Resources

The Pickler Furniture Collection

The objects seen in this exhibit comprise the Pickler Furniture Collection in Special Collections and University Archives at Truman State University.

For questions or further information regarding these pieces, email at speccoll@truman.edu or call at (660) 785-4537. 

Special Collections and University Archives
Pickler Memorial Library
Truman State University
100 East Normal Avenue
Kirksville, MO 63501

Resources

To view other pieces by John Henry Belter and Joseph Meeks:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=John+and+Joseph+W.+Meeks&sortBy=Relevance&pageSize=0

The Brooklyn Museum: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/49232

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: https://vmfa.museum/mlit/belter-sofas-john-henry-belter/


To learn more about the Rococo art movements and the history of parlors: 

Historical Dictionary of Rococo Art by Jennifer D. Milam, 2011

American Rococo, 1750-1775: Elegance in Ornament by Morrison H. Heckscher and Leslie Greene Bowman, 1992

“American Rococo” by Morrison H. Heckscher for the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/roco/hd_roco.htm

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson, 2010

Culture and Comfort: Parlor Making and Middle-Class Identity, 1850-1930 by Katherine Grier, 2013

“City Parlor, Country Sitting Room: Rural Vernacular Design and the American Parlor, 1840-1900” by Sally McMurry from Winterthur Portfolio, Winter 1985, pp. 261-280

“Rococo Style” Icons

“Floral design of small thin spirals” by flaticon on Freepik, https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/floral-design-of-small-thin-spirals_29695

“Floral design of delicate shapes” by flaticon in Freepik, https://www.flaticon.com/free-icon/floral-design-of-delicate-shapes_29345

“The Creators” Images

“Broadside” by Joseph Meeks & Sons, 1833, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/339865 

Belter, John Henry (1858). Improvement in the method of manufacturing furniture (US 19,405). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/0019405

“Parlors” Images

“Rococo Revival Parlor” from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Narcissa Niblack Thorne. A30: Georgia Double Parlor, c. 1850, 1937-1940. The Art Institute of Chicago. 

Narcissa Niblack Thorne. A15: New York Parlor, 1850-70, 1937-1940. The Art Institute of Chicago. 

Mary Georgiana Caroline and Lady Filmer. Lady Filmer in her Drawing Room, 1863-1868. The Art Institute of Chicago. 

 

This exhibit was curated in Fall 2022 by Nora Rechtien and was visible on the third floor of Pickler Memorial Library. It was digitally curated in Spring 2023.