Allen H. Eaton, Dean of American Crafts

THE ONLY BIOGRAPHY OF MID-20TH CENTURY AMERICA'S LEADING HANDICRAFTS ADVOCATE.

Eaton was a prominent member of the Oregon legislature around the time of World War I and later a nationally recognized proponent of handicrafts while living in New York and working for the Russell Sage Foundation. A sociologist by training, he was the first to point out the link between beauty and life, and to advocate the importance of handicrafts by immigrants, residents of the Southern Highlands and New England, the blind, and even prisoners in Japanese-American detention camps. A quiet and modest man, Eaton was a friend of everyone from the humblest quilter in the backwoods of Tennessee to Grandma Moses and Eleanor Roosevelt.

This is an important book for anyone interested in the rise of handicrafts in America, and also anyone who needs to be reminded of the devastating impact political shenanigans and wartime politics can have on an individual.

Janet L. McCall, Executive Director, Society for Contemporary Craft, describes Van Dommelen’s work as having ". . . contributed a fascinating chapter in the history of American craft with this biography of a gentle visionary who believed in the power of art to change lives, and devoted his life to pursuing social justice through 'handicraft'. Eaton's vision is still very relevant today."