Decorative Arts:
18^th and 19^th Century

Research and Writings of
Shirley Spaulding DeVoe

Compiled and Edited by
Shirley S. Baer and
M. Jeanne Gearin

 

Shirley Spaulding DeVoe was a prolific writer and researcher of the decorative arts. Her books and articles have become standard texts in the field of applied arts.  She was a student of Esther Stevens Brazer and a charter member of HSEAD. For more than forty years she traveled throughout Europe and the United States in search of new material. Her book credits include The Tinsmiths of Connecticut (1968), English Papier Mache' of the Georgian and Victorian Periods (1971) and The Art of the Goldsmith, English and American (1981). She also wrote booklets on How to Paint Tin (1946) and American Decorated Chairs (1947). She was a frequent contributor to The Decorator, Spinning Wheel, Antiques Journal, The CT Historical Society Bulletin, and other journals and publications, including the Concise Encyclopedia of Antiques. This book collects in one volume all of her known articles from various periodicals.

The book gives brief but interesting biographical information. It then proceeds to seven chapters, organized in categories that represent DeVoe's great variety of interests. It is illustrated throughout with over 200 black and white photographs of original pieces. On the front cover is a color picture (shown) of a Wolverhampton queen Gothic tin tray (c. 1845) decorated with gold leaf and freehand bronze. A photograph of DeVoe and her husband is shown on the back cover.

Shirley Baer is a past president of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration and is currently the editor of the Society's journal, The Decorator. Jeanne Gearin is a teacher and researcher of long standing in the Society and the field in general. Both were colleagues of Shirley DeVoe.

Contents

Papier Mache': History and Technique (12 articles)

The Japanner's Art and History (14 articles)

Decorative Furnishings (9 articles)

The American Craftsmen, Decorators and Manufacturers (13 articles)

Materials and Techniques (9 articles)

Design Sources and Interpretations (6 articles

Musings and Miscellany (3 articles)

Alphabetical List of Published Articles (with Publications)

Index

Decorative Arts: 18^th and 19^th Century
Research and Writings of Shirley Spaulding DeVoe
Compiled and Edited by Shirley S. Baer and M. Jeanne Gearin

Published by The Historical Society of Early American Decoration, Inc., April 1999 (1^st printing)

8.5 x 11 inches, spiral bound paper cover, 182 pages

To order please visit the HSEAD Store.