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Publications
Exhibition Catalogue: Art and Industry in Early America
Extensively researched and lushly
illustrated, the Gallery’s latest catalogue,
which accompanies this season’s
landmark exhibition on Rhode Island
furniture, is the most comprehensive
publication available on the topic to date.
The catalogue begins with a group of
essays that chronicle the development of
the Rhode Island furniture tradition—
from the earliest days of the colony in
the 17th century to its golden age in the
18th century—and that closely examine
several furniture forms, including tall
case clocks (widely known as grandfather
clocks), Windsor chairs, and
more elaborate “framed” chairs. The
more than 100 catalogue entries that
follow provide multiple views of the
objects both closed and open—including
a fall-front desk with an astounding
25 secret compartments —as well as
images of labels and signatures on the
backs or interiors, allowing readers to
“peek inside.”
Each entry—and each object—tells a
story, and together these stories illuminate
the rich history of Rhode Island,
its founders, and some of America’s finest
craftsmen. An early oak armchair,
for example, owned by Rhode Island
governor Benedict Arnold, is thought to
be the chair on which Arnold sat when
the Rhode Island Charter was delivered
from King Charles II in 1663. A walnut
clock was made by William Claggett,
New England’s most prolific colonial
clockmaker. A true Renaissance man,
Claggett was also an engraver, scientific
experimenter, lecturer, organ builder,
baker, published author, and maker of
nautical surveying instruments. His son
Thomas, whose work is also included in
the catalogue, followed in his father’s
footsteps, making clocks as well as
watches, and became a goldsmith and
expert swordsman. John Townsend,
one of the greatest 18th-century craftsmen,
is represented with several objects,
including a high chest of drawers dated
1756, when he was just 23 years old.
A trove of groundbreaking scholarship
as well as a delight for the senses,
Art and Industry in Early America aims
to encourage a deeper understanding
of this dynamic school of American
furniture making and the superb
workmanship and artistic skill of
its craftsmen. The publication is available
in September 2016; to pre-order
a copy, call 203.432.0601 or visit
artgallery.yale.edu/publications.
Art and Industry in Early America:
Rhode Island Furniture, 1650–1830
Available September 2016 / Hardcover /
508 pages / 9 1/4 × 12 inches / 392 color
illustrations / Price $85; Members $60
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