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Introduction

Making It In America

October 11, 2013 - February 9, 2014

More than 100 outstanding works of painting, sculpture, and decorative arts from the RISD Museum’s collection illuminate connections between American
ambitions and the making art of Making It in America. The exhibition’s title is a double entendre: just as individual accounts of American life revolve around
searches for freedom, fulfillment, and identity, these stories are also embedded in the creation of works that comprise the history of American art.

This show features objects from pre-Revolutionary times to the early 20th century, including John Singleton Copley’s grand manner portrait of Governor Moses Gill, George Bellows’ rugged painting of New York’s North River in winter, finely designed furniture with hand-carved motifs from Newport’s Townsend and Goddard workshops that rivaled European examples in the 18th century, and the glorious excess of monumental silver works by Providence’s Gorham Manufacturing Company that represented the city’s ambitions into the 19th and 20th centuries.

Making It in America is designed by Thomas Jayne, renowned decorator and decorative arts historian. Jayne, who trained in the Winterthur Museum’s graduate program for American Material Culture, incorporates historic—and unexpected—patterns and colors to create a stunning installation that highlights the evolution of color and pattern in American design.

Selected Objects

Louis Comfort Tiffany, designer

Favrile Vase with Stand, ca. 1900

Chinese, China

Teapot, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Coffeepot, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Covered Sugar Bowl, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Creamer, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Tea Canister, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Cup, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Cup, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Saucer, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Saucer, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Bowl, ca. 1780-1785

Chinese, China

Dish, ca. 1780-1785

James E. Wall

Armchair, ca. 1886

Nabby Martin

Sampler, 1786

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Martelé Writing Table and Chair, 1903

American

Pair of Cuff Links, early 1800s

Childe Hassam

The Messenger Boy, 1903

Robert Feke

Portrait of Joseph Whipple Jr., ca. 1746-1749

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Tea and Coffee Service, ca. 1860

John Singleton Copley

Portrait of Theodore Atkinson, Jr. (1737-1769), 1757-1758

Thomas Cole

Genesee Scenery (Mountain Landscape with Waterfall), 1847

American, probably Connecticut

Windsor Armchair, 1780-1800

American, Boston Massachusetts

Bombé Chest of Drawers, ca. 1755-1795

Gillinder & Sons

Westward Ho! Covered Dish, ca. 1879

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Ice Bowl, 1866

Winslow Homer

On a Lee Shore, 1900

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Hair Brush, ca. 1890

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Jewelry Box, ca. 1890

J.& E. Norton

Jug, 1850-1859

Ezekiel Burr

Shoe Buckles, ca. 1780-1800

American, New England

Child's Windsor High Chair, 1800-1820

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Tureen, 1884

John Singer Sargent

A Boating Party, ca. 1889

Sydney Richmond Burleigh, designer

King Arthur Chest, ca. 1900

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Nail File, ca. 1890

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Dressing Set, ca. 1890

Alexander Stirling Calder

Sioux Brave, Our American Stoic, 1912

William Morris Hunt

Portrait of Ellen M. Brown (Mrs. Ellen Berry), 1874

Martin Johnson Heade

Brazilian Forest, 1864

American, probably New York New York City

Looking Glass, ca. 1785-1815

Louis Comfort Tiffany, designer

Favrile Vase, ca. 1908

Henry Ossawa Tanner

The Wailing Wall, ca. 1898

Mary Cassatt

Simone in a Blue Bonnet, ca. 1903

Louis Comfort Tiffany

Favrile Vase, ca. 1900-1910

Gilbert Stuart

Portrait of Samuel Dunn, 1809-1815

George Harvey

Newburgh on Hudson, 1872

John Coddington, silversmith

Cup, ca. 1715

Benjamin West

King Lear, ca. 1789

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Harmony in Blue: The Duet, ca. 1874

Frank Weston Benson

Summer, 1909

Gilbert Stuart

Portrait of George Washington, ca. 1805

Samuel Gragg

Elastic Armchair, 1808 (patented)

