Visiting the Hudson River Valley by Maxine Carter-Lome If you’ve ever visited or spent time in the Hudson River Valley of New York State, than you know something about the natural beauty and rich history of this early settlement region of our country. If not, we hope this issue inspires you to take a trip. […]
The First Hundred Years of Photography By Erica Lome The concept of photography has deep historical roots. In ancient Greece and China, mathematicians experimented with the effects of light streaming through a small hole in a dark room. Unknowingly, they established the foundational principles of the camera obscura. It wouldn’t be until the eleventh century […]
The Charm of Vintage Record Players By Erica Lome If you were to stroll into an Urban Outfitters today you might be surprised to find portable turntables enclosed in a purple velvet container alongside boxes of vinyl records by contemporary artists. Now offering Bluetooth and other modern amenities, modern record players promise to provide “analog […]
Parlor Crafts and the Age of Refinement By Erica Lome “In the household, china-painting affords amusement for the girls in the family during the hours their brothers and father leave for business, and return in the evening. To many such ladies, who have nothing better to do than novel reading, this method of filling their […]
By Erica Lome Basket making is one of the earliest and most prevalent forms of folk art in the United States. First developed by Native Americans and later adopted by early colonists and settlers, baskets have a long history as both utilitarian objects and highly decorative art forms made for both domestic and commercial purposes. […]
Tools and American Life in the Pilgrim Era By Erica Lome Almost four hundred years ago, Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. This story is often told in classrooms, museums, and tours — and for good reason. Much of the American narrative is founded on the activities and actions of this rag-tag group of settlers who […]
The Vanity Table, Then and Now by Erica Lome Almost every home has a space for “putting on one’s face.” Perhaps without our conscious knowledge, dressing tables have made this a normal and routine part of our day. Like many ubiquitous furnishings, we often don’t realize how much they shape our habits. Tracing the history […]
The Allure of Glass When our editorial team first explored the topic of the Vanity Table for our annual glass issue, we immediately fell to reminiscing about the vanity tables we remembered in a grandparent’s or aunt’s house, or in our own home growing up; that totally feminine, personal space displaying special items to be […]
By Erica Lome The Luxury of Time: European Clocks and Watches On Exhibit through March 27, 2016 Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, NY The Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently showing “The Luxury of Time: European Clocks and Watches”, an exhibition drawn from its extensive collection of French, English, Dutch, German, and Swiss timepieces. […]
By Erica Lome The year 1916 marked the final issue of Gustav Stickley’s influential periodical The Craftsman, which introduced American audiences to the British-derived Arts and Crafts movement. Nearly a hundred years later, many of Stickley’s distinct products – ranging from furniture and lighting to carpets and textiles – continue to appeal to collectors. Yet […]
