NY Mr. & Mrs. Frank P Wendt, Southport, CT Russell & Judith Wilks, Manhasset, NY Ann G. Wilson, New York, NY H. Jeremy Wintersteen, New York, NY Bernice Braid Witkovsky, Brooklyn, NY Steven Wright, San Francisco, CA Frances Yeransian, Pearl River, NY Mr. & Mrs. I.H. Von Zelowitz, Solebury,PA

Our Growing Membership May—August 1984

The Museum Trustees and Staff extend a special welcome to these new members: Mary Abbey, New Hope, MN Eric Alberta, New York, NY Zalman Arnit, Alburg, VT Mrs. Bruce C. Anderson, Morris Plains, NJ Carolyn Anderson, Houston, TX Mrs. Karen M. Angiolillo, Drexelhill, PA Brian G. Appelgate, Simi Valley, CA Jeanne Applebaugh, Allentown, NJ Susan Armitage, Pullman, WA Ms. Cynthia J. Arvanette, Lincoln, NE M.J. Ascolese, Convent Station, NJ Jean Athey, Lancaster, PA Susan Atwater, Califon, NJ Deborah Autorino, Valley Cottage, NY 82

Judith A. Baber, Brooklyn, NY Suzanne Bach, Williamstown, MA Dan Baty, Tacoma, WA Mrs. Peter Baumecker, Pennington, NJ Mr. & Mrs. Martin Benis, New York, NY Mrs. Will J. Bennett, New York, NY Mary Ellen Bergeron, Alexandria, VA Ruth Krug Berger, New York, NY Karen F Berkowitz, Brooklandville, MD Robert M.& Gail Berry, Las Vegas, NV Mrs. Joyce Besner, North Hollywood,CA Mrs. Emilie Betts, New York, NY Marilyn J. Billington, Cranford, NJ Michael Bird, Ontario, Canada Freda B. Birnbaum, New York, NY Jane Birnbaum, New York, NY Howard & JaneIle Blaustein, Mountainside, NJ Laura Bonin, Milano, Italy

Ms. Gray D. Boone, Tuscaloosa, AL David & Sandra Booth, Spring Valley, NY Boston Public Library, Boston, MA Karen Boucias, Orono, ME Rosemary B. Brady, Vergennes, VT Mr. & Mrs. T.H. Brasher, Manlios, NY Martha Braun, Westfield, NJ Dorothy Briley, New York, NY Marian Britton, New York, NY Susan Brock, New Canaan, CT Susan G. Brodkin, New London,CT Mr. Martin Brody, New York, NY Melanie M. Bronfman, Rye, NY Marylin J. Brooks, Rochester, MI Miriam E Bross, Ramsey, NJ Barbara & William Brown, New York, NY C. Scott Brown, New York, NY Mary E. Brownell, New York, NY

Our Growing Membership

Sally Bruner, New York, NY Phoebe Brunner, Santa Barbara, CA Clara H. Brush, New York, NY Susan Snow Burnett, Norfolk, VA Diane Burt, Miami, FL Mr. Ben Butler, Staten Island, NY Tom Campanella, New York, NY Catherine Carballeira, New York, NY Ann Cardillo, Long Island City, NY Amy Casey, Vienna, VA Mrs. Beatrice Burke Casmer, South Salem, NY Mrs. Jane Cassidy, Roosevelt Island, NY Mr. & Mrs. Rodney Cathcart, Lincoln, NE Ann & Howard Chwatsky, Rockville Centre, NY Glenn Close, New York, NY Ms. Kate Coburn, New York, NY Mrs. Pat Coker, Bartow, FL Mrs. Norma Collins, Unidilla, NY Constance W. Compton, Menands, NY Theresa Lee Concert, Ridgewood, NY Mrs. V.H. Condon, Morristown, NJ Cooperative Hall of Fame & Historical Society, Washington, DC Malcolm A. Cooper, Ontario, Canada Mrs. Harriet T. Cope, Francestown, NH Gretchen Cryer, New York, NY Margaret Anne Cullum, Dallas,TX Nancy L. Cunningham, New York, NY Jacques D'Amboise, New York, NY Mr. & Mrs. Jim Dale, New York, NY Barbara Dalton, Millburn, NJ Diana S. Deane, Morris Plains, NJ Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Delibert, New York, NY Gerard Dellova, Brooklyn, NY Ms. Agnes DeMille, New York, NY Derrel B. DePasse, Washington, DC Suzy Deutsch, Port Washington, NY Douglas T. Dieterich, M.D., New York, NY Toni DiMichelo, Scarsdale, NY Dobb & Company, Muskegon, MI Nancy Dodaro, New York, NY Joy H. Donelson, Anchorage, AK Barbara Dote, New York, NY Mr. Percy S. Douglas, New York, NY Shirley Douglas, New York, NY Kathryn Dove, New York, NY Dover Antiques, Ltd., Easton, MD Patricia A. Doyle, Moorestown, NJ Peggy K. DuBois, New York, NY Colin K. Ducolon, Burlington, VT Mrs. Herbert A. Durfee, Jr., Burlington, VT Mrs. K.G. Dwork, Forest Hills, NY Mrs. Albert I. Edelman, Bronxville, NY Cathey Edwards, Valencia, CA Elaine Eff, Baltimore, MD Linda L. Elliott, Douglassville, PA Mr. & Mrs. Weston B. Emmart,Demarest, NJ Mrs. Joan Enright, Pearl River, NY

