Glorious Splendor

Winner of A.A.S.L.H. Award of Merit

American Association for State & Local History

A new book about magnificent original 1760s hand-painted English scenic wallpapers in the Jeremiah Lee Mansion in Marblehead, MA

These brilliant works of art are among the most spectacular interior embellishments to survive from America’s late colonial period, just before American independence.

Exceptionally rare both then and now, the fragile wallpapers based on European engravings have distinction as one of only two sets in the world, and the only ones in their original location.

Still resplendent after two and a half centuries, the scenic papers were at the apex of fashion on this continent when the house was built for its first and only resident owner, Col. Jeremiah Lee. In the end, all was sacrificed as Lee lost his life through covert actions on behalf of independence as the Revolution began.

Also included are several patterns of block-printed papers apparently from other rooms, also rare, and virtually unknown ~ as well as information about the wallpapers' preservation.

Fully illustrated,

with bibliography & endnotes
"... much more than just a book about wallpaper ..."
click to see Table of Contents

For the first time in a publication dedicated just

to them, the exceptional Lee Mansion wallpapers

are illuminated in this fully illustrated book.

Also shown are similar wall coverings once in two

great houses above the Hudson River in Albany NY

~ the Van Rensselaer and Schuyler Mansions ~

including a splendid room now in the American Wing

of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The book also illustrates a diminutive set in a

c.1760 doll house in the Museum of London.

132 images, 96 pages, 7” x 10”

museum-quality paperback, limited-edition

Available through the author, Judy Anderson,

former Lee Mansion Curator

(781) 631-1762 or email: MarbleheadArchitecture@aol.com

International shipping includes currency exchange and other fees

The Lee Mansion has been owned & preserved by the

Marblehead Museum & Historical Society since 1909

and has been open to the public seasonally for over a century.

Critical praise for the Lee Mansion wallpaper book

Some comments from the arts & museum field:

“The book is gorgeous !”
Carrie Rebora Barratt, Associate Director, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

“It is a quality production in every way. Everyone in the field should own a copy.”
Dean Lahikainen, Peter & Carolyn Lynch Curator of American Decorative Arts, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem

“The details are fascinating, and the images really support the text.”
Helen Hall, former museum curator

"It is elegant and refined and distinguished in every possible way."
Lady Lucinda Lambton, British writer, photographer and film-maker on architectural subjects

“What a jewel ! ”
Lorraine Biggrigg Pocobene, wallpaper conservator

A few readers’ comments:

“The book arrived last evening and is everything and more than I had hoped for.”

“It is a fabulous study and will have a prominent place in my decorative arts library.”

“That is the best book ever, on many levels – and I’ve done a lot of research….
It's well-rounded, interestingly written, very compelling; kept me turning the pages.”

“I have purchased a lot of art books, and this one is a star!”

About the Author

(click to read)

Table of Contents

(click to read)

Acknowledgements

(click to read)