While demonstrating the high level of artistry attained by furniture-makers of the period, this selection in many ways reflects the evolving character of domestic life in America during a seminal period in the country's history.

This rich history of marquetry is presented in cintext by one of its most ardent and taslented proponents - Silas Kopf. A distinguished cabinetmaker for more than thirty years, Kopf identifies the origins and influences of numerous decorative arts and architectural elements taht have and continue to have an impact on his own work. AUTHOR: Forword by Glenn Adamson, Head of Graduate Studies abd Deputy Head of Research, Victoria ALbert Museum, London. 320 colour illustrations

The genesis of this volume was the discovery, in 1975, of a faded copy of the inventory of States Dyckman's possessions, taken shortly after his death in 1806. The document raised many questions about the furnishings then on display in Boscobel, and initiated a period of extensive research and reevaluation. It was the architectural beauty of Boscobel, rather than its historical associations, that guided its rescuers in the 1950's and encouraged the conception of Boscobel as States Dyckman's dreamhouse, recreating, on the banks of the Hudson, the elegance and luxury he had enjoyed during his extended sojourns in England. English and Continental furnishings were collected, and surviving examples of Dyckman's own purchases were overwhelmed by crystal chandeliers and elaborate floral carpets. --Preface.

The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts covers thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western culture. With over 1,000 entries, as well as hundreds drawn from the 34-volume Dictionary of Art, this topical collection is a valuable resource for those interested in the history, practice, and mechanics of the decorative arts. Accompanied by almost 100 color and more than 500 black and white illustrations, the 1,290 pages of this title include hundreds of entries on artists and craftsmen, the qualities and historic uses of materials, as well as concise definitions on art forms and style. Explore the works of Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, and the Wiener Wekstatte, or delve into the history of Navajo blankets and wing chairs in thousands of entries on artists, craftsmen, designers, workshops, and decorative art forms.

"Masterpieces of American Furniture, edited by Anna Tobin D'Ambrosio, the Curator of Decorative Arts since 1989 at Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute Museum of Art, offers concise, engaging text accompanied by exquisite photography. Essays on more than 65 finely crafted examples of American furniture encompass nearly every nineteenth-century style and explore the careers of America's preeminent cabinetmakers and shops including Charles Baudouine, Hugh and John Finlay, Edward Hutchings, John Henry Belter, Herter Brothers, R. J. Horner & Co., Kimbel and Cabus, Kilian Brothers, J. and J. W. Meeks, Anthony Quervelle, and M. & H. Schrenkeisen Mfg. Co. Each footnoted essay offers perceptive new research into historical antecedents, stylistic preferences, manufacturing techniques, and the complex nature of the nineteenth-century furniture trade."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic has quickly joined the ranks of celebrated literary graphic novels. Set in part at a family-run funeral home, the book explores Alison’s complicated relationship with her father, a closeted gay man. Amid the tensions of her home life, Alison discovers her own lesbian sexuality and her talent for drawing. The coming-of-age story and graphic format appeal to students. However, the book’s nonlinear structure; intertextuality with modernist novels, Greek myths, and other works; and frank representations of sexuality and death present challenges in the classroom. This volume offers strategies for teaching Fun Home in a variety of courses, including literature, women’s and gender studies, art, and education. Part 1, “Materials,†outlines the text’s literary, historical, and theoretical allusions. The essays of part 2, “Approaches,†emphasize the work’s genres, including autobiography and graphic narrative, as well as its psychological dimensions, including trauma, disability, and queer identity. The essays give options for reading Fun Home along with Bechdel’s letters and drafts; her long-running comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For; the Broadway musical adaptation of the book; and other stories of LGBTQ lives.

An annual publication forging a link between social history, American studies, and the decorative arts