The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: Benno Forman (1930 – 1982)

Title: Papers

Dates: ca.1970 - 1980s

Call No.: Col. 72

Acc. No.: 87x196; 06x82; 06x182

Quantity: 66 boxes (ca. 21 cu.ft.)

Location: 13 B-C 1-5 and D 1

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Benno Forman was born in Roanoke, Virginia. He received a B.A. from Washington and Lee University in 1952 and an M.A. from the University of Delaware in 1968. He served as research fellow and teaching associate for the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture and adjunct assistant professor in the Art History Department at the University of Delaware. He taught courses on American decorative arts and was known as an authority on furniture dating from the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. He was married and had three children.

Forman edited a reprint of Joseph Moxon's Mechanick Exercises (London, 1703) and co-edited a reprint of George Smith's Collection of Designs for Household Furniture (London, 1808). In addition, he contributed to The Magazine Antiques and published articles in many scholarly publications. He was a frequent lecturer on decorative arts and antiques. His book, American Seating Furniture, 1630-1730: An Interpretive Catalogue, was published posthumously in 1988.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

Benno Forman's papers consist of office files, correspondence, and photographs relating to his work at the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum or to his personal research. Most records relate to American seventeenth century and William and Mary furniture.

Some materials have to do with research Forman published or was planning to publish before his sudden death. Included is information on the origin of the chest of drawers as a furniture form; Ware chairs; J. Moxon's Mechanick Exercises; and craftsmen of Essex County, Boston, and Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Connecticut and Philadelphia. Forman was engaged in writing what he called "Volume III" or a catalog of seventeenth century and William and Mary furniture in the Winterthur collection. (Volumes I and II would have been books on different style periods by other authors.) Forman's files contain much material that would have been published in Volume III, most of it organized by furniture form and identified by Winterthur accession number.

The Forman files also include information on seventeenth century and William and Mary room displays at Winterthur. In addition, there are papers written by Forman's students and material from the courses he taught at Winterthur. The collection also includes a large number of slides and photographs, primarily of furniture, although there are also slides of tombstones.

ORGANIZATION

Files have been retained in the order in which they were acquired by the Downs Collection. Presumably this reflects their order in Forman's office, though they did not go directly from there to the Downs Collection upon his death, and the original order may have been disrupted. The following changes have been made for efficiency in storage:

* indicates folder had no title; title was written based on materials inside.

** indicates these materials were originally in a single folder or notebook separated into sections. Names written on the original section dividers have been transferred to current folders.

The Forman files also include a large collection of slides. Boxes 33-40 contain slides that had been housed in plastic slide sheets, many of them organized in binders. These plastic sheets are now housed in file folders labeled according to the title on the binder. Loose papers included in the binders have been placed in separate folders and labeled as such. Plastic slide sheets that had not been housed in binders were placed in file folders and marked "miscellaneous slides." In addition, two large boxes of loose slides were found. These were generally grouped by category and are marked with an asterisk.

Boxes 41-48 contain slides that were housed in small boxes of the kind that come from a photo developer. The contents of some boxes were identified by Benno Forman.

Boxes 49 and 50 contain taped lectures. Titles were copied exactly as they were written on each tape label.

Boxes 51-59 contain correspondence between Forman and colleagues at other institutions. Letters are arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Boxes 60-62 feature photographs of furniture from the Winterthur Museum collection. Object accession numbers are included.

Boxes 63-65 contain photos which were used for Forman’s book American Seating Furniture, 1630-1730.

Box 66 contains accession 06x82, which includes a copy of the 1571 ordinances of the Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers, and a number of slides, primarily of 17^th and early 18^th century furniture.

PROVENANCE

Accession 87x196: gift to the Winterthur Archives, from whence it was transferred to the Downs Collection.

Accession 06x82: gift of Robert Trent.

ACCESS POINTS

Topics:

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum.

Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers.

Furniture, Colonial - United States.

Furniture, Early American.

Furniture - Expertising.

Furniture - Styles - United States.

