Those who have visited the Main House at Planting Fields will likely be familiar with the name Samuel Yellin. Yellin was an American master blacksmith and metal designer. W.R. Coe commissioned Yellin to create a number of decorative and functional items for the Main House at Planting Fields, including a garden gate, fireplace screens, light switch covers, and more. Yellin’s drawings and papers are housed in the Architectural Archives of Stuart Weitzman School of Design, the design school of the University of Pennsylvania. This summer, I took a research trip to Philadelphia to learn more about Yellin’s work at Planting Fields.
Photograph of a fire screen “designed and executed by Samuel Yellin for W.R. Coe” in 1921
Born in Ukraine, Yellin immigrated to the United States in 1905 and shortly after opened his own metalsmith shop in Philadelphia. Yellin’s workshop was a prolific operation; their work can be found all over the United States, including multiple private residences on Long Island.
When I arrived at the Architectural Archives, I was greeted with multiple boxes and folders that contained drawings of Yellin’s work designed for Planting Fields. Some were to scale, such as drawings of andirons, or the metal supports that hold logs inside of fireplaces. Some were small studies of details, such as this sketch of the front door of Coe Hall, tucked into the corner of a larger drawing.
Close up of a sketch of the front door of Coe Hall
Some 250 photographs later, I had learned a lot about Yellin’s work at Planting Fields. While other members of Yellin’s workshop did produce some of these objects, notes on some drawings and sketches indicate that Yellin himself was directly involved in the production of multiple objects. I sorted through drawings and files for items that I was familiar with, as well as a few that I had never seen before! For example, this doorknob and lock featuring maritime motifs was sketched and photographed at Yellin’s studio, but the staff here has never seen this object within the historic house museum. Research is always ongoing at Planting Fields Foundation, stay tuned as we track down where this object ended up!
A sketch and photograph of a completed doorknob with maritime motifs.
From Emily Leger, Collections and Exhibitions Manager