inked Over: Our Printed World
(March 2010 - December 2011)
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Although paper and fabric were printed prior to the nineteenth century, advances in printing technology transformed our homes and businesses. A family could sit in a wall-papered parlor adorned with printed curtains with framed art prints hanging on the wall. They could wear clothing made of printed fabric and sip tea from transfer-printed ceramics. One family member could be reading the latest novel, another could be pasting colorful scraps into a book, and others could play an illustrated board game. In their public lives, churchgoers used their hymnals, businessmen used pre-printed forms, and shopkeepers advertised their goods on packaging labels.
From broadsides to board games, from paisley shawls to political propaganda, from teapots to trade cards, the exhibition presents a cross-section of our collection with a few fabulous objects borrowed from collectors. Most things printed on paper were never meant to last, and therefore the ephemeral pieces are the rare survivors that help tell the stories of country people and events. The exhibition was installed to suggest the visual excitement of this new, printed world, with crowded surfaces and mixed media tableaux.
From broadsides to board games, from paisley shawls to political propaganda, from teapots to trade cards, the exhibition presents a cross-section of our collection with a few fabulous objects borrowed from collectors. Most things printed on paper were never meant to last, and therefore the ephemeral pieces are the rare survivors that help tell the stories of country people and events. The exhibition was installed to suggest the visual excitement of this new, printed world, with crowded surfaces and mixed media tableaux.
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Inked Over: Our Printed WorldThis publication accompanies Inked Over: Our Printed World, an exhibition at the Columbia County Historical Society. "Inked Over" refers to the profusion of printed materials that became omnipresent in nineteenth century American life. This catalog offers a selection of the exhibition highlights. The Columbia County Historical Society, Kinderhook, N.Y., 2010 Softcover, 71 pages |
All Photos ©2011 CCHS, All Rights Reserved. (photos by Michael Fredericks)
