The Farm: Drawings of Rowland Evans Robinson, 1850–1880

The Farm: Drawings of Rowland Evans Robinson, 1850–1880 (2015 seasonal exhibit)

Rokeby Museum’s 2015 exhibit — The Farm: Drawings of Rowland Evans Robinson, 1850–1880 — features nearly forty pictures of farm life 150 years ago, when “eating local” was a matter of necessity not a lifestyle choice. Born to abolitionist parents at Rokeby, then a thriving Merino sheep farm, Robinson ventured to New York City as a young man to pursue his career. After years of struggle and rejection, he found a market for his work in the agricultural papers of the day. This association left a rich archive of images, including casual sketches, finished drawings, and published engravings of the very farm work Robinson had hoped to leave behind. Organized by the farm’s output, the pictures feature wool, apples, butter, and field crops along with several barns.

Farming & Feasting with the Robinsons

Published in association with the 2015 exhibit, The Farm: Drawings of Rowland Evans Robinson, 1850–1880, and covering the same decades (1850–1880), Farming and Feasting with the Robinsons serves as an exhibition catalog and short exploration of Robinson family foodways. In fours essays tied to the seasons, author Jesse Natha checks in with the Robinsons to see what’s on their minds, on their plates, and on their chore lists. The book is richly illustrated with Robinson’s drawings and features a Robinson family recipe for each season.

In 2016, Farming & Feasting won First Place in Books by New England Museum Association (NEMA), and an Honorable Mention in Books by the American Alliance of Museums. Farming and Feasting is for sale in the Museum gift shop, $15. Contact us here if you’d like to order a copy.