Folk Art (Fall 1994)

*t,4•'*°`'42,4146

FRANK J. MIELE gallery BEYOND EXPERIMENTATION The Art of Kevin Orth

September 6 - October 8 Artist Reception: Saturday, September 10, 2 to 5

WARREN KIMBLE At Home in Vermont

October 11 - November 12 Artist Reception: Saturday, October 15, 2 to 5

1262 Madison Avenue (at 90th Street) New York, N.Y. 10128 (212) 876-5775

STEVE MILLER • AMERICAN FOLK ART •

17 East 96th Street, New York, New York 10128(212)348-5219 Gallery hours are from 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm,Tuesday through Saturday.

Other hours are available by appointment.

American Antiques,31nr.

Furnishing quality antiques and folk art to collectors, dealers and museums for investment and pleasure at reasonable prices since 1976.

An extremely rare and fine tobacconist sign of maple. This sign is in superb original condition and has a dry painted surface. Decorative carved edges and hand-forged hardware complete this trade sign.

Height 33 inches, width 40 inches, 19th century.

Mokohoko was a chief of a band of Indians of the Saulk Tribe, who fought unsuccessfully in the Black Hawk War of 1832. The Saulks were a member of the eastern woodlands area tribe of Rock Island, Illinois.

Why does the sign read Hokomoko? It was either a mistake as the name would be easily reversed or intentional possibly for amusement.

Who knows? But this mystery stimulates conversation about a great piece of American folk art.

Austin T. Miller • 2820 Lymington Road, Columbus, Ohio 43220 • (614) 442-8178

Recent Works on Paper

0

yn,fr/1 pfr x 116,0( todnd gmbn-flo uo inodrou • 661 `da07Joi-WuPisid (i7701a11) uo ivoadmo •r-66f `Innoci no 2upuo9 tiando0 dip guni.inj(aogy) x 11of tiadvd

(FAX)212.780.0076

October 20 - November 23 -

•;n6, pjI

sters of American Self-Taught and Outsider

AMERICAN ANTIQUES & QUILTS

Watercolor on paper. Circa 1840. 101/4 x 131 / 2 inches.

BLANCHE GREENSTEIN THOMAS K. WOODARD 799 Madison Avenue New York, N.Y. 10021 •(212) 988-2906•

We are always Interested in purchasing exceptional quilts. Photographs returned promptly. Telephone responses welcome.

FOLK ART VOLUME 19, NUMBER 3/ FALL 1994 (FORMERLY THE CLARION)

FEATURES

Cover: Detail of MARY KIMBERLY THOMAS REYNOLDS(1754-1833); c. 1789; oil on canvas;45 x 36'; Museum ofAmerican Folk Art, New York; anonymous gift

Folk Art is published four times a year by the Museum of American Folk Art,61 West 62nd Street, NY,NY 10023, Tel. 212/977-7170,Fax 212/977-8134. Prior to Fall 1992, Volume 17, Number 3,Folk Art was published as The Clarion. Annual subscription rate for members is included in membership dues. Copies are mailed to all members. Single copy $6.09. Published and copyright 1994 by the Museum of American Folk Art,61 West 62nd Street, NY,NY 10023. The cover and contents of Folk Art are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner without written consent. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Museum of American Folk Art. Unsolicited manuscripts or photographs should be accompanied by return postage. Folk Art assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage of such materials. Change of address: Please send both old and new addresses and allow five weeks for change.

Advertising: Folk Art accepts advertisements only from advertisers whose reputation is recognized in the trade, but despite the care with which the advertising department screens photographs and texts submitted by its advertisers, it cannot guarantee the unquestionable authenticity of objects or quality of services advertised in its pages or offered for sale by its advertisers, nor can it accept responsibility for misunderstandings that may arise from the purchase or sale of objects or services advertised in its pages. The Museum is dedicated to the exhibition and interpretation of folk art and it is a violation of its principles to be involved in or to appear to be involved in the sale of works of art. For this reason, the Museum will not knowingly accept advertisements for Folk Art that illustrate or describe objects that have been exhibited at the Museum within one year of placing an advertisement.

REUBEN MOULTHROP: ARTIST IN PAINTING AND WAXWORKS Stacy C.Hollander

36

CHAIRS Hosea Hayden: Homilies to Sit Upon,Angie Mills The Thrones and Chairs Leroy Person Made,Everett Mayo Adelman Southern Comfort: The Chairs of Richard Dial, Kathleen A. Connors

42

THE PAINTINGS OF HENRY & ELIZABETH LAPP Daniel J. McCauley 111

53

DEPARTMENTS

EDITOR'S COLUMN

8

DIRECTOR'S LETTER

11

FALL ANTIQUES SHOW SPECIAL

19

MINIATURES

30

BOOK REVIEW

66

MUSEUM NEWS

68

FALL PROGRAMS

69

TRUSTEES/DONORS

70

TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS

77

MUSEUM REPRODUCTIONS PROGRAM

82

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

88

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 5

Lee and Thurston Nichols •917 Mosser Road, Breinigsville, PA 18031 • 215-395-2748

Specializing in 18th and 19th century American folk art

Nichols Antiques

_

JOEL AND KATE KOPP

AMERICA HURRAH 766 MADISON AVENUE NEW YORK NY 10021

Girl With A Rose

tel 212.535.1930 fax 212.249.9718

William Matthew Prior (1806-1873)

Oil on academy board, 16" x 12" Signed and dated on the back: W M PRIOR 1849

EDITOR'S

COLUMN

ROSEMARY GABRIEL

n the Spring issue of Folk Art, Gerry Wertkin announced that the Museum had received an anonymous gift of two early portraits (c. 1789)attributed to the Connecticut artist Reuben Moulthrop. These portraits, of James Blakeslee Reynolds and Mary Kimberly Thomas Reynolds, were part of the renowned Bertram K.and Nina Fletcher Little collection, and were purchased at a landmark sale at Sotheby's New York in January. The radiant Mary Reynolds beautifully graces the cover of this issue of Folk Art and I am delighted that we can share some of our excitement with you by presenting "Reuben Moulthrop: Artist in Painting and Waxwork," our lead story, by the Museum's curator, Stacy C. Hollander.

"Chairs," a three-part essay, treats the works of three distinctly different folk artists and three authors. These artists have taken a common object normally built for use, comfort, and perhaps superficial decoration and made it their medium for profound artistic expression. Featured are discussions of the extraordinary nineteenth-century folding tripod chairs of Hosea Hayden, by Angie Mills; the allegorical "comfort" chairs of the contemporary living artist Richard Dial, by Kathleen A. Connors; and the compelling,excruciatingly patterned thrones and chairs of Leroy Person, by Everett Mayo Adelman.

The Amish fumituremaker Henry Lapp lived his whole life—from 1862 to 1904—in Lancaster County and is best known for the beautiful objects he designed and built, and for the remarkable color-illustrated notebook, or "catalog," of his furniture that he left behind. Originally published in 1975 by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, under the title A Craftsman's Handbook: Henry Lapp,this notebook was republished in 1991 by Good Books, Intercourse, Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Daniel J. McCauley's essay "The Watercolors of Henry and Elizabeth Lapp" shows us another creative side of Henry Lapp,fumituremaker, introducing us to Henry Lapp, painter, and to his fellow watercolorist, his sister Lizzie.

McCauley gives us some insight into MeLAUGHLIN PLUM; Elizabeth Lapp; the lives of these siblings, who had 1573; watercolor on wove paper; hearing and speech impediments and x 4 1/1e; collection of Bob 5 Hamilton; signed and dated on reverse who, having never married, lived and worked together.

The Museum's Fall season opens with "Every Picture Tells a Story: Word and Image in American Folk Art," an exciting exhibition that explores the relationship between the written word and the visual image in folk art. Curator Stacy C. Hollander has chosen more than a hundred objects ranging from early seventeenth-century New England gravestones to late twentieth-century visionary works by artists such as Howard Finster. I hope you plan to visit this exhibition and take advantage of the many exciting free programs for adults and children scheduled in conjunction with it. See page 69 for dates and times. The sixteenth Opening Night Benefit Preview of the Fall Antiques Show at the Pier will take place on October 19; come celebrate with us. For more information, see our special Fall Antiques Show section starting on page 19.

I

FOLK ART

Rosemary Gabriel Editor and Publisher Johnson & Simpson Design and Typography Tanya Heinrich Production Editor Benjamin J. Boyington Copy Editor Marilyn Brechner Advertising Manager Craftsmen Litho Printers MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART Administration

Gerard C. Wertkin Director Karen S. Schuster Deputy Director for Planning and Administration Riccardo Salmona Deputy Director for External Relations Joan M. Walsh Controller Mary Ziegler Administrative Assistant Jeffrey Grand Senior Accountant Gregory 0. Williams Accountant Christopher Giuliano Mailroom and Reception Carlos E. Ubarri Mailroom and Reception Collections & Exhibitions

Stacy C. Hollander Curator Ann-Marie Reilly Registrar Judith Gluck Steinberg Assistant Registrarl Coordinator, Traveling Exhibitions Margaret Alison Eisendrath Weekend Gallery Manager Gina Bianco Consulting Conservator Elizabeth V. Warren Consulting Curator Howard Lanser Consulting Exhibition Designer Kenneth R. Bing Security Departments Beth Bergin Membership Director

Marie S. DiManno Director ofMuseum Shops Susan Flamm Public Relations Director Alice J. Hoffman Director ofLicensing Katie Cochran Director ofDevelopment Janey Fire Photographic Services Chris Cappiello Membership Associate Jennifer A. Waters Development Associate Maryann Warakomski Assistant Director ofLicensing Edith C. Wise Consulting Librarian Eugene P. Sheehy Museum Bibliographer Katya Ullmann Library Assistant Programs

Lee Kogan Director, Folk Art Institute, Senior Research Fellow Barbara W.Cate Educational Consultant Dr. Marilynn Karp Director, New York University Master's and Ph.D.Program in Folk Art Studies Dr. Judith Reiter Weissman Coordinator, New York University Program Arlene Hochman Coordinator, Docent Programs Howard P. Fertig Chairman,Friends Committee Museum Shop Staff Managers: Dorothy Gargiulo, Caroline Hohenrath, Rita Pollitt; Mail Order: Beverly McCarthy; Security: Bienvenido Medina; Volunteers: Marie Anderson, Claudia Andrade, Judy Baker, Marilyn Banks, Olive Bates, Catherine Barreto, Mary Campbell, Ann Coppinger, Sally Elfant, Sally Frank, Jennifer Gerber, Millie Gladstone, Elli Gordon,Inge Graff, Dale Gregory, Edith Gusoff, Ann Hannon, Bernice Hoffer, Elizabeth Howe, Annette Levande, Arleen Luden, Katie McAuliffe, Nancy Mayer,Theresa Naglack, Leslie Nini, Pat Pancer, Marie Peluso, Judy Rich, Frances Rojack, Phyllis Selnick, Myra Shaskan, Lola Silvergleid, Maxine Spiegel, Mary Wamsley, Marion Whitley, Helen Zimmerman Museum of American Folk Art Book and Gift Shops 62 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10112-1507 212/247-5611 Two Lincoln Square(Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th) New York, NY 10023-6214 212/496-2966

II FALL 1994 FOLK ART

FIDDLERS

Pair of exceptional polychrome wood carvings Found in New York State • height 11 inches • early 20th century

DAVID WHEATCROFT 220 East Main Street, Westborough, Massachusetts 01581 508-366-1723

DRUG GIST iogv?

111

1

Important Americana

around the corner at Sotheby:J. The renowned Bertram K. Little and Nina Fletcher Little Collection, Part II will be featured at Sotheby's upcoming sale.

AUCTION: October 21 Joseph Shoemaker Russell,

EXHIBITION:

and 22, 1994

Opens October 16, 1994

dated 1853, Mrs. Smith's Broad St. corner ofSpruce & Montgomery & Shinn's Store (Philadelphia),

Illustrated catalogues are available at our offices and galleries worldwide and through the mail. To order by phone, please call (800) 444-3709.

2

watercolor on paper, 8 X by 11 in. (21.5 by 28 cm.). Auction estimate: $6,000-8,000

INQUIRIES: Nancy Druckman

or Laura Evans at (212) 606-7225, Sotheby's, 1334 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021

8

a

SOTHEBY'S FOUNDED1744 THE

WORLD'S

LEADING

FINE

ART

AUCTION

HOUSE

BELLOWS Artist unknown Region unknown C. 1850 Painted wood, leather 17 x 6/4 x 2" Museum of American Folk Art, gift of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration, 74.7a

GERARD C. WERTK1N

bout three years ago, the Museum of American Folk Art became the proud custodian of the collections of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration (HSEAD).

As we reported to members and friends at the time, hundreds of splendid objects expressive of the traditions of painted decoration, as well as thousands of renderings, drawings, templates and other materials carefully docu menting these traditions, now enhance the Museum's permanent collection. Since then, a mutually supportive relationship between the Society and the Museum has developed. As Director of the Museum,I serve on the Society's Board of Advisors and meet regularly with its Trustees. I have also had the pleasure of addressing the Society's membership on an annual basis.

Recently I was delighted to meet with Beth Martin of Charlotte, North Carolina, the newly elected president of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration, and Alice Smith of Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, who acts as the Society's liaison with the Museum, and was pleased to learn that the Society had resolved to further strengthen its relationship with the Museum. As a result of this initiative, plans are now being made to publish an illustrated book devoted to the HSEAD's collection at the Museum, and other exciting collaborative ventures are being discussed. I could not be more pleased with these developments, and I look forward to working with the Society and its members in the months and years ahead.

Speaking of books,I am proud to announce the publication of Shared Threads: Quilting Together—Past and Present, by Jacqueline M. Atkins. Published by Viking Studio Books in association with the Museum of American Folk Art, this is a colorful history of quilts created by groups of women,often for charitable or other public-spirited causes. The author is well known to Museum members and friends as a former editor of this magazine and as the author or editor of various other books published by the Museum. Shared Threads is a fascinating account of an important subject and I urge you to reserve a copy for your library now. It is available at the Museum's book shops and by mail; for information, call Beverly McCarthy at 212/977-7170.

Shared Threads is the most recent of a long and distinguished list of volumes produced for the Museum and ably edited by Cyril I. Nelson, who for twenty years has served as a valued member of the Museum's Board of Trustees. Cy not only has seen to it that many of the Museum's exhibitions were documented in the outstanding books published under his editorship, but also has been a major donor to the Museum's permanent collection. I have always believed that one of the special qualities of the Museum of American Folk Art is the loyal support and caring of people like Cy Nelson. It is my privilege to thank him publicly for his critically important role in the history of the Museum over the last two decades.

There have been some important staff developments, which I am pleased to report. I have asked Karen S. Schuster, who has served with distinction in several important roles at the Museum,to assume the office of Deputy Director for Planning and Administration, with wide-ranging responsibility for Museum management. A new staff member,Riccardo Salmona, has been named Deputy Director for External Relations; he will assume responsibility for major fund-raising and related activities. Ricky has had a distinguished career in busi-

A

ONE-HALF SHEET WAITER Artist unknown Connecticut c. 1825 Painted tinplate 8 3/4 x 5 Museum of American Folk Art, gift of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration, 76.19.1

ness and the decorative arts and I am delighted to welcome him to the Museum. I will have more to report about the Museum's new organizational structure in a coming issue of Folk Art, but wished to take this early opportunity to congratulate both my colleagues on the assumption of their new responsibilities.

Recently in this column I wrote how impressed I continued to be about the success of the Museum's national outreach and the effectiveness of its public relations. Susan Flamm, who recently celebrated her fourteenth anniversary as the Museum's Public Relations Director, has compiled a one-hundred-page volume containing selected highlights of the Museum's press coverage for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1993. In Susan's capable hands, the Museum's public relations outreach has always been a highly regarded aspect of our programming, and this year is no exception. Indeed,I am proud to report that coverage has been exceptionally widespread and effective. My warm appreciation to Susan Flamm for this significant accomplishment.

The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Society in Maine recently celebrated its two-hundredth anniversary. As I have written previously, it was my relationship with the members of that community and my support of their efforts to maintain the traditions associated with their lovely village, which is a national historical landmark,that first brought me to the Museum of American Folk Art and to service on its staff. Since then the Shaker community and the Museum have joined hands in several partnerships, including a 1987 exhibition of photographs and furniture from the village. An academic conference commemorating this anniversary was held on the second weekend in July at the village and I was honored to serve as panel moderator. As happens almost always when I travel to events like this, members of our own Museum family were also present. It was a wonderful celebration and I am glad that the little Shaker village in Maine and the Museum of American Folk Art will continue to cooperate in the future.

I hope the summer has been a time of refreshment and relaxation for all of you. Fall promises to be an exciting season, and I look forward to seeing you at the Opening Night Benefit Preview of the Fall Antiques Show at the Pier and at the other Museum events planned for this time. My warm wishes and thanks to you all.

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 11

THE

AMES GALLERY nCla 2661 Cedar Street Berkeley, California 94708 Tel: 510/845-4949 Fax: 510/845-6219 • Bonnie Grossman,Director • We specialize in the works of contemporary naive, visionary, and outsider artists, and offer exceptional 19th & early 20th C. handmade objects, including carved canes, tramp art, quilts, and whimseys.

From our collection o memorrjars

AMERICAN

GALLERY

MARY BORKOWSKI'S pictures and quilts combine needlework and pieced fabrics to portray stories and images from her life. Dr. Robert Bishop's enthusiasm for her art helped place her work in numerous museum and private collections. We are pleased to represent her art.

AARNE ANTON

"THE DESPICABLE ALLERGY" 33 x 37 inches The rare allergy to anything cold struck me down at age twelve and all but ruined the future I had planned — but led to success in other fields.

12 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

596 Broadway Second Floor New York, NY 10012 (212) 966.1530

Untitled (street scene) c 1990 paint on paper 4272x 4272 inches

Purvis Young Books & Works on Paper September 10 - October 8, 1994 The Janet Fleisher Gallery represents the work of Purvis Young.

Janet Fleisher GALLERY 211 South 17th Street PHILADELPHIA 1 9 1 0 3 (215)545.7562/7589

Ginger Young Southern outsider art, pottery, and canes.

By appointment.

Works by more than four dozen artists, including: Georgia Blizzard Tubby Brown • Henry Ray Clark Patrick Davis• Brian Dowdall Howard Finster • Lonnie Holley James Harold Jennings • Anderson Johnson • Clyde Jones•Woodie Long • Jake McCord • R.A. Miller Roy Minshew • Sarah Rakes • Royal Robertson •Jimmie Lee Sudduth Mose Tolliver • George Williams Bull by Harold Rittenberty, metal with found objects, 16" long, 1993

Call or write for a free video catalogue or a complete price list: (new address) Ginger Young 5802 Brisbane Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Phone/Fax 919.932.6003

IMPORTANT CATALOGUE OF OUTSIDER ARTISTS 146 PAGES PLUS COVER, 32 COLOR PLATES, 90 HALFTONES.

beautifiel as well as scholarly publication... will be used as the standardfir years to come...

I truly admire what the University Art Museum has accomplished in Baking in the Sun.Ann Oppenheimer,President Folk Art Society of America

"informative, beautifully illustrated... makes a major contribution to our understanding ofsouthernfolk art and the artists who create these rich worlds."

William Ferris, Director Center for the Study of Southern Culture The University of Mississippi

BAKING IN THE SUN Visionary Images from the South

14 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

SEND $30 PLUS $3 HANDLING AND POSTAGE TO: UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM US!. DRAWER 42571, LAFAYETTE,IA. 70504 (318) 231-5326

Cargo FOLK AV Contemporary Folk Art • Haitian Spirit Flags Southern, Folk, and African-American Quilts

Roger Rice. The Evil Ruler. Oil on canvas, 36 x 24 inches, ca. 1988.

1992. "Jerusalem in Mississippi, Paintings by Roger Ricer Ferguson Gallery, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. One-man exhibition.

1993. "Unsigned, Unsung, Whereabouts Unknown." Florida State University Gallery and Museum.

Curated by Jim Roche. Seven paintings by Roger Rice included. Catalogue.

Roger Rice is listed in Sellen and Johanson, 20th Century American Folk, Self Taught, and Outsider Art. New York, London: Neal-Schuman, 1993.

Paintings by this exceptionally gifted African-American visionary artist will be hanging for the next two months.

2314 Sixth Street, Downtown, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401 • Home Phone 205-758-8884 Open weekends only and by appointment • Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 2 to 5 p.m.

STILL LIFE Peaches in a Compote Oil on canvas, 18"x14" Signed W.D. Chesnut, Sept.'55

AMERICAN ANTIQUES FOLK AND DECORATIVE ARTS

P. 0. Box 1653 Alexandria, Virginia 22313 (703) 329-8612

Hooked rug

Wool on burlap

Dated 1889- 33" x 61"

MARION ROBERTSHAW THE LAHASKA ANTIQUE COURTE • P.O. BOX

18 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

435 •

LAHASKA, PENNSYLVANIA 1893 I • TELEPHONE (215) 295.0648

Gaferie Bonheur Laurie Carmody Since 1980

International-ForkArt 9243 Clayton *)aci St. Louis, MO 63124

By Appointment(314)993-985'1

F.B. Archuleta Janet Munro Milton Bond Canute Caliste, Grenada Brian Dowdall R.A. Miller Mamie Deschillie Amos Ferguson, Bahamas Milton Fletcher Haitian Art & Masters Boscoe Holder, Trinidad Georges Llautaud, Haiti Justin McCarthy Mexican Artifacts Rafael Maria, Dominican Rep.

Antoine Oleyant, Haiti B.F. Perkins Katarzyna Gawlowa, Poland Juanita Rogers Jack Savitsky Lorenzo Scott Jose Antonio da Silva, Brazil Jimmy Lee Sudduth Horacio Valdez Voodoo Flags & Bottles Fred Webster Malcah Zeldis Woodie Long Sybil Gibson (and, many others)

Sully Obin Cap Haitian, Haiti circa 1970 24"X 36"

ANTON HAARDT GALLERY 1220 SOUTH HULL STREET• MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA 36104•(205) 263-5494 •(504) 897-1172

JUANITA ROGERS / Bowling / 11" X 17"

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANTON HAARDT

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 17

THE SPOT FOR FOLK ART...AND MORE Christie's fall auction will be held on Friday, October 21 in our galleries at 502 Park Avenue,NewYork,NewYork 10022.

For inquiries regarding this sale, please contact Christie's American Decorative Arts Department at 212 546 1181.To order catalogue #7980F, please call 800 395 6300.

A pair of carved and painted Dalmatians. Pennsylvania, dated 1880.

Pre-sale estimate: S10,000-15,000. Sold for $112,500 in the sale of The Collection ofMr.and Mrs. George W Scott,Jr., including Ainerican Folk Art, Furniture,Prints, Rugs and Decorative Arts, held in Lancaster,Pennsylvaniajune 1994.

Priuripal auctioneer: Christopher Burge #761543

CHRISTIE'S

FALL*ANTIQUES*SHOW

SANFORD L. SMITH'S FALL ANTIQUES SHOW AT THE PIER TURNS SWEET SIXTEEN

WITH THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART AT THE

BENEFIT PREVIEW

he

sixteenth annual Opening Night Benefit Preview of the

Fall Antiques Show at the Pier will take place on Wednesday, October 19, 1994, at the Passenger Terminal, Pier 92, Berths 5 and 6, at 52nd Street and the Hudson River. There will be a cocktail reception from 5:30 P.M. until 9:00 P.M.; the show will remain open until 9:30 P.M. This year's preview invitation, design courtesy of graphic designer Ellen Blissman and printing generously donated by Christie's, features the painting Situation of America, 1848, which sets the theme for the gala evening.

Guests will be greeted at the door by the sonorous sounds of banjo and ballad, the music of nineteenth-

century America reverberating throughout the pier. Parading down the aisles, already overflowing with a spectacular display of American antiques, will be a majestic array of historical and contemporary American flags. Guests will enjoy sampling hors d'oeuvres representing the cuisine of different regions of the United States, catered by Gracious Thyme and accompanied by wine and liquor generously donated by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. The Benefit Committee is happy to announce that Country Living magazine will be joining the festivities this year as Corporate Benefactor. Wendy Lehman Lash is this year's Benefit Chairman; Vincent A. Mai,President and CEO of AEA Investors Inc., is Corporate Chairman; and Lucy C. Danziger and Cynthia V.A. Schaffner are Advisory Chairmen.

