We just published our second annual volume!
Americana Insights presents the latest research and discoveries on traditional American folk art and material culture.
In this second volume, the authors explore the varied makers and materials of early Americana and folk art. They delve into the history and craft of Cherokee rivercane basket weaving traditions and the life and work of understudied folk artists such as the New England portraitist Sturtevant J. Hamblin and the German immigrant Charles C. Hofmann.

Americana Insights presents the latest research and discoveries on traditional American folk art and material culture.
In this second volume, the authors explore the varied makers and materials of early Americana and folk art. They delve into the history and craft of Cherokee rivercane basket weaving traditions and the life and work of understudied folk artists such as the New England portraitist Sturtevant J. Hamblin and the German immigrant Charles C. Hofmann.
On Now
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National Portrait GalleryWashington D.C.May 31, 2024 - June 8, 2025
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Museum of the American RevolutionPhiladelphia, PAApril 19, 2025 - August 10, 2025
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ABBY ALDRICH ROCKEFELLER FOLK ART MUSEUMWilliamsburg, VAOngoing
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Colonial WilliamsburgWilliamsburg, VAOngoing
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Hancock Shaker VillagePittsfield, MAApril 23, 2023 – Ongoing
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Historic DeerfieldDeerfield, MAAugust 31, 2024 - April 1, 2027
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ABBY ALDRICH ROCKEFELLER FOLK ART MUSEUMWilliamsburg, VAOngoing
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Historic TrappeTrappe, PASeptember 28, 2024 - August 31, 2025
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New York State MuseumAlbany, NYOngoing

Schoolmaster, America

the City of Brotherly Love

Henry Francis du Pont’s
Chestertown House

Sullivan County, New Hampshire

Folk Portraits

Who Was Thomas Earl?

Artist Extraordinaire

and The Heart and Hand Artist

American Quilt Stories

The Artist as Carousel Carver
Recent Briefs
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The first comprehensive scholarly book on weathervanes…
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New research into the fraktur and watercolor artist…
Americana Insights highlights the best examples of traditional American folk art from Colonial times to the early 20th century—objects of extraordinary beauty, created with purpose by skilled, artful hands. Thoughtful essays and gorgeous color photographs tell the stories behind the art and its makers and celebrate the richness and diversity of our folk-art traditions, encompassing works by rural and city artisans, Pennsylvania Germans, Shakers, African Americans, schoolgirls and female academies, Native Americans, and many others.
Presentations offer fresh insight on a host of objects—carved and paint-decorated furniture and boxes; paintings and portraits by itinerant artists; trade figures and signs; redware and stoneware pottery; weathervanes and whirligigs; ceramics, glass, silver, pewter, and other decorative arts; quilts, samplers, needlework, and embroidery; family records, calligraphy, valentines, and friendship albums; decoys, scrimshaw, and other carvings; hooked and sewn rugs; Windsor chairs and benches; baskets, woodenware, tools, and more —and put them all into historical, social, and artistic context.
By inviting experts and scholars to share new research, our content remains fresh and current. By sharing our deep appreciation for Americana, we hope to extend and enhance knowledge of traditional American folk art among long time collectors, students and scholars. And, by keeping everything accessible and enjoyable, we hope to inspire and engage newcomers.
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