Preservation Long Island is proud to be the steward of a robust collection of decorative arts and material culture that reveal life on Long Island long ago. Guest blogger and volunteer, Gary Hammond, explores the history behind one intriguing object in our collection.
The latest addition to Preservation Long Island’s outstanding collection of regional decorative arts is a rare Queen-Anne-style cherrywood tall-case clock made in eastern Queens County (now Nassau) around 1785 by Quaker craftsman and preacher, Willet Hicks (1765–1845).
Join Preservation Long Island for a special book release event at Christie’s New York.
Available for purchase now, this new book based on original research by decorative arts specialist Dean Failey, explores the life and work of Elias Pelletreau (1726-1810), Long Island’s leading early American silversmith.
In 1976, SPLIA curator, Dean Failey, mounted the first exhibition to explore Long Island’s rich decorative arts heritage. More than forty years later, its groundbreaking discoveries continue to inspire and inform. Collecting Long Island follows the continued efforts of collectors to expand our knowledge of Long Island’s complex material past.
