xiv, 218 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 26 cm
Bibliographic Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index
Contents:
Anders H. Andersen: from Denmark to the American Midwest -- From Racine to Milton and the creation of the Elverhoj colony -- The site Andersen acquired and its transformation for the colony -- Andersen's beliefs and ideals -- Elverhoj craft and art achieves a national reputation -- Three important visitors to the colony: Elisabeth Luther Cary, C.R. Ashbee, and Hanna Astrup Larsen -- World War I and the 1920s at Elverhoj: the decline of the arts and crafts, the rise of the theatre and Moorish dining terrace -- Vassar College connections -- The women of Elverhoj: craft as cottage industry, craft as cure -- The colony's appeal for students and vacationers -- Elverhoj's failure, despite Eleanor Roosevelt's best efforts -- Andersen's last years, death, and legacy -- The colony property after Andersen's death -- Timeline of the Elverhoj colony -- Appendix I. Secondary figures -- Appendix II. Shops in Poughkeepsie -- Appendix III. Selected patrons named in Elverhoj publicity -- The Elverhoj archive and other sources
Summary:
"Elverhoj (Danish for "hill of the fairies," pronounced "El-ver-hoy") was an Arts and Crafts colony established on the picturesque west shore of the Hudson River in 1912 by Danish American artists and craftsmen led by Anders Anderson. Little known today, the colony achieved a national reputation before World War I and earned a gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. That same year a write-up in Gustav Stickley's Craftsman magazine with photos of the rustic studios added to the colony's growing fame. Elverhoj was especially regarded for its jewelry and metalwork, but the works of painter-craftsman James Scott and etcher Ralph Pearson added to its renown, as did a fruitful connection with nearby Vassar College strengthened by the efforts of colony members Bessie and Henrietta Scott, sisters talented in textile arts." -- Publishers description