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Exhibit: Suffolk County's Role In The Civil War
Victorian furniture fans will be interested in an exhibit on display through November 14th March 2010 at the Suffolk county Historical Society. This exhibit is focuses on the experiences of Long Island residents in the C
In The Showroom: Stickley-Brandt And Robert Mitchell Furniture - 1906
I enjoy running across photographs of period furniture new in the showroom and here is one from April, 1906. I recognize a mix of manufacturers in this photo. The front-left chair is a Robert Mitchell "Roman Arm Chair" a
J & JW Meeks Duchesse At Harlowe-Powell Auction Gallery
When signed pieces of Victorian-era furniture show up for sale, I like to feature them so that we have a reference for the future when similar pieces show up that are not marked by their maker. Sandra at Harlowe-Powell t
Auction Results - Neal Auction Fall Estates Sale
Fine Victorian furniture was in abundance at Neal Auction Company’s mid-September event. More than 1,000 lots of American furniture alone crossed the auction block. The top piece of Victorian furniture to sell raked in
Great Story Behind Amazing 900 Pound European Sideboard
A recent blog visitor, Melody, shared some photos with me of her family's monumental sideboard. If anyone has any information on whether they could confirm the origin of Capri and the type of wood, she would be grateful.
For The Record: Kilian Brothers Worktable
Here's another installment of my For The Record posts, in which seek to disburse information on pieces with available documentation for future identification purposes. While perusing the Neal Auction furniture sections f
Thomas Brooks Dresser With Putto
I almost incorrectly used the term "cherub" to describe this winged male child that is represented in the crest of this dresser, but I remembered that I had wanted to do a little digging on the difference between the wor
Kirkwood Mansion Sale In Eutaw, Alabama
Saturday, September 5th, 2009 @ 10am there will be an onsite Estate Auction at Kirkwood Mansion in Eutaw, Alabama. Hal Hunt will be selling the Contents of Kirkwood Mansion - the Estate Collection of Al and Danky Blanton
A Real Galusha In Our Midst
It's not as frequent as Belter, Meeks, Horner, Hunzinger, and the other usual Victorian-era furniture makers, but it isn't unusual to see furniture somewhat liberally attributed to Elijah Galusha. Galusha was a cabinetma
Comparing Herter Brothers Marks - When Is It Authentic?
Marked, signed, or labeled furniture in the Victorian era is the exception and not the norm. The higher-end furniture makers seemed to be as neglectful in this regard as any of the rest of the cabinetmakers. One of the m
New York Cabinetmakers Get Married
Neal Auction has another of their great sales coming up in September and I'll try to cover more of the items as it comes nearer, but I was tipped off to an anomaly in one of their featured lots, the etagere above. The bo
Herts Brothers Bedroom Furniture For Sale
Available for sale is this very impressive twin bedroom set made by Herts Brothers during the turn of the 20th century in the Louis XV style. The extensive inlay includes brass, copper, pewter and mother of pearl and the
Victorian Dollhouse Furniture
I recently purchased a new parlor set, but this time I have room for it. Not my usual cup of tea - this is a circa 1999 Rococo parlor set from China, but it's resemblance to the furniture of the makers we often discuss c
Hunzinger "Woven Wire" Patent Seat
This is a George Hunzinger "Dining or Library Chair No. 44" from the Kimball's Book of Designs: Furniture and Drapery (Boston, 1876). I have a question into the seller of the chair on the right to see if the original wir
Alexander Roux Chairs With Original Label
According to the label above which accompanies a pair of chairs currently for sale, these chairs were produced by Alexander Roux between 1848 and 1867 due to the 479 Broadway address mentioned. The chairs are entirely eb
Late Classical Chair - ca. 1825
Still welcoming other thoughts on the discussion of our recent mystery chair. I'm providing an image of an authentic Late Classical chair with similar arm form, above. Let us know your thoughts in the comments of the ori
Victorian Sofa and Settee For Sale
Kathryn Bauer is offering the following antique Victorian furniture items for sale which you can view in the images to follow. A George Henkels-attributed Rosewood sofa with newer upholstery. Kathy has extra matching fab
Another "If Only ..." Moment
Sometimes Rare Victorian regular Zeke sends me things that get my blood pressure pumping in a bad way and this is another example of one of those "If Only" moments. If only I'd been there. If only Zeke had bought it. If
Mystery Chair - Late Classical or Nouveau?