Preview tickets are priced at $750 for

Benefactors, $500 ($525 at the door) for Patrons, $250 ($275 at the door) for Donors, $150 ($175 at the door) for Supporters, and $50 ($75 at the door) for Juniors. Proceeds benefit the Museum of American Folk Art's exhibition and educational programs. To make reservations, contact Jennifer Waters at 212/977-7170.

SITUATION OF AMERICA 1848.

SITUATION OF AMERICA, 1848 Artist unknown; New York; 1848; oil on wood overmantel; 34

57"

Promised gift of Ralph 0. Esmerian

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 18

MANHATTAN ART &ANTIQUES CENTER The Nation's Largest and Finest Antiques Center.

Over 100 galleries offering Period Furniture, Jewelry, Silver, Americana, Orientalia, Africana and other Objets d'Art. Open Daily 10:30-6, Sun. 12-6 Convenient Parking • Open to the Public

1050 SECOND AVENUE(AT 56TH ST.) NEW YORK, N.Y.

Tel: 212-355-4400 • Fax: 212-355-4403 PRESENTS

Museum Book Booth he Museum will again have its well-stocked book booth at the Fall Antiques Show. Remember that your membership entitles you to a 10% discount on all purchases at the Museum's book booth.

Featured this fall will be a beautiful new book from York Graphic Services, Inc.: The Gift is Small, the Love is Great: Pennsylvania German Small Presentation Frakturs. Pastor

LAURA FISHER

Frederick Weiser, an eminent scholar in this field, focuses on

GALLERY #84

this unexplored aspect of fraktur art in 115 examples beautifully reproduced in full color. Keep this lovely book in mind for your holiday gift giving.

BOWTIE FOUR PATCH FRIENDSHIP QUILT, Amish, Holmes County, Ohio c. 1930, with many blocks initialed.

ePos ,§Sev

Antique Quilts Hooked Rugs Coverlets Paisley Shawls Beacon Blankets Vintage Accessories American Folk Art

11112, 41inev4„,-

g

JOHN ADAM EYER

Monday—Saturday 11 AM-6 PM

Tel: 212-838-2596

Hamilton Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania; 1819 Watercolor on paper 4 7/s x 2 Vs"; private collection

20 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

F

A

LL

*

A

N

TIQUES

WALTERS • BENISEK ART S. ANTIQUES ONE AMBER LANE • NORTHAMPTON • MASSACHUSETTS •01060 ( 4 1 3) 5 8 6 • 3 9 0 9 - ( 2 1 9 ) 5 3 3 • 9 4 1 6 BENISEK WALTERS • MARY DON

RARE FACE VESSEL/HARVEST JUG Clay City, Indiana, Circa 1870. with traces of polychromed surface. Height: 12 1/2". stoneware Salt-glazed

*SHOW

* American Folk Art

226 West 21st Street, New York, N.Y. 10011 (212) 929-8769 Appointment Suggested

Sidney Gecker

_.

. .,,.

— --.

6 -

,

dostro. .•

IT-

';iir ' A

.

;

k _ iis, Nit mak

N •

a

A A044iAlk A

*via

AWAVAINA

.

IF

4 3. 1 14 1

is

,A .44fit‘ 4 .

104t .. lAiiiAliA mkt

RARE FOLK WATERCOLOR OF THE CAMP OF VARNERS BATTALION AT ALGIERS,LA.

By R. Kleist, ca. 1868. Watercolor and ink on paper, in an old, possibly original carved frame; 10" x 161/2". Signed lower right. Lt. Sampson E. Varner was an officer of the 56th regiment. The regiment moved to New Orleans to guard the city in late 1864. Varner was the commanding officer of the battalion stationed at Algiers, La., which was directly across the Mississippi River from New Orleans.

Folk Art Explorers' Club Tour to Van Cortlandt Manor September 21, 1994

l'r

'tive carved and painted rooster, c. 1880, Maine.

One of a collection of carvings and weathervanes that we will he exhibiting at the Fall Antiques Show.

e'llierAt -g.SPLENDID PEASANTE AMERICAN FOLK ART Martin & Kitty Jacobs Rt. 23, South Fgri. t. Massachusetts 01258 413-528-5755

22 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Enjoy an authentic 18th-century style dinner in the gardens of Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. Traveling from New York City by motorcoach, our group will have a guided tour of this beautiful house on the banks of the Croton River, followed by a dinner cooked according to authentic Van Cortlandt family recipes and served by waiters in period clothing. The tour will also include a visit to the home of a Museum Trustee.

Cost: $85.00 For further information, call the Museum of American Folk Art Membership Office at 212/977-7170.

E

DOUBLE

ALL

*ANTIQUES

*SHO

W

GALLERY

•AMERICAN FOLK ART/VINTAGE DESIGN• Post Office Box 41645 Los Angeles, CA 90041-0645 "ADAM AND EVE"

By Arshag Amerkhanian Oil on Board, 1968 27" x 37" L We will be exhibiting at The Fall Antiques Show October 19-23, NYC Callfor more information on the artist.

By appointment only: (310) 652-5990 We Specialize in Unusual American Folk Art Photo: Susan Einstein

Harvey Antiques • 1231 Chicago Avenue • Evanston, Illinois 60202 • 708-866-6766

FALL 1994 FOLK ART

23

Pieced and broderie perse quilt.

Circa 1830.

Virginia origin.

STELLA

RUBIN Fine Antique Quilts and Decorative Arts

12300 Glen Road Potomac, MD 20854 (Near Washington, D.C.) By appointment (301)948-4187

mama anderson new

Lady from Fall River, Mass. Painted by a member of the Prior/Hamblin School.

Mid 19th century. 18" x 14".

Original grain painted frame.

24 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

paltz • new

york

(914) 255-1132

F

A

L

*

A

N

T

IQ

U

E

S

S

H

0

IN

MAR!ON HARIUS WOODHAVEN, SIMSBURY, CONN. 06070 11231 203-658-9333

FAMILY FOUND THE LIFETIME OBSESSION OF A SELF-TAUGHT ARTIST The significant art world find of the sculptures and photographs of Morton Bartlett will be offered for sale at Sanford Smith's Fall Antiques Show in October in New York.

Undiscovered for thirty years, this remarkable collection evoking Degas, Henry Darger and Lewis Carroll, will be fully exhibited for the first time. An accompanying four colour catalogue will address the art-historical parallels and psychological issues this complex and compelling body of work clearly presents.

With a foreword by international art critic Bill Hopkins, particularly known in the Outsider art world for his travels to France with Scottie Wilson and their meetings in Paris with Dubuffet and Picasso, the catalogue, as well as the work itself, will offer a lively, lasting and scholarly contribution to the field.

Four colour catalogue—$25.00, $28.00 by mail. Please call, write or fax to order.

Marion Harris, Woodhaven, Simsbury CT 06070. Tel: 201658-9333. Fax: 201658-9333.

a 3ito 41 ite) *0 11

11

41 Lavender silk quilted bed cover, France circa 1830

11 11 AFRICAN-AMERICAN QUILT. CIRCA 1930.

64" x 84" ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

Kathryn Berenson Quilts French & American Quilted Needlework Washington, D.C.• 301/718-0570 Exhibiting at the 16th Annual Fall Antiques Show at the Pier

GEMINI ANTIQUES LTD.

LINDA CHEVERTON ART & ANTIQUES BOX 53, COLEBROOK, CONNECTICUT 06021 (203) 379-5345

26 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

SPECIALIZING IN ANTIQUE TOYS & BANKS FOLK ART & AMERICANA STEVEN & LEON WEISS 927 MADISON AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10021 (212) 734-3681

F

VS,

kW

Sanfird Smith's

ALL

*ANTIQUE

S

*SHOW

•

16th Annual

FALL ANTIQUES SHOW at the Pier The most important American Antiques Show in the country,featuring 100 distinguished

October 20 to 23rd, 1994 in New York City Thursday &Friday 11-9pm

dealersfrom 16states, exhibiting a complete range of American Antiques,

Saturday 11-8pm Sunday 11-6pm PASSENGER PIER 92 Berths 5 &6 West52nd Street&the

Folk Art, Country

Hudson River in New York City

Furniture, Quilts, Preview:October 19th Pottery and Fine Art.

5:30-9pm $150 to benefit TheMuseumafAmericanFolkArt ($100 is tax deductible) Info:(212)977-7170 Sponsored by: Country Living magazine

SANFORD L. SMITH dr ASSOCIATES LTD. 68 EAST 7TH STREET, NYC 10003 TEL.(212) 777-5218 FAX (212) 477-6490

October 15, 1994 - November 7, 1994

Jay Schuette "Five Miles To Nowhere" A collection of paintings depicting remembered and imagined tales of the Indiana Pioneers.

Main Street gallery Contemporary Folk Art

"The Ugly Twin"

Acrylic on Wood 20" x 18"

641 Main Street Clayton, GA 30525 706-782-2440

THE MODERN PRIMITIVE GALLERY PRESENTS BRUCE BURRIS November 4 - December 1 LEROY ALMON,SR. LEROY ARCHULETA RICHARD BURNSIDE PRIS BUTTLER ARCHIE BYRON MINNIE EVANS HOWARD FINSTER VICTOR JOSEPH GATTO SYBIL GIBSON BERTHA HALAZON JOE HARDIN LONNIE HOLLEY S. L. JONES CHARLEY KINNEY ROLAND KNOX JAKE MCCORD ANTHONY MILELLA

R. A. MILLER MISTER EDDY JUSTIN MCCARTHY VALTON MURRAY J. B. MURRY JEFF PAYNE B. F. PERKINS 0. L. SAMUELS LORENZO SCOTT BERNICE SIMS ST. EOM JIM SUDDUTH MOSE TOLLIVER SARAH MARY TAYLOR KNOX WILKINSON PURVIS YOUNG KURT ZIMMERMAN

Bruce Burris, Our National Theater

1402-4 North Highland Avenue • Atlanta, GA 30306(404)892-0556

28 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Leroy Almon Chuck Crosby Lonnie Holley Clementine Hunter James Harold Jennings Annie Lucas Charlie Lucas B.F. Perkins Sarah Rakes Juanita Rogers Bernice Sims Jimmie Lee Sudduth Annie Tolliver Charles Tolliver Mose Tolliver Bill Traylor Myrtice West Willie White

wikisa4ie

‘.•06.1,“„.„,•••••*""Or" •••-WOODIE LONG,"Red Homemade Dresses" Acrylic on Paper - 18" x 24"

MARCIA WEBER / ART OBJECTS,INC. 3218 LEXINGTON ROAD•MONTGOMERY,ALABAMA 36106 205 262-5349

FAX 205 288-4042

BY APPOINTMENT

CLYDE ANGEL H 161-IWAY WANDERER

THE PARDEE COLLECTION MIDWESTERN FOLK & OUTSIDER ART P.O. BOX 2926, IOWA CITY, IA 52244 SHERRY PARDEE 319-337-2500

also representing

3 Legged Cat Skeleton

Anthony Yoder

Rollin Knapp

Emitte Hych

Paul Esparza

Allen Eberle

Oliver Williams

Paul Hein

& others

22" x 26"

FALL 1994 FOLK ART

29

MINI

A

T

UR

ES

STEVE ARMSTRONG AUTOMATA

COMPILED BY TANYA HEINRICH

Anniversary Tinware The Connecticut chapter of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration,Inc. (HSEAD), will host the Society's biannual conference and exhibition on October 1 and 2 at the Farmington Marriott Hotel in Farmington, Conn. A display of anniversary tinware, handpainted and stenciled Connecticut tin, glass, and other decorated early objects will be featured at the meeting.

Anniversary tinware, a uniquely American folk custom, consisted of tin novelties given as gifts to a couple celebrating their tenth (or "tin") anniversary.

To make tinware, tinsmiths used simple tools to snip patterns from sheets of tin, which were then soldered

THE UNINVITED GUEST. 1993 Carved and painted wood, wooden gear mechansm 31 x 27 x 22 inches

together, hammered,and crimped. Common items include articles of clothing and adornment, such as hats, shoes, and jewelry, and elaborate table decorations like baskets of fruit, salt and pepper shakers, and outsize eating utensils. Many were merely tokens poking fun at personal interests, and very few were truly functional objects.

The Society's exhibit consists of some of the 80 pieces of whimsical tinware presented to Burdett and Lucretia Loomis on their tenth wedding anniversary in 1869,from the collection of the Suffield Historical Society.

Exhibition hours will be 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. on October 1 and 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. on October 2. The public is invited and admission is free. For more information, call 203/521-4021.

ANNIVERSARY TINWARE (Presented to Burdett and Lucretia Loomis) Farmington, Connecticut c. 1869 Collection of Suffield Historical Society

ZIRKUS 1994 11 x 15 x 9 inches

DEVIL BOX, 1994 13x 12x 13 inches

Gallery Hours Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 - 3 p.m.and by appointment.

HEIKE PICKETT GALLERY 522 West Short Street • Lexington, KY 40507•(606)233-1263

30 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Folk Art Society Conference The Folk Art Society of America will hold its Seventh Annual Conference in Santa Fe, N.Mex., from September 23 to September 25. Chaired by Chuck and Jan Rosenak, the conference will feature a symposium,a book fair, collection tours, open houses, guided museum tours, dealers' booths, a gala dinner, live and silent auctions, and an

RICCO/MARESCA Bill Traylor Traveling Exhibiton "Lively Times and Exciting Events: The Drawings of Bill Traylor" will open at The Cummer Gallery of Art in Jacksonville, Fla., on October 10 and remain on display through November 27. Organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Montgomery, Ala., and curated by Eileen Knott, this traveling exhibition features 29 works from the museum's significant collection, representing a striking survey of Traylor's subjects and techniques from 1939 to 1942.

Using discarded cardboard, a straight edge stick, pencils, and later paint, Traylor carefully placed geometric shapes with added contours to create sharp, stylized silhouettes of his farm experiences and his observations of the city. The exhibition will travel to the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center in Madison, Ga., from December 12, 1994, to January 27, 1995, before being moved to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, for its final venue,from February 4 through March 5, 1995. An illustrated 40page catalog accompanies the exhibition, and is available for $12.50 at the Museum of

excursion to Taos. In addition, the exhibition "Elijah Pierce: Woodcarver" will be on display at the Museum of International Folk Art and the exhibition "Diversity of Expression: New Mexico Folk Art" will be on display at the State Capitol. For more information, call 804/285-4532.

frit FIGURES, CONSTRUCTION; Bill Traylor; Montgomery, Alabama; c. 1940-1942; watercolor and pencil on cardboard; 13 1/1e x 7 3/is"; collection of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, gift of Charles and Eugenia Shannon

design installation onservation,

American Folk Art Book and Gift Shops. For more information, call the Cummer Gallery at 904/356-6857 or the Montgomery Museum at 205/244-5700.

James Collection In Alabama "Southern Outsider, Visionary, and Folk Art from the Collection of Dr. Everette James, Jr.," an exhibition of paintings, drawings, and sculptures selected from the extensive collection created by Dr. James, a native of North Carolina, opens at The Fine Arts Museum of the South in Mobile, Ala., on September 16 and continues through November 13. The 101 objects selected by director Joseph B. Schenk and curator Paul W.Richelson for the exhibition offer a balanced overview of established and lesser-known folk artists active in the South over approximately the last 15 years. For information, call 205/343-2667.

RIVATE ND CORPORATE

152 WOOSTER STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10012.

212 780.0071 (FAX) 212.780.0076

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 31

MINIATURES

VESTIE DAVIS (1903-1978) f

Kentucky Folk Art

7 1 .

17

irr

arg

"

; 11 °re' Aki".•i,

0 1.1fri _MI 10110

_

Coney Island -Swimming Pool(1961) Oil on board, 12"x16".

EPSTEIN/POWELL Jesse Aaron David Butler Rex Clawson Vestie Davis Mr. Eddy Roy Ferdinand Victor Joseph Gatto (estate) Lonnie Holley S.L. Jones Lawrence Lebduska Charlie Lucas Justin McCarthy Old Ironsides Pry Popeye Reed Max Romain Jack Savitsky Clarence Stringfield Mose Tolliver Chief Willey George Williams Luster Willis ...among others EPSTEIN/POWELL 22 Wooster St., New York, N.Y. 10013

By Appointment(212)226-7316

32 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

"Generations of Kentucky: An Exhibition of Folk Art with Photographs by Guy Mendes," a nationally touring exhibition featuring works by groups of families residing in eastern Kentucky counties, will open September 9 at the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation in Louisville and will be on view through October 28.

The exhibition will examine the aesthetic of the individuals, their family influences, the transmission of skills, and the dynamics of their communities. Featured will be the work of the families of Minnie and Garland Adkins; Lillian and Linvel Barker; Minnie Black and Ruth Mitchell; Ronald, Jessie, Calvin, Tim,and Ruthie Cooper; Charley, Noah, and Hazel Kinney; Tim,Junior, and Leroy Lewis; Lonnie and

- A-

If

r•

Air, ' fi

$iA::1-.12,Llia HOUSE DANCE; Charley Kinney; Vanceburg, Kentucky; 1988; stove polish, tempera, and charcoal on paper; 22 28 1/2"; private collection

Twyla Money; and Edgar and Donny Tolson and Earnest Patton. Portraits of the artists by photographer Guy Mendes document the traditions and culture of these folk artist families and illustrate the artists' continual identity as strong symbols of the community and heritage.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog with essays by Julie Ardery and Tom Patterson.

For more information, call 502/589-0102.

Sign Boards and Coffins "Hair Style Boards and Fantasy Coffins from Africa" will be at the Center for the Arts at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, Calif., from September 6 through October 23. Curated by John Turner, this exhibition of folk art forms most common to West Africa will feature about 50 sign paintings and a selection of five elaborately carved coffins. Hair style boards are barbershop trade signs painted on wood, metal, and fabric to advertise haircuts and braiding styles. The sign painters, mostly young men and often the proprietors themselves,

are essentially self-taught, but they teach themselves to imitate the conventional subjects and styles of the genre, which is visually loud and mimics attentiongetting Western advertising. The fantasy coffins are a critical feature of the Ghanaian wake and funeral and are carefully crafted from lightweight wawa wood and wildly adorned with such objects as cars, corn cobs, houses, and fish to represent the profession, interests, and dreams of the deceased. For more information, call 415/978-2710.

BARBER SHOP SIGN Artist unknown Burkina Faso c. 1980s Oil on board Courtesy Center for the Arts at Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California

MALLARD HEN AND DRAKE Charles Perdew; Henry, Illinois; c. 1945; oil on pine; 6 1/2 16 6"; Illinois River Decoy Collection; Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences, Peoria, Illinois

Folk Art of Illinois The Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences in Peoria, Ill., has opened a permanent gallery devoted to the folk art of Illinois.

The Illinois Folk Art Gallery, which opened in October 1993, features decoys,carvings, paintings, quilts, and iron work pulled mostly from the collection of Merle H. Glick. Folk art in Illinois began in earnest in the 1840s after the initial problems of settling had been solved and leisure time became available.

Central to the collection are duck decoys from the Illinois River Valley from the 1870s to the early 1950s,including those of Charlie and Edna Perdew of Henry, Ill. The Perdews created thousands of finely rendered duck decoys and hand-crafted crow calls and crow decoys over a 60-year period.

Illinois River decoys are distinctive in their rounded bodies, Vshaped bottoms with lead strip weights,finely carved heads, and colorful painting. When lighter and less expensive plastic, fiber-

glass, cork, and paper decoys became available in the 1950s, demand for the hand-carved birds ceased.

Also on display are paintings

by Olof ICrans and obscure and eccentric Illinois folk artist Alfred Montgomery, whose most popular subject was corn.

Montgomery,an untrained artist who was born in Lincoln in 1857,employed a trompe l'ceil method of layering the oil paint on the surface of the corn kernels so that they appeared to be real.

Krans lived in the Bishop Hill utopian colony in northwestern Illinois, a religious communal village settled by Swedes. His memorable paintings depict scenes of colony life and portraits of Bishop Hill's inhabitants around the turn of the century.

For more information, call 309/686-7000.

CALIFORNIA Hooked rug Molly Nye Tobey Barrington, RI C. 1950s Wool and burlap 40 s 72 1/2' Collection of Shelburne Museum, gift of Jonathan, Joshua, and Joel Nye Tobey

"Have A Happy Heart of Country New Year!"

Hooked Rugs of the Fifty States The Shelburne Museum's Hat and Fragrance Textile Gallery is featuring an exhibition of 50 hand-hooked rugs through October 23. These rugs, which incorporate motifs from each state's history, were created by Rhode Island textile designer and artist Molly Nye Tobey (1893-1984). The colorful exhi-

bition includes a photo essay on the artist's life and career, additional hooked rugs and accessories, watercolors, rug patterns, and other works of art created by Tobey during 75 years of artistic activity. For more information, call 802/985-3346.

FREE brochure: Richard E. Kramer & Assoc.

800/ 862-1090

Wrap up your holidays with the perfect gift as you tie a big red bow around America's favorite antique show! Join in the fun of a very special Preview Party, Wednesday, January 4, and see Opryland in its eye-popping festive attire. It's a once-in-a millenium Heart of Country Extravaganza.

Come and be dazzled!

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 33

MINIATURES

MAHVASH

Living in a miniature doll house. I play house as I paint my own sweet reality of a woman,a man,a child, and two cats...I am only a traveler passing through

WE ARE QUITE PLEASED WITH LIFE BUT OUR CAT HAS THE BLUES Acrylic on Canvas 40" x 52"

MAHVASH STUDIO 68 Canyon Ridge • Irvine, CA 92715 Telephone (714) 854-0747 Call for Studio Appointment or Artist Catalog

34 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Patio Arte A collection of patio arte, or handkerchief art, a Southwestern folk art tradition that originated among incarcerated Chicanos and Latinos, is on permanent display at the Hourglass Gallery, a nonprofit organization located in the barrio of Albuquerque, N.Mex. Under the direction of Rudy Padilla, the gallery houses 500 pieces ofpato arte and other prison-made art and is dedicated to serving at-risk youth by providing a venue for educational presentations on cultural heritage and art. Pano arte was first recognized in the 1980s by a chaplain in a Texas County jail who gave the unique medium its first official notice and exhibition. The prisoners, using the most rudimentary of supplies, maintain a physical and emotional link with their families and loved ones in the outside world through this artistic activity.

By using religious images and cultural symbols, social messages and personal fantasies are rendered on prison-issued hand-

LINDA RONSTADT; Walter R. Baca (1948-1993); Albuquerque, New Mexico; 1991; ink on cloth (Indio); 16 16'; collection of Hourglass Gallery

kerchiefs with ballpoint pens, colored and black pencils, melted crayon shavings, a paste made of coffee grounds, and a homemade black dye made of soot, ash, and soap. Inmates with a less restricted status have access to acrylic paint, pastels, watercolors, and markers. The patios are part of a larger visual arts tradition in rural and urban Latino communities that includes tattoos, murals, graffiti, and car painting. For more information, call 505/873-7758.

Boftlecap Sculpture The exhibition "Crowning Achievements: The Crimped and Cutting Edge in Bottlecap Sculpture," presented by In'tuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, will open September 30 in Chicago.

Bottlecaps have provided the raw material for a quintessential 20thcentury art form as creators ranging from unknown Boy Scouts to Chicago's Mr. Imagination have strung and pounded thousands of caps into figures, baskets, chains, totems, and other sculptures in which whimsy is fundamental and functionality optional. The

works of these creators and others, contemporary and anonymous, will be included in this In'tuit survey curated by Aron Packer and Bill Swislow. The show will feature the work of Iowans Clarence and Grace Woolsey, whose menagerie of figures, buildings, and other objects constitute a recent folk art find. For the show's location and other information, call 312/759-1406, or write to In'tuit, P.O. Box 10040, Chicago,IL 60610.

The first definitive book of Alabama's visionary folk art

uom.P.:144thasia

ta..

