SOLD OUT Annual John Hubbard Sturgis Eaton lecture, Pauline C. Metcalf, Ogden Codman Revisited

SOLD OUT

Ogden Codman, an important New England architect and interior decorator, was a major force in the colonial revival movement that transformed American taste in the late nineteenth century. The 1988 publication, Ogden Codman and the Decoration of Houses, and its related exhibition not only introduced Codman’s work to a new generation of architects and interior designers, but contributed to the revival of interest in the architect’s pivotal role in the interpretation of classical taste and design in the late twentieth century. Codman’s influence is seen everywhere today, from The Breakers in Newport to the interiors of the elegant New York town houses he designed for fashionable merchant princes of New York. In addition, Codman’s archives – held by Historic New England, the Metropolitan Museum, Columbia’s School of Architecture, and the Boston Athenæum – preserve his continuing importance in the field of historic preservation.  Suitability, simplicity, and proportion – the leitmotifs of Codman’s designs – remain underlying principles of classic taste and design today.  Pauline Metcalf, the recognized authority on Codman’s life and work, will examine and explore these and other factors that connect Codman’s architecture to modern lifestyles.

PAULINE C. METCALF is an independent historian, author, lecturer, and restoration consultant specializing in late nineteenth– and early twentieth-century interiors.  Her research has examined relationships between architects, designers, and their clients, particularly the role and contributions of women. In 1988 she authored Ogden Codman and the Decoration of Houses and curated the related exhibition hosted by the National Academy of Design, New York, the Boston Athenæum, and the National Building Museum, Washington, D.C. The subject of her latest research is Syrie Maugham, the dynamic British designer famous for creating the “all-white room.”  Metcalf is a frequent contributing author to magazines such as The Magazine Antiques and House and Garden and books including Recreating the Past: Essays on the Colonial Revival (2004), Designers on Designers (2003), and David Adler, Architect: The Elements of Style (2002). 

 To Reserve: There is no fee for this event. Members may bring a guest. Reservations will be accepted starting March 8 at 617-720-7600.