AHPCS 2005 Annual Meeting

City of Hartford, Conn. by John Bachmann, 1864.
Courtesy of The Connecticut Historical Society Museum, Hartford, CT.

Springfield, Massachusetts is the site of the 30^th annual meeting of the American Historical Print Collectors’ Society. The meeting features opportunities to visit extensive print collections and the chance to discover prints to purchase. A registration form was sent with the Winter 2005 newsletter, and is also available online (to be printed, filled out, and mailed). Also available online is a schedule of events. If you have any questions, or call him at (631) 694-4310.

In order to allow an early start for Thursday's activities, we encourage out-of-towners to arrive and register on Wednesday, May 11th. On Thursday, May 12^th , attendees will have a choice of shopping at the world famous Brimfield Antique Show, or touring the excellent living history museum Old Sturbridge Village. New England in the spring can offer a menu of different weather conditions. A light coat will probably be best as you can expect to be kept warm by walking. Bring a light poncho that you can carry in your pocket in case of rain.

Brimfield is a town of just over 3,000 residents located in central Massachusetts. It was founded in 1731, one year before George Washington's birth. The Brimfield Antiques Show began in the 1950’s and has become the largest show in the country. You will find people from all over the world in Brimfield looking for their special collectable.

AHPCS will be taking buses to May’s, a especially good field of 600 dealer spaces. Not before 9:00AM, the precise time when gates open for buyers, may dealers begin to unload and unpack their merchandise. For intrepid collectors, this means walking the field many times, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes that offer support. Having the exact $5.00 entry fee will get you through the opening gate in quicker fashion. To get the best deal, cash works best, but most dealers will take checks. May’s provides a food facility that offers hot and cold meals along with most beverages. There are also clean and well-maintained sanitary facilities. And should anyone make a purchase that will not fit in their luggage, John Zak will bring your print back to New York and ship it to you via UPS at no charge.

For those whose hearts do not race at the prospect of an outdoor bargain hunt, we offer an exciting alternative. Old Sturbridge Village is a history museum and learning resource that invites all visitors to find meaning, pleasure, relevance, and inspiration in the exploration of New England’s past. It is a nonprofit, educational museum open year-round. The centerpiece of the museum is a recreated rural New England town of the 1830s set on more than 200 acres of historical landscape, encompassing a Center Village, Mills Area, and Countryside. There are more than 40 structures, including numerous homes, a district school, blacksmith shop, gristmill, country store, and (of course) the print shop.

A freshly printed sheet being hung to dry at Old Sturbridge Village.
Courtesy, Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge MA.

For an interesting and lively discussion on this museum’s use of prints to help interpret our past, see the latest issue of Imprint (Autumn 2004) for the article “’Most walls were bare’: How Prints are Used at Old Sturbridge Village” by Aimee E. Newell, Curator of Collections/Curator of Textiles and Fine Arts at Old Sturbridge Village.

Thursday night we return to the Springfield Marriott for the Show and Tell, Buy and Sell program to be held after our first gala dinner. Please make sure to reserve a table and bring something to share with the group.

On Friday, we will travel to the Connecticut Historical Society, located in downtown Hartford. Nancy Finlay, Curator of Graphics at the Connecticut Historical Society, described the Society’s outstanding collection of Kellogg Brothers’ prints, focusing on the Hartford prints, in a recent issue of the newsletter. A selection of Kellogg prints and other important works from the CHS graphics collection will be on display. Dinner Friday evening will be on your own.

First Company Governor's Foot Guard, Hartford. by E.B. & E.C. Kellogg, 1846.
Courtesy of The Connecticut Historical Society Museum, Hartford, CT.

Saturday we will visit the Springfield Museums. Last year, the museum acquired a collection of 787 Currier & Ives. The Summer 2004 issue of our newsletter described the collection amassed by collectors Lenore B. and Sidney A. Alpert. The museum is planning a major exhibition of the collection to open in December 2005, and is graciously offering AHPCS members a preview.

Our hosts at the Springfield Museums, Heather Haskell and Liz Sommers.
Courtesy, Springfield Library and Museums Association, Springfield MA.

Scroll of Currier & Ives prints used by a peddler.
Courtesy, Springfield Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield MA.

In addition to those trips and visits, meeting co-chairs Donald Bruckner and John Zak have lined up some interesting speakers. We have an extremely talented and successful conservator who will tell us about the most difficult print she has ever had to restore (unless she changes her mind and gives another talk). We will also hear from a principal of a well-known print shop who will talk about the trials and tribulations of the business (which includes doing business with US) or another topic of his choice. Both speakers will take questions after their talks. There will also be a Round Table discussion of three collectors, all members who joined recently. They will talk to us about their interests, what got them started in collecting prints, and what lead them to join AHPCS.

On Saturday evening the meeting will conclude with the annual banquet and auction. The benefit auction is an important fundraiser for our Society, so please remember to bring a nice print or reference book with you to donate to the auction. If you can not attend the meeting, but are able to make a contribution, please send it to John Zak at 94 Marine Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735.

American Historical Print Collectors Society
P.O. Box 201
Fairfield, CT 06824
Contact AHPCS