Lary',no..sts =ha butP.M.

diiii.ajwi dcrittoor.

Americana in George The Georgia Museum of Art in Athens will be presenting an exhibition of traditional American folk art from September 24 through November 13. "Americana: Folk Art Traditions" includes cross-stitch samplers, weathervanes, theorem paintings, carousel animals, decoys, and other handmade objects. The aim of the exhibit's organizers is to continue the inquiry into the nature of folk art and the traditions that inform it.

This colorful and diverse collection, which is on loan from Gerald T. Horton, contains approximately 70 unique objects

REVE LAT I 0

VERSES ACCOMPANYING A NOSEGAY; sampler; Clarissa H.

S

Slingluff; 1828; silk thread on fabric; 12 1/4 x 16 1/2"; collection of Gerald T. Horton

produced during the late 18th to mid-20th centuries and gives particular attention to decoys and to samplers executed by girls and young women in the early 19th century. The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated checklist with an essay by curator Patricia Phagan. For more information, call 706/542-3255.

Alabama's Visionary Folk Artists Text by Kathy Kemp • Photographs by Keith Boyer Introduction by Gail Trechsel

William Roseman (1891-1994) Bill Roseman, painter of genre and biblical scenes, as well as antiwar subjects, died at his home of natural causes on July 9. He was 103. The artist is best known for his painting The Champion, which was recently on view in the exhibition "TwentiethCentury Self-Taught Artists From the Mid-Atlantic Region" at the Noyes Museum in Oceanville, N.J. Roseman was also a songwriter.

Born in New York City, Roseman graduated from Hebrew Technical Institute with an education in vocational training. He worked in industry for many years and at one point was the foreman for American Machine and Foundry's Brooklyn division.

In 1924, he began teaching industrial and applied arts in New York City's high schools; he retired from Brooklyn's Midwood High School in 1957.

He attended painting workshops at the Brooklyn Museum Art School and at various senior citizen centers. Gene Epstein, a pri-

Featuring: Thornton Dial • Lonnie Holley• Bill Traylor* Mose Tolliver• Fred Webster • Myrtice West• Howard Finster• Jimmy Lee Sudduth • Woodie Long...and more

labama is increasingly viewed as an active center of visionary folk A art (also known as outsider or self-taught art), producing a high volume of exceptional artists and works.

vate folk art dealer, discovered Mr. Roseman's talent at the Dorchester Senior Center.

Roseman favored oil and, later in his life, acrylics on canvas or canvas board for his estimated 300 paintings. He worked from 8 to 10 hours almost daily from 1957 until 1992, when his strength began to fail. His paintings have been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum,the Jewish Museum,Epstein/Powell, the Jay Johnson Gallery, the International Art exchange, and AADA Arts Gallery. Both of Roseman's sons became artists. He is survived by one son, David Raymond,and a grandchild, Fran.

—Lee Kogan

Revelations, the first definitive volume covering Alabama's key -visionary folk artists, presents these exciting works and their creators in a beautiful full-color hardbound edition worthy of the finest collection.

•10 / 1 2"x 10"/ 224 pages! hardcover /full color gloss varnish jacket • Over 100 full-color reproductions of Alabama's most important works of visionary folk art • Profiles of each artist with quality black-and-white portrait photos •Introduction by Gail Trechsel of the Birmingham Museum of Art •Also available in bookstores, galleries, and museum shops To order, simply fill out the order form below and mail with your payment or credit card number.

ORDER FORM Revelations

Please send me copies of at $60 plus $4.50 shipping and handling per book. Alabama residents add $2.80 sales tax.

Name Address City Zip Phone State (If no Wert address is available for UPS delisery, please add $2,o your slopping and handling charge to ensure parcel post delivery.)

LICheck or money order enclosed, payable to Crane Hill Publishers CI MasterCard expiration date

U VISA account # authorized signature

Mail to: Crane Hill Publishers 2923 Crescent Ave. Birmingham AL 35209

(800)841,2682

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 35

of the most significant collections of early New England painting, sculpture, and decorative arts was assembled over a period of more than fifty years by Bertram K. and Nina Fletcher Little. From 1925—soon after they were married—until their deaths last year, the Littles applied an impressive intelligence to their antiquarian interests, creating a collection of early New England arts renowned for its quality and depth. Nina Fletcher

0ne Reuben Moulthrop Artist in Painting and Waxworks STACY C. HOLLANDER

36 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Little made another, perhaps even more important, contribution through the careful scholarship and documentation that attended each purchase and through her extensive writings on related topics. In January 1994 the first part of the Little collection was offered in a landmark sale at Sotheby's New York, generating tremendous excitement in the folk art field. As the delighted recipient of an anonymous gift of a pair of important eighteenth-century portraits that were featured in the sale, the Museum of American Folk Art had particular

MARY KIMBERLY THOMAS REYNOLDS (1754-1833) c. 1789 Oil on canvas 45 36" Museum of American Folk Art, New York, anonymous gift

JAMES BLAKESLEE REYNOLDS (1754-1834) c. 1789 Oil on canvas 45 • 36 Museum of American Folk Art, New York, anonymous gift

reason to be gratified by the aftermath of the auction. The portraits of James Blakeslee Reynolds and Mary Kimberly Thomas Reynolds first came to the attention of Bertram and Nina Little in the 1940s, and have appeared in the public eye from time to time since. These portraits descended in the family of the sitters and were purchased by the Littles years after the collectors first learned of the paintings.

In the chronicle of their collecting history, Little by Little: Six Decades of Collecting American

Decorative Arts, Nina Fletcher Little attributed the portraits of the Reynoldses to an early Connecticut painter named Reuben Moulthrop.

The radiant faces of the couple are the focal point of these imposing works. The poses of the three-quarterlength figures, derived from academic sources, are treated in a decorative format that is especially effective in the flowered fabric of Mrs. Reynolds's dress, the pot of flowers, and interior details. This decorative quality is enhanced rather than diminished by the almost shimmery,

silvery surface of the paintings that is the result of the network of fine cracks that seems to refract light bouncing off the images. The dignified figures communicate a palpable sense of pride, understandable in the wake of the War for Independence.

Fascinating for the insights they offer into the material trappings of the newly independent nation, these paintings also lead to a reopening of the inquiry into the puzzling attributions of works to Reuben Moulthrop, a talented portraitist to whom many Connecticut portraits of varying

This decorative quality is enhanced rather than diminished by the almost shimmery, silvery surface of the paintings... quality and technique have often been attributed in the past.

Moulthrop was best known in his day for his traveling waxworks exhibitions. He has been the subject of some debate since art historian William Sawitzky first began a serious consideration of his work in the 1930s. Following Sawitzky's death, the study of Moulthrop's paintings was continued by his wife, Susan Clay Sawitzky, resulting in an exhibition at The Connecticut Historical Society from November 1956 through February 1957. Almost thirty paintings were included in the exhibition, many of them new attributions made by William Sawitzky.

Shortly after Sawitzky's death, fifteen more attributions were made by his wife, bringing the total of paintings by or attributed to Reuben Moulthrop to near forty-five. It was particularly appropriate for The Connecticut Historical Society to host the only comprehensive examination of works attributed to Reuben Moulthrop as the Society's first librarian, the Reverend Thomas Robbins, left the Society not only his own extensive library, but his portrait painted and signed by Moulthrop in 1801, as well as written documentation of Moulthrop's artistic activities recorded in the pages of

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 37

a diary that the Reverend Robbins kept from 1796 to 1864.

The exhibition created a great deal of controversy, and the ensuing discussions were carried on in the pages of The Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin. The first response came from Ralph Thomas, then curator of the New Haven Colony Historical Society. Although he had difficulty accepting many of the paintings as the work of Moulthrop, after explaining his hesitation he allowed the correctness of the attributions and congratulated the

In the same advertisement, Moulthrop offered miniature and portrait painting, as well as likenesses taken in wax Sawitzkys on their visual acuity.' It took the courage of Professor Samuel M.Green II, with many apologies for his temerity, to challenge and reject several of the attributions.' The effect of these rejections was twofold: First, two of the paintings mistakenly attributed to Moulthrop were found to be the work of an artist named Captain Simon Fitch, and an exhibition of his work was soon organized.

Second, the integrity of Moulthrop's work was preserved. One of the greatest charges repeatedly levied against the artist has concerned his apparent inconsistency of style and method. When comparisons are made among the few paintings that we know for certain to be his, though, they present a logical and steady progression toward an elegant and identifiable style.

Reuben Moulthrop, the son of John and Abigail Holt Moulthrop, was baptized on July 24, 1763. His father was the owner of a good deal of property acquired in the settlement of a land and boundary dispute between residents of East Haven and those of the larger township of New Haven.' Other than the facts that he grew up in East Haven and that many Moulthrop relatives lived in and around East Haven, nothing is known of Reuben Moulthrop's child-

311 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

hood. The house in East Haven in which the artist was raised continued to be his home well into adulthood, until his success as the proprietor of a traveling waxworks museum enabled him to build a much larger home on Townsend Street. In 1792 Moulthrop married Hannah Street, the daughter of the Reverend Nicholas Street and Hannah Austin Street. The couple had seven children, one of whom,Sidney,followed in his father's footsteps as an artist.

The earliest documented record of Moulthrop's painting activity exists in the signed portraits of Job Pent and his wife Sarah (Sally) Sanford Pent, both dated 1790. He was probably also working in wax by this time, though his first known advertisement did not appear until 1793, one year after he was married.

In fact, according to Sarah E. Hughes in her History of East Haven, "The business was in full blast soon after the Revolution."4 In the Connecticut Journal of September 4, 1793, Reuben Moulthrop advertised that "Artist in Painting and Wax-Work" would be in residence at the "Sign of the Goddess Iris in State Street," exhibiting sensational representations in wax such as "the KING OF FRANCE in the Act of losing his Head, under the GUILLOTINE, preserving every Circumstance which can give to the Eye of the Spectator a realizing View of that momentous and interesting Event. Also A SPEAKING FIGURE, which, even in its unfinished State, has afforded the highest Satisfaction to the Curious." In the same advertisement, Moulthrop offered miniature and portrait painting, as well as likenesses taken in wax. The artist cleverly timed this initial exhibition to coincide with commencement week at Yale, hoping that it might prove "a valuable Addition to the entertainment of Commencement Week." That he continued this tradition for many years can be surmised from the Reverend Thomas Robbins's diary entry for September 9, 1806: "Rode to New Haven to attend Commencement. Went to see the figures of wax-works."6 Moulthrop was an inventive showman, offering not only waxwork but also music: he had a nine-

year-old boy play the pianoforte accompanied by his father on the violin.' To further the realism of his wax vignettes, Moulthrop hired two dressmakers from England to live in his home and sew costumes for the figures, which were constructed from a wooden framework, stuffed, and dressed. The heads, hands, and feet were cast in beeswax and painted in oil colors, and natural hair and glass eyes were used to complete the semblance of life.'

Over the next several years the exhibit was installed in Middletown, Hartford, New London, Norwich, and New York. By June 17, 1800, according to an advertisement placed in New York's The Daily Advertiser, Moulthrop's waxworks exhibition offered twenty-five life-size figures, including that of the late Dr. Ezra Stiles, whose portrait Moulthrop had painted in 1794. Many of the figures were variations on previous themes and reflected the popular taste of the period. Likenesses of George Washington "Represented as reassuming the Sword in defence of his Country" were always popular, as were sentimental themes such as "Maternal Affection, represented by a Lady with two Children." The earlier scene of the "Late Gen. Butler, who fell at St. Clair's defeat, represented as wounded in the leg and breast, an Indian rushing upon him to

REVEREND THOMAS ROBBINS (1777-1856) 1801 Oil on canvas 30 1/2 29 1/4 ' The Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford

111

•

CAPTAIN AMOS MORRIS (1723-1801) c. 1785-1789 Oil on canvas 43 34 New Haven Colony Historical Society, Pardee-Morris House, New Haven, Connecticut

tomahawk him" seems to have been abbreviated by this time to "An Indian Chief, dressed in his war habit, with a tomahawk and Scalping-knife in his hands." And the figures of two ladies, a blond and a brunette, were always included in the show. After Moulthrop or his partner had ascertained whether the belle of the town was dark or fair, Moulthrop would affix to the appropriate figure a placard reading "The beauty of this place."9 Topical figures were sculpted almost as soon as the originals had attained sufficient public status to warrant their addition.

Portrait painting, however, was no longer advertised with the traveling waxworks, perhaps because Moulthrop did not always travel with his exhibition (he had a succession of partners, including his brothers-inlaw, who assisted with or managed the exhibitions). As the show had by now traveled as far as "several of the West India Islands" and Moulthrop had a growing family in Connecticut, it is likely that he preferred to remain at home. By 1803, Moulthrop's brothers-in-law, Nicholas and Elnathan Street, had established a

permanent waxworks museum in New York City at Snow's Hotel, No. 69 Broadway, where they continued to present tableaux similar to those earlier developed by Moulthrop.

Though painted three years before his first advertisement for the waxworks museum, Moulthrop's early portraits of Job and Sarah Sanford Pent display the unmistakable influence of his work in wax.

The figures are stark and sculptural against the dark background. The deeply etched folds of Mrs. Perit's shawl and hat ribbon, the monochromatic blue tones, and the threedimensionality of the faces seem to derive from a plastic milieu rather than from a two-dimensional medium. Each figure is sitting in a bluepainted Windsor armchair with a table situated to the left. Mr. Pent rests his elbow on a book, next to which there are an inkstand and quills. Moulthrop's intention to represent his sitters in a specific spatial context is demonstrated by one of the quills crossing the space in front of Mr. Perit's arm and casting a shadow onto the book. His fascination with skin texture is already evident in the faces, and both figures are placed on the canvas in a manner consistent with documented examples from throughout his career. Mrs. Petit is shown with her right hand entwined by a cord with a pendant oval miniature, one of the few clues to his activities as a miniaturist, and care has been taken to show the hand turning over the wrist in a natural manner. Each portrait is inscribed on the back with the sitter's name and age, the year, and the portraitist's signature "Ruben Molthrop, Pinxit."

This pair of portraits is a key to this earliest phase of Moulthrop's work.

Moulthrop was not the only artist working in the New Haven area. In fact, he named his first son after Daniel Bowen, another wellknown sculptor in wax originally from Connecticut and the proprietor of the New York Museum, which he established in New York City by 1789. Abraham Delanoy was a portrait painter who took up residence in New Haven for a few years. He advertised his presence in Connecticut from 1784 through 1786. He had studied briefly with Benjamin West

in Europe and was the first American artist to use that association as a selling point for commissions. Delanoy painted in New York City in the 1760s and 1770s, after which he seems to have stopped painting for a time. His trail is picked up again in the 1780s in New Haven, where he advertised portrait, sign, ornament, and plain painting and also sold art supplies and window glass. His advertisement of 1786 is noteworthy for its mention of a "good- steady Workman to assist" and an added note that "A Method is found, by repeated Experiments, to cause Fish Oil to dry, by which means Money is saved." Delanoy's presence in the area is intriguing, and it has been suggested that the "good steady Workman" of whom Delanoy boasted may have been Moulthrop. A third painter who worked in New Haven in the 1780s was John Durand, who is best known for his many portraits of Virginia subjects, but also worked in New York City, where some of his most memorable paintings were commissioned. The influence of these artists, especially Durand, seems to be present in a group of highly decorative paintings attributed to Moulthrop that includes the portraits of the Reynoldses recently given to the Museum of American Folk Art. Attributions to Moulthrop have sometimes been proposed because known family ties suggest him as the plausible artist, though the visual evidence raises questions. The portrait of Moulthrop's father-in-law, the Reverend Nicholas Street, for instance, shows characteristics of Moulthrop's established style, while the portrait of Mrs. Street is stylistically related to the group of early portraits that exhibit the influence of John Durand. The portrait of Captain Amos Morris, one of East Haven's most important citizens, also belongs with this group. Morris himself was close to Moulthrop's family circle through the marriages of his granddaughters to Moulthrop's brothersin-law Elnathan and Nicholas Street, and his activities as deacon at the Reverend Street's Congregational Church. But family ties or acquaintanceship should not be the deciding factor in attributing works to any

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 311

artist. We know that portraits of the Beardsleys and the Daggetts have been attributed to Moulthrop and that the Beardsleys and the Daggetts knew each other, and even served on the same school committee.'° This does not, however, support the theory that they were painted by the same artist—John Sherman also served on that committee, yet he had his portrait painted the same year by Abraham Delanoy.

Nina Fletcher Little vacillated in her opinion as to whether Moulthrop was the artist of the group of

Ezra Stiles...of Yale College...termed Reuben Moulthrop a "self taught painter" who "pleased with his genius." paintings to which the portraits of James Reynolds and Mary Reynolds belong. In her 1975 exhibition catalog, Paintings By New England Provincial Artists 1775-1800, the Reynolds portraits are grouped with others by anonymous artists, and the possible attribution of them to Moulthrop is discussed. Yet in Little

by Little, published in 1984, the paintings are attributed to Moulthrop, albeit with the caveat that his work is particularly hard to identify with confidence. Moulthrop's familiarity with the Beekman residence in New York City (his home on Townsend Street was modeled after it) suggests the possibility that he knew the portraits of James Beckman's children painted by John Durand. This is further supported by the similarity of the Mary Reynolds painting to the portrait of Catharine Beekman. Both figures—the mature woman and the young girl—are situated next to a square table with a pot of tall flowers. In the Reynolds painting, as in the Beekman portrait, some of the flowers are presented from the stem side, lending a naturalness to the display. In both portraits some of the stems end in a starlike form where they attach to the flowers. Mrs. Reynolds sits in Durand's classic pose of one hand raised to her breast

40 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

holding a rose, her other arm crossing at her waist. This stylized pose is accentuated by the gesture of the fingers, with the delicate fluttering typical of Durand's work heavily outlined in shadow. The portrait of James Reynolds also has a parallel in the work of Durand. Mr. Reynolds is posed in an attitude close to that of Rufus Lathrop, which was also in the Little collection. Lathrop was the brother of Martha Lathrop Devotion, whose portrait was painted by another Connecticut artist, Winthrop Chandler. The spread fingers of the one hand resting on the hip with the other arm extended, a pose derived from European mezzotints, are reinterpreted in the portrait of Reynolds.

Other elements, such as Reynolds's curled finger, are seen in Durand's portrait The Rapalje Children, painted in New York about 1768.

The disparities between the portraits of the Reynoldses and the Perits at first make it seem unlikely that Moulthrop painted both pairs.

Similarities of style do exist, though, in the sculptural folds of the curtains in the Reynolds portraits, the ruffles of Mr. Perit's shirt, and Mrs. Perit's extravagant costume. The starshaped motif on each of Job Perit's buttons is similar to that seen on the flowers in the portrait of Mrs. Reynolds, and there is heavy outlining in the portraits of the Perits, though used with greater discrimination than in the Reynolds paintings.

The portrait of Amos Morris, painted by the artist of the Reynolds portraits, provides another link to the painting of Job Pent in the unusual scalloped treatment of the coat hem that appears in both portraits.

The accusation that Moulthrop was indifferent to the quality of the materials he used has been based on the surface of paintings such as those of the Reynoldses. William L. Warren proposed that Moulthrop may have used bitumen as a medium for his pigments, which gave wonderful, glossy effects, but had a tendency to deteriorate with time, causing eventual cracking and loss of paint. Delanoy's experiments with "fish oil" might offer another explanation, should Moulthrop prove to have been the assistant working with the older artist. A medium such as

fish oil, without a proven ability to bind the pigment, could experience a variety of problems over time. These might include shrinkage cracks as the drying process caused stresses within the paint, or stresses between the paint, ground, and support layers.

Correspondence between Joseph Battell and his brother-in-law Thomas Robbins suggests a last possibility. In a letter posted from Norfolk, Connecticut, on January 18, 1812, Battell writes, "Should you conclude to be here early next week wish you to buy 6 yds of suitable

canvas, to paint on—otherwise we shall be obliged to use white linen at 4 a yard." If Moulthrop was dependent on materials supplied by his sitters, they may sometimes have been of inferior quality, perhaps explaining the inconsistent condition of the paintings today.

The round of letters among Thomas Robbins, his family, and Moulthrop in the collection of The Connecticut Historical Society reveal a great deal of information about the client-artist relationship. Thomas

JOB PERIT 1790 Oil on canvas 36 1/Ei 29 1/4" Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1965 Inscribed: "Job Pent AETAT 38/AD 1790/Ruben Molthrop Pinxit"

Robbins had been trying for five years to have Moulthrop paint his parents; this commission was interrupted first by Moulthrop's thriving waxworks business, then by a bout of "tipus fever" that left Moulthrop weak and unable to work for some time and may have been the extenuating cause of his death two years later in 1814. A second item of interest is that Moulthrop was able to paint seven portraits in seven weeks, including two of the elder Reverend Robbins, who complained to his son, "I had no idea it would take so

SARAH (SALLY) SANFORD PERIT 1790 Oil on canvas 36 1/4 29 3/4" Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1965 Inscribed: "Sally Pent AETAT, 29/AD 1790/Ruben Molthrop, Pinxit"

long." We also learn through these letters that Moulthrop used portraiture as a commodity of exchange for services, in this instance for the care and feeding of his horse. Perhaps of greatest interest is the fact that the sessions provided an opportunity for other artists to see the work being done locally. Reverend Robbins wrote to his son, "Our pple came in plenty day after day as into a Museum—all agree that the likenesses are admirably drawn..."

Moulthrop tended to paint canvases

Author's Note: My thanks to Robert of a similar size, the exception being Eglerton of the New Haven Colony the five-foot-square, full-length porHistorical Society and Sotheby's New trait of the Reverend Ammi Ruhamah York,for their help during the preparation Robbins documented in his corre- of this article. spondence with his son Thomas Robbins. This is the only full-length Stacy C.Hollander is the Curator ofthe Museum ofAmerican Folk Art. She was portrait known to have been done by the curator ofthe exhibition "Revisiting Moulthrop. Almost all other signed Ammi My Years ofAmerican or documented portraits by Moul- Portraiture" and coauthor, with Howard throp, from his portraits of the Perits P. Fertig, ofthe accompanying catalog. to the second portrait of the Reverend Hollander lectures widely onfolk art and has writtenfor Antiques and Country Robbins, feature a similar placement Living magazines,as well asfor this pubof the figures on the canvas. lication. She is also the author ofHarry The' portrait of Sarah Battell Lieberman: A Journey of Remembrance and her two daughters is documented (Dutton Studio Books, 1991). in the correspondence between father NOTES and son, yet poses a problem in terms 1 Ralph W.Thomas,"Reuben of mood and composition when com- Moulthrop, 1763-1814," The Connecticut pared with Moulthrop's other work. Historical Society Bulletin, Vol. 21, no.4 There are tantalizing affinities, (Oct. 1956), p. 98.

2 Professor Samuel M. Green II,"Some though, between this portrait and that Afterthoughts on the Moulthrop of Mrs. Reynolds that emphasize the Exhibition," The Connecticut Historical need for further research. The decora- Society Bulletin, Vol. 22, no. 2(Apr. 1957), p. 33. tive quality and treatment of lace in Sarah E. Hughes, History ofEast the Battell portrait is reminiscent of 3 Haven(New Haven, Conn.: The Tuttle, the earlier work. The stiff, heavily Morehouse & Taylor Press, 1908), p. 41. outlined arm reaching across her 4 Ibid. p. 45. child on Sarah Battell's lap recalls 5 "Reuben Moulthrop, 1763-1814," The Mrs. Reynolds's stylized arm cross- Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin, Vol. 20, no.2(Apr. 1955), p. 45. ing at her waist. The strong face is 6 Reverend Increase N.Tarbox,ed., The delineated in a manner similar to Diary ofThomas Robbins,D.D., 1796that of Mrs. Reynolds, with highlight- 1854(Boston: 1886). ing along the length of her nose and 7 "Moulthrop," p. 46.

8 Mabel P. Stivers,"Wax Figures in Old its distinctively curled nostril, and her Museums," Old Time New England, Vol. reminiscent of expression is direct 17(July 1926—April 1927), p. 46.

Mary Reynolds's penetrating gaze.

