The Decorative Arts Trust - Fostering appreciation for the decorative arts

Wharton Esherick Museum Virtual Tour

Save the date for this August 5 program with Emily Zilber

Learn More

La Dolce Vita in Northern Italy: Genoa, Turin & Milan

Join us for this Study Trip Abroad on October 4-13 or 18-27 with an October 14-17 extension

Learn More

On the Water: Salem & the North Shore Fall Symposium

Learn about our Fall Symposium on September 15-19

Learn More

Virtual Dialogue featuring Carlene Bermann and Erik Greenberg on Historic Home Interpretation

Save the date for this August 23 program

Learn More

A Baroque Virginia Treasure House: A Virtual Tour of Landon Carter’s Sabine Hall with Ralph Harvard

Save the date for this August 26 program

Learn More

Membership with the Decorative Arts Trust

Your support allows us to achieve our mission of promoting the study and appreciation of the decorative arts

Join or Renew

Collaboration, Partnership, and Support

Help us continue our mission to promote and foster the appreciation and study of the decorative arts

Make a Donation

LATEST NEWS

View

Jul 26

Open

In today's 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post, Executive Director Matthew Thurlow applauds the @BrooklynMuseum’s exhibition 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘒𝘪𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘴, 1863-82. Cabinetmakers Anton Kimbel (1822-1895) from Mainz, Germany, and Joseph Cabus (1824-1898) from Calmouier, France, set up shop in New York in 1863. The firm created innovative furniture in the Modern Gothic aesthetic, a distant cousin to the Gothic Revival style that appeared earlier in the 19th century. With the Herter Brothers serving as a primary competitor throughout the 1860s and 1870s, both firms achieved notoriety through illustrated advertising and the industrial fairs that captured international interest.

Read more about this exhibition in our 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯: https://decorativeartstrust.org/modern-gothic-brooklyn-post/. Link in bio.

Pictured: Kimbel and Cabus, Chair, c. 1875, New York, NY. Ebonized cherry, gilding, paper, modern textile. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Promised Gift of Barrie A. and Deedee Wigmore, L.2019.66.30. © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Art Resource, NY.

#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Furniture
#MuseumFromHome
#Exhibition
#ModernGothic
#Kimbel
#Cabus
#Brooklyn
#NewYork
#NY

View

Jul 23

Open

View

Jul 21

Open

Congratulations to Gerald W. R. Ward and @american_ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society for receiving the 2021 New England Society in the City of New York (@newenglandsociety) Book Award in the Art & Photography category for 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴: 175 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺. Published in 2020 to coincide with the 175th anniversary of American Ancestors/NEHGS, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 examines some of the organization’s most intriguing objects, many of which tell fascinating stories about American, English, and Native American history. Written by American decorative arts expert (and Trust member!) Gerry Ward, Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture Emeritus at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 includes a foreword by D. Brenton Simons, President and CEO, American Ancestors/NEHGS, and a preface by (Trust member) Curt DiCamillo, Curator of Special Collections, American Ancestors/NEHGS, both of whom aided the author in the selection of items for study and inclusion.

Learn more at https://www.americanancestors.org/About/Press-and-Media/Press-Releases/NEHGS-Wins-Award-for-Family-Treasures.

Pictured: Book cover featuring The Welch Armorial with frame probably by John Welch, c. 1765–75 frame, c. 1875–1900 arms, Boston, MA. Restored in 2017 through the generosity of Robert Bayard Severy, R0431.

#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Books
#Awards
#NewEngland

View

Jul 16

Open

We were pleased to partner with 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦 ANTIQUES to sponsor the recent #CuriousObjectspodcast episode featuring Allison Robinson, who received a Decorative Arts Trust Research Grant in 2019. The podcast details her fascinating scholarship about dolls created by women in the Works Progress Administration's Milwaukee Handicraft Project.

Read more and listen to the episode at https://www.themagazineantiques.com/article/curious-objects-the-origins-of-the-american-doll-with-allison-robinson/.

