User:Rcrandallant/Flint

Early Life
Charles L. Flint was born March 1, 1946 at Fairview Hospital, Great Barrington, Massachusetts to parents, Charles Flint and Antoinette Piaquadio. Charles went to school in the Eastern of part Lee, Massachusetts until 1965 when he graduated. In his youth, Charles drew, painted and made sculptures. He became interested in antiques at an early age. His father would take him around Berkshire County to dig up glass bottles and he quickly became a collector with an eye for detail. After discovering that some bottles might be valuable, he researched early glass bottle production. Much of his research was done at the local library and museums. He then began trading antique bottles with local antique dealers as a hobby. . Charles sought out knowledgeable collectors for education. Electronics were also of interest to him. He would often take electronic devices apart, learn how they worked, and then put them back together.

His focus is on early industries in Glass and Iron making, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, and Architecture of Berkshire County.

Early career
After graduating from high school, from 1964-1966, Flint worked for Housatonic Appliance and TV Company as part of the sales department, and performed television and radio repairs. During 1965, his interest for antiques became part of his work life. In his spare time, he would deal, appraise and collect art and antiques. Another focus is on the early history of Berkshire County, especially early industries in glass and iron making, lime, charcoal, archeology, anthropology, geology, the Shakers, Architecture. Flint became a picker right around the age of 19. Flint stated that "Becoming a picker is the Harvard education of the antiques world."

Later career
After Charles left his job as an electronic repairman, he became a crane operator for General Motors in Bristol,Ct until 1969. From 1969 to 1975, he worked for Western Massachusetts Construction Company performing various duties such as operating cranes, heavy machinery, trucks and was a superintendent of the Main Street Urban Renewal demolition project in North Adams, Massachusetts. During this period, he learned how to negotiate in business dealing with everyone in the community from the Mayor to the kids that enjoyed watching the demolition. Flint became very visible in the community and started doing house calls searching for treasures.

Career in fine art and antiques
Flint has been a fine art and museum quality antiques dealer for over forty years. In 1977, he opened a shop in Lenox that specialized in eighteenth and nineteenth century Shaker furniture, paintings, folk art and accessories. He has been an appraiser, arbitrator and broker on the national art scene. Flint is a member of the New England Appraisers Association. His special expertise is in fine arts, American furniture, oil paintings; 16th through 19th century. He has many years of close collaboration with the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and his relationship with Norman Rockwell has allowed him to build expertise of Norman Rockwell and his art. Flint is a regular authenticator for the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Berkshire Museum, Arrowhead-Herman Melville's home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts,the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute,The Mount-Edith Wharton's Home, the Shaker villages at Mt. Lebanon, New York and Hancock, Massachusetts and for private collectors. He also specializes in Shaker furniture and accessories, early blown and molded glass, bottles, stoneware, polychrome folk art. Charles Flint brings enthusiasm to his work. He dismisses the idea that there are not fresh discoveries to be made. Flint still finds things that have been in families for generations. He will be in someone's attic and move a box aside, and suddenly he is looking at something not seen in years, in which everything-rarity, color, patina, form-comes together. His focus is on early industries in Glass and Iron making, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, and Architecture of Berkshire County.

Museum and Volunteer Experience
Flint served as director of the Mount Lebanon Shaker Village for three years in the late 1980's" and he wrote a book on the subject of Shaker Furniture titled Mount Lebanon Shaker Collection. Flint also served as president for the Berkshire Antique Bottle Association and the Lenox Historical Society. In 2004, Flint was guest curator of the Nathaniel Hawthorn Exhibit at the Lenox Library in the Welles Gallery.

Flint was the guest curator of the Underground Railroad exhibit for the performance "Invisible Wings", choreographed by Joanna Haigood, director of Zaccho Dance Theatre. This was experienced twice; in 1997 and 2008 at the historic 18th century Derby House, at Jacobs Pillow Dance in Becket, Massachusetts. Flint does appraisals and authentications for Norman Rockwell Museum, Berkshire Museum, Berkshire Historical Society, Edith Wharton Restoration, The Mount, Clark Art Institute, Bidwell House Museum, Hancock Shaker Village, and many other historical societies and libraries.

Publications by Charles Flint
IA, The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology

Trace Element Constraints on the Source of Silica Sand Used by the Boston and Sandwich Glass Co. (c. 1826–1888), Massachusetts

J. Victor Owen, Katherine L. Irwin, Charles L. Flint, and John D. Greenough



Mount Lebanon Shaker Collection

Text: Charles L. Flint

Photographs: Paul Rocheleau

Collection at Darrow School, New Lebanon, NY

Published by Mount Lebanon Shaker Village 1987