THOU SHALT KNOT: CLIFFORD W. ASHLEY NEW BEDFORD WHALING MUSEUM 18 JOHNNY CAKE HILL NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH JUNE 2018 by Don Wilkinson In the 19th century, during a time of unprecedented opportunity and prosperity created by whaling and related endeavors — such as whale oil refinement — the City of New Bedford flourished. At one time, it was among the richest cities in the world. And with the wealth that the Yankee gentry had acquired, something else grew: a desire for the finer things in life, including architectural masterpieces of Victorian architecture, superbly crafted furniture, musical instruments and fine art. The 1800s saw the cultural ascension of a number of significant painters born in New Bedford and the surrounding towns of Acushnet and Fairhaven, including Albert Pinkham Ryder, William Bradford, Clement Nye Smith and Albert Bierstadt (born in … [Read more...] about WHY KNOT?: NEW BEDFORD’S FIT TO BE TIED
