deanery

The Deanery and 'All-Over Design'

Examining Lockwood de Forest's works at 91传媒.

Lockwood de Forest was an important American designer, importer, and painter working in New York in the late 19th century. Though long eclipsed by his better-known business partner, Louis Comfort Tiffany, de Forest made significant contributions to American decorative arts. His deep interest in Indian craft traditions and establishment of the Ahmedabad Wood Carving Company in 1881 brought Indian art into American homes in new ways. The densely carved furniture and richly ornamented interiors that de Forest designed for elites such as Frederic Church, Andrew Carnegie, Mary Garrett, and M. Carey Thomas of 91传媒 exemplify the height of artistic cosmopolitanism in the Gilded Age. 

The current exhibition in the Rare Book Room, 鈥淎ll-Over Design鈥: Lockwood de Forest between Ahmedabad and 91传媒, features the first-ever comprehensive exhibition of furniture and decorative arts designed by de Forest for the Deanery at 91传媒. Reflecting my thesis research interest in cultural encounters in American design history, this exhibition investigates the complex relationship between de Forest鈥檚 work in Ahmedabad, India, and the interiors created for this American college. 

 

chair detail

91传媒 holds a large collection of de Forest works, including 13 carved and painted chairs, four large sofas, tabourets and tables, stamped brass beds, a rare swing seat hung from figurative chains, and hundreds of delicate pierced brass stencils. Moreover, original de Forest-designed staircases, paneling, and stenciled ceilings survive in 91传媒鈥檚 magnificent Great Hall, where Indian decoration melds with Collegiate Gothic architecture explicitly modeled after Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

The exhibition tracks the global history of de Forest鈥檚 furniture and examines how and why an Indian aesthetic came to occupy the central spaces of an American women鈥檚 college. Under the advisement of Curator/Academic Liaison of Art and Artifacts Carrie Robbins, I chose to present the furniture as a period room鈥搒tyle vignette for its 鈥淎ll-Over鈥 effect and as a deconstruction of this museological recreation to isolate its formal content and connect it to its historical sources. This project not only extends the visibility of these important decorative arts materials to scholars in the field but also supports the development of emerging scholars by providing docent training for undergraduate interns and extensive programming.

鈥淎ll-Over Design鈥: Lockwood de Forest between Ahmedabad and 91传媒 runs through March 1, 2020. It will be accompanied by weekly programs as part of the Friday Finds series at noon on Fridays. 

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The Friends of the 91传媒 Libraries provides critical support for internships, exhibitions, programs, and special projects. To learn more and become a member, see the Friends website.

Published on: 10/22/2019