About us

Philip Mead is a professional antiques dealer and historian with a rare combination of scholarly expertise and a lifelong instinct for uncovering the hidden stories in early American objects. He specializes in 18th-century artifacts, with a particular focus on the Revolutionary era, and brings decades of experience in identifying, researching, and authenticating historical material.

Philip served as the founding Chief Historian and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Museum of the American Revolution (2014–2022), where he helped shape the museum’s curatorial vision from the ground up. He developed the intellectual framework for the core exhibitions, curated five major special exhibits, and led content creation for films, digital interactives, and galleries.

Philip’s academic foundation is rooted in years of rigorous training: he studied history at Brown University under Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon S. Wood and earned his MA and PhD from Harvard University, where his research focused on the diaries of Revolutionary War soldiers. His scholarship bridges the gap between academic history and public storytelling, with a keen focus on illuminating the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary times.

An expert in identifying and interpreting 18th-century artifacts, Philip has a track record of significant discoveries. Among the most notable is his identification of a previously unrecognized 18th-century watercolor of George Washington’s tent by Pierre Charles L'Enfant—the only known eyewitness image of the tent from the Revolutionary War period. His research and curatorial leadership turned the painting into the centerpiece of the acclaimed exhibit Among His Troops.

Philip’s fascination with history began early, sparked by the personal belongings of Revolutionary soldiers. Even as a student, he scoured auctions and antique shops across New England, sharpening his eye for historical objects. That lifelong passion—combined with decades of academic and curatorial experience—continues to inform his work today, as he brings the past to life through the objects that witnessed it.