“Rose Valley Arts & Crafts  1901-1916” – Book Project

The Museum is writing a comprehensive book looking at the achievements of the utopian experiment of Rose Valley in its early years.

Until now Rose Valley’s history has relied on Volume 1 of “A History of Rose Valley” compiled in 1973 by local inhabitants and “A Poor Sort of Heaven A Good Sort of Earth” by William Ayres and Ann Barton Brown for the Brandywine River Museum in 1983. Both publications are excellent sources, but need updating with attention to a broader scope, and an abundance of photographs of the work the community produced.

The book will contain approximately 300 pages, 250 images, 9 chapters and a bibliography of prominent individuals. It will cover architecture, furniture, pottery, tiles, illustration, printing, photography and the living arts. The hope is to have the hard bound edition available by July 2026, in order to be available at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Arts & Crafts Exhibit, with a paperback edition ready by Christmas 2026. The Museum currently has grants from the Decorative Arts Trust and the Weyth Foundation for American Art totaling $58,000. we need an extra $42,000.

Please help the “Artsman”, pictured here, carve out a beautiful Arts & Crafts book that really tells the story of this unique community in words and pictures.

Donations can be made online: Click here to donate.
By mail: Check made out to RVMHS addressed to Rose Valley Museum, 41 Rose Valley Road, Rose Valley, PA 19063; please note on check “Book Project”.