The Art of Family: Genealogical Artifacts in New England

by Peter Benes

In this lavishly illustrated volume, which features over 200 halftones and sixteen color plates from public and private collections, distinguished experts in history, art, and genealogy explore the important but often overlooked relationship between material culture and family history in New England during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The contributors examine a broad range of family record artifacts, including genealogical samplers, mourning embroideries, pen-and-ink family registers, gravestones, heraldica, textiles, furniture, silver, and portraiture. An indispensable resource on the world of decorative arts and its significance in preserving "family identity," this beautiful work provides much valuable information and research clues for modern-day genealogists.

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002