This collection provides access to notable decorative arts objects and resources to support research in the decorative arts, material culture, and design studies.

Object Collections

The objects represented in the Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture document a wide variety of forms and traditions from the United States, Great Britain, and Europe. Objects in the collection range from British slipware and delftware from the 15th-17th centuries to ceramic works created by Moravian potters in North Carolina in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; from folk arts brought to America by immigrants from Norway to furniture, pottery, and textiles handmade or manufactured in 19th and early 20th century Wisconsin.

Text Collection

Text materials in the Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture include pattern books, instruction manuals, catalogs, periodicals, and other primary and secondary sources selected to support a multifaceted understanding of Early American material culture.

The text collection covers the following core themes:

Objects and Interiors in Decorative Arts Books

Early 20th century antiquarians including Wallace Nutting and Edwin Atlee Barber published studies of Early American furniture, pottery, silver, pewter, iron, glass, and other decorative arts. Catalogs from World's Fair exhibitions illustrated the immense variety of 19th century decorative arts and products of industry. Design books by cabinetmakers Chippendale and Hepplewhite disseminated 18th century furniture styles, while works by designers such as Edith Wharton and Elsie de Wolfe shaped the field of interior design at the turn of the 20th century.

Buildings and Landscapes in Decorative Arts Books

Robert Adam, William Pain, John Soane, and other influential 18th and 19th century British architects published pattern books and elevation drawings that circulated their fashionable designs widely and works by Sir Humphry Repton and other landscape designers fostered the emerging art of landscape gardening. Early 20th century researchers conducted building surveys and created measured drawings to document some of the earliest structures built in the American colonies.

Making and Manufacturing in Decorative Arts Books

18th century “books of secrets” and 19th century household management guides provided instruction in the domestic arts, while amateur artists could use published manuals to study drawing and painting techniques. Volumes documenting historic trades and industries, as well as manuscripts such as Philadelphia joiner John Widdifield’s notebook, offer insight into craftsmanship and labor.

Influences and Ideas in Decorative Arts Books

With the rediscovery of major archaeological sites in the 18th and 19th centuries, architects and designers found inspiration in the art and architecture of classical antiquity. Artists such as William Hogarth and designers such as Owen Jones published influential treatises on beauty, ornament, and design theory. Volumes of botanical illustration, bird illustration, and natural history reflect an expanding scientific understanding of the natural world as well as technical advancements in color printing and publishing.