Description
Book SynopsisElverhoj (Danish for "hill of the fairies," pronounced "El-ver-hoy") was an Arts and Crafts colony established on the picturesque west shore of the Hudson River in 1912 by Danish American artists and craftsmen led by Anders Andersen. Little known today, the colony achieved a national reputation before World War I and earned a gold medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. That same year a write-up in Gustav Stickley's Craftsman magazine with photos of the rustic studios added to the colony's growing fame. As part of the William Morris-inspired Arts and Crafts movement, Elverhoj experienced a decline in the 1920s, partially offset by the opening of a theatre with links to Broadway and the addition of a Moorish-style dining terrace. Still, the Depression dealt a fatal blow, despite Andersen's enlisting the help of Eleanor Roosevelt, and the property was acquired by followers of the charismatic Black leader Father Divine, becoming one of his most popular "heavens." Andersen died in obscurity in 1944. Many of the book's more than 160 illustrations stem from an archive kept by Andersen that has only recently come to light.
Table of ContentsIllustration Notes and Abbreviations Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One. Anders H. Andersen: From Denmark to the American Midwest Chapter Two. From Racine to Milton and the Creation of the Elverhoj Company Chapter Three. The Site Andersen Acquired and Its Transformation for the Colony Chapter Four. Andersen's Beliefs and Ideals Chapter Five. Elverhoj Craft and Art Achieves a National Reputation Chapter Six. Three Important Visitors to the Colony: Elisabeth Luther Cary, C. R. Ashbee, and Hanna Astrup Larson Chapter Seven. World War I and the 1920s at Elverhoj: The Decline of the Arts and Crafts, the Rise of the Theatre and Moorish Dining Terrace Chapter Eight. Vassar College Connections Chapter Nine. The Women of Elverhoj: Craft as Cottage Industry, Craft as Cure Chapter Ten. The Colony's Appeal for Students and Vacationers Chapter Eleven. Elverhoj's Failure, Despite Eleanor Roosevelt's Best Efforts Chapter Twelve. Andersen's Last Years, Death, and Legacy Chapter Thirteen. The Colony Property after Andersen's Death Timeline of the Elverhoj Colony Appendix I. Secondary Figures Appendix II. Shops in Poughkeepsie Appendix III. Selected Patrons Named in Elverhoj Publicity The Elverhoj Archive and Other Sources The Authors Index
