Dutch by Design

The author, a curator at the Brooklyn Museum, has employed a novel and highly successful approach in his study of Dutch-American history and material culture during the colonial and post-Revolutionary periods. He focuses on two of the museum's period-room installations, first-floor layouts from two houses reflecting three generations of use by the Schenk family, then expands the discussion to address issues ranging from art, architecture, and preservation (including an outline of how the rooms were installed within the museum) to social and economic history. These well-integrated case studies are lavishly illustrated and supported by copious footnotes.