Metalwork in Early America: Copper and Its Alloys from the Winterthur Collection

Copper and its alloys were an integral part of Americans' lives from the time of earliest settlement. Using the extensive collection at Winterthur as examples, Fennimore explores the importance of these metal for early Americans. A broad cross section of objects is included and linked to extensive manuscript and early published sources on both sides of the Atlantic. The book is organized into three parts: essays, color plates, and catalogue entries. The first three chapters cover mining and manufacturing techniques, the vast marketing network through which raw materials, and finished goods moved, and the factors that governed the marking of metal by their makers. These essays, followed by color plates, provide a background and introduce the entries that illustrate and discuss more than 300 individual objects.