: The Peabody Essex Museum pays tribute to one of the most spirited
and vibrant periods in American art with "American Fancy,
Exuberance in the Arts, 1790-1840."
This traveling exhibition, organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum
and the Chipstone Foundation, opens July 17 and runs through
October 24 at the Peabody Essex. It is guest curated by Sumpter
T. Priddy III, who spent 25 years studying the Fancy style.
"American Fancy: Exuberance in the Arts" brings together more
than 200 works of art from the nation's leading private
collections and museums, including the Peabody Essex Museum.
Today, the word "fancy" is typically used to refer to things that
are highly ornate or expensive. Two centuries ago, however, most
Americans used the word to describe Fancy furnishings and
decorative arts with exciting patterns and bright colors. The
style flourished between 1790 and 1840, a time when the nation
was imbued with a growing sense of progress and modernity.
Advances in science, and the spread of democracy, commerce and
industry, helped shape Fancy as an artistic style. Improved
transportation networks extended its appeal into all parts of the
nation. Fancy, once reserved for the affluent, became the first
truly widespread American style in the arts. Its bold designs,
abstracted forms and colorful surfaces have spontaneity and
freshness that has made Fancy works favorites with American art
and design collectors to the present day.
The kaleidoscope had a powerful influence during the Fancy
period. More than a design tool and a fun toy, the kaleidoscope
was known for its Greek meaning, "beautiful image viewer." The
device inspired novel designs and expanded the boundaries of
creative expression. The kaleidoscope's array of colors and
tumbling geometric patterns influenced painting, furniture,
textiles, quilts, ceramics, glass and metalware in Europe and
America. Though the first kaleidoscopes were made from solid
brass and mahogany, inexpensive versions made of tinware and
cardboard were soon available on the mass market.
Americans flocked to specialized Fancy stores, which offered an
unparalleled selection of useful and decorative objects.
Manufacturers and retailers exploited the consumer's fascination
with Fancy objects and used the term "fancy" as a catch phrase in
advertisements. Coinciding with the advent of the industrial
revolution, this rich commercial environment was just as
important as the domestic sphere in defining the world of popular
Fancy.
"American Fancy: Exuberance in the Arts" reveals the period's
remarkably broad appeal and its sophisticated origins. Fancy was
as much a world view as it was a style. Artists and intellectuals
believed that the five senses fed the imagination in myriad ways,
and fancy goods reflected this belief. "American Fancy" mirrors
the youthful optimism of the new nation, and contributes to the
understanding of one of the most lively and dynamic periods in
American art and design.
"American Fancy" is accompanied by Priddy's lavishly illustrated
book, published by the Chipstone Foundation of Milwaukee. Priddy
will give illustrated lectures on "American Fancy" on Saturday,
July 17, at 2 pm, and Sunday, July 18, at 3 pm.
Related programs include Spectacular 'Scopes, a family art
workshop on Saturday, July 17, 2 pm, for ages 7 and up with
accompanying adult, free with museum admission.
The Peabody Essex Museum is at East India Square. For
information, 866-745-1876 or www.pem.org.