Environment Canada, Ontario, Canada Mr. Thomas Epstein, New York, NY Mr. William Epstein, New York, NY Hedy Erbsen, Scarsdale, NY Mrs. Tina Evans, Greenwich, CT Sally R. Falcone, Old Greenwich, CT Richard J. Felber, Shaker Heights, OH Howard A. Feldman, Bethlehem, PA Louise Finocchio, Marblehead, MA Deborah Fischbeck, Irvine, CA Sarah Fishbum, Corvallis, OR Mary C. Fisher, Long Beach, NY Alice B. Fjelstul, Plymouth, MN Mary A. Foppiani, Brooklyn, NY Mr. & Mrs. Walter B. Ford II, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI Rena Bass Forman, Piermont, NY Ella M.Foshay-Second, Poughkeepsie, NY James E. Foster, Wayne, PA Betty Lucas Friedman, Chappaqua, NY Mrs. S.J. Frolick, Plainfield, MA Shirley Gabriner, Brooklyn, NY Mr. Rita Gallagher, New York, NY Beth Gardner, Raleigh, NC Sarah Gardner, New York, NY Mr. Philip George, New York, NY Mr. Edward Gifford, New York, NY Ms. Francois Gilot, New York, NY Mrs. Paul J. Gladis, Colts Neck, NJ Mrs. Rima Glaser, Hyde Park, NY Nancy Golob, Encino, CA George W. Gowen, New York, NY Mary Ellen Gowin, Upper Montclair, NJ Josephine Graham, Little Rock, AR Kathi S. Grant, Evanston, IL Jeffrey Green, New York, NY Mr. & Mrs. John Greenberger, Buffalo, NY Alexis Greentree, Philadelphia, PA Gail Gregg, New York, NY Irene L. Greulich, Quakertown, NJ Anne K. Griffin, New York, NY Jean Griffin, Round Rock, TX Rachelle Grisman, Teaneck, NJ Pamela Gurock, Bronx, NY Marian Hallock, Newtown, CT Mrs. Tom M. Hannan, Wilmington, DE Mr. John D. Harding, New York, NY Rosemary A. Harper, Ridgewood, NJ Eileen Harris, Paoli, PA Nancy Hartley, Raleigh, NC Faye W. Hastings, Dover, NJ Anton Haunstrup, Provincetown, MA Greg Hendren, New York, NY Jann Henningsen, St. Louis, MO Karen M. Heron, Wappingers Falls, NY Ms. Lyn Herrlinger, Armonk, NY Diane L. Hiatt, Chicago,IL James Berry Hill, New York, NY Deborah Hoffman, New York, NY

