Early American Life

The original "castle" burnt to the ground, but the 1678 rebuild is still one of the oldest homes in Rhode Island. Four centuries of history have been encapsulated in this former trading post. We visit this house museum to discover the vast and unique history of Smith’s Castle in our June issue.

See issue contents.

FEATURED ARTIST

We’d like to introduce some of the artists selected for the 2012 Directory of Traditional American Crafts in the category Clothing or accessories.
Paula Walton, working from her c. 1790 home, recreates items that embody women's decorative arts of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Read more about Walton.

In Our Next Issue

We're putting the finishing touches on our next issue, which our subscribers are set to receive in June. Inside you'll find our annual Directory of Traditional American Crafts, listing the top artists working in traditional materials in America as judged by a panel of museum curators and other experts. But that's not all. We'll be featuring stories about two period New England homes, a guide to introduce you to collecting maritime paintings, a history of the porch (invented in America, of course), an a brief biography of William Tryon, the colonial North Carolina governor who built what was at the time the largest residence in America.

Click here to read more.

Social Media

Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ EarlyAmericanLifeMagazine and follow us on Twitter @ealmagazine. We’ll be posting photos and other extras, as well as keeping you updated on where we are and what we’re doing. So if you are on social media make sure to follow us!

Directory in the Palace

Every year we photograph the best handcrafts made in America—those that the jurors for the Directory of Traditional American Crafts rate as museum quality—in a museum setting. This year we will photograph the best work selected for the Directory among the rooms and exhibits of Tryon Palace in New Bern, North Carolina. You can see the results of the Directory (and our photography) in this year's August issue.

Click here to read more.

READER COMMENTS

On March 5th The Editor wrote: The inside of the dependency, while attractive and comfortable, is not decorated in period style, so it did not fit with the mainstream of the story. It is mostly office-workspace but harmonizes well with the period. Here's a picture of the inside.