9 Ibid.

Ezra Stiles, President of Yale 10 New Haven Gazette and Connecticut College from 1778 to 1795, termed Magazine, May 30,1786. The names are listed together in the followiqg advertiseReuben Moulthrop a "self taught ment:"The Public are hereby informed, painter" who "pleased with his That the School for Young Ladies under genius." That he was profoundly the patronage of the Subfcribers, and influenced by other artists of his gen- under the tuition of Mr. Leavitt, is continued at the ufual place; where the molt eration and that he in turn influenced faithful inftruction will be given to all many of the artists that followed is who may attend either from town or unquestioned. He was an artist who country. Committee: Charles Chauncey approached his work with a serious Henry Daggett Ebenezer Beardsley John and psychological orientation, creat- Sherman Elias Beers John Goodrich."

11 The Connecticut Historical Society ing penetrating portraits of friends Bulletin, Vol. 20, no. 2(Apr. 1955), p. 50. and neighbors. The confusing and 12 Ibid. conflicting styles attributed to his 13 Ibid. p. 15. hand are perhaps a reflection of the 14 Nina Fletcher Little, Paintings by New England Provincial Artists enthusiasm of earlier scholarship 1775-1800(Boston: Museum of Fine inconsistency rather than proof of the Arts, Boston, in association with The of Moulthrop's work, but as Nina Leether Press, 1976), p. 38.

Fletcher Little neatly phrased the problem, until new paintings, letters, or other documents are discovered, "There the matter presently rests until consideration of further evidence indicates a firm attribution for these handsome pictures."14*

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 41

The Thrones and Chairs Leroy Person Made „At, ••• •

•

•

re•

%.

A. •

. g.

./1'••••, • •••••••'''

••••• ••• ••14;x "'••: "'''`• •' %.„;•*, 1.0 ••1,4• •

•

•••;..1

if

,

)70

;

r , t . • • Z.,.4

Southern Comfort: The Art Chairs of Richard Dial

42 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

IWOtrAg4V24244=22047:12449,2212*

Fl

04** Although we are sometimes called upon to do so, we do not like to think on our feet—we immediately look around for the nearest chair. Chairs are utilitarian objects, invented in response to a physical need, built for use and comfort. But chairs are also built for beauty, to decorate our world and to communicate ideas. Whether 4

llegorical' terpretations of e,veryday life—some stern, t. theylar maw some funny, some poig d i all speaking volumes about the delica, •.- ••., cy of human relationships

:4110 als" from another century

inscribed with personal observations, biblical references, poems, facts, and political commentary; or furniture with heavily grooved Hosea Hayden: Homilies to Sit Upon

and patterned surfaces in which the viewer finds himself seeking hidden meaning in seemingly deliberate coded messages, the art chairs of Richard Dial, Hosea Hayden, and Leroy Person give us much to look at, admire, sit on, and think about.

-R.G.

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 43

Hosea Hayden: Homilies to Sit Upon ANGIE MILLS ot much is known of farmer and chairmaker Hosea Hayden, born on July 15, 1820, in the vicinity of Goodwin's Corner, Center Township, Union County, Indiana. Research into Hayden family genealogy, United States Census documents, and the Union County Historical Society records provide information that Hosea Hayden's forebears came to Massachusetts from England in 1630, spread throughout the Northeast, earned their livings as farmers and shipbuilders, fought in the American Revolution, and moved west to Ohio and Indiana in the early 1800s. Hosea's father, Stephen (born in 1783), is recorded as one of the original landowners in Union County, having purchased farm land there in 1813 or 1814. It was on that farm that Hosea was born, grew up, married, had six children, and lived until his death on August 29, 1897.

Hosea Hayden pursued chairmalcing as a hobby, presumably only during the later years of his life.

Although there is no record of how many chairs he made, ten were shown in the exhibition "Eccentric Chairs," conceived and curated by Jan Petry and presented by In'tuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago from October 1 through October 30, 1993. Four others are known to be in private collections in Indiana, Connecticut, and New York, and it is likely that more, as yet undiscovered, exist. The earliest date found on the exhibited chairs is on the Owl-back chair, which is inscribed,"This tripod finished by Hosea Hayden on the 2nd day of Oct. 1883 in memory of the 100th year of the burth [sic] of Stephen Hayden. Father of Hosea Hayden of Union County Ind." The latest date found is 1896—the year before Hosea died—on the seat top of the Last Wild Bear chair, which is signed,"H.H. Ingraver [sic] 1896."

All the known chairs are folding chairs. Most of these were made as tripods, though at least one has a fourpoint support and another has a "perch" seat, with a sharp, single point that is sunk into the ground to provide stability. The chairs are crafted of various woods—hickory, walnut, and elm are common—and have either solid plank seats or cane seats (one has an upholstered seat pad); several have back rails or seat frames formed of bentwood.

Most men of Hosea's generation and occupation were competent woodworkers; his father also made furniture pieces, two of which are on exhibit at the Union County Historical Society, and some of his forebears were shipwrights. It is possible that the technique of bending wood by submerging it in water for years to "season" it and to make it pliable (we know from a contemporary record that Hosea claimed to have left wood under-water for as long as forty-six years) was passed down to him from the family's store of shipbuilding knowledge.

N

44 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Back row, left to right: Hunters Tripod, date unknown; Troubled Water, 1895; Indiana Life, 1894; Women's Rights, date unknown Front row, left to right: Owl-back, 1883; Revelations Chapter XII, 1894; Buggy Handle, 1892; African Warfare, 1892

I an

limner

SEAT TOP: Six African natives holding spears and snakes and facing four white men with rifles and pistols African Warfare Anglosaxen warfare by Stanly near the Congo River,Africa

AFRICAN WARFARE 1892 Folding chair Engraved wood, black ink Courtesy Allen C. Creek, Liberty, Indiana

CROSSPIECE OF BACK: A REBUS: Bird in hand worth 2 in the bush LEFT BACK SUPPORT: Man in suit, no shoes The deformed & thefeebleminded is increasing In his day Henry Burge was the greatest philanthropist that lived

RIGHT BACK SUPPORT: Flag and flagpole with bird on top; woman at base with arm around pole 64-65 International strife

SEAT UNDERSIDE: Standing man and woman Once a City belle & a Country hunk Now under the same roofdo bunk in absence ofinternal strife, One roof will do through life.

Adam and Eve, nude, under tree Paradise lost and knowledge gained

CENTER RUNG: H.Hayden, Union Co.Ind. 1892

LEFT REAR LEG,OUTSIDE: Man in suit, walking away She knows not that I am on her trail For her virtue! would not go bail

441 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

RIGHT REAR LEG,OUTSIDE: Standing woman A woman to be single in theface ofdegridation To marry ajealous old man woursts the situation

Further whiffs of a nautical breeze in the family history are the delicacy of Hayden's details, his patterning of clothing and hair, and his use of red as well as black ink, all of which are reminiscent of the scrimshaw engravings made by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century sailors.

Nearly all of the chairs are decorated with engraved illustrations accompanied by numerous inscriptions.

Scenes and figures from the Bible, from nature, and of patriotic, historical, or local events are mixed, often incongruously, with personal observations, biblical references, homilies, original poems, scientific "facts," and political commentary. Sometimes Hosea added the names of the person or persons to whom the chair was given, the date, and his signature, "H.H. Ingraver." "These chairs were Hosea's 'journals' as well as inventive gifts of sculptural beauty made for his friends and neighbors to carry to ball games, picnics, fishing and hunting trips, etc." said Jan Petry, curator of the "Eccentric Chairs" exhibition.

The inscriptions on the chairs indicate that Hosea Hayden was an early champion of women's rights; his Women's Rights and Buggy Handle chairs stand as evidence that he believed that the intellect of females was not inferior to that of males, and he supported women's equality under the law. At the same time, his Last Wild Bear and Indiana Life chairs show that he enjoyed poking gentle fun at women's interest in clothes and changing fashions. He had an underlying belief in the equality of all human beings and their role in the "natural eternal law" of God and nature, as shown in Indiana Life. He also was cynical of ministers' treatment of the "brothers & sisters," as one can see from Hunters Tripod, and of the effect and goals of certain Christian sects; stripping the conventions from these sects, he reduces them to their essence in the concise couplets seen on the Owl-back chair.

In The Hayden Family Magazine, published in Chicago by Charles Hayden from 1929 to 1933, Benjamin Franklin Hayden, one of Hosea's nephews, calls Hosea a "versitile [sic] genius, as can be testified to by his neighbors and those who have visited his workshop and seen the many curios modelled by his skillful hand." The same nephew reports that Hosea loved to roam the fields and forests, to hunt and to fish, and that, though he traveled to various parts of the country and gained "a good knowledge of men of affairs in life," he always remained focused on his family and his community, where he was cherished as a thoughtful neighbor and a loyal citizen.

As an illustrator Hosea Hayden was truly a na誰f, and as a grammarian and speller he was certainly "rustic" (though he was probably as well schooled as anyone else in mid-nineteenth-century rural Indiana), but the chairs he created were bursting with vitality, originality, and humor.

Photography by Loy Banner

REVELATIONS CHAPTER XII 1894 Folding tripod Engraved wood, black and red inks Courtesy Marcellene O'Toole, Liberty, Indiana

SEAT UNDERSIDE: Single-headed devil with hand to head and three angels Chapt XII Chapt Xli

BACK SUPPORT,FRONT: Toddler, boy, man; two women with broom and long pointed stick; child pointing at devil, red devil with hands on child's head Revelation Chapt XII

BACK SUPPORT,REAR: Woman standing on crescent moon Revelation Chapt XII

LEFT REAR LEG: From Hosea Hayden to Lizzie Gibbins wife of Wm Line Give to devil his dueforgetting not the Presidents proclamation ofJuly 8th, 1894 Presented to Mrs. Line the 15th July, 1894 being the 74 mile stone in life ofH.H. Please dont let the children deface this

Note: Devils from Revelations, a reference to a proclamation by President Cleveland, mention of

SEAT TOP: Standing woman facing sevenheaded devil with tail in sea of stars Chapt XII Chapt XII

Hosea's birthday, three rhymed couplets each on a different subject, and the plea,"Please dont let the children deface this," are prime examples of the randomness of Hosea's thoughts as he worked on

He made his chairs only as commemorative or celebratory gifts for his friends, often engraving them with an ironic combination of illustration and inscription that provided a humorously sly comment on relationships and the human condition.

Sometimes the inspiration for the chairs is obscure, and the current owners, including the descendants of the original recipients, cannot offer further clarification.

Whatever the motivation for creating them a hundred years ago, they are a true legacy of American folk art—intuitive, unassuming, genuine expressions of a self-taught craftsman and artist.* Angie Mills, a member ofIn'tuit: The Centerfor Intuitive and Outsider Art, received her BA.in art historyfrom Wellesley College and her MA.,also in art history,from the Institute ofFine Art, New York University. Her professional career as a contract interior designer has introduced her to many chairs, but none ofthem, in her estimation, are as delightful as those ofHosea Hayden.

his chairs.

RIGHT REAR LEG: After careful reading the book of Revelation the ingraver ofthese lines is compelled to believe the John was a Crank, if not, then there is no crank's in A.D. 1894

This chair was a gift in 1894 from Hosea Hayden to the current owner's maternal grandmother, who used it as an extra seat at Chautauqua tent programs.

The ingraver ofthese lines seen tenfaces on one head whilst wrestling with la grip, upon the bed

The reference to the "President's proclamation July 8th, 1894" is to President Grover Cleve-

To believe that John was sound body & mind twould be absurd Since science cuts such beliefas air is cut, by allying bird

land's declaration to put Chicago under military rule because of organized labor's move toward a

Human beings only know that humans live to die Then the living human being mourn and sigh.

general strike.

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 47

The Thrones and Chairs Leroy Person Made EVERETT MAYO ADELMAN peculation, intuition, and occasionally productive "fishing-fors" seem to be the best ways for one to assemble some knowledge of contemporary self-taught artists and the material culture of such men and women, especially if they are deceased. In investigating Leroy Person, an African-American artist from eastern North Carolina who died in 1985 at the age of seventy-eight, I soon learned that classifying "outsider," indigenous, and transplanted folk culture was more wishful than it was feasible (or even desirable). When talking with the family and friends of Leroy Person, some of my questions focused on the evident African formalism in his decoration of the objects he created, which ranged from small anthropomorphic statuettes to full-scale (and utilitarian) thrones and chairs. Those closest to Person exhibited a protective affection for him and an appreciation for his art, and attached a spiritual and living significance to work that might otherwise have been considered merely inert artifacts.

Leroy Person lived in the rural backwater of Halifax County, near the swift Roanoke River, where lumbering, the manufacture of wood products, and growing cotton had been the main local industries since the eighteenth century.

Because Person went to work while he was still a young boy, he never went to school and remained illiterate all his life. In 1970, after several decades of dusty sawmill work, he was forced to retire because of his failing health. Soon after he stopped working, Person came to feel that he had a twofold divine calling: to work as a "messenger" to "celebrate in the joy of the natural order and earth's riches" and "to carve their praise."

Woodworking, whittling, and carving have long been acknowledged and respected American pastimes and crafts. With quiet delight and an urgent need to fulfill his visionary work and satisfy some horror vacui, Person carved and painted to embellish his surroundings, starting with his handmade cabin home and all of its furnishings.

From window sash, tables, and chairs to countless decorative occasional objects and such outdoor items as the fence, almost everything wooden in or around Person's home was cut by handsaw and carved with a pocketknife or with tools affixed with homemade blades. Person cut poles from young trees in the woods and used all kinds of scrap wood—scavenged planks, plywood, and tongueand-groove boards. Odds and ends of broken and castoff furniture also provided him with materials and possibly

S AFRICAN THRONE Before 1974 Unpainted wood, nails 35 X 26 1/2 x 23 Lynch Collection of Outsider Art, North Carolina Wesleyan College

BROWNISH RED CHAIR c. 1980 Lumber, tubular steel, paint, wax crayon 33 X 16 1/2 X 18" Lynch Collection of Outsider Art, North Carolina Wesleyan College

41I FALL 1994 FOLK ART

with inspiration for his improvised techniques of construction. Furniture was held together with a generous number of nails, and many parts were split and weakened as a result.

Leroy Person's chairs and tables have qualities well beyond the quaint charm and simple utility typical of much roughly made wooden folk furniture—they were made to be special, even magical. Viewers of his works can easily become enrapt by the allover patterned surface carving and detailing; it is easy to find oneself seeking hidden meaning or secret order. Through his obsessive and ceremonious personal contact with just about every component of his pieces and every square inch of their surfaces, Person created incised grooves that became both a material record of his unpaid day's work for God and his secret symbolic code, perhaps compensating for his illiteracy. As intimate as Person's detailing may be, much of his furniture demands that we stand back and look at it from a safe distance as its often-attenuated fragility, oddity, and excess can be somewhat awe-inspiring.

When his wife would ask him what he was carving, Person would answer,"I'm just doing something to keep myself company."' Although most of his neighbors thought him simply eccentric, he had a few trusted friends who admired and collected his work, which he generously gave away without any explanation of its deeper meaning.

East Carolina lawyer Robert Lynch became Person's friend and largest commercial collector, and may have been partly responsible for prying loose some of the esoteric complexity of the artist's calling late in life.

Perhaps the most intense, and certainly the most mysterious, dimension of Leroy Person's style is the evident Africanism of his allover patterning. This vigorous improvisational infilling of disk/sun/sawblade, leaf/crab/peacock, lily-bush/God-tree and hand-wrench symbols with crosshatching and other geometric motifs looks uncannily identical to Bambara patterning from Nigeria. Person was using such ornament and symbols in 1970 when he first "retired," heeding his artistic calling, seven years before he had access to television and the inspiration of global media. His granddaughter has related that his family and friends had provided him with picture books for ideas, without specifically saying if she remembered whether any of these books documented African culture. One of Person's friends believed he may have been psychically sensitive to Africanism. No one could recall if Person had ever spoken of any specific childhood introduction

RED CHAIR c. 1975-1980 Wood,tubular steel, enamel 33 1/2 17 18 1/2 Lynch Collection of Outsider Art, North Carolina Wesleyan College

BLUE THRONE c. 1980 Wood, nails, wax crayon, latex paint 35 1/2 X 26 X 28" Lynch Collection of Outsider Art, North Carolina Wesleyan College

to African culture through his mother or grandmother. Later in his artistic "career," after he got his first television in 1977,Person added the NBC peacock, cartoons, and probably documentary material on Africa to his iconography. He improvised a convincing decorative and symbolic code out of his schematic abstraction of personal tools, sawmill blades, images from the media, and indigenous North Carolina flora and fauna. The artist's surrogate, carved language not only imaginatively makes sense of God's natural order in rural eastern North Carolina, but also serves as Person's signature style.

The styles of Person's chairs and thrones seem to be closely related to several antebellum armchair styles that either migrated from New England or were direct imports from England to the Roanoke River and Albemarle Sound areas of North Carolina where Person lived.' It is likely that Person was exposed to various styles of antique furniture at one time or another. Rail and spindle chairs with occasional fancy beaded turning or fancy finial patterns running across the top back slat developed as a local style and probably influenced aspects of Person's thrones. In the seating design of some of his larger chairs, Person cleverly adapted scalloped slats, which add continuity and unity to the allover carving found on the front and side plank stretcher aprons and hand-carved turnings. Also, some variety of the plankside chair style can be seen in the artist's hybrid plank and metal chairs made from junked tubular steel furniture.

Viewing the carved detailing of the furniture's construction and styling is much like observing animation in wood. In free and playful imitation of lathe-turned furniture components, every hand-carved rung or finial has its own personality, not unlike the animated furniture in the Disney movie Fantasia. Hand-carved mortise-and-tenon construction and notching is more evident in the artist's earlier furniture, perhaps owing to his physical stamina.

Every chair or throne not only provides a summation of detail, but also assumes character and unity through Person's improvised program of components, much like as in African tribal architecture and throne-making, where every wall-peak, asymmetrical adjustment, and carved life-form is significant in some way. Both irony and ESP seem to cross paths in Person's great "African thrones." It has been noted that the artist's name, Leroy Person, can be translated as "the king" or "royal person."4 Folklorist and art dealer Paul Bridgewater described his first encounter with one of Person's thrones as follows: He showed us a throne he was making in the back shed. It was elaborately carved with standards and lattices running in many directions. It was beautiful, complex and enchantingly lopsided. Yet even though it was far from being technically perfect it still possessed a regal quality that I am sure would have satisfied any of the African kings.'

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 49

What we know of the life of Leroy Person will never amount to much, as so much in the oral history of AfricanAmericans has been lost. We know he saw himself as a dedicated and generous "messenger" of God, rather than as an artist. Only by losing oneself in the observation of his hand-carved and brightly colored material world does his "written" record—his message—become revealed. The human scale of the hand-made and the functional connect through Person's intuited carved patterning, which acknowledge not only the woods and the river, but perhaps the motherland of Africa as well. Nothing is either too large or too small to be acknowledged and connected through some linguistic filter where patterns expand and contract to adjust to all shapes, sizes, and needs. "I just understand these things," Person once said.6* Acknowledgments: The author would like to thank Ivette Bell, Thomas Bell,Paul Bridgewater, Roger Manley, and Rosa Person.

Of Special Interest: The carved reliefs of Leroy Person will be on display at the Pearsall Library of the North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, through the end of October 1994. The hours are Monday through Saturday, 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., and Sunday, 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. For more information, call 919/ 985-5268.

Everett Mayo Adelman is an associate professor ofart and the curator ofthe Lynch Collection ofOutsider Art, North Carolina Wesleyan College,Rocky Mount,North Carolina. He is also an exhibiting painter represented by Gallery C,Raleigh, North Carolina; Martha Mabey Gallery,Richmond, Virginia; and Neo Persona Gallery, New York.

NOTES

1 Roger Manley,A Stranger to Himself(Rocky Mount, N.C.: North Carolina Wesleyan College Press,publication pending), p.58.

2 Ibid. p. 211.

3 John Bivins, Jr., The Furniture ofCoastal North Carolina 1700-1820(Winston-Salem, N.C.: Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, 1988), pp. 114-123.

4 Manley, p. 54.

5 Ibid. p. 58.

6 Paul Bridgewater,conversation with author, 1994.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bivins, John Jr. The Furniture of Coastal North Carolina 1700-1820. Winston-Salem, N.C.: Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, 1988.

Blier, Suzanne Preston."Words About Words About Icons: Iconology and the Study of African Art." Art Journal(Summer 1988): 75-85.

Ferris, William. Afro-American Folk Art and Crafts. Jackson, Miss.: University of Mississippi Press, 1983.

Manley, Roger. Signs and Wonders: Outsider Art Inside North Carolina. Raleigh, N.C.: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1989.

Manley,Roger. A Stranger to Himself Rocky Mount, N.C.: North Carolina Wesleyan College Press, publication pending.

Trowell, Margaret. African Design. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1960.

'Vlach,John Michael. The Afro-American Tradition in Decorative Arts. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.

50 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Southern Comfort: The Art Chairs of Richard Dial KATHLEEN A. CONNORS he notion of "comfort"—or rather its elusiveness—captivated me as I examined the art chairs of Richard Dial, a self-taught Southern black artist who produces his wrought-iron chairs close to his roots in Bessemer, Alabama.

This master of the art chair began, and ended, his formal artistic training in a vocational high school where his art teacher told him that if he wanted to make painting a career, he should make billboards or stencil signs. Dial instead went to work for Standard Pullman, building boxcars and mastering the skills necessary to the machinist's trade.

Meanwhile, Dial's art gestated on a separate but parallel track—his extended family (father, brother, sons, nephew) worked together in a small cottage industry, making wrought-iron porch furniture in a corrugated tin shed behind their house. Over the last six years, the Dials have become the American equivalent of the Bach family: a rare instance of artistic talents simultaneously expressed by the many members of a single family, the most noted of whom is Richard's father, Thornton Dial, Sr. Each of the Dials has developed his own stamp—individualized strains of sculpture, painting, or bas-relief—but has obviously been influenced by the caldron where their emerging geniuses fuel and interplay with one another. Even their themes, drawn from their family life, from their collective work, and from their keen sociological instincts, are shared.

It is in this environment that Richard Dial transforms furniture into art with his poignant, highly charged chairs. In keeping with the close-knit nature of the Dial family, Richard creates his chairs in partnership with his brother Donnie. Dial persistently incorporates the theme of "comfort" into his chairs in a dazzling array of motifs—The Comfort of Moses, The Comfort of the First Born, and The Comfort and Discomfort of First Love. In examining these chairs, the question arises of what source generated his preoccupation with "comfort." When I initially saw the chairs in the home of an art dealer, the explanation I received was that the Dial family line of porch furniture is called "Shade Tree Comfort." The comfort motif in Dial's art chairs purportedly was inspired by the furniture enterprise. This explanation, however, did not in my mind do justice to the diverse use of the theme in Dial's work.

Richard Dial's incredible art first emerged with his anthropomorphized porch chairs. These first pieces sprouted hands out of chair arms, feet out of chair legs, and heads with plaited hair-dos of braided rope from the chair backs. Dial's astounding capacity for portraiture is also apparent here, as these chairs were not simply different from one another, but are graphic presentations of the people he knew, distinctive personalities framed in

T

Pflteieft enanleV, Itle,CONIfORI Ofsteel and on 1988;Collection of R Itlabanla; .

54 20 Shelp Ione and

risE m 4N 14," roirc Aiaba r EVE0y0--. 1.° 6S i4a;198 ste Wilt' „, 33-• C el and , 0 ; naniek - Arnett "echo

THE COMFORT OF MOSES AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Alabama 1988 Steel, wood, bondo, hemp, and enamel 56 33 31" Museum of American Folk Art, New York, 1990.3.5

Tite pis 0041,..

A, C041 °Or4Aio "'e6„ ;si"li'Sr4 34; , 989 , e0 0.144 ee ete e_ esse_ ettoca,'ne/ goo

wrought iron. These early chairs were also Dial's testing ground for exploring the intersection between the identity of chair as furniture and its larger-than-functional possibilities. He seems to have found confidence on both fronts, retaining as only a cottage-industry artisan could the naturalist's appreciation for what a chair is, coupled with a restless, inventive, if unschooled intelligence about what a chair can become.