Learn more about Allison's research in the 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯: https://decorativeartstrust.org/doll-paintings-racial-ideologies-post/.

Pictured: American girl doll made by the Milwaukee Handicraft Project, Wisconsin, c. 1939–1942. Waisbren collection.

@arobinhistory
@objectiveinterest
@antiquesmag
#TrustEmergingScholars
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#History
#ArtHistory
#Research
#Dolls
#Podcast

View

Jul 13

Open

View

Jul 8

Open

August 4 is the deadline to apply for a Dewey Lee Curtis Scholarship to attend our Fall Symposium in Salem, MA! Graduate students and young professionals in the decorative arts and related fields are invited to apply. Scholarships cover the full cost of symposium registration, lodging, and a modest travel stipend. The Fall Symposium, On the Water: Salem & the North Shore, will be held September 15-19, 2021. Decorative Arts Trust symposia usually sell out quickly, and registration for this symposium was full within a few hours! We are excited to invite young scholars to experience this popular event’s lectures, tours, and networking opportunities.

See the link in our bio to read more and apply:
https://decorativeartstrust.org/grants-and-scholarships/continuing-education-scholarships/

Please share!

Pictured: The crab’s eyes are moveable on this rare Chinese porcelain soup tureen, c. 1740-1750, in the Asian Export Art Collection at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA (Gift, The Copeland Collection, AE85884.AB).

#TrustEmergingScholars
#TravelsWithTheTrust
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Architecture
#Design
#Research
#Scholarship
#Symposium

View

Jul 2

Open

View

Jun 29

Open

On July 6, join us for a Virtual Tour of Olana State Historic Site, the stately residence of Frederic Church, one of the premier landscape painters of the 19th century. William L. Coleman, PhD, Director of Collections & Exhibitions at The Olana Partnership, will lead participants through the house, where many of Church’s canvases are on display alongside works by friends, a collection of old master paintings, and an impressive selection of decorative arts that he and his wife, Isabel, assembled throughout their extensive travels. An architectural marvel in its own right, the house was built by architect Calvert Vaux and features design elements from across the globe. The house remains remarkably unchanged, with intricately decorated interiors that showcase panoramic views of the Taconic Hills, the Hudson River, and the Catskill Mountains.

Link to register in bio and below:
https://decorativeartstrust.org/olana-tour/

@olanashs
@williamlcoleman
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Research
#Architecture
#Design
#FredericChurch

View

Jun 28

Open

View

Jun 24

Open

View

Jun 21

Open

Congratulations to the recipients of 2021 Decorative Arts Trust Research Grants:
-Laura Beltrán-Rubio, PhD candidate, American Studies, William & Mary
-Catherine Cyr, MA candidate, University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in American Material Culture
-Susan Eberhard, PhD candidate, Art History, University of California, Berkeley (DARTS Grant)
-Kelly Fu, MA candidate, University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in American Decorative Arts
-Jena Gilbert-Merrill, MA candidate, University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in American Material Culture (Marie Zimmermann Grant)
-Michael Hartman, PhD candidate, Art History, University of Delaware
-Delanie Linden, PhD candidate, History, Theory, & Criticism of Art and Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
-Alexandra M. Macdonald, PhD candidate, History, William & Mary
-Morgan McCullough, PhD candidate, History, William & Mary
-Ramey Mize, PhD candidate, Art History, University of Pennsylvania
-Lauryn Smith, PhD candidate, Art History, Case Western Reserve University
-Astrid Graves Tvetenstrand, PhD candidate, American & New England Studies, Boston University
-Rachel Winter, PhD candidate, History of Art & Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara
-Margaret Wood, MA candidate, Decorative Arts and Design History, George Washington University

We look forward to learning from your research!

We look forward to learning from your research! See the link in our bio to read more about the recipients in an article that will soon appear in the summer issue of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵: https://decorativeartstrust.org/2021-research-grants/.

