American Folk Art Museum-COMPASS: Folk Art in Four Directions

On view June 20-October 5, 2012

• A VIEW OF MR. JOSHUA WINSOR’S HOUSE & C.
• Rufus Hathaway (1770–1822)
• Duxbury, Massachusetts
• 1793–1795
• Oil on canvas, in original painted wood frame
• 23 1/4 x 27 1/2 in. (28 x 32 3/16 x 2 in. with frame)
• American Folk Art Museum, promised gift of Ralph Esmerian, P1.2001.53

At the South Street Seaport Museum
Organized by the American Folk Art Museum

New York City has a rich history largely tied to its thriving harbor activities and developing urban environment. The American Folk Art Museum responds to this context through a lively sampling of artworks from the collection that speaks to both the romanticism and gritty realism of the seaport district. The exhibition “Compass: Folk Art in Four Directions” is installed in four galleries of Schermerhorn Row, the mercantile block that was developed between 1810 and 1812 by Peter Schermerhorn, scion of a family of shipmasters and chandlers. Six counting houses were built on landfill with the intention of serving the ship trade, the market economy, and compatible small business of the time. Throughout its history the Row experienced and survived the major expansion of the seaport district in both architecture and importance as a major trading and commercial center. The Row housed various concerns through the nineteenth century, including counting houses, mercantile and fancy goods businesses, coffeehouses, restaurants, and hotels for locals and travelers. The American Folk Art Museum celebrates this history through four themes that instigate a visual dialogue about moments in the life of Schermerhorn Row and the seaport. Read more here.