Next in Dial's development were The Comfort of Moses chairs, of which there are several renditions. With these pieces, Dial focuses on the solidness of the chair, as the imposing prophet plants himself squarely—head, back, trunk,legs—on the body of the chair. He grasps mammoth tablets of the Law firmly in each arm. With riveting eyes and flowing beard, and with all of the curving grace that

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 51

can be communicated in wrought iron, Moses delivers the Coming full circle in the Love chair, we find the Commandments. culmination of relationship in the seat and back of the The evolution of the Moses pieces, however, gives chair, where man and woman, shown in profile, mouths telltale clues to exactly how rigorously Dial studies his opened and touching, kiss, speak, or both, depending on subjects. We see Moses variously as an earthly man of the interpretation. What is unambiguous is Dial's insight into people, as a fiery exhorter, and as a demander of obedithe evolution of mature relationships: that they move from ence. Materials and colors vary from chair to chair, but the bursting passion of hearts reaching out to one another the most striking contrasts are found in the mouths of the through struggle to a face-to-face meeting where relating prophet, which changed as Dial searched for the perfect depends on a successful dialogue and interaction between enunciation of the message of the Lawgiver. full persons. Asked if the piece represents his relationship Other Dial works offer allegorical interpretations of with his wife, Dial smiles shyly and is silent. everyday life. The Comfort of Money chair, for example, Until 1992, a couple of years after he began making uses an elevated seat to represent the rise in status that art chairs, Dial was equally reticent about the source for generally accompanies the accumulation of money. On his theme of comfort. But one day as we sat on his the left side of the chair are a series of steps, rising to the father's front porch, Richard brought out a photograph of arm, and the instruction that "if we remember [that] the his sister Patricia, who had died two years earlier. climb up to money came through the effort of work, with Although she was a victim of cerebral palsy, which in her one step building upon another, we'll find support to case was so severe that she could not speak,chew,or even maintain our high position." On the left side, a bulging sit up, she was always included completely in family life. dollar sign rises up to the absence of an arm,accompanied As a boy, Richard jerry-rigged little chairs for her, much by the admonition that "if we lose ourselves to the preocagainst his mother's protestations for her safety, hoping to cupation with money itself, we'll be in danger of falling help her sit up. He never realized his hope of creating the off the high seat, with no support to break the fall." right chair for her, but he obviously learned the deepest In The Comfort of Prayer, Dial transposes chair lessons of chairmaking, and of comfort. legs into a pose of supplication, with chair arms upraised In the weeks after our interview, Dial went through in breathtaking and humbling grace to beseech God. a major shift in style, as shown in two remarkable chairs Rising up out of the chair back is the mind of man,depicthe created subsequently. He replaced the flat wrought-iron ed by a face with two disparate eyes—one, the material strips he had previously used with round, hollow, metal eye, large and gazing out at the world; the other, the spiripipes, thus adding dimensonality and volume to his figtual eye, half-closed and looking inward. Above them, ures. In Pipeline to the Mind, a figure painted blue (a rays of grace radiate down to be received by the spiritual quiet and reflective color) sits with seven-foot-long eye, with a crucifix mediating the connection. In this way, curved piping running gracefully between his temples and Dial tells us that in order to receive the enlightenment of the ground. When I asked him to explain it to me, the grace, we must stand with one eye looking to the world response was direct. "You're the psychologist," he said, and the other to God. referring to the effect that our conversations had on him in With The Comfort of the First Born, Dial observes bringing out his thoughts. Dial's next chair was surely his the relationship between his older brother and his father. most poignant: on the very edge of its broad and empty The son is the chair, and the father, a tall freestanding figseat there sits the elongated figure of a man, narrowly ure, has his hand on the son's shoulder. Here is both a crowded into the corner so as to leave open the maximum story of reciprocal comfort between father and eldest son, amount of space. He is painted red (a warm and compasand a story of a second son's feeling of exclusion. sionate color) with one arm protectively wrapped around In The Comfort and Discomfort of First Love, the back of the chair to hold whoever might sit beside which is perhaps his best work to date, Dial explores the him. This piece is called The Man Who Tries to Comfort man-woman relationship. Dial uses every surface of the Everybody. chair, in a 360° progression, to tell love's story. Beginning As with many self-taught artists who are grappling on the left side, two red wrought-iron hearts collide and with the force of the marketplace and the effects of notorijoin, and are engulfed by a larger heart (love itself), indiety on their lives, the future is unclear for Richard Dial, as cating that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. are the choices he will make. What is unequivocally clear, The impact of the two small hearts joining also breeds a even from this small, incipient body of work, is that joyful burst of yet smaller hearts.

Richard Dial creates art with a mastery of technique, a As contact between the lovers becomes more munmastery of intent, and a mastery of linking art and life as dane and regimented, however, the hearts begin to line up he lives it.* in a restrictive pattern: spontaneity disappears and joy lessens as passion wanes. Then friction, conflict, and disDr. Kathleen Connors is a research psychologist, whose work is dedicated to the question "What enables change, healing, cord appear, as hearts are replaced by clanging bars at clashing angles. Through all the discontent and turmoil, transformation?" This question has been the impetusfor her however, Dial speaks his faith in the redemptive power of documentation ofself-taught artists. She has published articles on psychology,art,public policy, and research methodology. love: with the hard work of communication and identifiDr. Conners received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology cation, lovers can rebuild. This belief is communicated from the University ofMaryland. through the return of the myriad of little hearts, which this time symbolize the fruits of commitment.

52 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

hirty alley in

est of Philadelphia, the fe through eastern Lanca er

sunty lik

Early in the eighteenth century, the promise of this valley wa recognized by agrarian Germanic immigrants, many of whom came to Pennsylvania in search of religious freedom. Among those drawn to the area was a small group of very conservative religious people—the Amish. Members of this sect began to take up residence in Lancaster County in about 1740; they have maintained a strong presence in the Conestoga River Valley for 250 years. Today, Lancaster County is the home of the oldest continuous Old Order Amish settlement in the world.

The Amish espouse a literal interpretation of the Bible and believe that pride and will are the main causes of disharmony among men and between a man and his God.

The Paintings of Henry & Elizabeth Lapp

Consequently, the values of selfless-

DANIEL J. McCAULEY III

ness, humility, and community are paramount in their society. Inherent to their philosophy is a rejection of art in the popular sense. The Amish view art as being r

d in worldliness; they see it as a vehicle for promoting selfself-interest, and individuality above the ideals of modesty and

nity. The Amish have always attempted to restrict decoration in order to promote the precepts of simplicity and reduce the potential for worldly or proud statements. This restriction extends to all the products of their material culture, including those of the cabinetmakers.

Consequently, the discovery of a legacy of folk art among the Old r Amish, particularly the existence of a pair of gifted artists who as long been valued by this community, is quite a surprise

ork

t, it was

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 53

only by chance that the existence and identity of these artists came to light.

During the 1950s, a small antique bureau was purchased from an Amish family near the town of Intercourse in Lancaster County. In one of the drawers the new owner found an old notebook that was about the size of a breast pocket and was filled with brilliantly colored, handdrawn illustrations of furniture and household items.' Stamped on the inside cover was the name Henry L. Lapp, who was assumed to be the owner of the sketchbook.

The Lapp family is one of the oldest and most influential Old Order Amish families in America. Henry's generation was the fifth generation of Lapps to live in the New World.

Christopher Beiler (1727-1812), one of Henry's great-grandfathers on his father's side, arrived in Philadelphia in October 1737,2 and was among the earliest documented Amish pioneers. And Christian Stoltzfus (1749-1832),3 a great-grandfather on his mother's side, became a bishop in 1800 and helped reorganize the Amish Church in Lancaster County in the turbulent years following the American Revolution.

Henry Lapp's parents, Michael K. Lapp (1830-1884) and Rebecca Lantz (1839-1917), were married on February 2, 1858. They settled on a fifty-seven-acre farm that bordered Mill Creek, near the Groff's Store Post Office, in an area that is the village of Mascot, in Leacock Township, Lancaster County.

Michael led an active life as a farmer and businessman. The deed books in the Lancaster County Court House record five real estate transactions in which he participated between 1856 and 1867. His estate, filed on September 4, 1884, had a net worth of $15,304.73,4 a substantial sum for an Amish farmer at that time.

Rebecca appears to have been the source of creative inclination within the family. An accomplished seamstress and textile artist, she has been credited with a number of wellcrafted and interesting pieces, including quilts, samplers, and decorated towels.' Rebecca maintained a lifelong interest in textile art. Several pieces attributed to her were made during the height of her child-bearing

54 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

years. For an Amish woman encumbered with responsibility for both farm chores and child-rearing, Rebecca manifested an uncharacteristic dedication to artistic expression through her needlework.° Henry L. Lapp, the second of six children, was born on August 18, 1862. He appears to have suffered some birth defects—both his hearing and his speech were partially impaired.° The condition may have been genetic—his older sister Elizabeth seems to have suffered from similar debilities.' Henry was known to his friends as "Hennie," the Pennsylvania German equivalent of his Christian name. He is remembered as being outgoing and friendly, but at the same time a little "queer"

by Amish standards.'° He loved to travel and is known to have made frequent visits to friends and relatives in Amish communities in Canada, Ohio, and Indiana throughout his life.

Henry Lapp was baptized into the Amish faith on September 22, 1890." While adult baptism is a tenet of the Old Order Amish faith, twenty-eight is an unusually mature age for this rite. Normally, those who wish to follow the faith are baptized in their late teens or very early twenties. Henry's baptism may have been held so late in his life because he was single and somewhat handicapped, and therefore may not have been subject to the usual pressure from family and friends to ally himself formally with the Church.

In the U.S. Census for 1880, Henry Lapp is registered as residing at home at the age of seventeen. As no occupation is mentioned and it is known that Henry was producing small pieces of furniture and household items by 1885," it may be assumed that he was apprenticing with a cabinetmaker at the time of this census. In 1884 Michael Lapp died of a sudden and unexpected heart attack." This event may have prompted a career decision on Henry's part.

In July of 1885, Joel Beiler (1859-1921), a friend and neighbor of Henry's, wrote in a letter, "I helped Henry Lapp at his new carpenter shop this spring."" This shop was probably located on the family farm in Mascot. The Lancaster City

and County Directory for 1890 lists Henry Lapp, then twenty-eight, as still residing in the Groff's Store Post Office area, probably on the family farm. His trade is noted as "carpenter." Soon after this directory was issued, he moved about a mile south to a new residence along the Philadelphia Pike, now Route 340, near Weavertown, between Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand.

By this time, Rebecca Lapp had remarried. Around this time, her new husband, Jacob Stoltzfus, Jr. (1836-1906), a middle-aged widower in his fifties who had grown children of his own, sold his family farm to his son Amos K. Stoltzfus."

Selling the family farm to a son and accepting early semi-retirement is still an Amish custom. As the need to support a family decreases with age, the senior surrenders the farm to the junior, who will need the income to support the next generation. Jacob remained a resident on the farm and moved into a small addition, called Gross Daudi House, with his new wife.

The following year, in two separate transactions, Amos K. sold to his stepbrother Henry a little over ten acres on the edge of the farm bordering the Philadelphia Pike." Henry immediately built a modest home, a carriage barn,'' and in front of the barn, near the road, a cabinet shop that served as both paint and hardware store. Above the entrance to his shop, he placed a sign that read, "there is none that equals." The Lancaster City and County Directory for 1896 lists Lapp as a "cabinetmaker" residing at this location in Birdin-Hand.

With the occasional assistance of his maiden sister, Elizabeth, Henry, a lifelong bachelor, remained active as a cabinetmaker at this location until he died. In 1902, his shop was referred to by a member of his community as a "furniture factory."

It is also reported that he periodically took pieces to market in Philadelphia, where he purchased inventory for his hardware business?'

Henry Lapp died on Tuesday, July 5, 1904, at the age of 41 years, 10 months, and 16 days.2' It is believed that he contracted lead poisoning from mixing the paint he

A CRAFTSMAN'S HANDBOOK Page 4: Two washbenches Page 7: Cupboard and wood chest Henry Lapp Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Watercolor and ink on paper 8 4 1/2" each page Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Titus C. Geesy Collection Washbench: Many variations of the washbench form attest to its popularity. Those used often for food or dish washing had top units lined with copper or tin and painted green.

Cupboard: A multipurpose unit, used to hold pitchers, washbowls, and chamber pots, or clothes or linens neatly folded on interior shelves.

Wood chest: Made in all sizes to store small pieces of dry firewood and stovewood. His use of large dovetailing at the corners makes an attractive and strong joint for a box destined for hard use.

Descriptions have be-en adapted from notes by Beatrice Garvin; see endnote number I.

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 55

DOUBLE PARROTS Elizabeth Lapp C. 1875 Watercolor on wove paper 10 8" Collection of Kathryn and Dan McCauley

sold." His funeral was held at the farm of his friend and neighbor Samuel J. Stoltzfus on Thursday, July 7, 1904. An inventory of Lapp's estate, taken on July 26, 1904, lists an impressive array of equipment in his shop, including "circular saws, 2 presses, mortise cutter, 2 grinding stones, mortising jack, molding machine," and chests of woodworking tools, supplies, and lumber." On Friday, October 14, 1904, after the fall harvest, an estate sale was held to auction off his possessions."

Known to friends and family as Lizzie, Henry's artist sister, Elizabeth Lapp, born on February 28, 1860, was almost two years older than Henry. Lizzie was a watercolor artist, sharing that interest with her brother. She occasionally signed her works "Lizzie" or "Lizzie Lapp."

After Henry's death, Lizzie purchased his property for $3,900.00 and continued to reside there until her death in 1932."

Lizzie was a small, stocky woman—she was two or three inches over five feet and weighed about 160 pounds. She suffered from a speech and hearing impediment that was at least as bad as Henry's, perhaps even worse. Her stammer was so severe that even family and close friends had trouble understanding her. As a result of her auditory affliction, it was hard for her to understand normal conversation in crowds or gatherings. Frequently, one of the family would act as an interpreter for her in social situations, relaying the gist of the conversation." Lizzie is remembered as being quiet and reserved, qualities that were probably a result of her handicaps.

Elizabeth Lapp derived her income as a seamstress, manufacturing men's suits and overcoats for family members and others in the community. Embroidering towels, sheets, pillowcases," and other textiles for Amish women provided another source of income. Lizzie executed her embroidery from homemade patterns, many of which were original, and she is credited with being an innovator in this art form.

To make a pattern, Lizzie drew designs on tracing paper and then pricked closely spaced holes along the entire sketch with a pin. To

transfer the outline to fabric for embroidery, Lizzie would pin the paper form to the material to steady it, then spread blue powdered chalk over the paper. When she removed the pattern, the chalk that had slipped through the pin holes outlined the design on the fabric. Lizzie had a wealth of paper patterns that she kept in a large flat wooden case made by Henry for this purpose."

Lizzie freely shared her patterns for both men's suits and embroidery with other Amish women. She gave lessons and helped others establish themselves in the tailoring trade." She seems to have become more active in the craft after Henry's demise.

During the nineteenth century, homemade rag dolls were common playthings for little girls. Because of the Church ban against the reproduction of graven human images, Amish-made rag dolls were sewn without faces. Lizzie fashioned faceless rag dolls and dressed them in Amish costume. These dolls had a distinctive hourglass shape for the torso, denim hands with sewn articulated fingers, and denim boots. The body was fabricated from white flour or sugar sacks. The clothing was meticulously detailed and was made of the same fabrics as that worn by Amish adults. These dolls were very popular with Amish children. Many were ordered by mothers as birthday and Christmas gifts. Lizzie also sold her dolls wholesale, periodically sending boxes of them to a toy dealer in upstate New York and another in California." Tourists occasionally bought examples she had on display in Henry's shop. Today her dolls are recognized as a form of fabric sculpture and are highly prized by collectors.

It has been reported by Lapp descendants that Lizzie also helped Henry in the cabinet shop; she painted and grain-decorated chairs and other pieces of furniture when orders were backed up." After Henry's death she continued to sell off the inventory of hardware and like merchandise stored in a large bank of small drawers, built by Henry, in the cabinet shop. Lizzie penciled the prices of the hardware on the outside of the drawers."

On August 27, 1906, Rebecca Lapp's second husband, Amos Stoltzfus, died at the age of seventy.

Shortly thereafter, Rebecca moved in with Lizzie, who cared for her mother until Rebecca died on April 24, 1917. About a year later, Jacob Flaud and his wife of one year, Sarah L. Beiler, the daughter of Lizzie's sister Fannie, moved into the Lapp house.

Eventually they purchased the property from Lizzie, granting her a life tenancy as part of the deal.

Typical of the women of her area and her heritage, Lizzie spoke the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect.

Although she spoke some English, she apparently had difficulty with the written word. She used to bring English correspondence to Sarah Flaud for confirmation of her understanding."

On November 19, 1932, Lizzie Lapp died peacefully in her sleep. It is believed that she may have been suffering from Bright's Disease at the time. Her legs were significantly swollen with fluid and had been for some time. Her obituary was only a brief line in a letter submitted by scribe J.B. Smucker for the December 1, 1932, issue of the Sugarcreek Budget. In this letter, Smucker states simply that there were four-funerals in the New Holland area that week,one of which was for Miss Lizzie Lapp, aged seventy-two years. Except for the legacy of her watercolor folk art, Lizzie led a typically anonymous life.

In addition to being an accomplished cabinetmaker, Henry Lapp was an inventor. In his will he granted "Noah Beiler the right to make and sell the shutter bolts on which I hold patent."" These shutter bolts were ingenious mechanisms that improved the method for securing the exterior wooden shutters that homeowners closed in winter to protect the windows and cut down on drafts. He had also designed and built a windmill atop his cabinet shop to power his equipment." The windmill needed only a force of about five miles per hour to provide power. Family members report that it was not uncommon for Henry to notice the wind was up and excuse himself from social gatherings to go cut lumber."

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 57

Henry's proficiency as a cabinetmaker has been recognized within his own community for generations.

His talent as a folk artist, however, began to gain attention only in the late 1970s, when a collection of sixty-nine small, whimsical watercolors, formerly the property of the noted collector David Musselman of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, was sold.

Attributed to Henry Lapp and his sister, Elizabeth, these pieces had been exhibited at the Cocalico Valley Historical Society's open house in October 1975; they were offered for sale at an antique auction sponsored by the society in the spring of 1979.

In the 1920s, Musselman had discovered a scrapbook containing these watercolors. Recognizing in them a unique approach to art, manifested particularly by the artist's use of strong, bright colors to distinguish the images, Musselman added the book to his collection. Fifty years later, Clarence Spohn, the Cocalico Valley Historial Society president and chairman of the Memorial Day auction, also ascertained the uniqueness of the works. To advertise the auction, Spohn produced a special flier highlighting "The Lapp Collection."" The judgment of both David Musselman and Clarence Spohn was vindicated by the results.

The works of the heretofore unknown pair of Amish folk artists elicited keen interest on the part of museums and folk art collectors."

Since this first major presentation of Lapp watercolors a substantial number have surfaced. Research suggests that as many as several hundred pieces may have survived." Only a fraction of the known pieces are signed and dated. These examples were produced between 1872 and 1879. However, Henry's furniture catalog and the existence of detailed drawings of furniture and farm implements, subjects that would have been of interest only after he established himself as a cabinetmaker, indicate that he probably produced watercolors throughout his life.

Lizzie, in contrast, seems to have surrendered her interest in drawing and chosen to cultivate her textile arts.

It appears that Henry was significantly more prolific than Lizzie.

Family members have related that

56 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

one of the reasons for the proliferation of Henry Lapp drawings and watercolors may lie in his handicap.

Because of his vocal affliction, he seems to have been uncomfortable at gatherings. Consequently, family members report, he would often sequester himself in the kitchen with the children and amuse them by producing small watercolors, which he would present to the children as gifts." This explains the wealth of drawings that have survived and the spread of his drawings across family lines into the general population of the Amish community in Lancaster County.

As subjects for his watercolors, Henry was particularly fond of reproducing advertising pieces, such as labels and magazine covers. There exists a wealth of Henry Lapp representations that have proven to be replications of agricultural and horticultural catalog illustrations. Lizzie seems to have had a preference for birds and floral subjects. She also borrowed from horticultural catalogs, but did not share her brother's enthusiasm for advertising mottos and product labels.

Both Henry and Lizzie rendered numerous small watercolors of fruit, vegetables, flowers, birds, and animals. Occasionally, Henry produced pieces with human figures as subjects, in what seems to have been blatant disregard for the Amish taboo against the replication of graven human images.°' Since the facial features of his characters are cartoonish and lack specific detail, Henry may have felt that he was operating within acceptable bounds. Lizzie does not seem to have shared her brother's interest in replicating human forms.

While Henry and Lizzie both produced accomplished drawings, their styles were quite different."

Based upon signed examples, Elizabeth appears to have possessed a finer hand for drawing and paid closer attention to detail. Henry seems to have been bolder in his presentation. Striking contrasts and bold images are the hallmarks of his art.

He portrayed his subjects with a whimsically naive character and charm, enhancing and enriching his images with dramatic and unusual colors. Bright green goats, glowing

red horses, and luminous yellow squirrels were the norm. It was his skillful manipulation of striking color and hue that raised these basic and sometimes uninteresting subjects to a level above the mundane. Both Henry and Lizzie usually worked in gum medium pigments, watercolor wash, ink, and pencil. Most examples of their work are colored, but simple pencil drawings are also known. The bulk of Lapp watercolors measure five by eight inches or smaller, although some larger pieces were also executed. The largest yet discovered is by Henry: a sixteen-by-thirteen-inch depiction of a horse-drawn sulky and its driver."

The Lapps' watercolors capture ornament as it existed in the Amish world. The command and orchestration of strong colors indicates that they were representative products of their cultural environment. There was a definite and wellestablished tradition of visual art within the Amish community. The creative use of strong color is the recognized hallmark of Amish art. Many of the pieces Lizzie and Henry created could well be considered touchstones of Amish art.

The appealing spectrum of blues, reds, greens, and pinks that are seen in Amish quilts, rugs, samplers, and other art forms—the essence of the vivid Amish palette—are manifest throughout the Lapps' work. It is not uncommon to encounter several renditions of the same Lapp drawing executed in different color schemes.

Such experimentation may have been an attempt to determine how color affects an image. It could also have been an unconscious expression of Amish culture. Sharing among the group is a tradition that is so ingrained in the Amish consciousness that even craft items like their quilts and rugs are variations on common shared patterns. The individuality of the maker is expressed by transforming the basic subject through the choice and manipulation of color.'

Thus, Henry and Lizzie's experiments with the effects of color on a "patterned" drawing should not necessarily be perceived as atypical or extraordinary. It is through the exploitation of color that Amish artists and craftsmen have generated

HORSE, CART AND RIDER Henry Lapp C. 1880 Watercolor on wove paper 13 16" Collection of Kathryn and Dan McCauley

GRANT, COLFAX, AND VICTORY Henry Lapp 1875 Watercolor on wove paper 9 1/4 19 7/4" Collection of Bob Hamilton Signed and dated on reverse Inspired by a campaign poster supporting Ulysses S. Grant and Schuyler Colfax for the 1868 Presidential election.

the striking graphic images that sets of the closed society to the rest of the their art apart from that of other cul- world—and managed to capture it on tures. It is not uncommon to en- paper in a manner that could be counter a hot pink set against a deep appreciated by those outside their navy blue, or a bright lime-green set society. Their works, like those of against a deep maroon-red. other Amish artists, tend to be small.

Like other Amish folk artists, Perhaps this diminutive nature is an the Lapps had no academic training attempt to conform to the precept of but were nonetheless able to produce simplicity. As a rule, Lapp pieces interesting works that showed evi- were stored by the owners in books dence of a skilled creator. Isolated in or in drawers; they were not framed a rural religious community far from and hung as decoration, for that the influences of the city, the Lapps would almost certainly have violated produced images that were a manifest the spirit of the Ordnung and the reflection of the society that nurtured teachings of the ministry. ApparHenry and Lizzie. An understanding ently, most of these drawings served of the context within which these as tokens of affection to friends and artists produced their watercolors family. As a result, there may have confirms that these pieces have a been a disinclination to consider value above the simply decorative.

