The Village Broadside

Known today as one of Deerfield’s most important resident 19th-century artists, Champney split his time between the New England town and New York City. In 1879, he opened a studio in New York, first at 337 Fourth Avenue and then later moving to 96 Fifth Avenue (near Union Square). While Deerfield served as a space to engage with 18th-century material culture and the colonial past, New York offered Champney greater exhibition opportunities. When working in the city, he immersed himself in numerous art clubs, societies, and associations.

As was the case with many cities and towns throughout the North American colonies, political, economic, and ideological differences divided Deerfield during the American Revolution. It is estimated that one-fifth of the colonial population in British North America supported England during the war, though several colonists relaxed their loyalist leanings as military conflict progressed.

The Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife is pleased to announce the subject of its 2025 gathering, Recalling the Revolution in New England, to be held June 27–28 at Historic Deerfield. The conference keynote will be provided by Dr. Zara Anishanslin of the University of Delaware, author of the forthcoming book  The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists who Championed the American Revolution.

On the dark and threatening night of May 18, 1676, Captains William Turner and Samuel Holyoke set out from Hatfield and Northampton with roughly 150 men, mostly young farmers from the Connecticut River Valley. They headed north through the burned-down town of Pocumtuck, the village now known as Deerfield. They were headed for the falls at Peskeompskut, sometimes known as Deerfield Falls. Turner, at 63, was sickly and feeble after spending 5 years in a Puritan prison for being a Baptist. He had asked to be relieved of this command. Massachusetts Bay Colony refused. He didn’t know, but likely suspected, that he was to meet his destiny the following day.

When days get steamy, many of us in the modern era have a set routine. We may turn our air conditioning units to maximum cold, go swimming, or wear the lightest amount of clothing possible while still being acceptable. However, these techniques were either impossible or inappropriate in the late 1700s. Does this mean that people suffered through their farm work under many layers of fabric? For my summer project as an intern with the Historic Deerfield Museum Education department, I set out to investigate this issue.

We invite papers that explore the contours of artistic censorship in New England from the 17th to the 21st centuries. We are interested in a broad range of papers that address both the activities of censors — their philosophical and intellectual foundations, acquisition of power, strategies of implementation — and reactions to censorship by individuals or groups in the form of public protest, legal remedies, legislative change, or education/marketing campaigns.

The origins of blue and white delftware are linked to the Dutch trading empire, led by its financially and militarily powerful East India Trading Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC). In the 17th century, delftware began to be modeled after popular Chinese ceramics, which were brought to the Dutch Republic in large numbers once the VOC had established a strong presence in East and Southeast Asia.