The exhibition “Made In New York: The Business Of Folk Art,” curated by Elizabeth V. Warren, currently on view at the American Folk Art Museum in New York dives into the rich history of folk art in New York City. With works ranging from portraiture to shop signs, this exhibition highlights the fact that folk art was not just happening in small rural areas, but that there was a flourishing community of painters, printers, potters, and other artisans working in the five boroughs of New York. Many of these artists were self-taught or learn their trade through traditional apprenticeships or family businesses. The exhibition includes works created from 1760 to 1915 including a beautiful Optician’s trade sign from the E.G. Washburne & Co., a painting of the Flushing, a paddle wheeler, by James Bard, and a variety of embroidery samplers, among many other amazing objects. Laura Beach in her review of the exhibition for Antiques and the Arts Weekly states, “its true beauty lies in its meticulous reconstruction of a place and its people.” The exhibitions runs through July 28, 2019. 

For more information about the exhibition, visit the American Folk Art Museum’s site here.

We have a line of letterpress bookmarks based on antique personal objects, like a pair of scissors, perfume bottle or glove. We love using these bookmarks and they make really cute gifts for any bookworm. Typically we print them in bright, cheery colors, but we recently did some gold versions for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, here in New York.

We have these bookmarks die cut into the shape of the antique object first, and then we print them one by one on our Golding Jobber in a beautiful, copper gold ink.

These gold bookmarks are sold exclusively at the Metropolitan, although you can find the original, brightly colored ones on our online shop. If you are a bride or groom with a passion for reading, consider using these as favors for your wedding!