Lapp tokens "art" in the broader Amish folk artists, as opposed sense, and thus they may not have to non-sectarian painters, must create been viewed by the ministry as violawithin a delicately balanced frame- tions of church doctrine. work. They are required to weigh Henry and Lizzie Lapp were their desire to create artwork against capable of pushing the limits set by their commitment to the "plain" life. their society regarding art without They strive to produce images that breaking the barriers erected against have a visual impact, yet do not result the "world" by generations of church in an expression that induces the cen- leaders. When measured against this sure of the ministry. This goal is for parameter, the true merit and contrithe most part unconscious. Members butions of their work can be more of the Amish community know what adequately appreciated. Both Lizzie is acceptable behavior, and they and Henry managed to capture the attempt to conform accordingly. The visual elements of the outside world limits are strictly drawn by the as found in secular catalogs and Ordnung, an unwritten code of con- advertising mottos and successfully duct and ethics that has evolved in integrate them into the Old Order the Amish Church over three hundred value system. The result is an years and governs the lives of all eminently successful and precious members. Innovators like Henry and record, a view of the nineteenthLizzie Lapp must have not only skill, century secular world through but also intuition and an awareness Amish eyes.* that allows them to work successfully on the edge; pushing the limits with- Daniel J. McCauley has been reout incurring sanction for violation of searching Amishfolk artfor over the Ordnung is the mark of a true twenty years. He is the coauthor, Amish artist. with his wife, Kathryn, ofDecorative The art of the Amish is a bal- Arts of the Amish of Lancaster ance of extremes—the very hot County. McCauley graduatedfrom against the very cold, the bright St. Joseph's Univerisity with a major against the dark—reflections of the in psychology andfrom the Univerworld against a closed society. The sity ofPennsylvania with a major in Lapps expressed this cultural anom- business; he received his law degree aly through the color in their art. from Wiedener University. The Many of their watercolors are care- McCauleys make their home in fully balanced compositions drama- Scottsdale, Arizona. tized by the planned impact of the shades and hues they chose to use.

The Lapps capitalized on the basic nature of Amish art—the shared patterns, the bold colors, and the attitude

$O FALL 1994 FOLK ART

NOTES 1 A reproduction of this notebook—A Craftsman's Handbook: Henry Lapp—with introduction and notes by Beatrice B. Garvan, was published by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1975. A new edition has recently been published by Good Books in cooperation with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 2 Janice A. Egeland, ed., The Descendants ofChristian Fisher and Other Amish Mennonite Pioneer Families(Baltimore: Moore Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1972),entry 352.1, p. 25.

3 Hugh F. Gingerich and Rachel W. Kreider, Amish and Mennonite Genealogies (Gordonville,Pa.: Pequea Publishers, 1986), entry #SF5, p. 383.

4 Will Book L, Vol. 1, p. 235, Lancaster County Court House,Lancaster, Pa. 5 For discussion of pieces from the hand of Rebecca Lapp,see Daniel J. and Kathryn M. McCauley,Decorative Arts ofthe Amish of Lancaster County (Intercourse, Pa.: Good Books, 1988), pp. 37,57,90.

6 Most female Amish folk artists appear either to have been single women or to have created most of their art later in life. For more on this, see the biographies in Decorative Arts ofthe Amish ofLancaster County. Contrast Rebecca Lapp with fraktur artist Barbara Ebersol,a dwarf who remained single for life, or with Mary Lapp, who took up decoration toward the end of her life, creating painted boxes and decorated furniture, and is referred to as "Old Mary Lapp" by those who remember her.

7 Egeland,entry 580.1.

8 Garvan,Introduction.

9 Lapp descendant Emmanuel Flaud,conversation with author, April 1985.

10 Ibid.

11 Henry Lapp, letter to his cousin Ezra Fisher, September 11, 1890, now in the possession of a Fisher descendant. In this letter, Lapp mentions that his baptism is to be held on September 22, along with ten other young men and nine young women.

12 For an example of his early work,see the seed/spice drawer illustrated on p. 134, Decorative Arts ofThe Amish ofLancaster County. This piece is dedicated in pencil: "Sarah Lapp/Susie Ebersol 1885." Apparently, it was the gift of Henry's sister Sarah to a friend.

13 The circumstances of Michael Lapp's death were recorded in a notebook compiled

by Lydia Beiler between 1878 and 1915 that detailed fatalities in the Amish community.

Such personal record books were commonly kept by Amish women,especially the elderly or spinsters. This notebook is in the possession of the author.

14 Joel Beiler, letter to Ezra Fisher, July 21, 1885, now in the possession of a Fisher descendant.

15 Deed between Jacob Stoltzfus, Jr. and

RUSH'S BITTERS Henry Lapp 1875 Watercolor on wove paper 8 1/2 5 1/2" Collection of Bob Hamilton Signed and dated on reverse

GRAPES Elizabeth Lapp 1873 Watercolor on wove paper 6 3/8 4 Collection of The People's Place, Intercourse, Pa. Signed and dated on reverse, "Elisabeth Lapp, March 30, 1873."

Amos K. Stoltzfus, recorded April 1, 1892; Deed Book Y,Vol. 13, p. 547, Lancaster County Court House, Lancaster,Pa. 16 Deeds between Amos K. Stoltzfus and Henry L.Lapp,recorded April 1, 1893, Deed Book G,Vol. 14, p. 295, and August 7, 1893, Deed Book I, Vol. 14, p.

496; both at Lancaster County Court House,Lancaster, Pa. 17 Diary of Samuel S. Smucker,collection of the author. In the entry for Tuesday, April 11, 1893,Smucker writes, "Jonathan [a brother of Samuel's] at frolic at Henry Lapps to raise a house and stable at the old road." The "old road" referred to here is what today is known as Route 340, the old Philadelphia Pike. In the entry for Thursday, May 23, 1893, Smucker noted that he attended "a frolic to raise Henry Lapp's barn."

18 Garvan,Introduction.

19 Reported by the Lancaster County correspondent for the local Amish and Mennonite newspaper, The Sugarcreek Budget, Sugarcreek, Oh., March 13, 1902, p. 2.

20 Garvan,Introduction.

21 Diary of Samuel S. Smucker,entry for July 7, 1904.

22 Lapp descendant Emmanuel Flaud, conversation with author, April 1985.

Flaud lived in Henry's house and in the early 1950s tore down the shop to put up a more modem building.

23 Inventory Book V. Vol. 1, p 447.

Filed July 27, 1904. Lancaster County Court House,Lancaster, Pa. 24 In his diary entry for October 14, 1904, Samuel S. Smucker notes that he "stopped at the sale for Henry Lapp's goods [and] purchased a cradle for thirty five cents."

According to an article in the October 27, 1904,issue of the Sugarcreek Budget, Henry's apprentice, Noah Zook, purchased much of the shop equipment and furniture patterns at the estate sale.

Thereafter,Zook opened his own shop a few miles down the Philadelphia Pike in the town of Intercourse, where he continued the business.

25 In his will, which is dated August 23, 1901, and witnessed by Lizzie Lapp and William Umble, Henry left his property, real and personal, to his brothers and sisters collectively. Lizzie apparently purchased the home from the estate.

26 Lapp descendant Amos Beiler, who resided with Lizzie for several years, conversation with author, June 1993.

27 During the nineteenth century, the Amish utilized the "German" bedset, i.e., two conventional-size pillows and one double-size bolster. Many Old Order Amish families in Lancaster County still observe this tradition today.

28 Examples of these paper patterns are in the collection of the author. The wooden case is in the collection of The People's Place Quilt Museum,Intercourse,Pa. 29 Amos Beiler, conversation with author, June 1993.

30 Lapp descendant Fannie Flaud, conversation with author, February 1987.

31 Annie Lapp King,conversation with author,September 1985.

32 Emmanuel Flaud,conversation with author, June 1993.

33 Fannie Flaud,conversation with author, February 1987. Also Emmanuel Flaud,conversation with author, June 1993.

34 Will Book Q, Vol. 2, p. 16, Lancaster County Court House,Lancaster,Pa., written August 23, 1901,registered July 21, 1904.

35 Elmer S. Beiler, letter to Die Bostschaft, the Old Order Amish newspaper published weekly in Lancaster County, Sept. 19, 1984, p. 24.

36 Emmanuel Flaud,conversation with author, April 1985.

37 A copy of this flier is in the collection of the Pequea Bruderschaft Library, near Intercourse, Lancaster County. Color slides of each piece in the Lapp collection are also owned by this organization.

38 For more on this sale, see David Luthy, "Henry Lapp: Amish Folk Artist and Craftsman," Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage, Vol. IX, No.4(Oct. 1988), pp. 2-6.

39 See Margaret A. Witmer,"Henry and Elizabeth Lapp: Amish Folk Artists," Antique Collecting(May 1979), pp. 22-27; and Gerald S. Lestz, Amish Culture and Economy (Lancaster,Pa.: Franklin and Marshall College and the Science Press, 1984), pp. 86-89.

40 Frances Woods,conversation with author, September 1986. This information was related to Mrs. Woods by Lapp descendant Sarah Flaud, who witnessed this activity on several occasions.

41 Shortly after photography became popular in the 1860s, the Amish ministry, using Exodus 20: 3-4 as an authority, banned photographs and other renderings of human likenesses. For more on this subject, see James Nelson Gingerich,"Ordinances or Ordering: Ordnung and Amish Minister Meetings 1862 and 1878," Mennonite Quarterly Review, Vol. LX (April 1968), pp. 180-199.

42 Corinne P. and Russell D. Earnest, Papersfor Birthdays(Albuquerque, N.Mex: privately published, 1989), p. 269.

43 This piece is pictured in Decorative Arts ofthe Amish, p. 123.

44 For an illustration of this aspect of Amish art, one must look no farther than the Lancaster County diamond quilts, all of which are color variations on the same theme.

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 61

ART NAIF

Contemporary Haitian Folk Art Paintings Sculptures Masks

Flags 29 Essex Street Millburn NewJersey 07041 (201)379-2929

FamousFolk P.O. Box 228 Wigwam Hill West Brookfield, Mass 01585 (508)867-2317(508)248-6856

Celebrated Folk Artist

JACOB KNIGHT 'Carly Simon on Her Lion' 28 x 21V2' Acrylic on linen 1994

Featuring folk heroes Consignments accepted

Poetic interpretation Originals for sale/no prints

62 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

In Atlanta

Ne'

,Aittotriii mkt of Atlanta ESTABLISHED 1973

Specializing in Fine Quality 19th and 20th Century American Art Sensitive to the harshness of life's often tragic experiences Regine Gilbert sought peace and beauty in her mystical paintings inspired by nature. Untrained, she is registered as a primitive artist along with Grandma Moses in the Archives of American Art. Living in semi-seclusion, she was helped by John Baur, Director of the Whitney Museum, to exhibit her work in the Whitney, and the Brooklyn museums. She also showed at the Guggenheim, and galleries in New York, Washington, D.C., and Palm Beach, FL. Her paintings are an expression of what she saw as much as what she felt deeply. Regine Gilbert has left us a legacy of passionately expressive works of art.

Regine Gilbert(1900-1993) "Girl with a Mandolin"

5325 Roswell Road NE • Atlanta, Georgia • 30342 (404) 252-0485• FAX 252-0359

Mary T. Smith (1904-

)

Collection includes: J.B. Murray, Howard Finster, David Butler, Sam Doyle, Clementine Hunter, Nellie Mae Rowe, Jimmy Sudduth, James "Son" Thomas, Royal Robertson, James Harold Jennings, Mose Tolliver, Lonnie Holley, B.F. Perkins, Luster Willis, Raymond Coins, Charlie Lucas, Junior Lewis, William Dawson, Leroy Almon, Sr., M.C. 50 Jones, "Artist Chuckle" Williams, Ike Morgan, Herbert Singleton, Burgess Dulaney, Dwight Mackintosh, Sarah Rakes, S.L. Jones, Rhinestone Cowboy and others.

GILLEY8 "Blue Figure on Yellow" 70" x 27" Oil on Tin

GALLEa

8750 Florida Blvd.

Baton Rouge, LA 70815 (504) 922-9225

FALL 1994 FOLK ART

63

. .

NANcY .

ThomAS Nancy started drawing seriously at the age of six 4 4 when she created her first comic strip entitled 4 "Lettucey and Carroty," the adventures of a head 4 4 of lettuce and a carrot who were best friends.

From that beginning, Nancy has done one-woman 4 4 shows from Paris to California. She has received . commissions ranging from four life-size paintings 4 4 of Saint Nicholas for a seasonal display 4 at Colonial Williamsburg, to angels 4 4 for the cast of the Tony award-winning 4 play,"Angels in America."

4 Most recently, she won the High Design 4 4 award at the Atlanta Merchandise Mart.

4 +

"Her Party" acrylic on wood

30" x 30"

Contemporary

Folk Art Painted Pieces Stools Tables Mirrors Chairs Trays All items are numbered, dated and signed.

August Saul 85 Mystic Harbor Bradfordwoods, PA 15015 412-935-4088 Can be seen at the Celebration of American Craftsmanship Show Wilton, CT• November 12-13, 1994

64 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Ballard Street• Yorktown, VA 23690 .

• (804)898-3665 fax (804)890-0967 • • • 4

SOUTHERN FOLK POTTERY COLLECTORS SOCIETY presents

Brown's Pottery Advertising Jug. circa 1930s. North Carolina

The Fourth Absentee Auction Sale of Southern Folk and Folk Art Pottery Exhibition and Bids begin September 21, 1994 — Bidding ends November 9, 1994 Exhibition at Society Shop/Museum in Robbins, North Carolina A fully illustrated catalogue with reference biographies will be available NC.Auction Firm License #5902

Southern Folk Pottery Collectors Society 1828 North Howard Mill Road, Robbins, NC 27325 Phone: 910/464-3961

Fax: 910/464-2530

BOOK

REVIEW

The Artist Outsider: Creativity and the Boundaries of Culture Michael D. Hall and Eugene W. Metcalf, Jr., editors Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 1994 296 pages,color and black-andwhite illustrations $26.95 The Artist Outsider: Creativity and the Boundaries ofCulture, edited by Michael D. Hall and Eugene W. Metcalf, Jr., is the latest salvo to be fired on an ideological battlefield that has become riddled with hyphens— "folk- outsider- self-taught- etc.art"—a necessary form of theoretical and semantic skirmishing that Didi Barrett has quite aptly called "term warfare." In the words of the editorial team, this book "presents the first general collection of critical essays on the subject of art and its outsiders." Hall and Metcalf have organized their book around the two perspectives—aesthetic and social—from which, they reasonably argue, most critical writings on art, and especially the art of marginalized "outsiders," spring. Nineteen essays representing a range of views have thus been divided into two parts:"The Outsider in Aesthetic Perspective" and "The Outsider in Social Perspective." Each part is in turn broken down into two sections, one devoted to history and theory, and the other to considerations of specific artists. Such a straightforward and reader-friendly approach is inviting indeed; Hall and Metcalf set the stage for what promises to be a balanced exchange of opinions, an even-keeled, dialectical debate.

Kicking off the first part is Lucy R. Lippard, a respected art

66 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

critic and historian whose track record as a pioneer feminist and multicultural advocate make her a good candidate for setting what Hall calls "an open-ended tone for the book." Her essay, one of the best and most methodologically sound that the book has to offer, analyzes classifications of "outsiderness." Rejecting the term "outsider" as confusing and part of"an ethnocentric society's naming process," Lippard proposes a method for approaching art on the margins that incorporates both aesthetics and a consideration of social context: "...perhaps by expanding—going further out on both sides of the formalist-contextualist debate— some actual common ground can be discovered."

The book's first part continues to unfold with two essays contributed by proponents of the outsider category—Roger Cardinal and Michel Thevoz— both of which stand in marked contrast to Lippard's. Cardinal proposes a somewhat expanded definition of his term "outsider art," retrieving Jean Dubuffet's later, less restrictive approach to art brut as a way of historically validating such a move. And yet expansive as he attempts to be, in the end Cardinal continues to argue for an inherently marginalizing "Outsider Aesthetic," consisting of unique criteria for viewing and evaluating artwork made by cultural outsiders. Infinitely more conservative is Cardinal's colleague Thevoz, who,in the process of faithfully defending a stricter definition of art brut, lapses into nostalgic excess: "...insofar as it has prevented all those deliriums and hallucinations which give rise to artistic inspiration, it [the development of psychophannacology] has had a fatal impact on artistic creativity within the clinical context."

The Artist Outsider Creativity and the Boundaries of Culture Edited by Michael D. Hall and Eugene W. Metcalf, Jr.

Providing a brilliant riposte to the arguments of both Cardinal and Thevoz, Joanne Cubbs places the impulse to defend categories such as "outsider art" in an historical and ideological context. Her thesis—that the notion of outsider art is an inherently Romantic construct— draws upon the histories of art and philosophy, is well argued, and stands as a significant contribution to the field. In an essay written in 1976, Daniel Robbins argues against the mythification and aestheticization of folk art; this discussion obliquely complements Cubbs's argument, despite the fact that many of his claims are now quite dated.

The polemic that emerges from the historical/theoretical section of Part I ("Aesthetic Perspective")—between the proponents of the outsider category who would shore up existing boundaries of the cultural margins and those who challenge the same boundaries—is played out in several studies of individual artists. Laurent Danchin, in his essay on the French artist Pierre Avezard,favors "outsider" over a range of existing terms (naif, populaire, etc.). By contrast, Michael Hall casts his vote against fueling marginalization, arguing that the artist Jahan Maka, whom others might call an outsider, should be considered within the purview of mainstream art history. Folklorist Charles G.Zug III and artistanthropologist Richard Nonas

both challenge current usages of the term "outsider," the former in the interest of forging a clearer distinction between "folk" and "outsider"(a position, I will wager, that is favored by more than a few Folk Art readers). In all, before one even reaches Part II("Social Perspective"), the terms of the debate have been set between the "outsider" camp, which is here equated primarily with aesthetics, and a sociocultural camp,represented by a range of academic disciplines (art history, anthropology,folklore). It comes as no surprise, then, that the latter point of view dominates the second part of The Artist Outsider, and indeed, the entire book.

The bottom line of the anti-outsider position that was well argued by Cubbs in Part I— that is, that the use of the term "outsider" reveals more about the agenda and cultural milieu of the term's user than about his or her object of study—is the central thesis of a number of essays in Part II. Constance Perin, a cultural anthropologist, proposes that the way in which outsider art has been classified by critics and enthusiasts—as radically "Other"—reveals their unwitting compliance with society's underlying fear that the art of the insane poses a fundamental threat to our social order. Mark Gisbourne discusses the ways in which French clinical psychology has determined the formulation of outsider ideology.

Yet the two contributors who argue the most aggressively against the outsider category, and against aesthetics in general, from the interdisciplinary position of material culture studies, are coeditor Eugene Metcalf and his colleague Kenneth L. Ames.

In his essay, Metcalf draws from the body of literature (Torgov(continued on page 78)

es 4r,

A:AAkV

AirAfr ) Ar A eelebratiop of tbe,Mountaius Strong Southern Folk Art Featuring The Paragons OfThe South James Harold Lanier Meaders Jennings Michael Crocker Burlon Craig Mose T Marie Rogers Annie T Leroy Almon Annie Wellborn Richard Burnside R.A. Miller Mary Greene Fluster And others

Barbara Brogdon Collection of Lanier Meaders Pottery Grape Cannister by Edwin Meaders

SHARED THREADS QpILTING TOGETHER —

Hwy. 129 S., Rt. 5, Box 5588, Cleveland, Ga 30528

706-865-6345

*Ivo ,d

UJ QUILTING

PAST AND PRESENT

PA -ST AND

PRESEN

S

JACQVELINE MARX ATKINS This beautifully illustrated history of communal quilting in America concentrates on a wide variety of group quilts made in the 19th century and ends with the magnificent AIDS Memorial Quilt. Each featured quilt personifies the life, culture and art of its creators.

Featuring over 100 color illustrations.

„.1

mARxA READS JACQUELI

H ARED

TK1NS

_•48.8781.

0 7 1r--

A VIKING STUDIO BOOK AT BOOKSTORES NOW OR TO ORDER CALL 1-800-253-6476

$24.95 Paperback $34.95 Cloth

EIEECEI MEM] CEEB]

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 67

MUSEUM

NEWS

Quilt Weekend—Plus rom Friday, May 20, through Monday, May 23, the Museum held a special series of quilt-related events for members and friends.

Kicking off the long weekend on Friday morning, the Museum of American Folk Art Explorers' Club boarded their bus and headed out to Scarsdale for a visit to the home of quilt collector and dealer Betsy Stem. The group then enjoyed a private luncheon and walking tour at the New York Botanical Gardens and returned to Manhattan in the afternoon to visit the home of folk art collectors Joanne and Fred Siegmund. Some club members and their guests stayed in town to attend the free lecture "Historic French Provencal Needlework and American Quilting Traditions," given by Kathryn Berenson at the Museum on Friday evening.

Saturday's events included a symposium,quilt demonstrations, and a quilt workshop.

The programs, all of which were free to the public, began at 10:30 A.M. with an introduction by the Museum's Director, Gerard C. Wertkin. The symposium included talks by Dr. Judith Weissman, Barbara Brackman,Phyllis Tepper, and Jacqueline Atkins.

Following the symposium were quilting demonstrations led by guild members of Brooklyn Quilters, Empire Quilters, and Long Island Quilters. More then 300 people gathered together to watch and listen to Suiling Tam,

F

68 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Linda Moore, Djamillah Samad, and Sam Novgorodoff. At the same time, a workshop on quilts for the ABC Quilts project was given by Donna Boyle and Angie Roth of the Brooklyn Quilters Guild. ABC(At-Risk Babies Crib) Quilts is a quilt distribution network that has delivered more than 150,000 quilts, both nationally and internationally, to at-risk children, including those born with alcohol- or drug-related problems and those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. MS. Boyle and Ms. Roth gave out free kits to those who wanted to participate and demonstrated the process for making these special quilts.

Some quilts were completed during the workshop and others were taken home to be finished for donation and distribution later. For more information on ABC Quilts, contact Donna Boyle at 718/435-5234.

On Sunday, an exciting (and sold-out) workshop,"Clues in the Calico: Dating Antique Quilts," was given by Barbara Brackman. Participants were encouraged to bring in their quilts and were taught how to pinpoint the date of a quilt, based on the fabrics and the sewing techniques used. On Monday, Elly Sienkiewicz held a unique, hands-on workshop on Baltimore Album quilt techniques, including wholecloth cutaway appliquĂŠ. Sienkiewicz, a masterful teacher and lecturer, captivated the group from 10:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. The workshop was limited to 20 participants, but could have gone into a second session, as many more were wait-listed.

Programming designed for quilt lovers and enthusiasts continued throughout the summer with free evening lectures.

Speakers included Mimi

Sherman, Marilyn Henrion, Yvonne Forman, Judy Doenias, Leslie Levison, Lee Kogan, Phyllis Tepper, Deborah Ash, and Joan Bloom. In addition to the evening lectures, free lunchtime tours of the exhibition "New York Beauties" were given throughout the months of June, July, and August.

Foreground: Elly Sienkiewicz.

Background,from left to right: Anita Grossman, Lucille Clark, Barbara Cartwright.

From left to right: Betty Jo Shiel, Maridean Hutton, Ann Wrenn, Barbara Brackman.

New Children's Memberships he Museum's membership only $8.00,junior members will receive a membership card, a department is pleased to periodic newsletter, a 10% disannounce a new junior count on children's books in the membership category for children 5 to 12 years old, which will Museum Book and Gift Shops, and an opportunity to participate be initiated in October. Free in regular workshops designed workshops on Sunday afternoons just for them. in October will help acquaint A charter membership children with the new program. would be a wonderful gift for For a yearly membership fee of that special child in your life. For more information, call the membership office at 212/977-7170.

