IN FOCUS talk by Joseph Cunningham, PhD
Dryden Theatre, Thursday, May 14, 2026, 6PM.
The mansion will be opening following the talk
COMPLIMENTARY PUBLIC PROGRAM
Join Joseph Cunningham and explore the ornamental ironwork of Samuel Yellin (1884-1940) in Rochester, with a focus on exemplary work commissioned by George Eastman in 1924 for the Conservatory of his mansion. Analyze the naturalistic and stylized imagery in Eastman’s lunette and grille panels – a stylistic breakthrough in the year – compared to Yellin’s finest achievement around the country.
A Ukrainian Jewish immigrant, he was regarded during his lifetime and since as a quintessential master craftsman and innovator in design. The nation’s leading architects called upon him to create elaborate artistic works in wrought iron for sophisticated clients, including titans of business and prominent tastemakers. Yellin celebrated the traditions of European metalwork with extraordinary artisanry in a difficult medium while innovating within key style of early twentieth-century American design.
Joseph Cunningham, PhD, is Curatorial Director of the Leeds Art Foundation and the author of The Metalwork of Samuel Yellin, a two-volume box set (Yale University Press, 2025).
Image* Samuel Yellin, sample grille section for George Eastman residence, wrought iron, 1924. George Eastman Museum, gift of Clare Yellin in honor of Joseph Cunningham, 2016.
