Smyrna and Kent County Furniture:  A Collections Workshop

Reliable provenance and maker signatures help identify small groups of furniture made in Smyrna, Dover, and other locations in Kent County.  These case pieces and tables (but no chairs) range in date from the mid-18th to the mid-19th centuries and help unravel some of the mysteries about Delaware furniture.  Lessons learned from these exercises readily apply to furniture identification and history in general.

Philip D. Zimmerman, a furniture historian and author of A Storied Past: Collections of Historic Odessa (2023) and several other publications on Delaware furniture, will lead a workshop to investigate this furniture in detail.  Approaches to be considered include design, materials, construction, condition, connoisseurship, and the role of small details.  No special skills or knowledge are required, but any reading and other preparation will make the program more valuable for you.  Please note that all of the furniture in the Historic Odessa collection is now included on the new, publicly accessible collection database, readily available on the Foundation’s homepage via the “search the collection” button.

The workshop will take place in the Bank Building, 201 Main St., Odessa, which provides the space and lighting necessary to examine individual objects adequately.  Workshop attendance will be limited to ensure that everyone can participate fully.  Questions and follow-up discussions will be the order of the afternoon. 

Enrollment in this workshop is first come, first served, and will be confirmed in the order in which registrations are completed.  Please notify Historic Odessa of your intention to participate to ensure a space in this program!  To register, please call Jennifer Cabell Kostik, 302-378-4119, or email her at jennifer.cabell@historicodessa.org.  The cost of the program is $45.00 or $40.00 for Historic Odessa members.