Beyond the Blue and White with Charter Books

Join us for this collaborative book talk and signing event with Charter Books highlighting Beyond the Blue and White: The Hidden History of Delftware and the Women Behind the Iconic Ceramic by Genevieve Wheeler Brown !

At first glance, Beyond Blue and White—a cultural history of Delftware—and Howard Gardiner Cushing’s society portraits might seem worlds apart. But both works reveal how objects of beauty, particularly those shaped by East Asian design motifs, have long been used to craft narratives of identity, refinement, and power—especially through the lens of Western taste.

Genevieve Wheeler-Brown’s Beyond Blue and White uncovers the hidden histories behind Delftware’s iconic cobalt surfaces, particularly the overlooked women—makers, collectors, and curators—who shaped the ceramics’ legacy. These blue-and-white objects, deeply inspired by imported Chinese porcelain, became vessels of both personal and imperial identity in 17th–20th century Europe and America.

Join us and consider the ways in which Beyond Blue and White and Cushing’s chinoiserie‑tinged portraits reveal how decorative arts—from Delftware to Chinese‑inspired interiors—become powerful vectors of identity, status, and cultural conversation.

Charter Books will be onsite with copies of Beyond Blue and White for purchase!

*cash bar

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About the Author:

As a decorative art advisor and writer with over thirty years in the art world, including a decade with Christie’s in New York and London, Genevieve Wheeler Brown has been actively involved in the community of Delftware. She has also participated on the Antiques Roadshow as an appraiser with an eye out for overlooked “treasure.” In her role, she has held innumerable objects, from fake Stradivari violins to gold-mounted Faberge eggs, considering their value but also the stories they can tell.