Folk art has been part of the American idiom for nearly as long as America has been a nation. Today it remains one of the best-loved and most fervently collected forms of American art, a diverse and authentic vernacular expression. American Folk presents over 60 remarkable objects from one of the country's most prominent collections of folk art, many of them never before published. Included are paintings, carvings, textiles, prints, frakturs, furniture, and utilitarian objects, dating from the late 18th to the early 20th century. They include such masterpieces as Erastus Salisbury Field's lush The Garden of Eden, E.L. George's surrealistic Child in a Rocking Chair, a complex, monumental quilt by the former slave Harriet Powers, and Wilhelm Schimmel's extraordinary carved animals--as well as a remarkable assortment of whirligigs, windmills, decorated chests, figurines, and even carousel animals. The introductory essay by curator Gerald W.R. Ward discusses the elusive notion of ''folk art'' itself and presents the history of its acquisition by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Published in conjunction with a major exhibition at the MFA, American Folk is a vibrant and engaging introduction to one of our proudest cultural traditions.

American Folk

Arts & Photography

Carol Troyen

Sue Welsh Reed

Pamela A. Parmal

Gerald W.R. Ward

Abaigeal Duda

Gilian Ford Shallcross

History & Criticism

MFA Publications

The Fine Art Collection of the New England Historic Genealogical Society-America's founding genealogical institution-tells the story of the United States.

Family Treasures: 175 Years of Collecting Art and Furniture at the New England Historic Genealogical Society

The New England Historic Genealogical Society

A fine copy in a fine dust jacket. As new. First edition. Cloth. 4to. xvii, 160 pp. Illus. with color &amp; b/w photos. Includes 60 in-depth entries, prepared by some of the foremost American researchers, that examine 100 decorative arts objects - case furniture, tables, seating furniture, clocks, looking glasses, textiles, ceramics, and metal ware- from the important collection at the Concord Museum. For each object the authors give detailed information about provenance, construction, condition, dimensions, and materials, as well as extensive references. Printed by the Stinehour Press.

The Concord Museum: Decorative Arts from a New England Collection

Robert F. Trent

David L. Barquist

Brock Jobe

Philip Zea

Nancy Goyne Evans

Marisa Morra

Concord Museum

Beautiful and scholarly study. A must for collectors!

American Furniture with Related Decorative Arts, 1660-1830: The Milwaukee Art Museum and the Layton Art Collection

Thomas S. Michie

Brock W. Jobe

Hudson Hills

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Books by Gerald W.R. Ward