Kempf Hogan, Birmingham, MI Mr. Geoffrey Holder, New York, NY Mr. & Mrs. Robin G. Holloway, New Canaan, CT Barbara Holt, Scarsdale, NY Patricia Hong, Blauvelt, NY Patricia Horst, Mosman, Australia Mary Hughes, Dallas, PA Margaret Hunter, Bowie, MD Sara Ingram, New York, NY Andrew S. Jarmus, New York, NY Mrs. Albert Jeffcoat, Larchmont, NY Lavada L. Jenkins, Deerfield, OH Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Johnson, Hinsdale,IL Mrs. Juliana Johnson, Lakewood, NJ Karen & Clay Johnson, New York, NY Marcel Joray, Neuchatel, Switzerland E. Jordan, Point Lookout, NY Frieda Kalmus, New York, NY Mr. 8z Mrs. Ivan Karp, New York, NY Miss Lucy Moffat Kaufman, Carlisle, PA Mrs. EL Keilholz, Southbury, CT Deborah Maverick Kelley, New York, NY William Kessler, Elberon, NJ Anita King, Springfield, MO Rebecca & Charles King, Kalamazoo, MI Ms. Sally Kinter, Canterbury, NH Martha S. Klinkner, Pleasant Hill, CA M. Bernadette Klotz, New York, NY Chieko Daize Kobashi, New York, NY Mrs. Florence Kobin, New York, NY Yvonne Koenig, New York, NY Carol Kornfeld, Tenafly, NJ Jill M. Kravitz, Forest Hills, NY A. Kruger, New York, NY Don & Barbra Ladd, Hampton, CT Sharon LaMacchia, Cedarburg, WI John Landis, Los Angeles, CA Ms. Mary E. Langevin, Brooklyn, NY Angela Lansbury, New York, NY Dianne Lapuyade, Matairie, LA Phyllis Larson, Glen Ellyn,IL Robert P Latkany, Rye, NY Donna Laughlin, Orlando, FL Mrs. Marilyn Lawson, Isle of Wight, England Laurie Lederman, New York, NY Felicia Clark Lee, Boston, MA Paul & Henri Leighton, Scotch Plains, NJ Mr. Neil Leonard, Mount Upton, NY Alice Tufel Lesser, New York, NY Louise Arless Leve, Southbury, CT Mr. & Mrs. Earle H. Levenstein, New York, NY Donald & Laura Levine, Stamford, CT Sheree E Levine, New York, NY Julie E. Lewin, Hartford, CT Patricia S. Light, Burnt Hills, NY Mr. George A. Lillie, New York, NY E. Loman, Hilversum, Netherlands Ms. Henny M.Long, Westport, CT 83

Our Growing Membership

Laura Lopez, Brooklyn, NY Joanne & James Love,Summit, NJ Professor Owen Lynch, New York, NY

Launceston, Tasmania Ms. Kathleen Quinlin, Malibu, CA Marion Quinn, Pasadena, CA Christina R. Quiroz, San Francisco, CA

Mrs. Robert Malesardi, Alpine, NJ Nancy & Christine Malige, New York, NY Mrs. Peter R. Mann, Pacific Palisades, CA Mrs. James S. Marcus, New York, NY Elizabeth Martin, Baltimore, MD Rod McAmis, Augusta, GA Richard McBride, New York, NY Kerry McCaffrey, Jersey City, NJ Susanne McCormick, New York, NY Mrs. G.B. McMennamin, New Canaan, CT Mr. WD. McNutt, Wooster, OH Bonnie J. MenIco & family, Downington, PA Betsy Metz, Chappaqua, NY Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Francis A. Milano, Scarsdale, NY Gordon Milde, Shaker Heights, OH David Miller, West Palm Beach,FL James H. Miller, Asheville, NC Rhoda M. Miller, Jacksonville Beach,FL Lois Moeve, Palos Verdes, CA Harry Mori, Port Kent, NY Barbara Christie Morris, Clarksburg, WV Mrs. Thomas Mumford, Griffin,IN

