Collections Connection: Blacksmithing Trunk Locks with Tom Latané

Vesterheim has an extensive collection of trunks and chests brought from Norway by immigrants. In this recorded presentation, master blacksmith Tom Latané and Vesterheim Collections Manager Jennifer Kovarik highlight forged chest locks and the different mechanisms locksmiths employed to secure belongings.

Tom Latané and his wife, Catherine, have a shop in Pepin, Wisconsin, where Tom repairs antiques and creates original pieces using a traditional design vocabulary and historic hand techniques. Find out more about Tom and the classes he’s teaching at Vesterheim here.

Collection Connections is a series of Vesterheim-hosted conversations between the museum’s collections staff and folk-art school instructors. Highlighting the incredible folk-art collection at Vesterheim, these conversations are also opportunities for you to stay connected with your folk-art community during this unpredictable time. Each gathering will highlight a piece or two from the collection as explained, interpreted, and appreciated by a master folk artist.

Subscribe to Vesterheim’s YouTube channel here.