Cornelius Kelley (1873-1954)

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

Cornelius Kelley (1873-1954) was a Deerfield, Massachusetts, farmer and blacksmith who became nationally known through his decorative wrought-iron work. Beginning around 1900, he gradually shifted away from traditional blacksmithing to contributing delicately beautiful items to the annual Deerfield arts and crafts fairs. By 1915, he was well known enough to be offered a position teaching metallurgy at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a position he held for only two years before returning to Deerfield. By the early 1920s, his business had shifted entirely to artistic ironwork, as traditional blacksmithing had mostly disappeared in an era marked by rapid modernization. By 1942, now aged 68, Kelley retired from active blacksmithing. He was a noted contributor during the national Arts and Crafts Movement (1875-1920), popular in Deerfield, that heavily influenced American design in the first half of the 20th century.

Related Items

Details

Item typePhotograph
PhotographerW. O. Breckon Studios
Datecirca 1918
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicColonial Revival, Arts and Crafts Movement
EraProgressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPhotography
Dimension detailsHeight: 7.63 in Width: 4.63 in
Catalog #1996.12.2041.01-.03
View this item in our curatorial database →
W. O. Breckon Studios, photographer. Cornelius Kelley (1873-1954). Photograph. ca. 1918. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1996-12-2041-01-03/. Accessed on October 10, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.