July 2009
IN THIS ISSUE
In My Opinion
Bricks to Clicks: Clicks to Bricks
John Fiske
ITempus fugit, Carpe diem – the Romans were certainly alert to the urgency of time. And so are we Americans. The Romans were worried that time passed before they could use it, whereas our worry is that we don’t have enough of it. That’s causing particularly high anxiety levels because our usual practice when we run out of something is to produce more of it. But we can’t do that with time, no sir. Hence high anxiety. We are, in the words of a business guru, a “time-famished nation.”
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Baroque Part II
By Judith Dunn
Part One of “The Baroque” (NEAJ, April 2009) explored the origin of the Baroque style in sixteenth-century Rome. Baroque was characterized by a lush sensuousness - some might say an overwhelming appeal to the senses. And indeed, to overwhelm was its purpose. It was designed to fill the spectator with awe, to put him or her in awe of the power of the Catholic Church that was able to produce such marvels. In an age of limited literacy, powerful visuals were the best way to reach the hearts and minds of the populace. The Baroque style enabled the Catholic Church to use art and architecture as high-style propaganda in the “Counter-Reformation,” Rome’s struggle against the spread of Protestantism in the north of Europe.
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Rags to Rugs: Hooked and sewn
in Pennsylvania
Trish Herr
The area of Southeastern Pennsylvania in which we live has provided us with a treasure trove of interesting and distinctive hooked rugs. In Lancaster and the surrounding counties, there is a mixture of German and English cultures. The English tradition includes the Quakers and Scots-Irish, but the majority of rugs seem to have been made by the women in Pennsylvania German families.
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The Future of History
Preservation efforts at the Framingham
History Center
Brian Roche
Less than a mile from my home sits the Framingham History Center (FHC). Formerly the Framingham Historical Society, this vibrant organization has adopted a new name to emphasize its broadened agenda and mission. In its own words, the FHC is “a gathering place for those who care about the past, present and future of Framingham. It engages us to discover the remarkable stories that help us understand our place in the community, the state and the nation.”
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Morris-Jumel Mansion -
Washington’s New York Headquarters
Randall Decoteau
George Washington probably chose the Morris-Jumel Mansion as his New York headquarters during the Revolution for its commanding views. From his room he could see all the way down to the highlands of Staten Island; he had a view of New York harbor along with the 400 British warships that were moored there. He could even see Long Island Sound to the east, and the Palisades on the Hudson shoreline all the way up to where the Tappan Zee Bridge stands today. He took possession of the house in September and October of 1776 for what only amounted to a month and a week before moving up to White Plains and subsequently down into New Jersey.
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The Perfect 10: Rating Carved Eagles
Randall Decoteau
Figures of carved wooden eagles were part of a wave of patriotic sentiment that swept the country after the Revolutionary War. Carvings of eagles were used in meeting halls, taverns and in public and semi-public spaces. Most were made by unknown craftsmen and most are unsigned.
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Yours Sincerely
John Fiske
Ipswich is heaven for lovers of domestic architecture – it has great examples of houses in every period from 1640 to the present day. Every period, that is, except one. There are no settlement period houses, nor are there anywhere else, for that matter – these structures were not built to last. They were built to provide shelter until the settlers could build their permanent homes.
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