Overview

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.

Full Product Details

9780759119451

Table of Contents

Reviews

In covering every major furniture style of the colonial and early national eras and also a wide array of other domestic items, not as afterthoughts but as subjects worthy of serious study, this volume fills a unique niche. It is an indispensable text for classes on early American decorative arts and the material culture of the domestic environment. The addition of a disc with high-resolution color images of all photographs and captions enhances its value as a text for beginners and as a tool for scholars. -- Kenneth Hafertepe, Baylor University Rosemary Troy Krill's revision of Early American Decorative Arts, 1620-1860: A Handbook for Interpreters gracefully combines an overview of public interpretation principles with a compendium of recent American material culture scholarship. The volume's readable style, along with the extensive bibliography, make it a valuable addition to professional bookshelves for staff and volunteers in history museums, especially historic sites. -- Mary Alexander, Maryland Historical Trust; co-author, Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums second edition This volume is useful as a guide for Winterthur interpreters or for visitors to the museum. It will also be worthwhile as a textbook for undergraduate American decorative arts survey courses. Summing Up: Recommended. CHOICE

In covering every major furniture style of the colonial and early national eras and also a wide array of other domestic items, not as afterthoughts but as subjects worthy of serious study, this volume fills a unique niche. It is an indispensable text for classes on early American decorative arts and the material culture of the domestic environment. The addition of a disc with high-resolution color images of all photographs and captions enhances its value as a text for beginners and as a tool for scholars. -- Kenneth Hafertepe, Baylor University Rosemary Troy Krill's revision of Early American Decorative Arts, 1620-1860: A Handbook for Interpreters gracefully combines an overview of public interpretation principles with a compendium of recent American material culture scholarship. The volume's readable style, along with the extensive bibliography, make it a valuable addition to professional bookshelves for staff and volunteers in history museums, especially historic sites. -- Mary Alexander, Maryland Historical Trust; co-author, Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums second edition This volume is useful as a guide for Winterthur interpreters or for visitors to the museum. It will also be worthwhile as a textbook for undergraduate American decorative arts survey courses. Summing Up: Recommended. * CHOICE *

In covering every major furniture style of the colonial and early national eras and also a wide array of other domestic items, not as afterthoughts but as subjects worthy of serious study, this volume fills a unique niche. It is an indispensable text for classes on early American decorative arts and the material culture of the domestic environment. The addition of a disc with high-resolution color images of all photographs and captions enhances its value as a text for beginners and as a tool for scholars.--Kenneth Hafertepe

Author Information

Rosemary Troy Krill is senior lecturer at Winterthur Museum in Delaware.

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