THE SEWELL C. BIGGS
WINTERTHUR FURNITURE FORUM
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON BOSTON
FURNITURE, 1630–1860
March 6–8, 2013
FU R NI TURE FORUM SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6
Early Boston furniture has
been a favorite of collectors for
years. Outstanding pieces from
the city now fill museums,
historic houses, and private
collections across the
country. This year’s forum
offers the first in-depth look
at more than two centuries
of Boston’s craft history. The
story is a rich, colorful tale of
immigrants and native-born sons,
of European designs and regional
innovation, of local customers and
distant markets, and much,
much more. Join thirty
experts for three days of
groundbreaking presentations.
The 2013 Sewell C. Biggs
Winterthur Furniture Forum is the
inaugural event of Four Centuries
of Massachusetts Furniture, a
collaborative venture of the
Colonial Society of Massachusetts;
Concord Museum; Fuller Craft
Museum; Historic Deerfield;
Historic New England;
Massachusetts Historical Society;
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston;
North Bennet Street School; Old
Sturbridge Village; Peabody Essex
Museum; and Winterthur Museum,
Garden & Library.
Winterthur is grateful to the Colonial
Society of Massachusetts for its
assistance in the development of
the 2013 Furniture Forum and
its commitment to publish
selected papers.
1:00–2:00 pm
Registration, Visitor Center
2:00–2:10 pm
Welcome
Brock Jobe, Professor of American
Decorative Arts, Winterthur
2:10–2:30 pm
Forty Years of Boston Furniture Scholarship: From
Boston Furniture of the Eighteenth Century
to Today: A Reminiscence
Jonathan L. Fairbanks, Director, Fuller
Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
2:30–3:45 pm
Seventeenth-Century Boston Furniture:
Tools and Techniques
Video-Assist Demonstration
Peter Follansbee, Joiner, Plimoth
Plantation, Plymouth, MA
3:45–4:15 pm
Afternoon Break
4:15–4:45 pm
Early 18th-Century Boston Case Furniture
Edward S. Cooke, Jr., Charles F.
Montgomery Professor of American
Decorative Arts, Yale University,
New Haven, CT
4:45–5:15 pm
Boston Japanning: Case Studies
Christine Thomson, Private Conservator,
Salem, MA, and Tara Cederholm, Curator,
Brookfield Arts Foundation, Salem, NH
5:15–5:45 pm
Mrs. Oliver’s Chair: A Boston Classic
Gregory Landrey, Division Director for
Library, Collections Management, and
Academic Programs, Winterthur
6:00–7:30 pm
Boston Furniture at Winterthur
Exhibition open for viewing in the
Winterthur Galleries
FU R NI TURE FORUM SCHEDULE
FURNITURE FO
THURSDAY, MARCH 7
8:00–8:45 am
Registration, Visitor Center
8:45–9:15 am
Introductory Remarks
J. Thomas Savage, Director of Museum
Affairs, Winterthur
9:15–10:00 am
Boston and Its Craft Community, 1630–1860
J. Ritchie Garrison, Director, Winterthur
Program in American Material Culture,
University of Delaware, Newark, DE
10:00–10:30 am
“Such Ruins Were Never Seen in America”: The
Looting of Thomas Hutchinson’s House at the Time
of the Stamp Act Riots
John Tyler, Editor of Publications, Colonial
Society of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
10:30–11:00 am
Morning Break
11:00–11:30 am
Boston or New York? Revisiting the ApthorpFamily and Related Sets of Queen Anne Chairs
Philip Zimmerman, Museum
Consultant and Independent Scholar,
Lancaster, PA
11:30 am–12:15 pm
A Scotsman, Thomas Chippendale, and the Green
Dragon Tavern: Connecting the Dots
Kemble Widmer, Independent Scholar,
Newburyport, MA
12:15–2:00 pm
Lunch
2:00–3:30 pm
The Turret-Top Tea Tables and Card Tables
of Boston
The Robert Francis Fileti Endowed
Lecture/Video-Assist Demonstration
Brock Jobe, Professor of American
Decorative Arts, Winterthur, and Allan
Breed, Cabinet- and Chairmaker,
Rollinsford, NH
3:30–4:00 pm
Afternoon Break
4:00–4:30 pm
Pigeonholes and Patriots: Desks in
Colonial Boston
Gerald W. R. Ward, Senior Consulting
Curator and the Katharine Lane Weems
Senior Curator of American Decorative
Arts and Sculpture Emeritus, Museum of
Fine Arts, Boston, MA
4:30–5:00 pm
Windsor Furnituremaking in Boston: A Late but
Innovative Center of the Craft
Nancy Goyne Evans, Independent
Furniture Historian, Hockessin, DE
5:00–5:30 pm
Samuel Gragg, Chairmaker: New Discoveries
Michael Podmaniczky, Private
Conservator, Wilmington, DE
5:30–8:00 pm
Reception
Galleries Reception Area
FU R NI TURE FORUM SCHEDULE
ORU M SC HE DULE
FRIDAY, MARCH 8
8:45–9:00 am
The Mystery Card Table
Wendy A. Cooper, Lois F. and Henry
S. McNeil Senior Curator of Furniture,
Winterthur
9:00–9:30 am
“The Best Workman in the Shop”:
Cabinetmaker William Munroe of Concord
David F. Wood, Curator, Concord
Museum, Concord, MA
9:30–10:00 am
The Federal Sideboards of Benjamin Bass, Jr.
