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American Life Foundation & Study Institute and The Athenaeum of Philadelphia (1978, reprinted 1980) republication in one binding of two works:
Extensive annotated and illustrated introduction by Diana S. Waite. 10.375 x 12.5 inches. Paperbound. ISBN 0-892-57022-9.
.Zealous in our effort to provide a complete range of large-format Victorian architectural pattern books, we have united Architecture: Designs for Street Fronts, Suburban Houses, and Cottages, Including Details…Containing in All Over 1000 Designs and Illustrations with its sequel Architectural Details, containing 387 Designs and 967 Illustrations.
A passage in the preface to the latter best sums up the function of these books: “to present a mass of architectural details, easy of construction, pleasing in form, and generally of an inexpensive character, and so designed that a great variety of selections may be made from them, which, when combined in a building, will produce a harmonious whole.”
The Old-House Journal says, “This extraordinary volume contains two of the most handsome and influential architectural books of the 19th century. This reprint edition is a valuable reference for anyone who is restoring a Victorian era home…. Any skilled woodworker can recreate authentic gingerbread ornament by following the illustrations.…Thousands of buildings standing today owe their appearance to Cummings & Miller.”
These architectural pattern books by M. F. Cummings and C. C. Miller form a fascinating and significant chapter in the history of Victorian architecture and building technology. The clarity and scale of their 108 plates was an innovation. And their widespread distribution broadly disseminated tastes and fashions in architectural design and construction. Hopefully, this republication will spawn increased study and understanding of Victorian vernacular buildings and generate greater interest in their preservation and continued use.
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Copyright © 2005–2012 Patricia B. Mitchell.