Here’s one that slipped past my radar: only the greatest self-taught artist of the 20th century whose work was not discovered until his landlords were cleaning out his room upon his death in 1973. No one had known that hidden behind the door of his single-room apartment at 851 Webster Ave in Chicago, the penniless…
Learn about the private chambers of King Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace, how the rooms were arranged, and what you can still see today.
It is traditionally believed that Henry VIII stayed at the Castle on several occasions during his courtship with Anne Boleyn & may have stayed in this room.
This week, we've been working on reading different books about the Underground Railroad. I've gotten a chance to expose my students to a mix of complex and simple texts and they are really engaging in the text. It's been really exciting! One of the projects that we worked on this week, was the story, Henry's Freedom Box. If you've never read it before, it is the biographical account of a man who was born as a slave and eventually made it to the North and freedom through the help of abolitionists. First, we read Henry's story through the literary text. Then I paired that text with a part of the book, If You Traveled on The Underground Railroad. The students were able to compare what they learned from the literary text, but also from the informational text. For our art extension, we wrote about the main idea and details of the story in a lap book. The lap book worked on so many different levels. The students had an approachable text to read to retell the story. They worked on sequencing. They practiced retelling the story several times before they worked on synthesizing the story to come up with a main idea statement. They all did a really great job! At our school, we don't have bulletin boards...we only have tack strips, so..here are their finished products in my hall. I need to take a picture of the front...one of my team mates made me a sheet that looked like wood and we put that on the front along with a sweet little label...so that it looks like Henry is coming out of his freedom box everytime we retell it! :) Just precious! This project is in my new Underground Railroad Unit. I'll be posting it on TPT soon, we are still working through it as a class and I'd love to have more pictures to share with you about our adventures before I post! :)
Add this beautiful Canvas Print of an original Henry painting to your collection that will look great in any room. Henry is Seattle's most prolific muralist and is fast becoming one of America's classic artists. Custom printed and stretched on wood frame so it is ready to hang and enjoy. Please allow 1 week for delivery.
On this day in 1666, the Great Fire of London began, destroying over 13,000 homes. Leah Hyslop picks her favourite buildings that survived the blaze.
Henry Mercer(1856-1930) was an American archeologist and historian, particularly interested in the local craft of pottery making. He tried to revive the craft in the area, but wasn't too successful, however this interest is what eventually morphed into his passion for making decorative tiles. He spent a lot of time researching old designs and glazes from all over the world, and trying to perfect his own formulas. The Moravian Pottery & Tile Works operates as a living history museum today, making reproductions of Mercer's original line of tiles in a manner similar to that of the master The clay that is used for the tiles is taken from a lake bed not too far from the factory.
Aaron Douglas has become known as the pioneer of African American Modernism. Learn more with this free homeschool artist study.
Drawing Room Virtual Tour
And many of the original features are still in place.
About Kupjack Miniatures Late Colonial Sitting Room, Boston MA, 1760, circa 2009 mixed media 14.25h x 28.75w x 15.25d in 36.20h x 73.03w x 38.73d cm KJK003 Eugene Kupjack and his sons Hank and Jay created museum quality miniature rooms in their studio outside of Chicago for many years. Hank and Jay learned the at their father’s side as he assisted Mrs. Narcissa Niblack Thorne with the creation her many miniature rooms now housed at The Art Institute of Chicago. Almost every piece of molding, furniture, rugs, and accessory items that are contained in their rooms are designed and created by hand. In addition to designing and building rooms they would sometimes work to restore the rooms built many years ago by their father and Mrs. Thorne. Their work can be seen in various museums as far away as Turkey where they were exhibited in 2009. In the United States their work can be seen in the permanent collections of The Kentucky Museum Center, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Philadelphia Art Museum, The Knoxville Art Museum, The Indiana Children’s Museum, The Baltimore Museum, The Naples Museum, Winterthur Museum Garden and Library, The Palm Springs Desert Museum and The Forbes Collection.
A celebration of the best trad interiors from stately homes & country houses
Here’s one that slipped past my radar: only the greatest self-taught artist of the 20th century whose work was not discovered until his landlords were cleaning out his room upon his death in 1973. No one had known that hidden behind the door of his single-room apartment at 851 Webster Ave in Chicago, the penniless…
Photographs of immaculate, domestic interiors are common to us today, with countless images of private homes readily found in design magazines and on social media.
