Society of Deerfield Industries

Although all of Deerfield, Massachusett's artisans would continue to exhibit together through the First World War, when, in 1906, the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework split from the town's Society of Arts and Crafts (founded in 1901) the latter organization was renamed the Society of Deerfield Industries. The Society of Deerfield Industries was more democratically-based than the highly-managed Blue and White Society. While Deerfield Industries' artisans exhibited together, and while their juried work shared a seal of authentication, the fact that each artisan was autonomous and ultimately responsible for his or her own work was a point often mentioned in the organization's literature. The Society of Deerfield Industries seal was designed by its longtime president and leading light, Madeline Yale Wynne. Its artisans executed a variety of crafts including basketry, pottery, weaving, and metal and woodwork. The Society of Deerfield Industries remained in existence until 1941 when the outset of America's military involvement in the Second World War brought an end to the organization.