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Witch Riding Crescent Moon, W. H. Mullins, c. 1891, Salem, Ohio.
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Itching to travel now, as we are vaccinated, we took the train to New York City and visited a great exhibit of American weathervanes at the American Folk Art Museum. Weathervanes combine symbolism, pleasing aesthetics and function, by letting us know, literally, which way the wind is blowing. The alternate name, weathercock, comes from the tradition, established as early as the 8th century, of topping churches with a rooster, in remembrance of Peter's denial of Christ before the cock crowed at dawn. The tradition crossed the Atlantic with European settlers. Secular symbols were quickly added to the catalog of weathervanes in 18th century America, including farm animals and wild fauna, as well as mythological and patriotic figures.
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The Portland Rooster, maker unknown, 1788.
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Image of the Portland Rooster atop a bank building in Portland, Maine.
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Remarkably, the gilded wooden weather vane above, the Portland Rooster, crowned a bank building in Portland until 1983; it is now in a private collection, as are many of the items in this exhibit. Weathervanes can be highly valued objects, with some fetching sky-high prices at auction.
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Goddess of Liberty, 186801870, Cushing and White Co.
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Advertising Broadside, c. 1865, A. L. Jewell, Waltham, Massachusetts.
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In the 19th century, several manufacturers of hardware expanded their offerings to make weathervanes, commissioning carved wood sculptures from which metal molds were made. Using these molds, sheets of copper were hammered into component shapes, which were then soldered together. Final details and surface decoration, such as gold leaf, finished some products. The manufacturer A. L. Jewell, whose advertisement is shown above, offered eighty designs.
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Selection of farm animal themed weathervanes.
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Sometimes weathervanes commemorated specific events, people or even famous horses. The sculpture below celebrates St. Julien, a champion trotter.
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St. Julien with Sulky and Driver, c. 1881, J. W. Fiske Iron Works.
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The wood carvings from which the molds were made are beautiful examples of early American sculpture. When viewed from the front, the carvings, and their associated weathervanes, give an almost deceptive suggestion of the volume of the object. Only when seen laterally do we realize how these often immense objects remain lightweight enough to to spin in the breeze. These three-dimensional figures are called "swelled" or swell-bodied weathervanes.
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Large Deer, c. 1856-57, J. Howard and Co.
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Large Deer, lateral view.
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A special treat is viewing some of the original wood sculptures from which metal molds were created to produce the finished weathervanes, as in the squirrel example below. The weathervane was produced by Cushing and White, c. 1870. Once the wood pattern was carved, a mold was created by the sand-casting method. In the image below, the wooden carving by Harry Leach is on the right and the finished weathervane, made of hammered and soldered copper, by Cushing and White, is on the left.
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Squirrel eating nut, c. 1870.
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Molds for an Eagle's Head and Talons, Kenneth Lynch and Sons, after 1927.
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Airplanes, automobiles and fire trucks made their way into weathervane imagery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but by the end of the 1920's the heyday of the weathervane was over. Fortunately, many survived and many more were documented by photographers such as Leslie Jones, a press photographer who captured more than 250 Boston-area weathervanes on film and left his negatives to the Boston Public Library. A photo collage of those images is seen below, behind the airplane weathervane.
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Horse-Drawn Hook & Ladder, W. A. Snow Iron Works, 1904.
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The Bleriot XI Monoplane, maker unknown, c. 1909-14.
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I began writing this post shortly before Halloween, so I'll bookend with suitably seasonal imagery. To learn more there's a fantastic book accompanying the exhibit, by guest curator and folk art guru Robert Shaw. In addition to many illustrations of exhibit items, one chapter discusses the weathervane making process, with illustrations. In addition, Jennifer L. Mass, PhD, explains her research on historical finishes. The book is American Weathervanes The Art of the Winds, ISBN 9-780-8478-6390-7
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The Warren Dragon, c. 1891.
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