T

NEW JERUSALEM; Sister Gertrude Morgan; (1900-1980); New Orleans; c. 1970; acrylic and tempera on cardboard; 12 19"; Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Sanford and Patricia

In conjunction with the exhibition "Every Picture Tells a Story: Word and Image in American Folk Art," the following free programs will be held at the Museum's Eva and Morris Feld Gallery at 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th streets, New York:

Smith, 1986.21.1

;

-

Fall Season Opens on September 17 he exhibition "Every Picture Tells a Story: Word and Image in American Folk Art" opens on September 17, 1994, and will be on view through January 15, 1995. The Museum's curator, Stacy Hollander, has assembled an exciting and informative exhibit of more than 100 objects to illustrate how words and images have been inextricably linked in folk art from very early carvings on 17th-century New England gravestones to the late 20th-century visionary works by artists such as Howard Finster.

In her introduction to the exhibition, Hollander states that "language use in the visual arts extends an open invitation to each viewer to enter into another's world. The messages conveyed may be personal, factual, or even nonsensical, but each begs to be read. The combination of word and image date to antiquity, but was abandoned during the Renaissance only to be rediscovered in the early 20th century. In American folk expressions, however, the relationship between the written word and visual image has endured as an unbroken tradition into the present."

/114 , if # •j GRAVESTONE OF POLLY COOMBES; Bellingham, Massachusetts; carved

by Joseph Barber of West Medway, Massachusetts; 1795; slate; 30" high; photographed by Daniel Farber; Museum of American Folk Art, gift of Jessie Lie and Daniel Farber, LR 1987.2.12

Free Lecture Series—Evening,*

Free Weekend Storytelling

6:00 P.m.-7:00 P.M.

for Children

Tuesdays September 27 Portraits in Stone Daniel and Jessie Farber Authors and researchers in gravestone studies October 25 The Polite Lady: Or a Course in Female Education Davida Deutsch Author, researcher, and lecturer December 6 Messages in Contemporary American Folk Art Lee Kogan Director of the Folk Art Institute

T

Storytelling programs begin at 2 are intended for children ages 3 and up, accompanied by an adult. Reservations are suggested.

The authors and artists of selected children's books will read their stories and show their illustrations.

Book signings will be held following each presentation. The original artworks for the featured book will be on view for the week prior to each storytelling.

P.M. They

Saturdays

September 24 Malcah Zeldis and her daughter Yona Zeldis McDonough will read the book Eve and Her Sisters and talk about the drawings.

Wednesdays LECTERN BOX; artist unknown; New England; c. 1865; painted wood; inscribed "P.F. Coist"; 19 1/2" long; private collection

This exhibition emphasizes the pervasive combinations of pictorial narrative and the written word in the many forms of American folk art. By juxtaposing images with written messages, the folk artist invites the viewer to read the work of art.

Among the fascinating works that draw from a variety of time periods, styles, and intentions are paintings by artists as culturally diverse as Edward Hicks, Harry Lieberman, and Sister Gertrude Morgan. The exhibition consists of many fine objects that exemplify the wide range of forms and functions combining the interplay of text and image: samplers,fraktur, family records, and trade signs, as well as such surprising pieces as the Pieties quilt in a dramatic red-and-white pattern interspersed with religious sentiments, intricately carved canes, and pottery.

September 28 Folk Art Made for Fun (toys, carousel art, whirligigs, dolls, scrimshaw) Jeanne Riger Master docent October 12 Jewish Folk Art in America Gerard C. Wertkin Director, Museum of American Folk Art

October 1 Joan Bloss, Newbery Award-winning author will read from her new book,Brooklyn Doesn't Rhyme.

November 5 Malcah Zeldis will read her poems that were inspired by her illustrations for the book Fine Fat Pig.

October 26 Day of the Dead(a colorful Mexican commemoration of the dead) Diane Rigo Master docent

November 19 Abigail Thomas will read two of her books,Pearl Paints and Lily. Peggy Hewitt, illustrator of Pearl Paints, and William Low,illustrator of Lily, will show how they worked with the author to create their memorable drawings.

November 16 Shaker Drawings Gerard C. Wertkin Director, Museum of American Folk Art

December 10 Steven Kellogg, a well-known illustrator of children's books, will tell stories and illustrate them as he speaks.

November 30 Harry Lieberman: A Journey of Remembrance Stacy C. Hollander Curator, Museum of American Folk Art

Sunday

December 18 Kathy Jakobsen will read her book My New York and Reeve Lindberg's Johnny Appleseed, which she illustrated. She will discuss text and image with the children.

For more information or for reservations, please call 212/595-9533.

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 69

TRUSTEES/DONORS

MUSEUM

OF

AMERICAN

FOLK

ART

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Executive Committee Ralph Esmerian President Frances Sirota Martinson, Esq. Executive Vice President and Chairman,Executive Committee Lucy C. Danziger Executive Vice President Bonnie Strauss Vice President Joan M.Johnson Vice President Peter M.Ciccone Treasurer Cynthia V.A. Schaffner Secretary Judith A. Jedlicka Susan Klein George F. Shaskan, Jr.

MAJOR

DONORS

TO

American Folk Art Society Amicus Foundation William Arnett Asahi Shimbun Mr.& Mrs. Arthur L. Barrett Ben & Jerry's Homemade,Inc. Estate of Abraham P. Bersohn Dr. Robert Bishop Edward Vermont Blanchard & M. Anne Hill Mr.& Mrs. Edwin C. Braman Marilyn & Milton Brechner Mr.& Mrs. Edward J. Brown Iris Carmel Morris B. and Edith S. Cartin Family Foundation Tracy & Barbara Cate Edward Lee Cave Chinon, Ltd. Estate of Thomas M.Conway David L. Davies Mr.& Mrs. Donald DeWitt Gerald & Marie DiManno The Marion & Ben Duffy Foundation Mr.& Mrs. Alvin Einbender Ellin F. Ente Ross & Glady A. Faires Daniel & Jessie Lie Farber Mrs. Eva Feld Estate of Morris Feld Susan & Eugene Flamm

RECENT

MAJOR

70 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

LINCOLN

Trustees Emeriti Cordelia Hamilton Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr. Margery G. Kahn Alice M.Kaplan Jean Lipman

SQUARE

Walter and Josephine Ford Fund Jacqueline Fowler Selma & Sam Goldwitz Irene & Bob Goodkind Mr.& Mrs. Baron Gordon Doris Stack Green Cordelia Hamilton Taiji Harada William Randolph Hearst Foundation Terry & Simca Heled Alice & Ronald Hoffman Mr.& Mrs. David S. Howe Mr. & Mrs. Albert L. Hunecke, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Yee Roy Jear Barbara Johnson, Esq. Joan & Victor L. Johnson Isobel & Harvey Kahn Louise & George Kaminow Janey Fire & John Kalymnios Shirley & Theodore L. Kesselman Mr. and Mrs. Robert Klein Kodansha, Ltd. Lee & Ed Kogan Wendy & Mel Lavitt James & Frances Lieu Howard & Jean Lipman Foundation Robert & Betty Marcus Foundation, Inc. C.F. Martin IV Joseph Martinson Memorial Fund Masco Corporation

ENDOWMENT

FUND

Christopher & Linda Mayer Majorie W.McConnell Michael & Marilyn Mennello Benson Motechin Johleen Nester, John Nester II, and Jeffrey Nester Kathleen S. Nester NYNEX Corporation Paul Oppenheimer Dorothy & Leo Rabkin Cathy Rasmussen Ann-Marie Reilly Willa & Joseph Rosenberg Betsey Schaeffer The William P. and Gertrude Schweitzer Foundation, Inc. Mr.& Mrs. Richard Sears Mr.& Mrs. George F. Shaskan, Jr. Mrs. Louise A. Simone Mr. and Mrs. Sanford L. Smith Mr.& Mrs. Richard L. Solar Mr.& Mrs. Austin Super Mr.& Mrs. Stanley Tananbaum Phyllis & Irving Tepper Two Lincoln Square Associates Anne Utescher Elizabeth & Irwin Warren Mrs. Dixon Wecter Gerard C. Wertkin Robert N.& Anne Wright Wilson Mr.& Mrs. John H. Winkler

DONORS

The Museum of American Folk Art greatly appreciates the generous support of the following friends: $100,000 and above Anonymous Estate of Daniel Cowin Ford Motor Company The J.M. Kaplan Fund,Inc. Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund David & Jane Walentas

Honorary Trustee Eva Feld

Members Florence Brody Joyce Cowin David L. Davies Raymond C. Egan T. Marshall Hahn,Jr. Barbara Johnson, Esq. George H. Meyer,Esq. Cyril I. Nelson Maureen Taylor David C. Walentas Robert N. Wilson

$50,000499,999 Anonymous Joseph Martinson Memorial Fund The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc. Barbara & Thomas W.Strauss Fund $20,000449,999 Mr. & Mrs. Leon Black David L. Davies and Jack Weeden Joyce Cowin Mr.& Mrs. Frederick M. Danziger

Joan & Victor L. Johnson National Endowment for the Arts Restaurant Associates Industries, Inc. Mr.& Mrs. George F. Shaskan, Jr. $10,000419,999 Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Country Living Estate of Aniel T. Hubbell Barbara Johnson,Esq.

MUSEUM

NEWS

BURGESS DULANEY Celebration for Folk Art Institute Graduates and Docents n Monday, May 23, the Museum of American Folk Art honored its 1994 Folk Art Institute graduates at a commencement ceremony and celebration. The keynote address was the Esther Stevens Brazer Memorial Lecture, "American Fancy." Graciously given by Sumpter Priddy III, the lecture, accompanied by a slide presentation,focused on 19thcentury decorative arts.

Opening remarks were made by Gerard C. Wertkin, and Lee Kogan spoke on behalf of each graduate. Certificates, presented by Barbara K. Cate, were awarded to Linda Bosniak, John Hood, Barbara Klinger, Sharon Koota, Fran Lieu, Mary E. Schwartz, Meg Smeal, and Lynn

O

Museum Represented at the Noyes ee Kogan,director of the Museum's Folk Art Institute; docents Sharon Koota and Lynn Steuer, who head the Museum's outreach program; and Museum trustee Cynthia V.A. Schaffner were principal speakers at an art educator's symposium on May 16 at the Noyes Museum in Oceanville, N.J. The symposium was held in conjunction with the exhibition "20th Century SelfTaught Artists from the MidAtlantic Region," currently on display at the Noyes. Their lively talks at the daylong program highlighted the role of folk art as an expression of American cultural diversity and provided practical suggestions for incorporating folk art into school curricula.

L

Gerard C. Wertkin and Sumpter Priddy III

Steuer. Three-Year Docent Awards were given to Bernice Berkower, Louise Kaminow, and Diane Rigo for their consistent and invaluable service to the Museum. The awards were presented by Frances S. Martinson, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Museum's Board of Trustees.

The ceremonies were attended

by Museum members and staff, members of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration, and family and friends of the graduates and docents.

Museum Intern Curates Puppet Exhibition erry McCarthy, a student enrolled in the Museum's graduate program in Folk Art Studies at New York University and a Museum summer intern, is curator of an exhibition for the Jim Henson Foundation and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts entitled "Revealing Roots: Uncovering Influences on Contemporary Puppet Theater." The exhibition, on view at the Library from June 7 through September 30,examines the global impact folk and traditional forms of puppet theater have had on today's puppet artists in the United States.

McCarthy has been the curator of numerous exhibitions on puppet theater during her tenure as Museum Director at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.

K

unfired clay

John W.Banks Hector Alonzo Benavides Cyril Billiot Carl Block Hawkins Bolden Richard Burnside Rhinestone Cowboy Burgess Dulaney Homer Green Rev.J.L. Hunter James Harold Jennings M.C. 54 Jones S. L.Jones Joe Light R. A. Miller Carl Nash

Ernestine Polk Royal Robertson Sultan Rogers Xmeah ShaElaRe'EL 011ie Smith David Strickland Jimmie Lee Sudduth Rev.Johnnie Swearingen Rev. L.T. Thomas Texas Kid Watson Derek Webster Willie White George White Artist Chuckle Williams George Williams Onis Woodard

WEBB FOLK ART GALLERY 107 North Rogers Waxahachie,Texas 75165 (214)938-8085

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 71

MUSEUM

NEWS

Harvey Kahn; Isobel Kahn; Gerard C. Wertkin, Director, Museum of American Folk Art; Olenka Santoro; and Marsha Dubrow at dinner at the !Calms' home In Millburn, New Jersey.

May I Invite You... n an effort to reach out to its supporters across the country, the Museum of American Folk Art introduced its first nationwide benefit this past spring. May I Invite You..., a series of dinners and brunches celebrating private folk art and other collections, took place throughout the month of May at the homes of members and friends of the Museum. A leader-

/

HOSTS Didi and David Barrett Anne Hill and Monty Blanchard Bliss and Brigitte Camochan Janice and Mickey Cartin Burton and Helaine Fendelman Friends of the Museum of American Folk Art Alice Yelen and Kurt Gitter T. Marshall Hahn,Jr. Mark and Pria Hannon Ardis and Robert James Dr. and Mrs. J. E. Jelinek Joan and Victor Johnson Isobel and Harvey Kahn Allan Katz John and Ann Oilman Reverend and Mrs. Alfred R. Shands Ill David and Jane Walentas

ship gift from the Museum's dear friends Dorothy and Leo Rabkin, part of which was used to underwrite the costs for printing the invitation, helped assure the success of the event. The Museum family is grateful to the Rabkins, to Ellen Blissman for contributing her design services, and to the generous Benefit hosts and participants.

PATRONS Margaret A. Barnard Lynne Wood Block Tina and Jeffrey Bolton Richard G. Dumin Frederick and Diana Elghanayan R. F. Hemphill, Jr. Cyril I. Nelson Dorothy and Leo Rabkin

Mary Alice Almon and Elisha Almon, wife and son of artist Leroy Almon, Sr., at dinner at Marshall Hahn's home in Atlanta, Georgia.

dy9

/it Vi a cei private folk ebrar art and iot,of he other United

States to

collectio ns across benefit the

44-irseurriAllier/car,

Gerard C. Wertkin and friend at Harvey and Isobel Kahn's. •

oitsus"‘r

(DO6, GOO

47 ,

ct.

cl) <ID (ID

Folk Art Explorers' Tour England rom June 10 to June 21, eighteen Museum members participated in a Folk Art Explorers' Club tour through England,staying in London, Bath, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Among the stops on the itinerary were visits to the homes and workplaces of several artists and craftsmen, including Janet Bolton, an internationally acclaimed fiber artist; Robert Young, a painter whose work celebrates and draws on longstanding traditions of English naive painting; potter Toff Milway, who uses unusual saltglaze techniques for his unique stoneware; and John Jones, one of six remaining bellows-makers in all of England. Award-winning quilt artist Linda Negandhi and her friends from the Buttercross Quilters in the village of Witney graciously hosted a special evening for the group that included a Ploughman's Supper and a delightful presentation of the artists' varied works.

The group also received special welcomes at the RONA Gallery, the Outsider Archive, and the Fine Art and Antiques Fair at Olympia, all in London.

Interesting museum visits included stops at the Royal Academy of Art in London and

F

the Museum of English Na誰ve Art in Bath, as well as a wonderful evening program at the American Museum in Britain that included a tour of the Museum, a special visit to its folk art collection, and a lovely catered dinner.

In the village of Stoke Brueme the group visited the Canal Museum, where they learned about the painted decoration of narrow boats on the elaborate canal system in England, a truly English folk art tradition. Brian J. Collings, a contemporary narrow boat painter, conducted an informative tour, and provided the group with a fascinating demonstration of his painting techniques.

In addition to these exciting events, the group also enjoyed visits to some of the major sightseeing attractions in England, including Westminster Abbey,the Tower of London, and a number of the Shakespearean sites located around Stratford. Of course no tour to England is complete without taking in some theater, and the group enjoyed performances of Tom Stoppard's award-winning play Arcadia in London and the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Twelfth Night in Stratford.

They're here!

RARE DUCK & FISH DECOYS

as reported in

Business Week The New Yorker The New York Times The Village Voice True American Folk Art Guaranteed to be as described

The Folk Art Explorers' Club tour group assembled along the Grand Union Canal in Stoke Bruerne, Nothamptonshire, England with Brian J. Collings (standing at far right), Education Officer at the Canal Museum.

Canal Museum officials hoisted the Stars and Stripes in honor of the visit.

36 West, 44th Street New York, NY 10036 (212) 391-0688 VISA, MASTERCARD, AMEX ACCEPTED

rb

CIPCD CDC.

6,6)cb

cb

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 73

RECENT

MAJOR

DONORS

Johnson & Johnson Mr.& Mrs. Robert E. Klein Howard and Jean Lipman Foundation George H. Meyer, Esq. NYNEX Corporation The Olsten Corporation Schlumberger Foundation Inc. Patricia Lynch Smith & Sanford L. Smith 84,000-$9,999 Amicus Foundation Joan Bull Mr.& Mrs. Martin Brody Delta Queen Steamboat Company Inc. Department of Cultural Affairs, City of New York Mr.& Mrs. Raymond C. Egan Georgia Pacific Corporation T. Marshall Hahn, Jr. IBM Corporation Kathy Jakobsen Shirley & Theodore L. Kesselman MBNA America, N.A. Constance Milstein New York State Council on the Arts Olympia & York Companies(U.S.A.) Philip Morris Companies,Inc. Dorothy & Leo Rabkin Herbert and Nell Singer Philanthropic Fund Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Taylor Time Warner Inc. Robert N.& Anne Wright Wilson $2,00043,999 American Folk Art Society Mr.& Mrs. James A. Block Capital Cities/ABC Mr.& Mrs. Richard Danziger Mr.& Mrs. Alvin Deutsch The Richard C. and Susan B. Ernst Foundation Fern & Robert J. Hurst Mr.& Mrs. Robert Meltzer Marsh & McLennan Co.npanies, Inc. Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation The Rockefeller Group Joanna Rose Mr.& Mrs. Robert C. Stempel Alan Sullivan, Canadian Consulate General Mr.& Mrs. Stanley Tananbaum Washington Heights Mental Health Council Inc. $1,000-$1,999 Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. Allen Marilyn & Milton Brechner Lois P. Broder Liz Claiborne Foundation Joseph Cohen Conde Nast Publications Inc. Consolidated Edison Company of New York Mr. and Mrs. Stephen H. Cooper The Cowles Charitable Trust

74 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Susan R. Cullman Mr.& Mrs. Edgar M. Cullman Aaron Daniels Allen & Kendra Daniel Gary Davenport The Echo Design Group Inc. Margot & John Ernst Helaine & Burton Fendelman Mrs. Walter B. Ford II Evelyn W.Frank in honor of Myra & George F. Shaskan, Jr. Jacqueline Fowler Jay Furman Kurt Gitter & Alice Yellen Mr.& Mrs. Eric J. Gleacher Margo Grant Mr.& Mrs. David Greene Todd Hensley, C & T Publishing M. Anne Hill Stephen Hill Mr. & Mrs. David S. Howe Mr. 8z Mrs. Thomas C. Israel Mr.& Mrs. Howard Katz Mr. & Mrs. Michael Kellen Mr.& Mrs. Steven Kellogg Kaye Insurance Associates, L.P. Barbara Klinger Mr.& Mrs. Ronald Lauder Susan & Jerry Lauren Mark Leavitt Fred Leighton Mr.& Mrs. John A. Levin Mr.& Mrs. Morris Levinson Nadine & Peter Levy Mimi & Richard Livingston Dan Lufkin Sylvia & Leonard Marx Mr.& Mrs. Christopher Mayer Mrs. Myron Mayer Mr.& Mrs. Jeremy N. Murphy Kenneth R. Page,Esq. Random House Inc. Ricco/Maresca Gallery Dorothy Hyman Roberts Mr. & Mrs. Jon W.Rotenstreich Mr.& Mrs. Derald H. Ruttenberg Jean S. & Frederic A. Shari Sterling Winthrop David Teiger Tiffany & Company Mr.& Mrs. Raymond S. Troubh Anne Utescher Sue & George Viener Mr.& Mrs. Irwin Warren Mr. 8z Mrs. Bennett Weinstock Wertheim Schroder & Co.Inc. $5004999 Alexander Abraham Mr. Paul Anbinder Louis Bachmann June 8z Frank Barsalona Mary Benisek John Bernbach Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Bernhard Mr.& Mrs. Peter Bienstock Mr.& Mrs. Peter Bing

Tina & Jeffrey Bolton Dr. & Mrs. Robert E. Booth, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Joseph Boyle Edward Lee Cave Marjorie F. Chester Christie's Peter M.Ciccone Mr.& Mrs. Marshall Cogan Mr.& Mrs. Lewis Cullman Cullman & Kravis Inc. Dr. Leland Deane Carolyn & Robert Denham Mr.& Mrs. Richard DeScherer Mr.& Mrs. Arnold Dunn Richard Durnin Mr.& Mrs. James A.Edmonds, Jr. Sharon & Theodore Eisenstat Mr. Frederick Elghanayan Mr.& Mrs. Anthony B. Evnin Mr.& Mrs. Howard P. Fertig Jody & Robert Rug Mr. Ronald J. Gard Mr.& Mrs. Bruce Geismar Mr. Fred Giampietro Howard Gillman Foundation Mr.& Mrs. William Gladstone Mr. 8z Mrs. Robert Goodkind Grey Advertising Mr.& Mrs. Henry Guettel Sue Ellen & Warren Haber Cordelia Hamilton R. F. Hemphill, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. George B. Henry Anne & John A. Herrmann Maridean Hutton Mrs. Walter Jeffords Dr.& Mrs. Josef Jelinek Guy Johnson Karen Jones Gerald Katcher Gerald P. Kaminsky & Jaclyn Kaminsky Cathy M. Kaplan Dr. & Mrs. Arthur B. Kern Mary Kettaneh Sharon & Ivan Koota Mr. & Mrs. Arie L. Kopelman Barbara & Dave Krashes Robert Landau The Lane Company,Inc. Mr.& Mrs. Leonard A. Lauder Wendy & Mel Lavitt Bryan Lewis Naomi Leff Helen Luchars Vincent Mai Chris Martin Grete Meilman R.H. Macy & Company,Inc. Gertrude Meister Gael & Michael Mendelsohn Mr.& Mrs. Richard Mellon Mr. 8z Mrs. Lester S. Morse, Jr. Brook Garber Neidich Cyril I. Nelson Mr.Paul L. Oppenheimer

BARBARA MCLEAN ANTIQUES Specializing in International Country Accessories • PA Mennonite Comforters • American and European Textiles

"Portrait painter, Wm. M. Prior, offers his services to the public. Those who wish for a likeness at a reasonable price are invited to call soon."- Advertisement in the Maine Inquirer February 28, 1828

Exhibiting At: • Hamptons Antiques Show - Water Mill Between Southhampton & Bridgehampton October 8 & 9 • Danbury Antiques Show - Ethan Allen Inn Danbury, CT November 20 • Staples High School Antiques Show November 26 & 27 Westport, CT

3 East Lyon Farm

By Appointment

Greenwich, CT 06831 (203) 531-5662

FOLK ART BY MAIL We offer a wide range of folk and decorative art for purchase by mail. Specializing in older American pieces. We usually have some contemporary and outsider works.

INCLUDING: Paintings, Carvings, Whirligigs, Quilts, Tramp & Obsessive art, and interesting items made from found objects.

RT. 1, BOX 20-C, MENTONE, AL 35984 (205)634-4037 Free lists will be sent to you on request. Photos lent.

Please specify your areas of interest.

Benjamin, ©1993 Folk Portraits, Etc.

FOLK PORTRAITS,ETC. Original oil portraits of your child, family or pet, painted in the manner of the early 19th century American folk artists. Beautifully framed from $595.

Custom orders for other subjects are also available. Call (914)764-1923 for our free brochure.

A division of Voss Beringer, Ltd., fine 18th and early 19th century American antiques, P.O. Box 554, Westchester Avenue, Pound Ridge, New York 10576

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 75

The Most Exciting Shows in the East

WILTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY A

WILTON

CELEBRATION OF

ANTIQUES

AMERICAN

MARKETPLACE SHOWS

CRAFTSMANSHIP

September 18 Sunday, 10-5

SHOW NOVEMBER 12 & 13, 1994 SATURDAY 10 - 5 & SUNDAY 10 - 5 ADMISSION $6.00 - with CARD/AD $5.00

To benefit Drum Hill DAR

Admission $6.00 - $5.00 with card or ad

December 4 Sunday, 10-5 A benefit for the John G. Corr Memorial Award Fund

Admission $6.00 - $5.00 with card or ad

Wilton High School Field House ROUTE 7, WILTON,CONNECTICUT The best buy... The best pickings...

