The museum houses a robust and varied collection of furnishings and artifacts ranging from Indigenous Peoples’ stone tools and the 1652 Metcalf great chair (oldest dated American-made chair) to an important collection of Dedham and Chelsea Keramic pottery. On exhibit are several rare clocks including one of only two known “astronomical shelf clocks” by Simon Willard.
The collection includes works by artists including John Constable, Gilbert Stuart, Lilian Westcott Hale and her husband Philip Leslie Hale, Alvan Fisher, Amasa Hewins, and Henry Hitchings, among others. The museum also owns the largest collection of Arts & Crafts silver by Katharine Pratt.
Some of the most important furniture in the nation is on display in the museum galleries.
Lillian Westcott Hale, Gilbert Stuart, John Constable, and Alvan Fisher, are among the artists represented in the collection
The museum holds the largest and most significant collection of Dedham Pottery in the country, in addition to wares by Chelsea Keramic Art Works.
Rare and unusual clocks are among those on display in the galleries.
Stone tools dating thousands of years in the past are a testament to the Indigenous Peoples who lived on the land that is now Dedham.
Garments, hats, and shoes from the 1700s through to the present document festive occasions, work, and everyday attire.
