Arts and Crafts Movement

POETRY TO THE EARTH:
The Arts and Crafts
Movement in Deerfield

Deerfield, Massachusetts played a pivotal role in the American Arts and Crafts movement. The artistic and intellectual atmosphere of Deerfield, combined with its colonial history and picturesque surroundings, created an ideal environment for introducing the Arts and Crafts, a movement that encouraged a return to hand craftsmanship, simplicity of design, and honesty of materials. In 1896, the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework was formed, followed in 1901 by the founding of the Deerfield Society of Arts and Crafts. A 1903 article in Gustav Stickley’s The Craftsman declared that “Deerfield is sending all over the country beautiful things… to bring back something of lost poetry to the earth.”

You can preview the collection and learn more about the Arts and Crafts Movement in Deerfield at our American Centuries website.