The Decorative Arts Trust

09/01/2026

Now online: select articles from the summer issue of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵! Our Semiquincentennial section featured stories from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Independence Seaport Museum, Historic Trappe, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, and The Clay Studio. We also shared highlights from our recent Scotland, Low Countries, Atlanta, and Virginia programs.

See https://decorativeartstrust.org/summer-2026-magazine-post for details, and feel free to share!

The magazine cover shows a rare pickle stand featured in 𝘈 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Gousse Bonnin and George Anthony Morris founded the American China Manufactory in Philadelphia in 1770. Designed to serve pickled nuts and fruits during the dessert course of a meal, this small stand is made of more than 72 elements individually formed from a refined white clay called kaolin. The shells were molded from actual shells. Once assembled, the stand was then decorated with cobalt blue ornament, covered with a clear lead glaze, and fired at a high temperature. Bonnin and Morris’s ability to make soft-paste porcelain provided direct evidence that Americans could prosper without the assistance of Great Britain and its mercantile system, emboldening leaders such as Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Benjamin Rush. (American China Manufactory, Pickle Stand, 1770–72, Philadelphia. Soft-paste porcelain with underglaze blue decoration. 5 1/8 × 7 in. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of a 7th-generation Philadelphian, 2014-166-1. Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.)

08/07/2026

At the turn of the 20th century, new technologies affected how the labor involved in embroidery pattern transfer and kits. Anna Flinchbaugh, a PhD Candidate at the University of Southern California, was awarded a Decorative Arts Trust Research Grant to study this topic at three institutions in Massachusetts (Harvard’s Schlesinger Library, Historic New England, and the Deerfield Memorial Hall Museum) and two institutions in New York (The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Antoni Ratti Textile Study Center and the Drue Heinz Study Center for Drawings and Prints at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum).

In a new post in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯, read about what she discovered about needlework pioneers Amelia Muir Baldwin, Grace Isabel Berkeley, Margaret C. Whiting, Ellen Miller, and Candace Wheeler and the Associated Artists. See https://decorativeartstrust.org/needlework-labor-post to learn more!

Pictured: Anna Flinchbaugh examining “The Peacock,” an embroidered screen panel made by the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework, c. 1910, Massachusetts. Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework, Memorial Hall Museum. Photo by Ray Radigan.

08/04/2026

August 31 is the application deadline for IDEAL Internship Grants from the Decorative Arts Trust. These grants award up to $5,000 for museums and historic sites to support internships that create opportunities for disadvantaged high school and undergraduate students from underrepresented communities. Internships should focus on the decorative arts and object-based research, exhibitions, installations, and educational programs.

See https://decorativeartstrust.org/ideal for application details, and please share!

Pictured: Julia Yun was the IDEAL Intern at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA, in 2025. She worked with Curator and Director of Artistic Programs Jennifer Zwilling and Exhibition & Development Coordinator Trinity Dubois on several projects, including Minah Kim’s solo exhibition, 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘹. Left to right: Jennifer Zwilling, Julia Yun, Trinity Dubois.

IDEAL Internships advance inclusivity, diversity, equity, access, and leadership within the museum field.

07/31/2026

𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬: 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘖𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 is a visually stunning celebration of America’s spirit through ordinary, surprising, and overlooked handcrafted objects spanning more than 250 years. The title is the official book of Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, Craft in America’s nationwide initiative in which the Decorative Arts Trust is a participating organization.

Edited by Emily Zaiden, Director and Lead Curator of the Craft in America Center, with a foreword by Carol Sauvion, the visionary behind the Peabody Award–winning series 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 on PBS, the book features contributions from Glenn Adamson, Alexandra Alevizatos Kirtley, Nonie Gadsden, Monica Obniski, Roberto Lugo, Mira Nakashima, and Decorative Arts Trust Executive Director Matthew A. Thurlow as well as many more scholars and makers.

Read more about 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 in this 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post: https://decorativeartstrust.org/handwork-book-post.

07/24/2026

Have you heard of Functional Fashions? In the mid-20th century, Shannon Rodgers designed for disability under Jerry Silverman’s brand, Jerry Silverman, Inc., collaborating with the nonprofit Clothing Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) on an accessible clothing line. Rodgers created at least 23 Functional Fashions in his Parisian-style silhouettes, and as the businessman of the brand, Silverman also sat on the CRDF board.

Natalie Wright received a Decorative Arts Trust Research Grant to study Functional Fashions at the Kent State University Museum and Kent State’s Special Collections and Archives. Read about her discoveries in this new 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯 post: https://decorativeartstrust.org/functional-fashions-post.

Pictured: Natalie Wright (left) and Dr. Sara Hume (right) examining a 1966 Jerry Silverman, Inc. Functional Fashions dress from Wright’s own collection; Shannon Rodgers (1911–96) for Jerry Silverman (1910–84), Dress (Detail), 1969, American. Silk and wool with rhinestones. Kent State University Museum, gift of Mrs. James Spearman, 1987.077.0002 ab. Photo by Natalie Wright; Marian Stephenson (photographer, 1896–1973) for the Clothing Research and Development Foundation, Virginia Connors (model, 1923–96) wearing Jerry Silverman, Inc., 1969. Image courtesy of Natalie Wright and Mary Joan Connors.

