Designed and priced for the general public, these cheap prints decorated the homes of the growing middle class whose members fueled a booming demand for such images. Filling this need were hundreds of lithography companies that produced images sold by subscription, available through the mail, or as a perk for subscribing to a magazine; some were even sold “door-to-door” by traveling salesmen and women. The most successful shops, such as that of Currier & Ives in New York City, had storefronts displaying available images and catalogues from which one could choose the image that best suited one’s household.

ISM Lockport Gallery’s popular Sunday programs last a little over one hour and limited seating will be provided. There is no admission charge and reservations are not required. This event is offered in conjunction with the current exhibition The Urge to Embellish.

Visitors to The Urge to Embellish have the opportunity to view an eclectic array of new acquisitions and rarely-seen works from the Illinois State Museum Collection, many of which were made by non-professional artists. The nearly 100 objects reveal how embellishment has been guided by experimentation, learned behavior, social expectations, and traditions. Included are commemorative, ceremonial, decorative, functional, and whimsical objects spanning two centuries. Many date from the mid- to late-nineteenth century when the idiom of effusive ornamentation reached its zenith and pervaded the visual aesthetics of material culture. The exhibition is comprised of 2- and 3- dimensional pieces constructed with beads, ceramics, feathers, fibers, hair, metal, paint, papier-mache, porcupine quills, wood, and other materials.

The Urge to Embellish is on view at the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery through September 26, 2008. It is slated to be on display at the ISM Chicago Gallery in Fall and Winter of 2009. -- www.museum.state.il.us