Molesworth: Pioneer of Western Design is the quintessential monograph of the legendary Thomas Molesworth, his life and work. As the first thoroughly detailed and complete guide, it explores Molesworth's journey to becoming one of the leading western furniture designers. Molesworth's innovative designs-his sense of balance, simplicity, and artfulness-are visible in all of his efforts. In addition to furniture, he designed lighting, floor treatments, and art to complete his concept of a true western space. Molesworth also used silhouettes, bright colors, and incorporated Native American artifacts and motifs to personalize his work. Found in hotels and other public buildings, ranches, and homes, Molesworth's quality craftsmanship and superior use of materials are immediately recognizable. While his high-style work centers around practical rustic furniture pieces, at the heart of his work the romantic and enduring spirit of the West is manifest and experienced. A guide for Thomas Molesworth devotees as well as aficionados of western design, this definitive volume details Molesworth's education, the early years of his career, and the founding and establishment of his Shoshone Furniture Company. Molesworth was incredibly successful at producing world-class furniture and developing lucrative marketing strategies from coast-to-coast. His influence on his hometown of Cody, Wyoming, and the colony of artists he inspired is immeasurable. With a career spanning over thirty years, his influence is profound and sweeping. Indeed, that influence extends into today where a new generation of artists and collectors are dazzled and inspired by Molesworth's legacy. Flip through the pages of this book torediscover your love affair with the West and learn more about this visionary designer, craftsman, and western dreamer. back flap Terry Winchell has dealt antiques for nearly two and a half decades as owner of Fighting Bear Antiques in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He is a recognized authority on rustic and Thomas Molesworth furniture. He has performed museum appraisals for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, and consulted for the John Toomey Gallery in Chicago and Christie's in New York. Winchell has been published in Architectural Digest, Art & Antiques, and Cowboys & Indians and has been featured on Home & Garden television, the BBC, and Antiques Roadshow. Most recently, Winchell was a featured speaker at the 3rd Annual Arts and Crafts Weekend Conference and Show in Anaheim, California. He has a degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska. W. Garth Dowling has been working in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, since coming to work for the Jackson Hole News as chief photographer in 1991. Originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Garth studied photography at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism, graduating magna cum laude in 1988. After seven years with the Jackson newspaper, Garth chose to pursue architectural photography. His work has appeared in the following magazines: Southwest Art, Western Interiors and Design and Cowboys & Indians. In addition to being an active photojournalist, Garth is also a frequent contributing writer/photographer for Boys' Life magazine and a participant in the America 24/7 book project. When not making photographs, Garth does whatever his dog tells him to do.

Thomas Molesworth, were he alive today, would be both proud and amazed at the influence his Shoshone Furniture Company and the Cody artists' colony he inspired would have on his old hometown and the Western Design movement seventy-two years after he started producing furniture. Based on nearly two decades of buying, selling, pursuing, and researching Molesworth furniture, Terry Winchell has created a definitive book that covers all spectrums of Molesworth's work, including the influence of the other artists who made his style unique, as well as stylistically and financially successful. The fact that Molesworth's furniture career spanned thirty-plus years speaks for itself. An excellent guide for collectors of Molesworth's work, this book is also an invaluable resource for fans of the Western Design movement.
Just as Gustav Stickley was influenced by John Ruskin and William Morris, Molesworth was certainly influenced by the Stickleys and others in the Arts and Crafts movement. Molesworth's early training at the Art Institute of Chicago as well as the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement are apparent in the simplicity and balance of his designs--yet he went a step further by using silhouettes, bright colors, and Native American motifs to personalize his efforts. He was not satisfied to stop there, however. Molesworth showcases furniture on display at the Buffalo Bill Historic Center (Cody, WY), the Museum of the American West (Los Angeles, CA), the Bear Butte Visitors' Center (Sturgis, SD), and Yawkay Plantation (Georgetown, SC), among many other locations.
Chapters cover Molesworth's career, education, and the development of his furniture company.
Terry Winchell has dealt in antiques for more than twenty-four years as owner of Fighting Bear Antiques in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He is a recognized authority on rustic and Thomas Molesworth furniture, has performed museum appraisals for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, and has consulted for the John Toomey Gallery in Chicago and Christie's in New York. Winchell has been published in Architectural Digest, Art & Antiques, and Cowboys & Indians, and has been featured on HGTV, the BBC, and Antiques Roadshow. Most recently, Winchell was a featured speaker at the Third Annual Arts and Crafts Weekend Conference and Show in Anaheim, California. He graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in business administration.