Bookcase

In 1853, two years after the first international exposition of arts and industries took place in London, American manufacturers announced their sophistication and prominence in the world marketplace with their own fair in New York City. Displayed there, this monumental bookcase is carved with intricate Gothic spires, arches, buttresses and figures dressed in medieval costumes representing the arts of sculpture, painting, music and architecture. Gustave Herter, who had only recently arrived in the United States, brought with him the latest fashions from Germany. The 1853 exhibition catalogue credited the partnership of Herter with the more established cabinetmaker Erastus Bulkley for the bookcase's impressive design and skilled execution.

Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through exchange of the gifts of Mr. and Mrs. Frank P. Burnap, Mrs. William H. Chapman, Mr. Earle W. Grant, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Denman, Mrs. David M. Lighton, Mrs. Inez Grant Parker, Mrs. Helen F. Spencer, Mrs. William D. Wight, Mrs. Mary Russell Perkins from the estate of Katherine Harvey, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick M. Mont, Mrs. E. A. Grosvenor Blair, Mrs. Fred Wolferman, Mrs. Elizabeth Hay Bechtel in honor of Helen Spencer, Mr. George L. Artamonoff and Mrs. Lyell Ritchie, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar L. Berkley, Mrs. Virginia Jones Mullin, and Mrs. James D. McColl; the bequest of Helen F. Spencer; and other Trust properties