"Iron at Winterthur brings to light this extraordinary but oft-overlooked collection. It presents a range of the best and most representative forms, and it is intended as a record documenting a cross section of artifacts imported or made and used in America during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The author carefully selected each artifact as evidence of the deliberate act by the ironworker to incorporate artistry into his craft."--Jacket.

Arranged in alphabetical order, these 5 volumes encompass the history of the cultural development of America with over 2300 entries.

Winterthur Museum is world renowned for its decorative arts collections and its exceptional educational programs. Adapted from the training materials developed at the museum, the revised and enhanced Early American Decorative Arts, 1620-1860: A Handbook for Interpreters is an indispensable guide for anyone involved with interpretation of decorative arts collections. Early American Decorative Arts, 1620-1860 elucidates the principles of public interpretation, explains how to analyze objects, and defines the concept of style. Eighteen chapters provide comprehensive descriptions of decorative arts including furniture, ceramics, textiles, paintings and prints, metalwork, glass, and other objects. Many museums and historic sites display such collections to thousands of visitors annually. Guides, interpreters, educators, and collection managers will find this book a helpful summary and a guide to further research. This enhanced edition includes now includes a CD featuring beautiful color images of the more than 170 black-and-white photographs in the book, bringing the Winterthur collections to life on your computer and in your classroom. Published in cooperation with Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

The construction of the transcontinental railroad (1865–1869) marked a milestone in United States history, symbolizing both the joining of the country’s two coasts and the taming of its frontier wilderness by modern technology. But it was through the power of images—and especially the photograph—that the railroad attained its iconic status. Iron Muse provides a unique look at the production, distribution, and publication of images of the transcontinental railroad: from their use as an official record by the railroad corporations, to their reproduction in the illustrated press and travel guides, and finally to their adaptation to direct sales and albums in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Tracing the complex relationships and occasional conflicts between photographer, publisher, and curator as they crafted the photographs’ different meanings over time, Willumson provides a comprehensive portrayal of the creation and evolution of an important slice of American visual culture.

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.

Horsing Around is the first publication devoted to the design, manufacture, and use of cast-iron hitching posts in America. This catalogue highlights the extraordinary collection of cast-iron hitching posts owned by Phil and Bunny Savino and exhibited in 2008 by the Albany Institute of History and Art. In addition to new scholarship, more than ninety examples of American-made hitching posts are illustrated in color, along with illustrations from nineteenth-century trade catalogues and patent designs. Hitching posts, like weathervanes, were utilitarian in nature, but have recently entered the realm of folk art with their sometimes whimsical and unusual forms. Horse heads, for example, allude to the function and purpose of the posts while eagles and flag-draped posts reflect the patriotic fervor that gripped Americans around the time of the Centennial in 1876. Other popular designs include dogs, snakes, globes, people, and architectural elements. Though most hitching posts are unmarked, there are excellent examples from foundries such as Starbuck's in Troy, New York, the J. W. Fiske Iron Works in Manhattan, and the Stewart Iron Works of Cincinnati, Ohio. W. Douglas McCombs is Curator of History at the Albany Institute of History and Art.

Corrugated Iron: Building on the Frontier.