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HVVACC Exhibits

Linking Collections, Building Connections

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Zulma Steele
Desk with three-panel iris design , ca. 1904
Green stained cherry wood with three carved and painted panels
50 3/8 x 38 1/2 x 16 in.
WBG; gift of Elise Glenne and the Douglas C. James Charitable Trust
WBG 2007.001.001

This 1904 drop-front writing desk by Zulma Steele is a collaborative project with her partner Edna Walker, exemplifying the working methods of the Byrdcliffe Art Colony, where the thriving Woodstock Art Colony got its start. Modeled on the English Arts and Crafts movement, Byrdcliffe is the second longest continuously operating art colony in the United States. The three-part design which compositionally suggests the continuation of the irises between each panel is typical of Byrdcliffe furniture decoration.