Pauline E. Ramos, Miami, FL Mack & Mitzi Rapp, Port Washington, NY Nancy Raybould, Salt Lake City, UT Mr. & Mrs. Sherwood C. Reed, Norwich, VT Jay Reeg, Nashua, NH Elsa Reich, Montclair, NJ John W. Reilly, New Rochelle, NY Ms. Kathleen J. Reilly, White Plains, NY Lisa Reynolds, Atlanta, GA Mrs. H. Rijntjes, Rye, NY Mrs. Aline Ripert, New York, NY Mr.& Mrs. George Ritchie, New Canaan, CT Mr. Nelson Rivera, Aberdeen, NJ Laura Rizzuto, New York, NY William W. Rogers, Massapequa, NY Mr. & Mrs. Marshall Rose, New York, NY Miriam Rose, Whitestone, NY Ann Ross, White Plains, NY Mrs. Helen Ruenitz, Windom, MN Ruth Rugendorf, Syosset, NY Mr. Peter S. Rummell, New York, NY Mr. Joseph Russo, New York, NY

Mrs. Louise Neve!son, New York, NY Mrs. Deborah Newmark, New York, NY Marjorie Nezin, Freeport, NY Nan Norris, Highwood, IL Sandra Nowlin, Franklin Lakes, NJ Peggy O'Brien, Washington, DC Objects Gallery, Chicago, IL Ms. Helen Anna Pagano, Newfield, NJ Dr. Jules 0. Pagano, New York, NY Amy Page, New York, NY Merry K. Pantano & family, New York, NY Saundra Parker, Houston, TX Susan Parrish, San Francisco, CA Joan P Patton, Hartford, NY Mrs. Sherry E. Paynter, Chesapeake, OH Sandra G. Pedersen, Tolland, CT Stephen Penberthy, Portland, OR Betsy Peters, Newbury Park, CA Robert B. Phelps, New Orleans, LA Miss Mary Walker Phillips, New York, NY Mr. & Mrs. Peter T Phinny, Glen Arbor, MI Ann E. Pierce, Falmouth, ME Mr. Max Pine, New York, NY Robert A. Pitman, White Hall, MD Francis M. Polizio, Port Chester, NY Esther L. Ponti, Point Pleasant, NJ Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Porter, Delaware, OH Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Potters, New York, NY Paula Pred, North Miami Beach, FL Dr. & Mrs. Ralph Price, Ontario, Canada Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, 84

Richard Sabino, Stockton, NJ Professor Bert Salwen, New York, NY The Sampler, Bamegat Light, NJ Kenneth A. Sausville, Short Hills, NJ Norma Jean Sawicki, New York, NY Nina Schafer, St. Thomas, VI C.A. Schnake, Evansville, IN Joe Scotti, Hamburg, NJ Stephen & Donna Shapiro, Encino, CA Mrs. Mary M. Shaw, Honolulu, HI Mrs. M. Sherlock, Flushing, NY Ted & Maryanne Simmons, Chesterfield, MO Joan Simon, San Francisco, CA Dian G. Smith, New York, NY Hallie Smith, Richmond, VA Mr. & Mrs. Owen B. Smith, Smithfield, VA Mr. Willi Smith, New York, NY Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Snell, New York, NY Nancy Sobel, New York, NY Comelia Soifer, Wallingford, PA Mrs. Aurelie D. Stack, Mattituck, NY Maureen Stapleton, New York, NY Mr. & Mrs. Jay Stein, New York, NY Ruth Sterbak, Havre De Grace, MD Dinah Stevens, Bethesda, MD Mrs. Jay Stewart, Freeport, NY Jean Stewart, Bedford Village, NY Lynn S. Stiles, New York, NY Charles G. Stone, Mountain Lakes, NJ Janet Strauss, Levittown,PA Marilyn E. Strauss, West Barnstable, MA Patti Stren, New York, NY Leslie A. Strong, Wethersfield, CT Elaine Swank, Secaucus, NJ

