Do you want to see the Victorian-era objects that you collect, come to life?
As a collector, you need to be close to the objects that you collect, by knowing their stories, uses and contexts. You need to see them come to life so that you can fully relate to them and speak about them with confidence. You also wish to know more about what you need to collect next (and where you should go to find those new objects).
To help you in your quest, you need to access information on the specific types of objects you collect and how they were originally displayed, from a source that you can trust and which provides you with valuable insights and information on context, use and history of objects as well as guidance on new collection avenues…All this though a structured – while entertaining – analysis.
Written by an authoritative expert focused on 19th century American Homes, the Creating the Artful Home: The Aesthetic Movement is a richly-illustrated history of an aspect of Victorian design known as the Aesthetic movement, as it unfolded in American homes.
Victorian objects collectors like you will identify with the 19th century hero of the book (Mrs. Kenner) as she collects artistic objects to beautify her home using the ideas and products of the Aesthetic Movement in the 1880s.
Silver, ceramics or furniture…Louis Comfort Tiffany, Herter Brothers or Gorham…All objects and all makes are covered in this unique book…The perfect reference for Victorian objects collectors.
Order your copy today and Save $10 Off the List Price!
Creating the Artful Home:
The Aesthetic Movement
by Karen Zukowski
Gibbs Smith, Publishers 2006
List Price $39.95
New Price $29.95 (Limited time $10 Off offer)
(plus shipping and handling)
Why is this book the right choice to know more about your Victorian objects?
“Creating the Artful Home: The Aesthetic Movement” is the first in-depth look at late 19th-century home design and its cultural context.
Average housewives transformed the radical premise of the Aesthetic Movement — art for art’s sake — into lush, nurturing homes. They believed that artful homes made people better, families happier, and society stronger.
As it flowered in America, the Aesthetic movement became not so much a style as a process. The Aesthetic Movement left us a legacy of Queen Anne houses and tidy suburbs, and its influence is now felt as Americans embrace the more-is-more philosophy of home furnishings.
The aesthetic movement grew out of ideas and the products of English reformers, such as William Morris, and was flamboyantly promoted by Oscar Wilde in an 1882 lecture tour across America. The movement germinated among artists who used opulent color, decorative patterning, and lavish materials simply for the aesthetic effects they could evoke.
Tastemakers rallied—Louis Comfort Tiffany became an interior designer while his father’s firm, Tiffany and Company, produced Japoniste silver. Eastlake Furniture invaded fashionable shops like Cottiers, and Oriental stores appeared in even small towns.
“Creating the Artful Home” takes a thorough look at household furnishings, from the lavish productions of the Herter Brothers to humble Minton tiles…and provides you with unique information and insights on the origin, context and uses of those wonderful objects…Simply said, this book gives the life back to the objects that you collect.
Order your copy today and Save $10 Off the List Price!
Creating the Artful Home:
The Aesthetic Movement
by Karen Zukowski
Gibbs Smith, Publishers 2006
List Price $39.95
New Price $29.95 (Limited time $10 Off offer)
(plus shipping and handling)
Why is this book the only book that you need to deepen your Victorian objects collector’s knowledge?
This book offers unique benefits:
- This book is the only authoritative source on late 19th century American home design and its connection to the Aesthetic movement, with many never- before published and uncommon illustrations.
- Contrary to other books covering the era, which very often specialize in just one media or maker, this book covers all aspects of the Aesthetic movement in America, including tastemakers, distribution networks, and all sorts of home furnishings.
- It is a single source of information and inspiration for collectors who want to know the real life of the Victorian or Victorian-inspired style objects that they collect, from silver to furniture or ceramics.
- Finally, contrary to academic books on the subject, the book is also entertaining – with beautiful illustrations and the engaging story of a Victorian housewife. With this book, learning further about the Aesthetic era is fun!
Order your copy today and Save $10 Off the List Price!
Creating the Artful Home:
The Aesthetic Movement
by Karen Zukowski
Gibbs Smith, Publishers 2006
List Price $39.95
New Price $29.95 (Limited time $10 Off offer)
(plus shipping and handling)
A renowned expert of late-ninteenth-century American Visual culture
This book is by Karen Zukowski, a well-known independent historian of late-nineteenth-century American visual culture, with a special interest in interiors. She holds a PhD from the City University of New York.
