Townsend Talks: Coastal Connections & Furniture of Early Long Island

Join Elizabeth Fox of the Yale University Art Gallery as she explores the trade, craftsmanship, and decorative influences of Long Island furniture before 1830, with a particular focus on Oyster Bay area designs and their relationship to Rhode Island. By closely comparing various examples, Elizabeth’s presentation analyzes the development of wealth and stylistic expression in early Long Island. The talk will conclude with a reception in the historic house and an opportunity to chat further with the speaker.

Elizabeth is the Marcia Brady Tucker Fellow in American Decorative Arts at the Yale University Art Gallery, where she is currently researching their collection of Connecticut furniture. Her scholarship has explored the material culture of pre- and post-Revolutionary America, with lectures on 19th-century Philadelphia clockmaking, Massachusetts silver, and Baltimore album quilts. She received her B.A. in History and Religion at Furman University and M.A. in Decorative Arts and Design History at George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts & Design.

Townsend Talks is a new lecture series in which speakers from Long Island and around the country offer fascinating insights into history, decorative arts, architecture, horticulture, and other fields that connect with our site and our mission.