07/22/2026

Save the dates: Our Spring 2027 Symposium in Houston will be held April 14–18! Explore staggering collections at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), dazzling European decorative arts at Rienzi, Ima Hogg’s celebrated American material culture collection at Bayou Bend, and outstanding examples of Modern architecture.

See https://decorativeartstrust.org/houston-symposium-2027 to learn more. As a reminder, members at the Ambassador and Champion levels receive the first opportunity to register. We hope to see you in Houston!

Pictured: Rienzi, the MFAH house museum for European decorative arts.

07/17/2026

Our final day in Canada was full of incredible sites! As well as an out-of-hours tour of the Quebec Parliament Building (images 1–5), built 1877–86 based on designs by architect Eugène-Étienne Taché, we enjoyed curator-led experiences in the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec (images 6–9) and an exploration of the Quebec Craft Center (MMAQ) with Director Thierry Plante-Dubé (images 10–14).

Historian David Mendel's walking tour of Upper Town included the 1800–04 Holy Trinity Cathedral (images 15–17), the late-18th-century Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec (image 18.), the Seminary of Quebec (image 19), and the The Joan of Arc Garden in The Battlefields Park on the Plains of Abraham (image 20).

Thank you for following along with our Sojourn to Quebec! Would you like to join one of our tours? See our calendar of upcoming programs at https://decorativeartstrust.org/calendar-of-events.

07/16/2026

Our second day of touring took us from Montreal to Quebec City, and we would love to highlight some standout sites for you!

The Château Dufresne mansion complex in Montreal (images 1–9) was constructed between 1915 and 1918 by Montreal architects Jules Renard and Maurice Perrault for brothers Marius Dufresne and Oscar Dufresne. The interiors were decorated by French artist and designer Guido Nincheri and other craftsmen who produced painted ceilings, murals, stained glass, carved woodwork, and ornamental plasterwork. The museum’s collection includes furniture, ceramics, textiles, clocks, and silver.

The Ursuline Monastery and Museum is perched on the brow of a hill overlooking Quebec City’s historic Upper Town. The first convent on the site was built in 1641–42, and the present complex was developed in phases between 1687 and 1850 after damage from several fires. Original timber framing, woodwork, staircases, roof structures, and metalwork have been carefully preserved. The magnificent chapel altar (images 10–12), completed in 1730 by Noël and Pierre-Noël Levasseur, is a masterpiece of French Canadian wood sculpture.

The monastery museum (images 13–20), located in the former house of Madame de La Peltrie, an important benefactor of the Ursulines, was first opened to the public in 1936. The 17th- to 19th-century embroidery collection is especially impressive, as well as displays of religious objects, furnishings, and Indigenous artifacts. The final image is reminiscent of the Decorative Arts Trust's own logo!

Rounding out the day was an amazing lecture about Quebec City with historian David Mendel, at our Quebec City headquarters, the famed Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel!

07/15/2026

We're in Quebec! Our Summer Sojourn began in Montreal, with a fascinating walking tour with architectural historian Justin Bur followed by a captivating lecture by Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Curator of Decorative Arts and Design Philippe Halbert at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

The first full day of touring featured guided visits to standout sites in Montreal. Executive Director André Delisle welcomed us to Château Ramezay (images 1–4), an early-18th-century site that stands as one of Montreal’s oldest surviving examples of French colonial architecture.

Philippe Halbert and former curator Rosalind Pepall led out-of-hours tours at the MMFA (images 5–16) and the stunning 1894 Bourgie Hall. Highlights included a late-18th-century commode, a late-18th-century chalice by Robert Cruikshank, an 1810-17 silver pax attributed to Salomon Marion, and 𝘈 𝘝𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘤 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘋𝘦 𝘓𝘦́𝘷𝘺 by Cornelius Krieghoff (1863).

The Canadian Centre for Architecture features the Shaughnessy House, seen in images 17–18, a Second Empire-style mansion that dates to 1874–75.

Noel Guyomarc’h graciously hosted us at his gallery and shared objects from his personal jewelry and decorative arts collection (images 19–20).

07/09/2026

The Wadsworth is home to a rare, 17th-century leather jerkin, also known as a buff coat. Made from animal hide (likely bovine), the garment was a form of armor and offered protection in combat. Contemporary accounts describe buff coats repelling arrows and sword strikes. For example, in a 1637 account, American colonial militia leader Captain John Underhill wrote of a “buffe coat” stopping an arrow during a skirmish.

Thanks to a Dean F. Failey Grant from the Decorative Arts Trust, the Wadsworth has conserved this buff coat and prepared it for display during the exhibition 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺: 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴, on view through September 27, 2026.

Read more and see before-and-after pictures in this new post in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯: https://decorativeartstrust.org/wadsworth-leather-jerkin-post.

Pictured: Johanna Tower of Windsor Conservation examines the buff coat during conservation treatment. Photo by Maria Baranova.