AMERICAN FURNITURE MANUFACTURES

Reprint The Boys in Blue - troops for Boston aboard U.S. Army Transport Kilpatrick 1909

Dry mounted to foam board, no mat. The George Grantham Bain Collection represents the photographic files of one of America's earliest news picture agencies. The collection richly documents sports events, theater, celebrities, crime, strikes, disasters, political activities including the woman suffrage campaign, conventions and public celebrations. The photographs Bain produced and gathered for distribution through his news service were worldwide in their coverage, but there was a special emphasis on life in New York City. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1900s to the mid-1920s, but scattered images can be found as early as the 1860s and as late as the 1930s. Reprint The Boys in Blue - troops for Boston aboard U.S. Army Transport Kilpatrick 1909.

Oval Office Desk For the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library

It is the most famous desk in America; one that every American knows from the iconic picture of President John F. Kennedy working, while his son “John John” plays beneath it. However, the history of this desk, and the story of how it came to represent the presidency and our nation, is seldom told. In 1845, England sent a fleet of ships under the command of Royal Navy Adm. John Franklin to find the Northwest Passage. The mission was a disaster: the ships became entombed in ice and despite the British admiralty’s most extensive search in its history, they were never found. A decade later, one of the ill fated search vessels, the H.M.S Resolute, broke out of the ice and floated out into the open, where it was discovered by an American Whaler. The resolute was brought back to Boston harbor, where the U.S. Government bought it for $40,000 and returned it to England as a goodwill gesture.

When the ship was decommissioned, Queen Victoria herself, commissioned a desk to be made from the oak timbers of the ship, and presented it to the United States in gratitude. It subsequently wound up in the cellar of the Smithsonian Institution. After the better part of a century had passed, it was discovered by Jacqueline Kennedy, who had it brought to the oval office.

Robert Whitley having made several important historical reproductions for Independence Hall, George Washington’s headquarters, and Franklin Court, was commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston to make a copy of The Resolute desk for public display.
Making reproductions of important period furniture is a long and involved process, and in this case it was complicated not only by the complexity of the cabinetmaking but also by the security constraints at the white house. Whitley, working against a tight deadline, spent nearly a year on the project, which started with a trip to Washington D.C.. He was allowed in the oval office for only 3 ? days while the president was away on a foreign diplomacy mission to Germany. During that time, Whitley had to photograph the desk, do rubbings,

drawings, sketches and take precise measurements. It was a frantic and difficult task, complicated by the security measures of the secret service. During these three days Robert Whitley was only allowed in the oval office between the hours of 9am and 3:30pm. Two Secret service men followed Whitley’s every move, many times so closely that they were bumping into each other.

The desk, the most complicated piece of furniture made by Whitley, had complex carvings, including the presidential seal, the American flag, an eagle and several other pictorials. The desk was made of white oak, which is a particularly difficult wood to carve because oak is so hard and prone to splintering. Each piece was specially selected to match the grain of the Victorian desk. In addition the desk was unusual because many of the drawers were enclosed by doors. All of this required not only a tremendous amount of handwork from Whitley, but a great deal of detective work. Whitley found the English firm that made the original antique brown and gold embossed leather top and had that firm recreate an identical piece for his copy.

Robert Whitley’s work has brought an important piece of our nation’s history to the public; allowing thousands of visitors to see in person, a national treasure.

Rye City Councilman, Joe Sack and Lori Sack Norquist. Joe and other members of the Rye City Council voted a unanimous resolution supporting JHC's stewardship of the Jay Property on Boston Post Road, childhood home of John Jay.
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The historic Westchester Country Club in Rye, NY designed by famed architects Warren & Wetmore in the 1920s was the site of the Jay Heritage Center's 2010 Preservation Luncheon, on December 8. Renowned designer, and JHC Advisory Board member, Alexa Hampton was the featured speaker. She is the author of the new book "Alexa Hampton: The Language of Interior Design" and captivated her audience with an engaging and colorful swathe of knowledgeable designing tips and illustrations of her work. More than 200 guests attended the event which raised over $100,000 in proceeds to benefit JHC's programs in American History, Architecture, Landscape Conservation and Environmental Stewardship.

The Luncheon was chaired by Suzanne Clary, Joan Mark, Rachel Breinin and Lauren Spelman all of Rye. A live auction featured couture jewelry from MISH and unique cultural experiences including private tours of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, picnics at Fort Jay on Governors Island and behind the scenes peeks at the Winter Antiques Show.

Guests also applauded Westchester Country Club historian, Sheila Enos who was honored for her work to preserve the photographic images and stories of generations of Rye and Harrison residents.

Alexa Hampton, president of Mark Hampton, LLC, since 1998, has annually been listed in Architectural Digest and House Beautiful as one of the country’s top interior designers. She is also the designer of a growing stable of eponymous licensed products for the home, including furniture, fabrics, carpets, and lighting. She lives in New York City with her husband and children. As an Advisory Board member, she is actively engaged in helping to restore the Jay House Dining Room in time for the JHC's spring exhibit on Slavery and the Civil War.

(Photo by Cutty McGill)

Through furniture, this exhibition catalogue will explore the cultural identity of a little-studied region of 18th and 19th century New England: southeastern Massachusetts, an area that stretches from just south of Boston to Providence, east to the tip of Cap Cod, and includes the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The era between 1710 and 1850 was marked by enormous changes in the landscape, population, and economy of this area, as well as in the activities of furniture craftsmen and the purchasing patterns of local residents. Three themes are paramount here:

1. Regionalism in the character of furniture made in the area and the forces that shaped that identity.
2. Fashion, changing tastes and the growing affluence of local residents over time.
3. Shop practices and the evolving craft practices of furniture makers through the recreation of two shops, the rural handcraft tradition of Samuel Wing of Sandwich in 1800 and the mechanized operation of a New Bedford or Fall River chair factory in 1850.

The exhibition will include approximately 75 pieces of furniture from private and institutional collections, tools and equipment from the Samuel Wing cabinet shop (now owned by Sturbridge Village), and selected household furnishings depicting interiors in southeastern Massachusetts during the 18th and 19th centuries.