American

Earrings, early 1800s

American, New York City New York

Cabinet, 1875-1880

Albert Bierstadt

Westphalian Landscape, 1856

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Hand Mirror, ca. 1890

Samuel Vernon

Tankard, ca. 1720

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Tray, 1878

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Water Pitcher, 1878

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Cup, 1878

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Cup, 1878

Attributed to Thomas Affleck

Side Chair, ca. 1760-1780

James Earl

Portrait of Abigail Congdon Packard, ca. 1795

Henry Benbridge

Portrait of Anne Brindley, 1776

Hiram Powers

Eve Disconsolate, ca. 1850

Frank Weston Benson

Lady Trying on a Hat (The Black Hat), 1904

Thomas Wilmer Dewing

Lady in Gray, ca. 1910

William Merritt Chase

Portrait of a Lady in Pink, ca. 1888–1889

James Earl

Portrait of Captain Samuel Packard, ca. 1795

Chinese, China

Punch Bowl with Cantonese Hongs, 1785-1800

Thomas Cole

Landscape (Landscape with Tree Trunks), 1828

Thomas Chambers

Undercliff near Cold-Spring, 1840-1867

Sanford Robinson Gifford

Lake Geneva, 1875

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Whisk Brush, 1890-1890

Attributed to James Halyburton (Haliburton), cabinetmaker

Card Table, ca. 1795-1800

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Narragansett Salad Fork, ca.1885

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Narragansett Salad Spoon, ca.1885

English or European

Native American Sachem, ca. 1700

Elie Nadelman

Fawn, ca. 1915

Eastman Johnson

Sugaring Off, ca. 1864-1865

Elie Nadelman

Deer, ca. 1915

Attributed to Thomas Pairpoint, designer

Plateau, 1876

Thomas Pairpoint, designer

Epergne, 1872

James Earl

Portrait of Elisabeth Fales Paine and Her Aunt, ca. 1794-1796

American

Bracelet, 1850-1899

Attributed to James Halyburton (Haliburton), cabinetmaker

Card Table, ca. 1795 - 1800

John La Farge

Japanese Crackle Pottery with Camellias, 1879

Theodore Russell Davis, designer

Ice Cream Dish, 1879

John Goddard, cabinetmaker

Desk and Bookcase, 1761

Jacob Hurd

Teapot, ca. 1735

John Singleton Copley

Portrait of Governor Moses Gill, 1764

Gutzon Borglum

Mares of Diomedes, 1904

Theodore Russell Davis, designer

Turkey Platter, ca. 1880

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Amor Caritas (Angel of Love), 1898
No Image Available

