GLADWYNE, PENN. — Dr Robert E. Booth, Jr (1945-2026) died on January 15. A renowned Americana collector, who specialized in Shaker and Pennsylvania German folk art, he had a keen appreciation of objects with fine proportion and original surface that told compelling stories of this country’s history. Booth’s collecting interests ran the gamut from firefighting material and carvings to trade signs, weathervanes and cast iron banks.
He was an innovative orthopedic surgeon and an influential leader and mentor in the field of knee arthroplasty. In his 50+-year career as an orthopedic surgeon, he performed more total knee arthroplasty surgeries than any other physician in the United States. Booth will receive The Knee Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously.
Robert and his wife, Katharine, shared a passion for early American history and its material culture. They were generous with their collections and knowledge. They wrote many articles and co-curated several loan exhibitions to the Philadelphia Antiques Show as well as lending artifacts for outside exhibitions to allow others to appreciate the beauty and history of these objects.
Booth was formerly a president of the American Folk Art Society and he and his wife received the Frances Anne Wister Award bestowed by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks in 2011.
A more detailed obituary will follow in an upcoming issue.
