Awards
The Decorative Arts Society recognizes significant scholarly achievements and contributions to the field of decorative arts through its awards. Submissions may now be made for works published in 2025 to be considered for the 2026 Robert C. Smith Award, Charles F. Mongomery Award, and Charles F. Montgomery Prize. Submissions are due by June 1, 2026. Self-nominations are welcome. To make a submission please email info@DecArtsSociety.org.
-
Recognizes the best journal article or essay in English from an exhibition catalogue or book published on the decorative arts in the previous year. Both debut and seasoned authors are welcome to submit. This award is in memory of Dr. Robert C. Smith, who taught the art and architecture of the United States, Spain, Portugal and South America at the University of Pennsylvania. The award follows in the tradition he established for clearly presented, original and innovative research.
-
Recognizes the scholar(s) whose first major publication in the field of American decorative arts is judged to be the most outstanding work published in the previous year. This award is in memory of Charles F. Montgomery, who was a director of the Winterthur Museum, Library and Garden; curator of the Garvan and related collections at the Yale University Art Gallery; and a professor of the history of art at Yale University—an inspirational teacher, creative curator and eminent scholar.
-
Recognizes the most distinguished contribution to the study of American decorative arts published in the English language by a North American scholar(s) in the previous year. This award is in memory of Charles F. Montgomery, who was a director of the Winterthur Museum, Library and Garden; curator of the Garvan and related collections at the Yale University Art Gallery; and a professor of the history of art at Yale University—an inspirational teacher, creative curator and eminent scholar.
-
Is given on occasion to recognize those who have provided exceptional service to the field of decorative arts.
Recent Recipients
2025 Robert C. Smith Award
“Origins and Evolution of the Early American Oyster Jar,” Ceramics in America, 2024, by Chris Pickerell
This article unpacks and tells a captivating story of the oyster jar, a seemingly unassuming clay object. From trade routes to foodways to underwater exploration, the interdisciplinary nature of Pickerell’s narrative keeps readers yearning to learn more.
2025 Charles F. Montgomery Award
Edward Duffield: Philadelphia Clockmaker, Citizen, Gentlemen, 1730-1803, by Bob Frishman, 2024
The book catalogs and describes 71 known Duffield clocks and instruments. The work reveals that during the mid-18th century such timepieces were rarely fabricated entirely from scratch by isolated individuals. Instead, Frishman argues that Edward Duffield and his contemporaries were skilled mechanical artisans who crafted complex metal mechanisms that rang the hours and steadily ticked inside wooden cases typically made by others.
2025 Charles F. Montgomery Prize
Women, Enterprise, Craft: Chicago’s Atlan Ceramic Art Club, 1893-1923, by Sharon S. Darling, 2024
This revelatory publication explores the history of the Atlan Ceramic Art Club, one of the leading “china painting” studios of its day. Club members skillfully and inventively combined abstracted natural and floral ornament with modern porcelain shapes—a radical idea at the time. Darling brings these women out of the shadows, shining new light on their pioneering work.
2025 Charles F. Montgomery Prize Honorable Mention
The Crafted World of Wharton Esherick, by Sarah Archer, Colin Fanning, Ann Glaskcock, Holly Gore, Emily Zilber, with photography by Joshua McHugh, 2024
Esherick was a pivotal figure in 20th-century American art, craft, and design. His home and studio on Valley Forge Mountain (PA)—now the Wharton Esherick Museum—served as his creative epicenter and a vibrant community hub. This book presents Esherick’s work by drawing on the museum’s collection of nearly 3,000 objects, including furniture, architectural elements, prints, drawings and sculpture, many never before seen outside Esherick’s home and studio, and follows his evolution from paintings and woodcut illustrations to his revolutionary fusion of furniture and organic sculpture.
Service to the Profession
Stewart Rosenblum, for his 35 years of service on the board of the Decorative Arts Society. The Stewart Rosenblum Fund has been established for specific initiatives to secure the future of the DAS. Please see the Join page to make a gift.
David H. Bernstein and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
For their voluntary contribution of time and legal knowledge in upholding the integrity of the DAS trademark.