Morrison Heckscher, Lawrence A.
Fleischman Chairman of the American
Wing, Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York, NY
10:00–10:30 am
Boston Classical Furniture: A (Nearly)
40-Year Reflection
Page Talbott, Principal, Remer &
Talbott, Bala Cynwyd, PA
10:30–11:00 am
Morning Break
11:00 am–12:00 noon
Classical Excellence in Boston: The Work
of Isaac Vose, 1815–25
Clark Pearce, American Arts Advisor and
Independent Scholar, Essex, MA, and
Robert Mussey, Conservator and
Independent Scholar, Milton, MA
12:00 noon–1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30–2:15 pm
Early Boston Pianomaking: The State
of Scholarship
Darcy Kuronen, Pappalardo Curator
of Musical Instruments, Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston, MA
Cover: (detail) Card table, Museum purchase with funds provided by
the Henry Francis du Pont Collectors Circle 2010.39. Interior (left to
right): (details) Side chair, Gift of Henry Francis du Pont 1961.140.1.
Tall clock, Museum purchase 1955.96.3. Armchair, Gift of Henry
Francis du Pont 1958.553. Address panel: Dressing table, Bequest of
Henry Francis du Pont 1958.584.
2:15–2:45 pm
Boston Furnituremakers and the New Social
Media, 1830–60
Kelly L’Ecuyer, Ellyn McColgan Curator
of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Museum
of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
2:45–3:15 pm
Afternoon Break
3:15–3:45 pm
John Ellis & A. H. Davenport: Furniture
Manufacturing in East Cambridge,
Massachusetts, 1850–1900
Nancy Carlisle, Curator, Historic New
England, Boston, MA
3:45–4:15 pm
Boston Furniture for Public Spaces
Caryne Eskridge, Lois F. McNeil Fellow,
Winterthur Program in American Material
Culture, Class of 2013, Winterthur
4:15–5:00 pm
Framing the Interior: The Entrepreneurial Career
of John Doggett
Richard Nylander, Curator Emeritus,
Historic New England, Boston, MA
5:00–5:15 pm
Concluding Remarks
Philip Zea, President, Historic Deerfield,
Deerfield, MA
R E GISTRATION FORM
3 WAYS TO REGISTER
• Complete form and mail with payment to Winterthur Information and Tours Office,
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735
• Complete form and fax to 302.888.4953
• Call 800.448.3883
Registration Fee Includes:
• Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday lectures
• Wednesday afternoon coffee and Thursday and Friday lunches and coffee breaks
• Thursday evening reception
• Option of registering for workshops
Registration Fee
❒ Members of Winterthur and the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
and nonprofit professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$350
(Members include Member # __________________; professionals include business card)
❒ Nonmembers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$405
❒ Students and graduates within the past five years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$250
(include a copy of valid student ID)
❒ Northeast Auctions Scholars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$0
(see reverse for scholarship information)
❒ Optional workshops: $75.00 each . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$_______
❒ I (We) would like to make a gift to the Winterthur Scholarship Fund* . . . . . . . . . . .$_______
TOTAL ENCLOSED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$_______
Name (as you would like it listed on your name tag and the participant list)
Address
City
State
Zip code
Daytime telephone
E-mail
❒
Check enclosed, payable to Winterthur Museum
❒
Charge my
Account number
❍ Visa
❍ MasterCard
❍ American Express
❍ Discover
Exp. date
Cardholder name
Signature
*Awards from the Scholarship Fund provide conference registration fees for students and young professionals in the
decorative arts and related studies programs. Your gift is tax deductible; receipt will be provided.
INFORMATION
WORKSHOP PREFERENCES
Please indicate your top three choices for each time period in which you would like to
take a workshop. We will accommodate your workshop preferences on a first-registered,
first-served basis.
Wednesday, March 6, 9:00–10:30 am
Saturday, March 9, 9:00–10:30 am
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
Wednesday, March 6, 11:00 am–12:30 pm
Saturday, March 9, 11:00 am–12:30 pm
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
INFORMATION
All lectures will be held in Copeland Lecture Hall (located in the Visitor Center). Optional workshops
($75 each) will take place in the museum and research buildings. Please plan on arriving at least
10–15 minutes prior to your first workshop to check in with your escort at the Galleries Reception Area
(museum building).
