Virtual Tuesday Talk—Thomas Gross in Context: Black Artisans in Early Philadelphia

The work of cabinetmaker Thomas Gross (1775-1839) provides the centerpiece to the study and understanding of Black artists and artisans who contributed to the fabric of the prolific art community in early Philadelphia. This richly illustrated talk will share the documentary evidence of the names of those people as well as the work they made, from silversmiths, upholsterers, potters, and cabinetmakers to painters like David Bustill Bowser and his seamstress wife Elizabeth Harriet Stevens Gray Bowser.

Speaker: Alexandra Kirtley, The Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art

This event is taking place online only. The speaker will not be present at the DAR Museum.

Photo Credit: 1. Double Chest (Chest-on-Chest) Thomas Gross Jr. (1775–1839) Philadelphia, 1805–10 Mahogany, tulip poplar, yellow pine; brass 82 3/4 x 43 1/4 x 22 1/2 in. (210.2 x 109.9 x 57.2 cm) Gift of Mrs. Leslie Legum, 1983-167-1