Lecture: Connecticut Furniture and the Origins of American Art

The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, in Wethersfield,  Connecticut, will host a free lecture featuring celebrated historian and scholar William Hosley, on Thursday, October 4, 2012. The lecture will be preceded by a wine reception (by donation) at 6 p.m.

Hosley will demonstrate that the story of Connecticut furniture is a chain of innovation and expression during his lecture, “Connecticut Furniture and the Origins of American Art.” He will explore the diverse stylistic traditions of Connecticut’s furniture, chronicle the transformation of furniture making from a domestic craft to a modern industry, and offer insight into the domestic life, taste and cultural values of Connecticut's peoples. He will trace the story of Connecticut furniture from the earliest work of joiners Aaron Cooke of Windsor and Henry Treat of Wethersfield, to the rise of elegance and refinement in the baroque forms of Timothy Loomis and William Manley, to the innovators of the industrial age,
including Lemuel Hitchcock and Ebenezer Tracy.

Admission to the lectures is free and donations will be accepted.