WINTERTHUR, Del. - The artistic influence of the Scots in early Philadelphia and this region is the theme of an October conference at Winterthur Museum and Country Estate, "Transatlantic Craftsmanship: Scotland and the Americas in the 18th and 19th Centuries."

A panel of lecturers from both sides of the Atlantic will explore the influence of this talented group of immigrants on the development of the American aesthetic style. The conference is scheduled Oct. 7-10.

Philadelphia and the colonies as a whole benefited enormously from an 18th-century influx of skilled artisans from Scotland. Equally important were the prosperous merchants and traders who settled here and commissioned craftsmen to build houses and to create furniture and decorative arts.

Before moving to Winterthur, the conference will open with a visit to Mount Pleasant in Fairmount Park and a round of talks at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Oct. 7. Mount Pleasant, a historic house on the banks of the Schuylkill, was built in 1763-65 for John Macpherson, a Scottish sea captain who had flourished during the French and Indian War.

"Mount Pleasant looks like a great Scottish house," says Alexandra Alevizatos Kirtley, associate curator of decorative arts at the museum. "This look reflects the experience of its master builder, Thomas Nevell, who had worked for Scottish architect Robert Smith at one time in his career, and the owner Macpherson, who was telling him what he wanted."

Kirtley recently went to Scotland, doing research for the conference, and she notes, "The Scots recognize that it looks like a Scottish house." Local influence can be seen in the use of some brick - a material widely available in Philadelphia - where one might expect stone.

In addition to businessmen such as Macpherson, Kirtley cites a steady stream of Scottish craftsmen coming to Philadelphia to make a new start in America - architects, turners, painters, merchants, stonecutters, and plasterers.

For example, Scottish-born architect Robert Smith made improvements to a house purchased in 1769 by the city's first mayor, Samuel Powel. Scottish artisan James Clow executed the magnificent plaster decoration in the rooms of the historic home on Third Street, still on view to the public.

Kirtley's own lecture will present new information on one of the most famous immigrants, cabinetmaker Thomas Affleck, who came to Philadelphia from Aberdeen at age 23. She says, "I will reveal where he was apprenticed and with whom in my talk."

The Philadelphia Museum of Art contains some of Affleck's finest works in the elaborate late baroque style of the 1770s. Period documentation charts his important commissions, such as the mahogany card table he made for Gen. John Cadwalader.

"There are furniture elements that are definitely limited to Scotland - there is a Scottish style," Kirtley continues. "What is even more exciting is that furniture from Aberdeen - where Thomas Affleck was born - is even more distinctive and peculiar. Some cabinetmakers would go to London to seek their fortunes, and some of them, including Affleck, came here."

The Transatlantic Craftsmanship conference covers a complete range of fine and decorative arts. Furniture talks will include a lecture by David Jones of the University of St. Andrews on the key types of Scottish High Style furniture and a discussion of Duncan Phyfe by Michael K. Brown, from Bayou Bend in Houston.

Not interested in brown furniture? National Museums of Scotland Keeper David Caldwell will cover "Collecting Scottish Weapons: Identity and Identification." Other talks will highlight Scottish silver, glass, pottery, and woven carpets.

Linda Eaton, Winterthur's longtime textile curator and the new director of collections, explains, "We've tried very hard to have speakers from both sides of the Atlantic. We are hoping this conference will be the first part of mutual discussions and encourage more research on the topic."

In addition to the lectures, she says, "We are having a small exhibition of some amazing things from the St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia, which began as a benevolent society for immigrants from Scotland."

Turning to her own specialty, Eaton adds, "At Winterthur, we have a lot of Scottish-related material in the collection. In fact, Winterthur has more Scottish printed commemorative handkerchiefs than have survived in Scotland."

"A major component of the American textile industry is based in Scottish craftsmanship, particularly because Glasgow was one of the big areas of printing and dyeing. A lot of weavers and textile-printers came to this country from Scotland by the 1820s."

To register for the conference, call 800-448-3883. A full listing of lectures and events is also online at Winterthur.org.

The fall schedule at Winterthur includes more educational programs for collectors and one of the nation's best antique shows. On Oct. 22, National Public Radio senior news analyst Cokie Roberts will deliver a lecture and sign copies of her new book, Founding Mothers: The Influential Women of our Early Days.

Also in Delaware this fall, the 46th annual Delaware Antiques Show, with 60 distinguished dealers, will be held Nov. 6-8 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington. The show will feature a keynote address by Carrie Rebora Barratt, curator of American paintings and sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, tied to Winterthur's current portrait exhibition, "Faces of a New Nation."

Barratt's lecture also will open the two-day Winterthur Paintings Conference on Nov. 6-7. The focus will be on the 1940s for the "Chic It Up" design conference Nov. 13, and the museum's festive Christmas trimmings will go up Nov. 21.