American Collectors and Collections
This seminar explores the history, theory,
and practice of collecting in the United
States from the turn of the nineteenth
century to the present. Both individual and
institutional collections are discussed, with
special emphasis on theoretical and
methodological approaches to studying
private collections. Close attention is paid to
how collectors select, arrange, and sequence
objects, as well as the meanings they invest
in them and how, in turn, they articulate
those meanings to a variety of audiences.
The course takes the formation of U.S.
collections of American and European fine
and decorative arts, likewise historical
artifacts, as its starting point. Topics and
student projects may encompass a wide
range of object ‘types’, such as but not
limited to books and manuscripts, costume,
memorabilia, ephemera, and natural history
specimens. Subjects addressed include
hierarchies of value, systems of knowledge,
classification, history and memory, identity
formation, consumerism, nationalism and
internationalism, ethics, and controversial
collecting. Also considered are the roles that
collectors and dealers play in creating
markets and driving scholarship. In addition
to collections themselves, sources examined
may include past and present cultural
commentary on collecting in prescriptive
literature, novels, film, and biographical and
autobiographical writings. Students will
undertake close analyses of primary sources
and conduct interviews with collectors. Visits
to museum collections may be required. 3
credits.