Joiners – England.

Letters.

Lists.

Notes.

Photographic prints.

Slides.

Curators.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 13 B-C 1-5, and D 1

Box 1:

Axioms

Barrell House (Somerville)

Bedsteads

Bethlehem Inventories

Books in the Seventeenth Century

Books, 16^th century

“Boston Furniture Craftsmen, 1630-1730” [photocopy of paper by Forman, 1969] (acc. 06x182)

Bristol, Conn.

Canada

Chester County Drawers

Chests

Chippendale Coffin Handle

Cincinnati

*The Origins of the Joined Chest of Drawers - Drafted Manuscript and Postscript

Japanning

Vocabulary Manuscript

Box 2:

Wilson Douglas' Chest - 1737

Chairs - Earliest and Construction of

Manuscript for Benno – “Heart and Crown Chairs”

Charlestown

Chippendale's Trade Card

Clock, Pa German

Concord Antiquarian Society

John Clarke, Cabinetmaker

Construction Details

Country Cabinetwork and Simple City Furniture

American Cupboards: References

Notes: Cupboard 57.55

Cyphers

Dager, Harvey

Design Sources

Dr. Douglass & Oldmixon, John & Josslyn & Monardes/Frampton Wood [Morton's "Canaan"]

Mr. DuPont's Acquisition Memos Relating to Volume III

Easy Chairs, All Later Couches, Stool

Frederick, Emmison

England

*Wood Tests of William and Mary Chair

England 1973

English Furniture

English Furniture Owned in America

Essex County, Mass

Nancy Evans' Catalogues

18th Cent Furn Photos

Box 3:

John Evelyn

Fiddle Back Chairs

Fairfield, Conn

Furniture, Documented

Furniture Finishes

Fussell-Savery Xtra Photos

Furniture History Society

Hardwick Cupboard

Glass Stuff for Dwight

Hadley Chests

Initials - Monograms

Inventory Booklet

Inventory: Lord Baltimore 1715

*Irish Furniture

Joiner's Terminology

Laurea Austriaca

Mark La Fountain

Japanning

Lectures

James Logan

London Joiners

Box 4:

Mantle Tree, Multiplying Glass, Tin Candle Boxes, Etc. Quill Work "White"

Maine [See Also: Winter-Trelawny Correspondence]

Marot, D.

Marshfield Joint Stool

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen Front Matter

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen Bibliography

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen Short List

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen A

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen B

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen C

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen D

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen E

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen F

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen G

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen H

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen J

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen L

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen M

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen N

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen P

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen R-S

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen T

**Massachusetts - Essex Co. Craftsmen 3

Michael Metcalf

Monuments - 17th Century Furniture

Monuments - 1700-1726

Negs for Vol. III

Negs - 17th Century - Not for Vol. III

Nails

New York Case Furniture

New York Furniture Notes by Downs William & Mary

PA German Book Photos

Box 5:

Paints and Colors 1675-1701; see also Polygraphice & Its Precursors

Pins

Polygraphice & Its Precursors; see also: Furniture Finishes Painting and Staining

Prints - Conference 1970

Proportion

Philadelphia

New York 1692-1727

Randolph Sample Chair

Rhode Island

Screws

Sawmills - Additional Material

Salem 1760

Social Commentaries

Sunflower

Taste 1877

History of Technology for Signature

History of Technology

Box 6:

Textiles, Upholstery, Etc. Dying

Edmund Titcomb

[Regional] Turning[s]

2 Foot Rule

Essex Institute Tool Cats

Travel Accounts Early Nineteenth Century

Wood, Use of

*New Jersey Furniture

Watermarks

Wentworth Room

Whittock, Nathaniel

Windsor Chair w/Repairs

Clive Wainwright's Talk

What is it?

Wheat, Bread, Indian Corn, Etc.

