I have been so busy with workshops, lectures, tours, and readings that I haven't had time to update. I will go through the week up until this evening.
Thursday: We met with the Master Tour Guides to discuss when we will begin Tour Guide training in the 4 houses selected for us to guide in. Then we went on a tour of the Ashley House, a home owned by the Rev. Ashley in Deerfield. Before lunch, we also got a tour of the Frary House, the home of C. Alice Baker (a very interesting Deerfield personality during the Arts and Crafts movement here), by Anne Lanning. We had an early textiles workshop with Ned, the Collections Manager. We learned about men's and women's clothing from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as quilts and needlework. Ned showed us examples of different types of fabric, including silk, damask, cotton, linen, among others. The Textile Gallery in the Flynt Center is fantastic. Don't miss it!
Friday: Our morning began with a meeting with Josh and then a discussion/tour of his exhibit "Into the Woods," a look at 17th and 18th century furniture. It was a fascinating study. We learned about different types of wood, why the particular types were used, as well as how woodworkers constructed different pieces. The exhibit was sooo well done and Josh really knows his stuff. I've already learned so much basic information about early American decorative art, as well as other tidbits of information. After lunch, all of the Fellows and Josh took a trip to visit the Memorial Hall Museum which was overwhelming and eye-opening. The museum is technically a separate entity from Historic Deerfield, but they focus on the history of the Deerfield Raid in 1704 and includes large collections of material culture from the area. The building has at least 4 floors of maze-like exhibit space with ceramics, textiles, toys, musical instruments, architectural fragments, and many, many other items. We mainly went to see the Old Indian House door and to look at their exhibit on the Old Indian House and the Deerfield Raid. Their collection is great, but unfortunately they are having trouble maintaining it all. I guess that's the downside of trying to maintain a small historical institution. Since I've been here, I've heard from so many Historic Deerfield staff about the struggles of keeping up an institution like Deerfield. Anyway, the last bit of the day consisted of going back to the Ashley House to do a case study on a settle (sort of like a bench that people put near their hearths). Josh just let us examine the piece and explore it's history, as well as its historical validity. It's an expensive piece that the museum decided to purchase a few years back, so we went through the investigative process to try and determine whether or not it would be good piece for purchase. It was a fun and interesting experience. For dinner we went to a Chinese place called The Wok that apparently sells takeout cocktails. Haha. The food was great and the service very good.
Saturday: Finally a day off!!! Tom, Katie, and I took a trip to a butterfly conservatory called Magic Wings, stopped at the delicious Richardson's Candy Store, Old Deerfield Country Store, and later we went out to dinner at Mesa Verde, and got ice cream at Friendly's. We came home and watched The Brother's Bloom (a great movie) and ended this successful day.
Sunday: All of the Fellows were scheduled to work the Historic Deerfield booth at the annual Craft Fair. I worked with Katie from 1-2:30 and we explored the fair afterward. Horace joined us all later in the evening for a cookout dinner.
Weekend Readings:
"The Concept of Mannerism" by Robert F. Trent
"Mannerism in Early American Furniture: Connoisseurship, Intentions, and Theatricality" in American Furniture 2005 by Glenn Adamson
"The Intersections of Life: Tables and Their Social Role" in American Tables and Looking Glasses in the Mabel Brady-Garvan and Other Collections at Yale University by Gerald W.R. Ward
Monday/Today: Today we discussed our furniture readings and spent some time researching paper topics at the library. After lunch, we went on a guided tour of the Flynt's silver collection which was so enlightening. Paul Revere's silver, the kind he actually made, can be found here! The pewter collection was also very interesting. Our tour guide was a sweet old lady whose passion for the collection was evident. In the afternoon, we met with Amanda Lange for a workshop on early ceramics. We were each given a shard of ceramic and asked to describe and perhaps determine its use. Then, she went through a description, qualities/properties of, and examples of earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, redware, white salt glazed stoneware, creamware, and pearlware. Other than the textiles seminar, this workshop has been my favorite thus far.
Readings:
Clock Making in New England, 1725-1825: An Interpretation of the Old Sturbridge Village Collection by Philip Zea and Robert C. Cheney
"Forging the Artisan's Identity: Tools and the Goldsmithing Trade in Colonial Massachusetts" by Barbara McLean Ward
This week is going to be extra busy, including a very long weekend at the Dublin Seminar. I will try to update at least every few days. By the way, the mosquitoes are killer here! Ugh.
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