Few craftsmen in history leave such an indelible mark on their craft that their name becomes synonymous with all other works of that style. Thomas Chippendale was one such artisan as was Louis Comfort Tiffany a century and a half later. Another such name is that of John Henry Belter, a German immigrant to America whose extraordinary technical innovations and masterful artistry quite literally changed the face of furniture making during the mid-1800s. For almost 100 years after his death, any furniture of the period exhibiting an exuberance of carving or the styling of the Rococo Revival was dubbed "Belter" furniture. It wasn't until the 1960s that the true genius of John Henry Belter was finally realized, when experts began making important distinctions between the superior work of Belter and the lesser works of his competitors. Belter emigrated to America from Germany as a young man in 1833 and became a naturalized citizen by 1839. He was already an accomplished furniture maker when he arrived in New York having been apprenticed to a furniture maker in Stüttgart, Germany. Belter came to America with little more than talent and ambition and by 1844 he had used both to become a well-respected cabinetmaker, even showing his works at the prestigious New York Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in 1853. By 1854, he oversaw the building of his five-story factory in the heart of New York City. Perhaps more than anything, Belter is remembered for his pioneering work and innovative process for laminating wood. Though he did not invent the process of laminating wood, Belter had discovered an unusual method of cutting through incredibly strong laminated pieces, allowing him to create extraordinary carvings without sacrificing strength and durability. During the course of his career, Belter would apply for and receive several important patents that would go on to define much of his work. First, in 1847, was the patent for "Machinery for Sawing Arabesque Chairs." In 1856, Belter received a patent for a "Bedstead," unusual in its construction allowing for quick disassembly in the case of fires. The bed also had no "intricate recesses about the joints and fastenings...notorious as hiding places for bugs." In 1858, Belter received perhaps his most important patent for "improvement in the method of manufacturing furniture" which refined the process for achieving laminated construction. Belter had been using his improved process for several years and perhaps only patented it to thwart his competitors. Each of these patents protected Belter's inventions and allowed him to produce the extraordinary works that are so cherished today. Openwork carving of unbelievable complexity characterized his chairs and sofas, majestic beds were adorned with graceful curves and impressive crests and case furniture boasted incomparable quality of both material and craftsmanship. These are the hallmarksof John Henry Belter. Indeed, the firm of Dunn and Bradstreet recognized Belter's talent and business sense and thought that he was a good risk who could be counted on to pay his debts. But they went on to say that the quality of furniture that Belter produced was much too high for the business to be profitable! Their assessment may have had some merit. Belter enjoyed the patronage of many wealthy clients and he never wavered in his commitment to produce the very best. Indeed Belter never compromised quality to satisfy the demands of customers who were unwilling to pay for the very best. Today, his work is recognized for that quality and for its artistic interpretation of the Rococo Revival. And, though few of Belter's pieces are marked or labeled, it is hard to mistake the sure hand of this master craftsman. John Henry Belter died in 1863 from a form of tuberculosis when he was 59 years old, leaving behind a widow and five children. His in-laws tried to carry on the family business, but were unable to capture the genius that Belter had taken with him. The company went bankrupt just two years following his death. Though he worked in America for just under 30 years, he almost single-handedly bridged the gap between the craftsmanship of the 18th century and the profound new technologies of the 19th century. His work is extremely rare and highly collectible today. Browse the rest of our antique seating collection today.
Featuring exotic trompe l’oeil, tropical art, and a sprightly palette, Nancy and Bill Morton’s historic home is a Florida paradise
A tour of the Albion Manor, a colorful and art-filled Victoria bed and breakfast.
An enchanting hexagonal castle where King Henry VIII once lived has just gone on the market in Kent for an eye-watering £15 million.
A large manor house on Dartmoor with later additions presented its new owners with a daunting challenge. Designer Guy Goodfellow masterminded the refurbishment, including a new stone tower, which consolidates the old while introducing modern comfort.
Name: Charlie and Henry Age: Charlie: 8 Henry: 10 Location: Los Angeles, CA Room Size: 15′ x 15′ Bunk bed love! Charlie and Henry share a room, but each have their own area in the shared space. Designer Kristen Panitch designed built-in bunk beds and a bookcase/desk, which helped maximize the space and keep the room organized. The design of the room is definitely all-boy, but check back in tomorrow for their sister’s (Jane) pink bedroom.
Learn about the private chambers of King Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace, how the rooms were arranged, and what you can still see today.
About Kupjack Miniatures Late Colonial Sitting Room, Boston MA, 1760, circa 2009 mixed media 14.25h x 28.75w x 15.25d in 36.20h x 73.03w x 38.73d cm KJK003 Eugene Kupjack and his sons Hank and Jay created museum quality miniature rooms in their studio outside of Chicago for many years. Hank and Jay learned the at their father’s side as he assisted Mrs. Narcissa Niblack Thorne with the creation her many miniature rooms now housed at The Art Institute of Chicago. Almost every piece of molding, furniture, rugs, and accessory items that are contained in their rooms are designed and created by hand. In addition to designing and building rooms they would sometimes work to restore the rooms built many years ago by their father and Mrs. Thorne. Their work can be seen in various museums as far away as Turkey where they were exhibited in 2009. In the United States their work can be seen in the permanent collections of The Kentucky Museum Center, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Philadelphia Art Museum, The Knoxville Art Museum, The Indiana Children’s Museum, The Baltimore Museum, The Naples Museum, Winterthur Museum Garden and Library, The Palm Springs Desert Museum and The Forbes Collection.