Pictured: Lauryn Smith is analyzing the cabinets of Amalia van Solms-Braunfels (1602-1675), Princess of Orange, who cultivated a global social network to acquire objects. Lauryn will travel to the Peabody Essex Museum to compare items listed in the extant inventories of Amalia’s cabinets to museum objects, including this porcelain Elephant Pouring Vessel (Kendi) made by artists in Jingdezhen, China, c. 1600. (Museum purchase, made possible by an anonymous donor, 2004. AE86475.)

View

Jun 18

Open

The 19th is #Juneteenth, a day commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

The decorative arts have a unique way of bringing stories of enslavement to life, as is the case with Ashley's Sack, displayed at @MiddletonPlace and then at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (@NMAAHC).

The unbleached cotton sack is embroidered with these words:
My great grandmother Rose
mother of Ashley gave her this sack when
she was sold at age 9 in South Carolina
it held a tattered dress 3 handfulls [sic] of
pecans a braid of Roses hair. Told her
It be filled with my Love always
she never saw her again
Ashley is my grandmother
Ruth Middleton
1921

Research shows that "Rose" and "Ashley" are likely enslaved people owned by Charleston merchant and planter Robert Martin, Sr. In a recent 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 interview, Historian Tiya Miles, author of 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘴𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘺’𝘴 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘢 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦, says "The power of this object seems to emanate from it...And I think the power is anchored in the materiality of it, the fact that it’s a concrete and tangible item, and then the emotionality of what’s expressed on the surface of the sack, through the embroidered story. So the experience of engagement for the viewer or reader is a double or triple whammy—there are all these different modes of connection with the thing itself."

Read more about Ashley's Sack:
- 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 interview https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/06/ashleys-sack-slavery-history.html
- 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 blog post https://southernspaces.org/2016/slaverys-traces-search-ashleys-sack/

View

Jun 17

Open

Join us for our June 24 virtual dialogue at 1:00 pm ET to learn about the marshaling and measurement of trees and laborers in the manufacture of 93 giant Savonnerie carpets for the Louvre’s Grande Galerie. Sarah Grandin, PhD, Clark-Getty Paper Project Curatorial Fellow at the Clark Art Institute, will present “Trees, Orphans, and the Forgotten Figures of Savonnerie Carpet Manufacturing (1662-1688).”

After her lecture, Sarah will be joined in conversation with Elizabeth Cleland, Curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The hour-long program will close with an audience Q&A.

Register via the link in our bio:
https://decorativeartstrust.org/grandin-dialogue/

Pictured: Savonnerie Manufactory, 59th carpet made for the Grande Galerie at the Louvre, No date for delivery, wool and linen, 4 x 8.95 m, Collection of the Mobilier national, Paris, GMT 2016. Photograph by Isabelle Bideau.

@elizabeth.cleland
@metmuseum
@clarkart
#TrustVirtual
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Research
#Textiles
#Carpets
#FrenchHistory

View

Jun 14

Open

Join us on June 21 at 1:00 pm ET for our panel discussion on Decorative Arts and the Market featuring antiques dealers. Ben Miller, Director of Research at S.J. Shrubsole and host of the #CuriousObjectsPodcast, will moderate the conversation. Hear from Kim Ahara, Owner, Q Antiques and Design; Pippa Biddle, Co-Founder/Co-Owner, Quittner; Charis Tyndell, Director, Charles Ede Ltd.; and Taylor Thistlethwaite, Founder, Thistlethwaite Americana as they share their experience working in the decorative arts field. This program is sponsored by 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦 ANTIQUES. Have your questions ready—there will be a Q&A at the end of the discussion.

Register for this Pay What You Can event using the link in our bio!
https://decorativeartstrust.org/june-2021-panel/

Pictured: Carl Johann Spielter, 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘱, 1919, Bremen. Oil on canvas.