Catherine Sweeney, Brooklyn, NY Sally Tanner, Tampa,FL Sandy Tashoff, Larchmont, NY Betsy Tegtmeyer, New York, NY Florence E. Teicher, New York, NY Mrs. Judy Terwilliger, Port Jefferson, NY Nancy Karlins Thoman, New York, NY Gloria Thompson, Brookline,MA LaDonna Thompson, Minneapolis, MN S. Melinda Thompson, Ontario, Canada Jean N. Tice, Northport, NY Linda J. Trischitta, New York, NY Elizabeth Tucker, Bel Air, CA Grace Uhlig, Forest Hills, NY Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Vagnino, St. Louis, MO Jose A. Valciukas, New York, NY Barbara Vance, Mount Sterling, OH Del Viarengo, Ridgewood, NJ Gideon Visagie, New York, NY Mr. Richard A. Voell, New York, NY Joe Vojacek, Chicago, IL Richard C. von Hess,Columbia, PA Mrs. Gloria Vort, Great Neck, NY Elane Wagner, Pine Plains, NY Charles Wanker, Whitestone, NY Harriet G. Ward, Framingham Center, MA Mrs. Shirley Warren, Long Beach, NY Leslie & Peter Warwick, Middletown, NJ A.M. Washburn, Honolulu, HI Florence Wasiak, Brooklyn, NY Christine S. Wassenaar, La Jolla, CA Lynne Weaver, Wenham, MA Mrs. Janet H. Weber, Summit, NJ Charles Wehringer, New York, NY Mrs. Frances P Weik, Williston Park, NY Alice Weil, New York, NY Elaine & Donald Weill, Westfield, NJ Audrey & Eli Weinberg, Oyster Bay, NY Mrs. Millard Weisberg, Albuquerque, NM Virginia M. Welty, Wilton, CT Margaret D. West, Annapolis, MD Patricia Z. West, New York, NY Carol Wilinski, New York, NY Lanford Wilson, Sag Harbor, NY Ann Winton, New York, NY Harold Wise, M.D., New York, NY Mrs. C.H. Wiseley, New York, NY David A. Wolfson, Chicago, IL Lisa Wolfson, New York, NY Penrose Wright, Lexington, MA Mrs. Robert Yallum, Lake Katrine, NY Pamela Yardeni, New York, NY Mr. Andrew Young, New York, NY Dr. & Mrs. Michael Zahn, New York, NY Mrs. Nancy Zeckendorf, New York, NY Mrs. Fred Zercoe, Danvers, MA Lynn M.Zidek, Chicago,IL

Antique Quilt Restoration, Custom Made Stretchers for displaying Quilts 8( Hooked Rugs Rag Carpets sewn together for Area Rugs

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A Mt Oli KOZLOWSKI 1585-19w,

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Polish-American Folk Painter Definitive account of the life and work of newly-acclaimed 20th century folk painter.

Colorful, intricate scenes; 26 plates (11 color).

Comprehensive catalog notes. 72 pages.

Kozlowski exhibitions: 1984 (Premiere) Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center 1985 The New-York Historical Society Book: $17.95+$2.00 post/hand, prepd.

Premiere exhibition poster, limited ed., 4-color 18"x24": $650+$1.50 post/hand, prepd.

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Foi4 A Faeil since March, 1980

THE HIGH TOUCH NEWSLETTER of contemporary folk art

Personal vignettes of folk artists, topical news, calendar, commentary, new finds and new directions in 20th century folk art.

Amply illustrated. Five issues per year.

Standing Mustached Man, John Vivolo, 1976. Painted wood, height 29/ 1 2".

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Center mafthrtal(y knownftranthkues saperYor quality as5emiled-6y 23 dealers . "'onigand beauIvni.363) 6'ngland to Cal tgugy dtS layed ót z6uildings one a handsome /8 gedenzl konie ou will seeithe 1814 to earl f914 aidury intik*juatte4 c'uwfr dfofma1JuirnIEuri, a ezcitt" vari ()tee accessories tncludinf quilts, stoneware, cTper;bizss,fik art earlypss, baskets, painttvs, rare tools aooked and Orien-tar nip, clocks arid the unusual to delOtyour eye and elyiyfor-yea's. to conic_}

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JOHNSON JAY America's Folk Heritage Gallery

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1044 T Madidson thAven rouay,noon-6Y huse,t Ndew York, 10021 uesay (212)628-7280

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n springtime, when the bright, new season unfurled her green, then were fingers light and imagination quick with craft.

There was a joy in industry and pleasure in decoration. Each one an artist, to the best of his skill.

It made the house a welcome place.

Patchwork quilts spread neatly on the beds. Sturdy kitchen crocks packed with stores. A happy clutter of children's toys.

The greeting of familiar things, the labor of our hands.

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