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Painting of white woman in voluminous grey dress with white sash and large locket around her neck seated before a window holding a prayer book and looking at the viewer.

Object Story: Portrait of Elizabeth Stone Coffin

Portrait of Elizabeth Stone Coffin painted by John Brewster Jr. in 1801.

Everybody Collects

The kinds of objects, artifacts, and artworks that people collect communicate different ideas. They can be a record of events that happened in society.

Folk Art, Vernacular Art, or Naïve Art?

Many of the objects in the Fielding Collection such as Still Life with a Basket of Fruit, Flowers, and Cornucopia attributed to Joseph Proctor are often considered “folk art.” Some people prefer to use related terms like “naïve,” “vernacular,” or “nonacademic” instead of “folk.” All of these terms describe work by artists who may not have had extensive, formal training or decided not to follow the teachings and ideas of traditional art instruction.

Icon with a light bulb, star, and shapes above a pencil.

Activity: Think like a Collector

Examine a museum collection for themes and commonalities and consider what the collection represents about a community.

Front view of ovoid jar with handles near the top, decorated with blue pigment and incised decorations, with a flower in a checkered pot at the center and the initials “IS” below.

Object Story: Jar

Stoneware jar with unique decorations.

Painted tin document box mounted with original brass handle; decorated with red, white and yellow on three sides and the top; typical of the workshop of Elijah and Elisha North.

Object Story: Decorated Document Box

Decorated tin document box; decorated with red, white and yellow typical of the workshop of Elijah and Elisha North of Stevens Plains (now Westbrook), Maine 1806-1840.