William Bradford

Arctic Sunset, 1874

American

Mourning Brooch, mid 1800s

Attributed to Thomas Seymour

Lady's Writing Desk, ca. 1795-1800

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Coffeepot, ca. 1890

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Clothes Brush, ca. 1890

John White Alexander

The Blue Bowl, 1898

Frank Weston Benson

Portrait of Isaac C. Bates, Esq., 1906

George Wesley Bellows

Rain on the River, 1908

William Sidney Mount

Portrait of Hannah Muncy Smith, 1852

Horace Pippin

Quaker Mother and Child, ca. 1935-1940

John Wollaston

Portrait of Mrs. Ebenezer Pemberton, ca. 1750

Asher Brown Durand

Chocorua Peak, 1855

Howard McLean

Evening Promenade, 1912

George Inness

In the Berkshire Hills, ca. 1877-1878

John Singleton Copley

Portrait of Sarah Prince Gill, 1764

American, possibly Pennsylvania

Cradle, 1820 - 1830

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Ice Tongs, 1869

American

Portrait of Charles Leonard Pendleton, ca. 1861

Alexandre Roux, cabinetmaker

Cabinet, ca. 1866

Julian Alden Weir

Face Reflected in a Mirror, 1896

American

Locket, 1800s

Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, retailer

Favrile Cup, ca. 1900-1920

Gilbert Stuart

Portrait of Sarah Cutler Dunn, ca. 1809

Thomas Crawford

Morning Star, 1856

American

Locket, 1800s

Louis Comfort Tiffany, designer

Favrile Vase, ca. 1900

Attributed to William B. Savage

Spinning Wheel Armchair, ca. 1886

Cecilia Beaux

Portrait of Sarah E. Doyle, ca.1902

Arthur Bowen Davies

Clothed in Dominion, ca. 1912

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Comb, ca. 1890

Willard LeRoy Metcalf

The White Veil, 1909

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Buttonhook

John Singleton Copley

Portrait of Rebecca Boylston Gill, ca. 1773

Herter Brothers

Side Chair, 1877-1879

David Williams

Patent Timepiece, ca. 1815-1820

Theodore Russell Davis

Seafood Plate, ca. 1880

Attributed to James Martin

Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1820

Frank Lloyd Wright, designer

Library Table, 1915-1916

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Mythologique Flatware Design Samples, 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for salad fork and spoon, Diomedes Devoured by His Horses, 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for pickle fork and sardine fork, "Childhood of Marsyas", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for tea fork, "Vulcan Presenting the Shield to Minerva", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for soup ladle, "Saturn and Phoebus Apollo", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for butter spreader and tea knife, "Arion Saved by a Dolphin", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for punch ladle, oyster ladle, and gravy spoon, "Amphitrite and Neptune", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for butter knife, cheese knife, individual large salad fork, beef fork, large pastry fork, and individual large fish fork, "Oedipus and the Sphynx", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern backside for soup ladle, "Saturn and Phoebus Apollo", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for olive spoon, butter pick, olive fork, mustard spoon, and oyster fork, "Childhood of Bacchus", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for dessert fork, "Chiron and Achilles", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for sugar tongs, "Minerva (Pallas), (Athene)", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern backside for gravy ladle, large sugar sifter, cold meat fork, preserve spoon, tablespoon, large cheese spoon, and pea spoon, "Vulcan Presenting Thunderbolts to Jupiter", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for crumb knife, asparagus fork, berry spoon, vegetable spoon and fork, and fish knife and fork, "Apollo Crowned by the Muses", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for for bonbon spoon, coffee spoon, berry fork, and salt spoon, "Aeneas and Anchises", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for dessert knife, "Ceres (Summer)", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for gravy ladle, large sugar sifter, cold meat fork, preserve spoon, tablespoon, large cheese scoop, and pea spoon, "Vulcan Presenting Thunderbolts to Jupiter", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for ice cream fork, lettuce fork, and small teaspoon, "Death of the Centaur Nessus", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern backside for cream ladle, jelly spoon, waffle knife, pie knife, and dessert spoon, "Nessus Carrying Off Dejanira", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for cake knife, individual fish knife, dessert knife, and ice cream slicer, "Perseus with the Head of Medusa", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for asparagus server and game carving knife and fork, "Pomona (Autumn)", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for meat carving knife, fork, and sharpening steel, "Cybele (Winter)", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for cream ladle, jelly spoon, waffle knife, pie knife, and dessert spoon, "Nessus Carrying Off Dejanira", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for small berry spoon and small teaspoon, "Minerva Springing from the Brain of Jupiter", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern backside for table fork, "Charon Ferrying Souls to Hades", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern backside for pickle knife, teaspoon, orange spoon, pap spoon, ice cream spoon and sugar spoon, "Penelope Recognizing Ulysses", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for bonbon tongs, "Jove's Eagle", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for medium knife, "Vertumnus (Spring)", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for table fork, "Charon Ferrying Souls to Hades", 1894

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Pattern for pickle knife, teaspoon, orange spoon, pap spoon, ice cream spoon, and sugar spoon, "Penelope Recognizing Ulysses", 1894

N. McDermott

Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, ca. 1895

American, possibly Providence

Earrings and Brooch, ca. 1875

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Making It In America

October 11, 2013 - February 9, 2014
View Checklist PDF

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