Conference Fee
$405; $350 Members of Winterthur and the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and nonprofit
professionals; $250 students and graduates within the past five years with valid student ID.
Fee Includes
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday lectures and afternoon coffee, Thursday and Friday lunches and coffee
breaks, Thursday evening reception, option of registering for workshops.
Cancellation
Winterthur reserves the right to cancel the conference or workshops. Should Winterthur cancel, participants
will be issued a full refund. Furniture Forum participants who cancel by February 13, 2013, regardless of the
reason, will be issued a full refund minus a $50 handling fee. No refunds after February 13.
Lodging
Lodging is the responsibility of the registrant. Winterthur will provide a list of local accommodations
upon request. Please ask when you call to register.
Scholarships
Ronald Bourgeault and Northeast Auctions, Inc. generously underwrote scholarships for graduate
students and young professionals in the museum or related fields wishing to attend the 2013 Furniture
Forum. For application information, visit winterthur.org/furnitureforum or call 800.448.3883.
Scholarship application deadline is December 14, 2012.
OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS
Only registered conference attendees may participate in workshops. Workshops fill quickly, and
registration is on a first-registered, first-served basis. $75 per workshop. Unless otherwise noted,
workshops are offered at the following times:
Wednesday, March 6
9:00–10:30 am and 11:00 am–12:30 pm
Saturday, March 9
9:00–10:30 am and 11:00 am–12:30 pm
Demonstration
Making Furniture the 17th-Century Way
Peter Follansbee, Joiner, Plimoth Plantation,
Plymouth, MA
Boston’s earliest craftsmen fashioned furniture of
joined, turned, or nailed parts. Observe a master
joiner at work as he re-creates a Boston chair and
cupboard from the 17th century.
Demonstration
Carving Boston Style
Allan Breed, Cabinet- and Chairmaker,
Rollinsford, NH
Watch one of America’s best craftsmen as he
replicates the techniques of Boston carvers of the
late 18th century. Using chairs from the Winterthur
collection as his models, Breed will bring the work of
the colonial craftsman to life.
Demonstration
Boston Federal Inlays
Stephen Latta, Professor of Cabinet and Wood
Technology, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology,
Lancaster, PA
Federal-period furniture from urban centers such as
Charleston, Baltimore, New York, and Boston displays
signature styles of decoration. In this workshop, Latta
will demonstrate the production of inlay, ornaments,
and veneer work found on Boston furniture, especially
that associated with John and Thomas Seymour.
(Available on March 6 only)
Object Workshop
Looking Closely at Boston Classical Furniture
Clark Pearce, American Arts Advisor and
Independent Scholar, Essex, MA, and Robert Mussey,
Conservator and Independent Scholar, Milton, MA
After completing a multi-year survey of Boston
furniture of the 1810s and 1820s, Pearce and Mussey
welcome the opportunity to share their discoveries
through an engaging conversation about Winterthur’s
best classical furniture.
Object Workshop
Fabric over Frame: Boston Upholstery, 1630–1860
Gretchen Guidess, Assistant Conservator,
Williamstown Art Conservation Center, Williamstown,
MA, and Mark Anderson, Head Furniture
Conservator, Winterthur
Throughout its early history, Boston supported a
vibrant upholstery trade. Upholsterers ranked among
the wealthiest craftsmen in the town, and the high
cost of upholstered furniture resulted from the
expensive imported fabrics, not the wooden frames.
Join Guidess and Anderson for a fascinating look
at the methods and materials used by
Boston upholsterers.
Object Workshop and Demonstration
Building the Best Boston Furniture
Steve Brown, Instructor, Cabinet- and
Furnituremaking Program, North Bennet Street
School, Boston, MA
The finest 18th-century American chairs are elegant
and sophisticated. Their builders fully understood the
materials, tools, and techniques required for such
work. Through images and demonstration, Brown will
highlight the construction process of the best Boston
chairs, from design through fashioning, assembling,
and finishing the parts.
Object Workshop and Lecture
“Seeing the wood for the trees”: American Woods
in British Furniture, 1650–1850
Adam Bowett, Furniture Historian,
Old Cowling, England
Wood identification is often the key in distinguishing
English and American furniture. But is it an accurate
guide? Furniture historian Adam Bowett examines the
issue from a British perspective in a compelling
lecture and workshop that include two clocks that
may—or may not—be American. (Available on
March 9 only)
Exhibition Tour
Boston Furniture at Winterthur
Brock Jobe, Professor of American Decorative
Arts, Winterthur
Winterthur houses an exceptional collection of Boston
furniture. Nearly 300 pieces fill the museum. Join
Brock Jobe for a special look at the best of these
objects, on view in the Winterthur Galleries.
Winterthur Furniture Forum
March 6–8, 2013
THE SEWELL C. BIGGS
5105 Kennett Pike • Winterthur, Delaware 19735