Examining the Life and Legacy of Skilled Joiner John Hemmings at Monticello Through Material Culture
by Molly Martien Thanks to a Decorative Arts Trust Research Grant, I had the good fortune of traveling to Charlottesville, VA, to visit Monticello and The Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia. In this project I set out...
2025 Research Grant Recipients
In 2025, the Decorative Arts Trust celebrates another record-breaking year for our Research Grants program, with 16 recipients receiving travel funding to study objects and archival records. The Trust congratulates the 2025 Research Grant recipients: Carson L....
Restoring Sarah Jackson’s Guitar at the Hermitage Mansion
by Raechel E. Willis A guitar owned by Sarah Yorke Jackson, daughter-in-law of Andrew Jackson, plays a significant role in the interpretation of the Jackson family at The Hermitage. Acquired in Philadelphia during her teenage years or young twenties in the 1820s or...
The Global Roots of an American Family Record Sampler
by Amelia Peck and Cynthia V.A. Schaffner In 2020, The Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased a family record sampler at auction that is a model of beautiful stitchery and sophisticated design. Following several years of intensive study, however, the Poyen family...
Tomah Joseph and the Significance of Passamaquoddy Birchbark Art
by Allyson LaForge Receiving a Decorative Arts Trust Research Grant enabled me to conduct research on a Passamaquoddy birchbark artist, Tomah Joseph (1837–1914), whose leadership and artwork conveyed ongoing Passamaquoddy presence in Maine and New Brunswick in the...
About The Decorative Arts Trust Bulletin
Formerly known as the "blog,” the Bulletin features new research and scholarship, travelogues, book reviews, and museum and gallery exhibitions. The Bulletin complements The Magazine of the Decorative Arts Trust, our biannual members publication.