Winter-Trelawny Correspondence 1639-1648 Maine

Edward Williams Sawmill 1650

Wilson, David - Account Book

Wallpaper

White

Winckelmann

Ware Chairs

Ware

B. Forman Misc. Notes

X-Y-Z

*How to Prepare Chairs for Caning

Box 7:

**Chairs - Spindle Back

**Chairs - Spindle Back 54.525 & 54.526

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.680

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.683

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.681

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.529

**Chairs - Spindle Back 57.598

**Chairs - Spindle Back 56.10.2

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.521

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.682

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.684

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.523

**Chairs - Spindle Back 60.27

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.693

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.524

**Chairs - Spindle Back 58.522

**Chairs - Wainscot

**Chairs - Wainscot ET-31

**Chairs - Wainscot 58.692

**Chairs - Wainscot 53.104

**Chairs - Wainscot 54.73

**Stools & Benches

**Stools & Benches 52.260

**Stools & Benches 58.583

**Stools & Benches 58.1035

**Stools & Benches 55.732

**Stools & Benches 58.566

**Stools & Benches 58.567

**Stools & Benches 67.1448

**Stools & Benches 58.565

**Stools & Benches 56.49.2

**Stools & Benches 58.57.1

**Stools & Benches 67.1455

**Stools & Benches 64.152

**Chairs - Banister Back

**Chairs - Banister Back 54.516

**Chairs - Banister Back 54.517

**Chairs - Banister Back 54.515

**Chairs - Banister Back 59.1712

**Chairs - Banister Back Heart, Crown 66.696

**Chairs - Banister Back 57.128.4

**Chairs - Banister Back 56.544

**Chairs - Banister Back 52.233

**Chairs - Banister Back 60.177

**Chairs - Banister Back 59.2325

**Chairs - Banister Back 57.530

**Chairs - Banister Back 74.39

**Chairs - Banister Back 55.97.1

**Chairs - Banister Back 59.1712

Box 8:

**Banister Back Chairs - Intro & Figs

**Chairs - Slat Back

**Chairs - Slat Back 58.691

**Chairs - Slat Back 58.690

**Chairs - Slat Back 59.2327

**Chairs - Slat Back 58.2980

**Chairs - Slat Back 59.2332

**Chairs - Slat Back 59.2384

**Chairs - Slat Back 59.2329

**Chairs - Slat Back 59.2331

**Chairs - Slat Back 67.778

**Chairs - Slat Back 59.2381

**Chairs - Slat Back 59.2382

**Chairs, Settees - Cromwellian General Info First

**Chairs, Settees - Cromwellian Cromwellian Chairs

**Chairs, Settees - Cromwellian 58.595

**Chairs, Settees - Cromwellian 54.524

**Chairs, Settees - Cromwellian 58.694

**Chairs, Settees - Cromwellian 57.1389 Crosswix

**Chairs, Settees - Cromwellian Settees

**Chairs, Settees - Cromwellian 58.547

**Chairs, Chester County, PA Joined and Turned

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 67.1172

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 61.1143

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 61.1154

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 67.1170

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 61.1155

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 61.1150

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 64.1780

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 66.698

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 65.2249

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 61.1151

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 61.1153

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 67.1166

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 67.1176

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 61.1152

**Chairs, Chester County, PA Turned

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 54.519

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 54.518

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 55.713

**Chairs, Chester County, PA 65.2248

Box 9:

**Chairs - Cane, European - General Info

**Chairs - Cane, European 54.530

**Chairs - Cane, European 65.2237

**Chairs - Cane, European 58.541

**Chairs - Cane, European 58.539

**Chairs - Cane, European 58.577

**Chairs - Cane, European 58.586

**Chairs - Cane, European 54.531

**Chairs - Cane, European 58.536

**Chairs - Cane, European 58.535

**Chairs - Cane, European 58.575

**Chairs - Cane, European 54.505

*Jim Sorber's Black Walnut Cane Chair

**Chairs - Cane, American - General Info

**Chairs - Cane, American 74.120

**Chairs - Cane, American 73.382

**Chairs - Cane, American 54.527

**Chairs - Cane, American 54.528

**Chairs - Cane, American 55.130 Philadelphia

**Chairs - Cane, American 58.964

Perkins School and Other I Chairs

**Chairs - Roundabout 66.1235

**Chairs - Roundabout 51.42

**Chairs - Roundabout 52.151

Easy Chairs

Box 10:

