Iron at Winterthur

"Iron stands as a preeminent record of the metal's significant role in the lives of all Americans, from the beginnings of European settlement until the advent of the industrial revolution in the mid nineteenth century." "It is not surprising that museum founder Henry Francis du Pont chose to amass iron. In his endeavor to assemble comprehensive period room displays, such acquisitions were inevitable. Iron is present at Winterthur in the multitude of its original purposes, and yet it represents only a fraction of the total body available in early America. Nevertheless, the collection forms a significant compendium of both the surviving artifacts and the makers who created them." "Iron at Winterthur brings to light this extraordinary but oft-overlooked collection. It presents a range of the best and most representative forms, and it is intended as a record documenting a cross section of artifacts imported or made and used in America during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The author carefully selected each artifact as evidence of the deliberate act by the ironworker to incorporate artistry into his craft."--BOOK JACKET.