A t the turn o f the

20

th century, the Society o f A rts

and Crafts, Boston, spread the gospel o f design

reform nationwide

.

When

Boston Led

fhe Way

E S S A Y B Y

B e v e r l y K . B r a n d t

FIGURE

1

Seal of the Society

of Arts and Crafts,

Boston, designed by

Bertram G. Goodhue,

ca. 1897.

f i g u r e 2

Cover:

The Craftsman

and the Critic: Defining

Usefulness and Beauty

in Arts and Crafts-Era

Boston,

by Beverly K.

Brandt (University of

Massachusetts Press,

2009, Srtj). The cover

design by Sally Nichols

features the original

study of a lily by Arthur

Wesley Dow.

<nrfuflll**i Jill

Lrt,

“ H a v e n o t h i n g i n y o u r h o u s e s t h a t y o u d o n o t k n o w t o b e u s e f u l o r b e l i e v e

t o b e b e a u t i f u l , ” a d v i s e d t h e E n g l i s h d e s i g n e r , p o e t a n d s o c i a l r e f o r m e r

W i l l i a m M o r r i s i n t h e 1 8 8 0 s . W i t h t h a t s t a t e m e n t , h e l a u n c h e d a c a m p a i g n

f o r d e s i g n r e f o r m - e p i t o m i z e d b y t h e q u e s t f o r U s e f u l n e s s a n d B e a u t y -

t h a t o b s e s s e d c r a f t w o r k e r s , c r i t i c s a n d c o n s u m e r s a t t h e e n d o f t h e 1 9 t h

c e n t u r y . I n A m e r i c a , t h e s e c o n s t i t u e n c i e s t u r n e d t o t h e S o c i e t y o f A r t s

a n d C r a f t s , B o s t o n , f o u n d e d i n 1 8 9 7 , [f ig u r e 1] a n o r g a n i z a t i o n w h o s e

p r e e m i n e n c e i n d e s i g n r e f o r m I e x p l o r e i n

T h e C ra ftsm a n a n d th e C r itic

[f ig u r e 2]. T h e S A C B p r o m o t e d r i g o r o u s s t a n d a r d s i n i t s e x h i b i t i o n s , p u b l i -

c a t i o n s a n d s a l e s r o o m . B o s t o n w a s a n a p p r o p r i a t e c o n t e x t f o r t h i s o r g a -

n i z a t i o n , i n p a r t b e c a u s e o f i t s l e a d e r s h i p i n e d u c a t i o n , a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d

p u b l i s h i n g . U n d e r t h e i n f l u e n c e o f t h e s e p r o f e s s i o n s , B o s t o n i a n s c o m m i t -

t e d t h e m s e l v e s t o d e s i g n r e f o r m , f i n d i n g i n t h e t e n e t s o f t h e e a r l i e r A e s -

t h e t i c m o v e m e n t a n d t h e l a t e r A r t s a n d C r a f t s m o v e m e n t t h e i n s p i r a t i o n

t o t r a n s f o r m t h e i r h o m e s a n d w o r k p l a c e s i n t o e n v i r o n m e n t s t h a t e x e m -

p l i f i e d t h e u s e f u l a n d t h e b e a u t i f u l .

C o m m e n t i n g u p o n B o s t o n ’ s l e a d e r s h i p , C a n d a c e W

h e e l e r — a p a r t n e r

i n t h e N e w Y o r k d e s i g n f i r m A s s o c i a t e d A r t i s t s ( a l o n g w i t h L o u i s T i f f a n y ,

056 american craft aug/sep09