Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Thomas Day: Master Craftsman and Free Man of Color
April 12, 2013 – July 28, 2013
This exhibition fully examines the extraordinary career of Thomas Day (1801-about 1861), a free African American who owned and operated one of North Carolina’s most successful cabinet shops prior to the Civil War. On view are 37 pieces of his furniture and photographs of his architectural work. Day's surviving furniture and architectural woodwork still represent the finest of 19th-century craftsmanship and aesthetics. The exhibition also includes 3 period quilts from the museum's collection, a Bible owned by Day, historic photographs, and contemporary photographs of architectural interiors he designed.
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