**Chairs - Leather

**Chairs - Leather - Turned Stiles

**Chairs - Leather 59.28

**Chairs - Leather 58.570

**Chairs - Leather 54.548

**Chairs - Leather 54.540

**Chairs - Leather 54.541

**Chairs - Leather 58.553

**Chairs - Leather 59.2115

**Chairs - Leather 58.586

**Chairs - Leather 59.2116

**Chairs - Leather - Molded Stiles

**Chairs - Leather 58.554

**Chairs - Leather 58.555

**Chairs - Leather 58.556

**Chairs - Leather 54.539

**Chairs - Leather 54.533

**Chairs - Leather 66.1311

**Chairs - Leather 58.57.4

**Chairs - Splat Back, Gaines Type 54.513

**Chairs - Splat Back, Gaines Type 58.1513

**Chairs - Splat Back, Gaines Type 60.102

**Chairs - Splat Back, Gaines Type 54.2

The Crown and York Chairs of Coastal Connecticut and the Durand Family Craftsmen of Milford

Chairs - Queen Anne See Also: Splat Back - Gaines Type, Splat Back - Fussell/Savery Type

Chairs - Splat Back, Cabriole Leg, Fussell/Savery Type

Box 11:

*A Catalog of Ware Chairs - Unpublished Typescript 1973

*Some Forman Ware Chairs Material - Incomplete

**Beds/Trunks

**Beds/Trunks 57.44.2

**Beds/Trunks 55.783

**Beds/Trunks 52.314

**Beds/Trunks 52.97

**Beds/Trunks 59.155

**Boxes

**Boxes 58.687

**Boxes 58.92

**Boxes 64.739

**Boxes 58.528

**Boxes 58.689

**Boxes 56.39

**Boxes 58.679

**Boxes 54.102.2

**Boxes 66.1304

**Boxes 58.552

**Boxes 55.504

**Boxes 67.1497

**Candlestands - General Info

**Candlestands 56.92.4

**Candlestands 58.564

**Candlestands 59.1857

**Candlestands 58.140.2

**Candlestands 58.596

**Candlestands 58.1512

**Candlestands 58.1031

**Candlestands 55.97.2

**Candlestands 59.4.3

**Candlestands 58.1511

Box 12:

**Cabinets

**Cabinets 58.526

**Cabinets 57.540

**Cabinets 57.1109

**Cabinets 57.1111

**Cabinets 58.545

**Cabinet Stand 52.166

**Candlestands and Firescreens

**Candlestands and Firescreens 57.86

**Candlestands and Firescreens 59.1922

**Candlestands and Firescreens 56.28

**Candlestands and Firescreens 58.1027

**Candlestands and Firescreens 64.767

Chests - Essay

**Chests - Board

**Chests - Board 60.46

**Chests - Board 65.37

**Chests - Board 58.1502

**Chests - Board 58.571

**Chests - Board 60.744

**Chests - Board 66.1326

**Chests - Board 54.510

**Chests - Board 58.542

**Chests - Board 58.1575

Mass, Essex Co. Chests

Box 13:

**Chests - Joined

**Chests - Joined 57.539

**Chests - Joined 54.512

**Chests - Joined 58.525

**Chests - Joined 58.688

**Chests - Joined 58.543

**Chests - Joined 58.696

**Chests - Joined 58.530

Sunflower Chests (and others)

The Mulliner Chest

Chests of Drawers

**Chests of Drawers - European Origins I

**Chests of Drawers - European Origins II

**Chests of Drawers - European Origins III

Box 14:

**Chests of Drawers - 17th Cy, Wm & Mary, PA

**Chests of Drawers - 17th Cy, Wm & Mary, PA 57.541