Holidays at the Frick Art & Historical Center November 17, 2006 - January 7, 2007. The Frick celebrates the New Woman of the late nineteenth century with a groundbreaking exhibition at The Frick Art Museum and an installation at Clayton inspired by women’s roles in Gilded Age holiday preparations. History on Sunday Lecture: Thrift, Wealth and the Good Old Cause: The Republican Party in Gilded Age America November 5, Joseph Charles Heim, Ph.D., Professor of History and Political Science, California University of Pennsylvania. Book Talk: MELLON - An American Life November 9, David Cannadine, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Professor of British History at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. Adult Lecture: Not at Home: The Nineteenth-Century New Woman November 15, Dr. Holly Pyne Connor, Curator of Nineteenth-Century American Art, The Newark Museum. Frick eNewsletters The Frick offers a variety of eNewsletters. Sign up to receive information on programs for adults, families, children, and teachers, or get the latest news from The Café and the Museum Shop. To subscribe, click here.	January 22, 2005 - March 26, 2005 In the history of nineteenth-century American decorative arts, the legacy of Benjamin Bakewell (1767-1844) stands out as a remarkable exemplar of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial initiative. His enterprise, founded in 1808, had a fundamental role in establishing Pittsburgh as a major center of glassmaking in the nineteenth century. During its seventy-four-year history – rivaled in length only by the New England Glass Company and the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company – the Bakewell factory set new standards for highly decorated luxury glassware as well as for more ordinary tableware. On January 22, 2005, the Frick Art & Historical Center adds an important chapter to the history of American decorative arts and industry when it opens the first comprehensive survey exhibition of Bakewell glass. Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass, 1808 - 1882: From Bakewell & Ensell to Bakewell, Pears & Co. explores the history, development and glassware produced by this landmark business – from the initial Bakewell & Ensell partnership to the final limited partnership of Bakewell, Pears & Co. The exhibition of more than one hundred objects represents the quality and wide range of Bakewell glassware. Whether free-blown, mold-blown, or pressed, the glass reveals the factory’s innovative approach to design and decoration. Decorative techniques include cutting, engraving, and cameo-incrustation (sulphides). Although the emphasis is on table and ornamental glass, several mold-blown flasks are included. For comparative purposes, a selection of glass made in England, France, and at other American glasshouses will also be on display. Forty national and international public and private lenders have contributed to Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass. Much of the material is from Pennsylvania collections, including the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, Old Economy Village and State Museum of Pennsylvania. Additional sources include Winterthur Museum, The Corning Museum of Glass, The Baltimore Museum of Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass, on view through March 26, 2005 at The Frick Art Museum, is organized by the Frick Art & Historical Center and guest curated by noted decorative arts scholar Arlene Palmer. The exhibition is accompanied by a full-color catalogue. Says Frick Art & Historical Director Bill Bodine, “Bringing Benjamin Bakewell’s story to light was a particularly appropriate project for the Frick to undertake given our twin interests in art and history. The exhibition reflects the achievements of an individual who, like other Pittsburgh leaders of the nineteenth century, influenced the cultural and industrial landscape of western Pennsylvania, as well as that of America at large.” BENJAMIN BAKEWELL AND HIS PARTNERS English-born entrepreneur Benjamin Bakewell was a man of wide-ranging intellect who found creative expression and financial success in the manufacture of glass. In partnership with several others, Bakewell purchased a foundering glassworks in Pittsburgh in 1808. By the 1820s, it was recognized as one of the nation’s premier glass establishments and continued operations until 1882. The Pears family was also an integral part of the Bakewell enterprise. Although a partnership eluded Thomas Pears (1785-1832), his son John eventually graduated from employee to partner with Benjamin Bakewell and helped guide the firm through periods of critical change in the glass industry. John Pears’s sons, together with the grandsons of Benjamin Bakewell, oversaw the growth and eventually the final years of the company known as Bakewell, Pears & Co. THE EXHIBITION Over the course of its seventy-four year existence, the Bakewell factory produced objects that reflected the highest quality of craftsmanship and decoration achieved in nineteenth-century American glass. Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass not only represents many of the most thoroughly documented examples of Bakewell glass, but also places them within the context of the times. One of the firm’s primary innovations was the cameo-incrustation or “sulphide” technique that had been perfected in English and French glass factories of the early nineteenth century. The Pittsburgh firm utilized the sulphide process to produce remarkable mantel ornaments, decanters, plaques, tumblers, and knobs featuring encapsulated cameos (white clay portraits) of such leading political figures as Washington, Lafayette, and Franklin. Other luxury objects crafted and manufactured by Bakewell included celery glasses, vases, plaques, bowls, pitchers, and other tableware. Many are elaborately wheel-engraved with devices ranging from swags and floral motifs to animals, particularly greyhounds. A tumbler from the 1820s shows a greyhound pulling a chariot driven by a cherub. Also dating from this period are vases and other vessels engraved with a scene of lovebirds that became a hallmark of the glassworks’ finest decoration. These and other objects were collected by Presidents and wealthy patrons. The exhibit includes one of a pair of magnificent cut and engraved decanters Bakewell presented to President James Madison in 1816 and cut glass that Andrew Jackson enjoyed at his Tennessee home. The quality of Bakewell glass was renowned in its day and led to orders for complete services from Presidents Monroe in 1818 and Jackson in 1829. To attract a growing middle class market, the factory also offered well-made tableware and utilitarian forms. The ability to meet the needs of both ends of the market spectrum required innovative methods of shaping and decorating glass that set new artistic and production standards within the industry. Although the firm’s pressed glass was inexpensive, it attained a level of sophistication in design that equaled the finest examples from rival Massachusetts glasshouses. RECREATING THE LEGACY Although the glass produced by the Bakewell enterprises was heralded in its own time and beyond, the story of Bakewell glass has never been fully chronicled. This is due in part to the 1845 fire that destroyed much of Pittsburgh, including the records from the early years of the Bakewell enterprise. Additionally, documents concerning the final four decades of the factory were discarded when the company stopped operations in 1882. In order to recreate the Bakewell story, guest curator Arlene Palmer researched 60 museum and private collections, as well as trade journals, newspaper archives, travelers’ journals, personal papers, and other sources. Bakewell and Pears family correspondence was instructive, as were letters Palmer found in the papers of John James Audubon, who married Bakewell’s niece. She also identified some thirty invoices preserved in institutions around the country, including the Harmony Society records at Old Economy Village, located near Pittsburgh. GUEST CURATOR Guest curator Arlene Palmer is former associate curator of Winterthur, where she was responsible for the care and exhibition of its extensive collections of American and European glass and ceramics. She has authored some fifty scholarly articles and books dealing with early American glass, including the definitive catalogue of Winterthur’s glass collection. EXHIBITION CATALOGUE Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass, 1808 - 1882: From Bakewell & Ensell to Bakewell, Pears & Co. is accompanied by a full-color catalogue written by guest curator Arlene Palmer with many photographs by fine arts photographer J. David Bohl of Boston. Produced by the Frick Art & Historical Center and distributed by the University of Pittsburgh Press, the 208- page publication includes entries for all of the Bakewell-attributed pieces. The essay by Ms. Palmer traces the genesis, growth and development of Bakewell’s glassworks and places his achievements within the framework of nineteenth-century decorative arts. The catalogue will be available at the Museum Shop in cloth-back ($29.95) and paperback ($19.95) editions. EXHIBITION LENDERS AND SUPPORT This exhibition is organized by the Frick Art & Historical Center and is made possible, in part, through generous grants from the Richard C. von Hess Foundation, the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, the MSA (Mine Safety Appliances Co.) Charitable Foundation, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, The Richards Foundation, The Millstein Charitable Foundation, PNC Advisors, a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Reed Smith LLP, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, Maxine and William Block, Dominion, Mark A. and Karey J. Joensen and Harley N. Trice, Esquire. THE FRICK ART MUSEUM Part of the Frick Art & Historical Center in Pittsburgh, The Frick Art Museum contains the fine and decorative art collection of Helen Clay Frick, daughter of Henry Clay Frick. In addition to exhibiting its permanent collection, which concentrates on Italian Renaissance and French eighteenth-century works, the museum has an active program of temporary exhibitions. Admission to The Frick Art Museum is free to the public. Free, docent-led tours of Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass will be offered every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Groups of five or more should schedule a private tour, available for $5 per person. Tours of the permanent collection are also available for $5 per person. Tours should be scheduled two weeks in advance. GENERAL INFORMATION The Frick Art & Historical Center is located at 7227 Reynolds Street in Point Breeze. Free parking is available in the Frick’s off-street lot, or along adjacent streets. Hours of operation are Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The site is closed Mondays and major holidays. For information and reservations, call 412-371-0600, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday. For further information or images, please contact Greg Langel at the Frick Art & Historical Center at 412-371-0600, ext. 524, or at glangel@frickart.org. Click here for programs and special events offered in conjunction with Artistry and Innovation in Pittsburgh Glass, 1808 - 1882: From Bakewell & Ensell to Bakewell, Pears & Co..