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Women's Painted Furniture, 1790-1830
American Schoolgirl Art
I have written a book detailing the history and processes of this art.
Click here for a quick peak inside click the book.
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AMERICAN SCHOOLGIRL ART was practiced by female Academy, Seminary and tutored students in the
late 18th and early 19th centuries. The artistic disciplines included: music, dance, watercolor
painting on paper, velvet and silk, the practicing of penmanship for their love knots, valentines and
puzzle poems, and needlework of many types.
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Often their greatest work was reserved for pen and paint decoration of wooden pieces. At that time,
their families would commission a cabinetmaker to create furniture and accessories for them to decorate.
In true American fashion, these pieces were always of a practical nature.
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They chose motifs drawn from illustrated old books of the period, lithography, and English drawing instruction
books. Their home or school, exotic and pastoral scenes, shells and familiar flora and fauna are frequently
seen on these rare antiques. These cherished items were passed on from generation to generation.
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