She was the curator of Olana State Historic Site, one of the finest surviving Aesthetic movement houses in America, built by Frederic Edwin Church, the Hudson River School painter. Karen has also collaborated with many well known institutions like the Brooklyn Museum, the Jordan-Volpe Gallery, the Cincinnati Art Museum, The New-York Historical Society and the National Trust for Historic Preservation…Just to name a few.
She is in much demand as a speaker and professor at institutions like the Cooper Hewitt/Parsons MA program in the History of Decorative Arts and Design, the Corcoran College of Art + Design, the Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society in America. She is an active member of several professional organizations for historic houses such as the American Association of Museums or the American Association for State and Local History.
Dr. Zukowski has published widely, in both academic and poplar publications. Her 40+ publications include: “The Artistic Hearth: The Fireplace in the American Aesthetic Movement” in The Magazine Antiques, “Sparkle and Glow: Light in the Aesthetic Movement Interior,” in Old House Journal, “Creating and Recreating Old World Atmosphere – The Dining Room at Olana” for the College Art Association. Her PhD thesis was on the aesthetic and sociological reasons that late 19th-century American artists created elaborately-furnished studios.
Order your copy today, Save $10 Off the List Price and Receive a Signed Copy from the Author!
Creating the Artful Home:
The Aesthetic Movement
by Karen Zukowski
Gibbs Smith, Publishers 2006
List Price $39.95
New Price $29.95 (Limited time $10 Off offer)
(plus shipping and handling)
What do readers think of this unique book?
“Creating the Artful Home: The Aesthetic Movement is, surprisingly, the first close examination of late 19th-century American home design and its culture, offering up details on how the Aesthetic movement left a legacy of houses, developments, and ideas which linger into modern times” – Diane C. Donovan – California Bookwatch
“The aesthetic movement changed the middle class American house and family life in urban areas, integrating family time and encouraging creative pursuits.” Creating the Artful Home: The Aesthetic Movement “is a positive reading experience” – Anonymous reader- Amazon.com
“A splendid and very readable book enormously helpful to those wishing to understand Victorian design before 1900″…”Those participating in the “Victorian Revival” in interior design, will find her discussion most helpful in creating rooms with the feel of the period, that are not museums.” – Anonymous reader – Amazon.com
“Your book was such an EXCITING and DELIGHTFUL discovery for me” – Clem Labine, founder of Old House Journal and Traditional Building Magazine
“This in-depth look at late Nineteenth Century American home design within a cultural context explores the lasting influence of the Aesthetic Movement.”– Antiques and the Arts Weekly
“In her intriguing new book, Creating the Artful Home: The Aesthetic Movement” (Gibbs Smith) Zukowski tells and shows how the movement influenced home lifestyle as much as decorating until the turn of the 20th century” – Rose Bennett Gilbert, “Décor Score”
“Enjoy the ride with Karen Zukowski as she explores the relationship between artfully done homes and better living” – Sharon Wootton, The Olympian
“This is a rare book, one that not only informs us but also make us evaluate our past and the role it plays in our lives today.” – Brian Coleman 19th Century Magazine
“For people who love researching and looking at authentic historic interiors from the late 1800′s, this is a ‘must read’ and a ‘must-keep-on-your-bookshelf-for-future-reference’ book” – Sarah Felix Burns, novelist and blogger
“In “Creating the Artful Home: The Aesthetic Movement” visual-culture historian Karen Zukowski explores the late 1800s, as the Victorian décor gave way to Arts & Crafts home design” – Newsday
“By mixing the practical advice with plenty of period details, Zukowski creates a wonderful book for the home decorator and the history buff.” – Orlando Sentinel
“A splendid and very readable book enormously helpful to those wishing to understand Victorian design before 1900.” – Lillian Leese, Amazon reviewer
Order your copy today, Save $10 Off the List Price and Receive a Signed Copy from the Author!
Creating the Artful Home:
The Aesthetic Movement
by Karen Zukowski
Gibbs Smith, Publishers 2006
List Price $39.95
New Price $29.95 (Limited time $10 Off offer)
(plus shipping and handling)