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Painting with spray of flowers in a vase at the center top above a watermelon and basket, with various fruit like grapes and peaches spread around the bottom.

Object Story: Still Life with a Basket of Fruit, Flowers, and Cornucopia

Still life painting with a basket of fruit, vase of flowers center, a large watermelon on a plate and cornucopia attributed to the artist Joseph Proctor.

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

Activity: Why Does It Look the Way It Does?

Look closely at an object to describe its characteristics and features and connect these with ideas of culture and identity.

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Activity: Object Investigation

Questions to guide thinking about objects in relation to history and culture.

Connecting to People through Portraits

Like a photograph, a portrait represents a picture of a person.

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.

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: Portrait Investigations

Investigate the person in a portrait using clues and information from primary sources, images, and through research.

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Activity: Write a Museum Label

Practice writing a museum label for an object or artwork.

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

Activity: Curating a Classroom Museum

Create a classroom museum about American history and culture.

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.