EARLY BUYING 8:30-10:00 am

$15.00 per person The finest one-day shows in America, featuring 135 of the most distinguished dealers showing a variety of authentic antiques in room setting.

Including country and period 18th and 19th century furniture, folk and fine art, prints and maps, ceramics, textiles, silver, jewelry, oriental rugs and architectural elements in a range of prices.

•

Merritt Parkway: Exit 39B from the west Exit 41 from the east

• •

WILTON HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOUSE ROUTE 7, WILTON, CONNECTICUT • One of the most acclaimed showcases for "collector quality" traditional and contemporary work, featuring 150 professional artists/craftsmen from 20 states, exhibiting in room and gallery settings.

• Fabulous folk art, both traditional and original, fine handcrafted furniture, ceramics, textiles, fine art, prints and a full range of accessories that will complement the home; also, jewelry, specialty foods and unique holiday gifts and old work Christmas objects and decorations.

• SHOW SPECIAL: $100 gift certificates to be used in exhibitor's booths. Two drawings each day.

MANAGED BY MARILYN GOULD •

Merritt Parkway: Exit 39B from the west Exit 41 from the east

1-95: Exit 15, north 8 miles

•

1-95: Exit 15, north 8 miles

1-84: Rt. 7, south 12 miles

•

1-84:

Metro North railroad to Cannondale Station

•

Metro North railroad to Cannondale Station

Managed By Marilyn Gould MCG Antiques Promotions,Inc. 10 Chicken St., Wilton, Ct. 06897 (203)762-3525

76 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

ilit,

vvii.To; south 12 miles

.'

440 0• 9

WILTON HERITAGE MUSEUM, 249 DANBURY ROAD, WILTON, CT 06897 203 762-7257

MUSEUM

NEWS

TRAVELING

EX

HIBITIONS

Mark your calendars for the following Museum of American Folk Art exhibitions when they travel to your area during the coming months:

Old Friends Honored n July 7, 1994, Museum staff and trustees gathered in New York at the American Festival Cafe in Rockefeller Center to honor longtime friends and supporters Dorothy and Leo Rabkin. Before sitting down to lunch, guests had a chance to view objects from the Rabkins' wonderful collection of figural folk sculpture currently on display as part of the Museum's ongoing exhibition program at the restaurant. The Rabkin collection has been a promised gift to the Museum since 1981. The entire Museum

O

Dorothy Rabkin, Leo Rabkin, and Herbert W. Hemphill, Jr.

family owes a warm debt of gratitude to the Rabkins for their years of generous friendship and support.

August 8—September 5, 1994 Northern Scenes: Hooked Art of the Grenfell Mission Grenfell House Museum St. Anthony's, Newfoundland 709/454-3333

October 16, 1994—January 15, 1995 Visiones del Pueblo: The Folk Art of Latin America Toledo Art Museum Toledo, Ohio 419/255-8000

September 24—November 19, 1994 Quilts from America's Flower Garden: The Great American Quilt Festival 3 Blanden Memorial Art Museum Fort Dodge,Iowa 414/573-2316

January 13—March 12, 1995 Amish Quilts from the Collection of the Museum of American Folk Art Brandywine River Museum and Conservancy Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania 19317 215/388-2700

October 9—December 31, 1994 Revisiting Ammi Phillips: Fifty Years of American Portraiture Terra Museum of American Art Chicago, Illinois 312/328-3402

January 14—March 12, 1995 Signs and Symbols: African Images in African-American Quilts from the Rural South Fort Wayne Museum of Art Fort Wayne,Indiana 219/422-6467

Henry Niemann 1944-1993 s the tenth year of the Museum's Folk Art Institute commences this fall, we recognize and honor the memory of Dr. Henry Niemann, one of the Institute's first permanent staff teachers, who died on December 6, 1993, at Oakwood Terrace Nursing Home, North Miami Beach,Fla., after a long illness.

Dr. Niemann,a lecturer, author, and curator, earned the respect of his colleagues for his unselfish dedication to his students. He was a skilled lecturer who developed innovative approaches to teaching his subject material. He showed great respect for his students, fostering their development in critical thinking and research and encouraging them to publish their articles and papers. He taught a wide range of courses, including "Folk Art in American Life," "Folk Sculpture,""Folk Painting," and "Care, Conservation, and Restoration." In addition to, serving on the Museum's Folk Art Institute faculty from 1985 to 1992, he taught at The New School for Social Research from

A

1986 to 1989 and at New York University from 1991 to 1992.

Niemann received his Ph.D. in art and humanities from New York University in 1991.

His doctoral dissertation on the 20th-century self-taught artist Malcah Zeldis is, to date, the most comprehensive analysis of the artist and her oeuvre. In 1988, he curated a one-person exhibition on Zeldis that the Museum of American Folk Art sponsored at New York University's Washington Square Gallery.

Niemann also maintained an active professional music career, singing tenor with the New York City Opera, the Gregg Smith Choral Group, and the Miami Opera Company. After moving to Florida in 1992, he lectured at Florida Atlantic University in Miami and several galleries in the surrounding area.

Dr. Niemann is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Niemann of West Palm Beach, and a brother, Robert, of Baltimore, Md. —Lee Kogan

For further information, contact Judith Gluck Steinberg, Coordinator of Traveling Exhibitions, Museum of American Folk Art, Eva and Morris Feld Gallery, 2 Lincoln Square, New York, NY 10023,212/595-9533.

JOHN C. Ma AMERICAN INDIAN ART AMERICAN FOLK ART 6962 EAST 1ST AVENUE • SCOTTSDALE. AZ 85251 (602) 946-2910

Felipe Benito Archuleta

"Blue Bird" 1977

Painted Cottonwood

SHOW OF DRAWINGS AND SCULPTURE OCTOBER 12 THRU NOVEMBER 12, 1994

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 77

RECENT

MAJOR

Mr.& Mrs. Samuel M.Palley Dr. Burton W.Pearl Anthony Petullo Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Pike Betty Ring Marguerite Riordan Mr.& Mrs. David Ritter Mr.& Mrs. Martin Rosen Toni Ross & Jeff Salaway Ellen Sosnow Mary Frances Saunders Mr.& Mrs. Roger Schlaifer Mr.& Mrs. Robert T. Schaffner Helene Schonberg Karen Schuster Mary Schwartz

oBOOK

DONORS

Mr.& Mrs. Richard Schwartz Robert N. Sellar Rev.& Mrs. Alfred R.Shands, ifi Suzanne Shawe Randy Siegel Francisco F. Sierra Mr.& Mrs. John Smithers Sotheby's Jerry I. Speyer Mr. William W.Stahl, Jr. Mr.& Mrs. Myles Tananbaum Susan Unterberg Elizabeth R.& Michael A. Varet Jeanette & Paul Wagner Joan Walsh Mr.& Mr.John Weinberg

Mr.& Mrs. Frank P. Wendt Anne Wesson G. Marc Whitehead Victoria Wilson Howard Zipser Mr.& Mrs. Donald Zuckert The Museum is grateful to the Cochairmen of its Special Events Committee for the significant support received through the Museum's major fund raising event.

Lucy C. Danziger Cynthia V.A. Schaffner

REVIEW

Continuedfrom page 66 nick, et al) that has come to define the debates around "primitivism," colonialism, and cultural marginality to compose a formidable machine-gun blast against the notion of outsider art. He proposes that outsider art is really a fiction, and that the real creators of such art aren't the makers themselves, but rather the elitist "insiders," representing the dominant culture, who are responsible for labeling and promoting them. For Metcalf, proponents of the outsider category are driven, whether they know it or not, by a dual agenda of desire for and dominance over cultural "Others." But in formulating his argument against marginalization, Metcalf has stepped further away,certainly, than Lippard, and even Cubbs, from the middle ground where aesthetics and culture might spar productively. Problematizing the very notion of art itself, he labels the objects created by culturally marginalized makers "symbolic gestures." Ames takes this line of reasoning a step further. In an openly hostile tone, he rejects the category of"outsider" as"a flawed and injurious concept that promotes and perpetuates a dehu-

78 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

manizing conception of art." But "outsider" is not the only aesthetic construct that he sets in his sights; he also denounces all of "art culture" as elitist and antihumanist. Here, the spirit of methodological compromise sadly falters.

Finally,four case studies of artists, representing feminist, multiethnic, and multidisciplinary perspectives, round out the second part of this book. Here one is left wondering why the groundbreaking scholarship of Robert Farris Thompson, Judith McWillie, et al was not included—it would seem that counterproductive ideological hairsplitting has caused a major faction of this field to be omitted.

By the time one finishes The Artist Outsider, it has become clear that under the surface of the editors' introductory democratic promise of"a general collection of critical essays" lies a not-so-hidden agenda. This book is virtually a one-sided polemic—hinted at but not fully spelled out in the introduction— cleverly constructed by the material culture camp(Ames, Metcalf, et al), in which a very few propo-

nents of outsider art(Cardinal, Thdvoz, and Leo Navratil) are set up as straw men only to be hopelessly outnumbered (the odds are about four to one) and categorically dispatched. As much as I respectfully disagree with his "Outsider Aesthetic," I applaud the courage and generosity demonstrated by Cardinal in his willingness to take part in a project orchestrated to discredit his perspective. Although the material culture camp thoroughly deconstructs the outsider camp's "desire and domination," they leave virtually no room for critical responses to their own perspective (with the exception of some comments by Lippard), which is ultimately anti-art— and,Folk Art readers, this includes rejecting the art in folk art. Ames's real beef isn't so much with the notion of outsider art, as with the notion of art itself: "Enigmatic modem abstract art. It makes sense to art culture insiders, but to millions of others it is nearly unintelligible and virtually meaningless, except perhaps as a gesture of exclusion and elitism." Here we hear echoes of 60 Minutes's

Morley Safer, smugly dismissing modem and contemporary art to the American public. Ames leads us far from Lippard's common ground.

To be sure, The Artist Outsider is required reading. An ambitious project produced by deeply dedicated individuals, it makes important scholarly contributions to a field that continues to be dominated by stylish coffee table books. But it ultimately leaves us entrenched, still at war, and far from the negotiating table, a place of truly interdisciplinary collaboration where we might rise to meet the challenge posed by thefull range of what we call art.

—Jenifer P.Borum Jenifer P. Borum lives in New York and is currently a Ph. D. candidate in an history at the City University ofNew York's Graduate Center. She has writtenfor Folk Art magazine, Raw Vision,and the New Art Examiner,and is a regular contributor to Artforum magazine.

MAIN STREET ANTIQUES and ART Colleen and Louis Picek Folk Art and Country Americana (319) 643-2065 110 West Main, Box 340 West Branch, Iowa 52358 On Interstate 80

Send a self-addressed stamped envelope for our monthly Folk-Art and Americana price list

An early 201/i century paddlearm Indian in a canoe whirlygig; great old surface (11"x11"x4").

WE BUY FOLK & OUTSIDER ART CALL 800-523-0450 PRIVATE COLLECTOR SEEKS OUTSTANDING WORKS BY

Jesse Aaron Eddie Arning Steve Ashby Calvin Black Emile Blanchard David Butler Henry Church James Crane Uncle Jack Dey Sam Doyle William Edmondson

Josephus Farmer J.O.J. Frost Morris Hirschfield S.L. Jones John Kane Gustav Klumpp Olof Krans Lawrence Lebduska George Lothrop Anna Miller Peter Minchell

Sister Gertrude Morgan John Perates Joseph Pickett Elijah Pierce Martin Ramirez Nellie Mae Rowe Ellis Ruley Drossos Skyllas Bill Traylor Joseph Yoakum ...and others

JOSH FELDSTEIN • AMERICAN FOLK ART 4001 NEWBERRY ROAD, SUITE E-3• GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA • 32607 • TEL 904-375-6161

FALL 1994 FOLK ART 79

1111101111

.

7 4 UNLETWIMEANTGELC AR NA D:T1S 1H TO HW AN&NS UA AL LE! "One of the top 25 craft shows in the country" Early American Life Magazine

Exceptional artisans featured in EARLY AMERICAN LIFE'S Traditional American Crafts Issue, will be offering for sale museum-quality reproductions of American country & formal furniture & accessories, contemporary folk art & country crafts.

ROYAL PLAZA TRADE CENTER LECTURE. SPECIAL PM • FLOORS.. & • SA1.

Home "VgINDOWS,NNALS, Countiy tot the

-Seraph fiugotoecotating Ideas Pitei

Shops

Nexondia

By

Rte. 495 & Rte. 20, Marlborough, Mass.

Directions: North or South on Route 495 to exit 24B. West 1 mile to Royal Plaza sign & turn right.

FRI., OCT. 21,6PM-10PM $6.00 SAT., OCT. 22,10AM-6PM $4.00 SUN., OCT. 23,11AM-5PM $4.00

'A Great Way to Augment Your Antique Collection'

Country Folk Art Festival • • •

•

The Texas Connection featuring

Judy Marks P.O. Box 134, Glen Ellyn, IL. 60138 (708)858-1568

•••••••••••••••••••••• • JACK SAVITT • GALLERY • + 2015 Route 100 • Macungie, PA 18062

(between Macungie and Trexlertown)

Sarah Rakes Fall '94 by appointment priscilla magers fine folk art 3111 university boulevard houston, texas 77005 (713) 661-3896

"Reading R.R." + Oil on Masonite, Size 237/8"x 47.1 / 41", 1976 Jack Savitt Represents His Father,

JACK SAVITS1KY 20th Century American Folk Artist • Oils • Acrylics • Drawings For Appointment Call

• (610)398-0075 • ++++++++++++++++++++++ 80 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

"The Beaver" "Even Dogs Go To Heaven"

24" X 24" HOUSE PAINT ON PLYWOOD

We Have An Outstanding Selection of Paintings by

"gheq3eaver"

WANDA'S QUILTS P.O. Box 1764â&#x20AC;˘ Oldsmar, Florida 34677 (813) 855-1521

loct

ALICE J. HOFFMAN AND MARYANN WARAKOMSKI

MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK ART COLLECTION' Nome Furnishings and Decorative Accessories This year continues to be an especially rewarding onefor the Museum.

The Lane Company Dakotah

In its many wonderful and diverseforms,Americanfolk art has become a recognized and respected design staple. Revenues generatedfrom the sale oflicensed products have provided essentialfinancial supportfor Museum exhibitions and educational programming.

New Directions The Museum welcomes three new licensees. In 1995 James River Corporation, Creative Expressions Group, a leader in party goods, will introduce a line of products that are perfect for special occasions. In 1703 Thomas Danforth II was a wellknown pewtersmith. Almost 300 years later, Thomas's descendant Fred Danforth, Fred's wife, Judi, and the staff at Danforth Pewterers, Ltd., are continuing in this tradition by creating highquality handcrafted pewter jewelry and accessories, buttons, ornaments, and keyrings. Their Museum-inspired products will be available in the new year.

Remington Apparel Co.,Inc., a leading manufacturer of men's and women's ties, will feature 24 unique designs that will make their debut next year.

News from Museum Licensees * Dakotah,Inc. throws, decorative pillows, and table linens for the Museum of American Folk Art CollectionTM are now available. Inspired by hooked rugs, weathervanes, whirligigs, and samplers, this new collection complements traditional as well as contemporary settings. * Galison Books has created a friendship notecard from one of the Museum's Victorian heartand-hand valentines. Although New Year's is the oldest "day" celebrated, Valentine's Day was

U FALL 1994 FOLK ART

the first holiday on which greetings were exchanged between family, friends, and lovers.

Whether you wish to send thoughts of friendship or love, the Museum's collection of boxed note and holiday cards by Galison offer a wonderful selection. Available in gift shops throughout the country as well as in the Museum's Book and Gift Shops, these boxed cards feature designs from the Museum's Double Wedding Ring quilt collection, the Girl in Red Dress with Cat and Dog painting, and Harry Lieberman paintings. * The Lane Company has reproduced a 1792 Hudson River Valley painted chest from the Museum's Permanent Collection. The design and craftsmanship of this chest exemplify the American folk art tradition of elevating an object from the realm of the commonplace to that of the exceptional.

Don't miss our next column for a preview of a new direction for The America Collection.

Special Events The National Stationery Show.

Alice Hoffman was a guest panelist at the National Stationery Show in New York City. She participated in an educational seminar,"For a Good Cause...A Program in Cause Marketing."

The program focused on how "good cause" marketing lends credibility and prestige to both

Galison

Rowe pottery wont.

Perfect Fit

product and manufacturer. A recent survey showed that today's consumer would switch to a product that supported or represented socially conscious organizations even if the product cost more. Please let us know your feelings about this issue.

Dear Customer Your purchase of Museumlicensed products directly benefits the cultural and educational activities of the Museum. Thank you for contributing to and participating in the Museum's continuing effort to celebrate the style and tradition of American folk art. If you have ever purchased Museum-licensed products or have any questions or comments regarding the Museum of American Folk Art Collection,TM please contact us at 212/977-7170.

Family of Licensees Abbeville Press (212/888-1969) gift wrap book/gift tags, quilt note cube.* ArtWear,Inc. (800/551-9945) activewear, T-shirts.

Dakotah,Inc.(800/325-6824) decorative pillows, table linens, woven throws, chair pads. Danforth Pewterers,Ltd. (800/222-6824) pewter jewelry and accessories, buttons, ornaments, keyrings.* Galison Books(212/354-8840)note cards, address book, puzzle, holiday cards.* Hedgerow House Inc.(407/998-0756) posters.* James River Corporation, Creative Expressions Group(800/843-6818) party goods. The Lane Company,Inc., including Lane/Venture and Lane Upholstery (800/447-4700)furniture (case goods, wicker, upholstered furniture). Perfect Fit Industries(704/289-1531) machine-made in America printed bedcovers and coordinated bedroom products. Remington Apparel Co., Inc.(203/821-3004) men's and women's ties.* Rose Art Industries(800/CRAYONS)jigsaw puzzles, hobby kits.* Rowe Pottery Works (608/764-5435)Pennsylvania redware, saltglaze stoneware(microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe).* Takashimaya Company,Ltd. (212/350-0550) home furnishings accessories and furniture (available only in Japan).

Tyndale,Inc.(312/384-0800)lighting and lampshades. *Available in Museum of American Folk Art Book and Gift Shops. For mail-order information, contact Beverly McCarthy at 212/977-7170.

THE AMERICA COLLECTION Ait .s MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FOLK-ART

Taltashimaya Exclusive Licensee for "The America Collection" in Japan

3941 San Felipe Houston,Texas 77027 (713)622-6225

FamousFolk P.O. Box 228 Wigwam Hill West Brookfield, Mass 01585 (508)867-2317(508)248-6856

Celebrated Folk Artist

DON CADORET The Scarecrows' Waite' 19 x 13' Acrylic on masonite 1993

Storyteller Consignments accepted

Originals for sale/no prints

84 FALL 1994 FOLK ART

N

W GIFTS J r om C & T PUBLISHING

WORKSHOP

ou'll love our charming new collection of gift cards! Exquisitely housed in handmade hinged boxes, these exclusive images are from our award-winning quilt collection featuring judith Montano7s Victorian Treasures and renown Americana painter Harry Wysocki. 12 note cards with tan envelopes only $13.95 per box.

y

AVAILABLE AT QUILT, FABRIC, GIFT, AND BOOK SHOPS. FREE COLOR BROCHURE. C&T PUBLISHING, 5021 BLUM ROAD #1, MARTINEZ, CA 94553. 1-800-284-1114 OR 510-370-9600. CA RESIDENTS ADD 8.25% SALES TAX. DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME.

-,_..3,41511FAS, 4

PUBLISHING

car:.

Photo. Waldo Bascom

MR."B" PAINTINGS Leslie Neumann is pleased to represent the folk art paintings of Mr. "B," a self-taught memory painter who began working in 1990 after having been diagnosed with a mild form of spinal bifida with uncinate spells.

Mr. "B" creates narrative scenes from his imagination, using latex and dimensional paints on wood, producing areas of shallow relief within the painting.

Leslie Neumann welcomes your inquiries to obtain visuals and a biography of Mr. "B." MR."B"

"Sheep"

15" x 201/4"

LESLIE NEUMANN P.O. BOX 61 ARIPEKA, FL 34679 (904)686-2422

Contemporary Folk Art, Crafts &Jewelry

KELLYOGILLIS 29 America's Cup (next to the Marriott) Neuport, RI 02840 (401) 849-7380

FALL 1994 FOLK ART

86

â&#x20AC;˘ :Sr 4â&#x20AC;˘Ar"'*-It-

40- tot._ 44e

Fr"'

..11;

Americana at its very best.

Perfect Fit Industries and the Museum of American Folk Art join together to bring you authentic replicas of the Museum's quilt collection. Made in the U.S.A. and adapted for today's easy living, all bedding products are machine washable.

For more information, call Perfect Fit Industries at (212) 679-6656. 1.4rn

Photograph by Dirk Bakker INDE

X

America Hurrah 7 American Antiques, Inc. 2 American Primitive Gallery 12 The Ames Gallery 12 Mama Anderson 24 Art Naif 62 Artisans 75 Kathryn Berenson Quilts 26 C & T Publishing 85 Robert Cargo Folk Art Gallery 15 Linda Cheverton 26 Christie's 18 Country Folk Art Festival 80 Country Living Magazine Inside Back Cover Crane Hill Publishers 35 Double K Gallery 23 Epstein/Powell 32 Famous Folk 62,84 Josh Feldstein 79 Fine Folk Art 80 Laura Fisher 20 Janet Fleisher Gallery 13 75 Folk Portraits, Etc. Galerie Bonheur 17 Gallery Americana 84

U FALL 1994 FOLK ART

Sidney Gecker American Folk Art 22 Gemini Antiques Ltd. 26 Giampietro Back Cover Gilley's Gallery 63 73 Grove Decoys Anton Haardt Gallery 17 Marion Harris 25 23 Harvey Antiques 77 John C. Hill Hill Gallery 88 Kelly & Gillis 86 Knoke Galleries 63 33 Richard E. Kramer & Associates June Lambert 16 MCG Antiques Promotions,Inc. 76 Mahvash Studio 34 Main Street Antiques and Art 79 Main Street Gallery 28 75 Barbara McLean Antiques Frank J. Miele Gallery Inside Front Cover Steve Miller 1 Modem Primitive Gallery 28 Leslie Neumann 86 Nichols Antiques 6 The Pardee Collection 29

Penguin USA/Viking Studio Books 67 Perfect Fit Industries 87 Heike Pickett Gallery 30 Roger Ricco/Frank Maresca 3,31 Marion Robertshaw 16 Rosehips 67 Stella Rubin 24 August Saul 64 Jack Savitt Gallery 80 Sanford L. Smith & Associates Ltd. 27 Sotheby's 10 Southern Folk Pottery Collectors Society 65 The Splendid Peasant Ltd. 22 Takashimaya 83 Nancy Thomas 64 14 University Art Museum Waltersâ&#x20AC;˘Benisek 21 Wanda's Quilts 81 Webb Folk Art Gallery 71 Marcia Weber/Art Objects, Inc. 29 David Wheatcroft 9 Wilton Historical Society 76 Thos. K. Woodard 4 Ginger Young 14

COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE AMERICA'S SOURCE FOR FOLK ART AND ANTIQUES SEE You AT THE FALL ANTIQUES SHOW AT THE PIER. A PUBLICATION OF HEARST MAGAZINES. A DIVISION OF THE HEARST CORPORATION.

11111••••=.1

GIAV

TRO

Wallace Kirkpatrick Civil War Jug Anna,Illinois Jan. 17,1862

When in Manhattan, please visit our new Gallery: 50 East 78th Street, New York City 10021 212-861-8571 • By Chance or Appointment

IN CONNECTICUT •153 1/2 Bradley Street • New Haven,0106511 • Telephone: 203-787-3851