Gold’s warm glow, rarity, and resistance to corrosion inspired colonial American craftsmen and their patrons. Early portraits feature a variety of rings, buckles, seals, and other lustrous items—objects that were easily lost, melted down, or exchanged for hard currency. The few surviving pieces of early American gold overwhelmingly express deep interpersonal connections such as love, mourning, or civic pride, suggesting that their sentimental value rivaled their monetary value as they descended through generations of families. Gold also reflects the complexities of empire and the trade networks that encircle the globe. Following the discovery of gold in California, the material became central to economic debates and symbolic of the prosperity and tensions of the post-Civil War era. Based on a recent exhibition at the Yale University Art Gallery and a forthcoming book, this talk demonstrates our cultural fascination with this gleaming metal.

John Stuart Gordon is the Benjamin Attmore Hewitt Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Yale University Art Gallery. Dr. Gordon attended Vassar College, received an M.A. from the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture and a PH.D. from Boston University. He is enthusiastic about all aspects of American decorative arts, in particular design since 1850 and precious metals. His exhibitions for the Yale University Art Gallery include The Architect’s Table: Swid Powell and Postmodern Design (2007–2008), A Nation Reflected: Stories in American Glass (2019), and Gold in America: Artistry, Memory, Power (2022). His publications include A Modern World: American Design from the Yale University Art Gallery, 1920–1950 and American Glass: The Collections at Yale as well as essays in John La Farge’s Second Paradise: Voyages in the South Seas, 1890-1891 (Yale Press), Postmodern Design Complete (Thames and Hudson), A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes (Cooper-Hewitt) and numerous articles. He is currently working on a book about gold in America. In addition to his curatorial work, Dr. Gordon teaches a survey of American silver at Yale University.