@antiquesmag
@objectiveinterest
@qantiquesanddesign
@quittnerantiques
@charles_ede
@thistle_americana
#TrustVirtual
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Antiques
#AntiquesDealers
#PanelDiscussion
#VirtualPanel

View

Jun 10

Open

View

Jun 8

Open

On June 16 at 1:00 pm ET, Alexandra A. Kirtley, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts, welcomes the Trust back for a virtual tour of the new Robert L. McNeil Jr. Galleries dedicated to American art between 1650 and 1850. Alexandra guides us through 10,000 square feet of redesigned gallery spaces that address topics such as immigration, colonialism, trade, and underrepresented narratives. Join us as we enjoy this spectacular collection of American decorative art in an entirely new light.

Registration Fee: Pay What You Can.

Register at https://decorativeartstrust.org/pma-june-tour/. Link in bio!

Pictured: Made by John Aitken, designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Side Chair, 1808. 1935-13-9.

@alexandraakirtley
@philamuseum
#TrustVirtual
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#Research
#MuseumFromHome
#Museum
#Furniture
#Philadelphia

View

Jun 4

Open

What details can you see in these photographs of a memory jug that provide clues to the maker?

Learn about the fascinating and multicultural history of memory vessels in our new 'Bulletin' post: https://decorativeartstrust.org/memory-vessels-post/. (Link in bio!)

#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#MemoryJug
#MemoryVessel
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History

View

Jun 3

Open

June 30 is the deadline for Prize for Excellence and Innovation nominations! This $100,000 Prize funds outstanding projects that advance the public’s appreciation of decorative art, fine art, architecture, or landscape. The Prize is awarded to a non-profit organization in the United States or abroad for a scholarly endeavor, such as museum exhibitions, print and digital publications, and online databases. The Trust’s selection committee aims to recognize impactful and original projects that advance scholarship in the field while reaching a broad audience.

See the Prize link in our bio for nomination instructions: https://decorativeartstrust.org/prize-excellence-and-innovation/. Please share!

Pictured: Fiber artist Consuelo Jimenez Underwood at the loom, photo by Mark Markley, courtesy of 2020 Prize recipient @CraftInAmerica. Craft in America's Craft Video Dictionary has been in the development stages since January. This online compendium of concise videos will be an accessible, vetted, go-to source for anyone who seeks to understand the nuts and bolts of process and technique, as demonstrated by professional artists and makers. In addition to consulting with various curators, teaching artists, educators, and professional artists on how this new online tool can be as user-friendly and widely-applicable as possible, Craft in America has generated an initial terminology database to be tackled over the next two and a half years. For more information about the Craft Video Dictionary, see: https://www.craftinamerica.org/publication/craft-video-dictionary.

Craft in America welcomes input from the decorative arts community to ensure that the Craft Video Dictionary develops to best serve the field. To share your thoughts about how this resource would be most useful to you, please visit: https://forms.gle/8uLg9UHgCCStqouj7.

#TrustPrize
#DecorativeArts
#MaterialCulture
#ArtHistory
#Art
#History
#FineArt
#Architecture
#LandscapeDesign
#Craft
#Museum
#HistoricHouse
#Curator
#Nonprofit
#Prize

ON THE ROAD AND ONLINE

Exploring the Charles and Ray Eames House

IN THE FIELD

GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS EMERGING SCHOLARS PROGRAM AND PRIZE

CALENDAR OF EVENTS UPCOMING TRIPS, LECTURES, AND PROGRAMS

ONLINE LEARNING RESEARCH FROM THE FIELD, EXHIBITIONS, BOOK REVIEWS, VIDEOS, AND PUZZLES

BULLETIN CURRENT REPORTS AND HAPPENINGS

Wharton Esherick Museum Virtual Tour

La Dolce Vita in Northern Italy: Genoa, Turin & Milan

On the Water: Salem & the North Shore Fall Symposium

Virtual Dialogue featuring Carlene Bermann and Erik Greenberg on Historic Home Interpretation

A Baroque Virginia Treasure House: A Virtual Tour of Landon Carter’s Sabine Hall with Ralph Harvard

Membership with the Decorative Arts Trust

Collaboration, Partnership, and Support

SIGN UP FOR E-NEWS

Thank you for subscribing!

SIGN UP FOR E-NEWS

You have Successfully Subscribed!