Bøger af John Demos

"These documents have been chosen, in every case, for the way they reflect lived experience among average people in our colonial past. There is no real substitute for such primary evidence -- no other way to capture the feel of events from day to day, year to year, generation to generation." -- from the Preface

"Becoming America offers a multifaceted view of one of the foremost collections of 18th- and 19th-century American folk and decorative art from the rural Northeast. Essays by leading specialists discuss the culture of furniture workshops, exuberant painted decoration, techniques of sewing and quilting, and poignant stories about the families depicted in the portraits. The collection itself includes Shaker boxes, a beaded Iroquois hat, embroidered samplers, metalwork, scrimshaw, handwoven rugs, ceramics, and a weather vane. The majority of these works have never before been published. With lively essays and profuse illustrations, this handsome volume brings to life the aesthetic of early Americans living in the countryside and is an essential exploration of the period's taste and style"--

Demos offers a portrait of how colonial Americans viewed their life experiences. The earliest settlers lived in a traditional world of natural cycles that shaped their behavior. During the transitional world of the American Revolution, people began to see their society with a linear world view.