As the symbolic hearth progressed from mud-and-stones to [the inspired carvings of Samuel] McIntyre, so did the entire house. So did the art of living and the whole institution of American taste and manners. It is the aspiration of these pages to sketch the story of this progress by means of the photographic image. Samuel Chamberlain, 1937 

{HISTORY}

Published in 1937 by celebrated American photographer Samuel Chamberlain,  Beyond New England Thresholds focuses on the central hearth of early American homes and how it evolved over two centuries from rustic necessity to decorative showpiece. 

The first subject of its kind to be featured in book format, Samuel traveled to Massachusetts, New Hamphsire and Connecticut to photograph the interiors of houses built between the 1600 and 1800s. Some were museums, some were private residences, but all contained original historical details unaltered through time.

The work of an artist as much as a historian, Samuel includes snippets of fun facts with each photo that help connect hearth to hearth, decade to decade, century to century.  in order to tell a more connective story that visually expresses the progress of interior design, he includes historical information and photographs pertaining to other rooms in  the house too as they relate to the fireplace or the central hearth. Once a source of primitive cooking and heat, the hearth eventually became a decorative status symbol full of artistic creativity which can be seen as the book progresses from beginning to end.

A lovely way to spend a snow or rain-filled afternoon, perhaps cuddled up next to your own roaring fireplace, this is a really interesting, intimate look at home interiors via the porthole of a commonplace feature in most New England houses. In addition to different fireplace styles and designs, furniture, linens, tableware and room layouts are also featured offering insight into decorating necessities, styles and trends of early American domestic life. 

One of our favorite 20th century photographers, Samuel Chamberlain (1895-1975) led an interesting and diverse life. Along with his artistic wife Narcissa, and their creative children, Samuel lived both in the US and abroad where the entire family developed artistic pursuits in cooking, photography, writing and interior design. 

Here in the Vintage Kitchen, we were first introduced to the vivacious Chamberlain family through the adventures of their delightful, funny and quirky French cook, Clementine, whom we wrote about on the blog here and whose book is in the shop here.

A unique combination of enigmatic talent both individually and together as a family, the Chamberlains (Mom, Dad, kids and cook)  all contained a joie de vivre that was infectious when it came to their creative projects.  Something that could be translated just as effectively whether they were working with words, photos, furniture, food or recipes. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Published in 1937 by Hastings House
• 96 pages
• Oversized coffee table book with photographs on each page

{CONDITION}

In beautiful vintage condition. This book is very clean and bright throughout with gold lettering on the front coffee and a decorative illustration of a hearth. The spine is tight and all pages are intact.

{SIZE}

Measures 12.5" inches (length) x 9.5' inches (width) x .5" inches (thickness) and weighs 1.11 lbs.