Bookcase

Manufacturer Mark Perkins Cleghorn (American, 1877 - 1967)

OriginUSA

MediumCherry wood

Dimensions60 × 51 × 12 in. (152.4 × 129.5 × 30.5 cm)

ClassificationsFurniture

Credit LineGift of Mr. & Mrs. Robert Samuels. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number75.14.3

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextThe American Arts and Crafts Movement quickly became popular in the Midwest. Arts and Crafts societies were formed in Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis and Toledo and each city would become a hub for the designs that marked the Movement. However, Americans in general, and Midwesterners in particular, did not believe that man must do away with the machine to achieve the ideals of the movement—a contradictory sentiment to the British purists of the movement. The effective utilization of the machine led the Midwest to become the country's largest center for the dissemination of the Arts and Crafts aesthetic. In this bookcase, the Midwest craftsman, Cleghorn, reflects the design, materials, and handcraftsmanship iconic to the origins of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Mark Perkins Cleghorn was born August 24, 1877 in Onawa, Iowa. He graduated from Iowa State College (University) with a BS (1902) in electrical engineering. Upon graduation he was employed by the Mechanical Engineering Department at Iowa State as an Instructor. He received an ME in 1907 and was promoted to Assistant Professor (1908-1921) and then to Professor (1921-1967). In 1936, Cleghorn was named Chair (1936-1942) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, a position he maintained until his retirement from administrative duties.

PeriodArts and Crafts

Locations