Here's an intriguing mystery chair for you which is in the middle of disagreement on it's age. This isn't a casual situation where a curious chair owner would like to know, but a case where the chair is being offered to
Victorian Folding Chair Identification
Photo courtesy of Liveauctioneers Victorian-era Folding chairs did have a higher-end and occasionally you will see that reflected in the auction prices for them today. The chair above was (I believe incorrectly) attribut
Victorian Furniture Makers' Careers Span Periods
Many Victorian furniture cabinetmakers' careers crossed wide swaths of the Victorian period and thus, adapted to the changes in tastes across those careers. When we think of John Jellif, we think of the Renaissance Reviv
Another J.W. Hamburger Prince Of Wales Set
Another 3-piece Renaissance Revival parlor set that I believe to be a "Prince of Wales" set by J.W. Hamburger has popped up on Ebay. This one is nicer than the others I have seen due to the inclusion of brass plaques, bu
"Jelliff" Crest For Sale
Just a quick note to give those that collect Victorian furniture parts a heads up that a "Jelliff" crest is for sale. I say "Jelliff" with tongue firmly planted in my cheek as I soon expect to put up my last post on the
Associating Herter Brothers With Decorative Inlay
Peter sent me this photo of a Renaissance Revial parlor set that he has from a "wealthy relative" and was asking if I knew who the cabinetmaker may have been that constructed it. He was wondering if it was made by Herter
Klauder And Deginter, Philadelphia Furniture Makers
Flomaton Antique Auction has suspended it's monthly auctions indefinitely, but that hasn't stopped Nevin Heller from bringing quality antiques to the world. I was perusing his antique site, "Circa 19th Century" (a busine
Top 10 Antiques Blogs
I put together a top 10 Antiques Blogs list for Blogs.com and tried to make it very diverse in it's genres and topical coverage. I tried to include a sprinkling of general antiques news blogs mixed with very focused nich
"General" Tom Thumb's Personal Settee
Speaking of upholstery ... Joan Bogart recently shared with me a settee in her possession that originally belonged to Tom Thumb. Discovered at the age of 5 by distant relative P.T. Barnum, Charles Sherwood Stratton was a
Upholstery Choices Giving "Victorian" A Bad Rap
Victorian-Era Furniture has gained a bad rap over the past 100 years for it's "garishness" and I think that there is no potential end to that reputation, and thus, it's lack of mainstream appeal. I think there is one thi
Gold Gilt Belter Furniture
I recently ran across this four-piece set of John Henry Belter Rosalie chairs online and asked the owner if I could post the image here. What struck me about this set is that the crests are gold-gilt. I have never run ac
Compiling Top 10 Antique Blogs List
I've been asked to compile a top 10 list of Antiques-oriented blog for Blogs.com and I'd like to solicit feedback from the Rare Victorian community. If you have some favorite antiques blogs that you follow, please pass t
Rare Victorian Forum: Restoration Tips for Cleaning Compo
Tcandkk may be a newbie poster on the Rare Victorian board, but it's already obvious that she's not a newbie when it comes to buying Victorian furniture. She loves a deal and is prepared to put the work in to bring a les
George Hunzinger Lounge Chair
George Hunzinger furniture fans will probably be interested to see this chair design by him based on the 1869 brace patent. This is not a common form and I personally haven't seen one in the past. You can see the chair w
Neal Auction Summer Estates Auction
Neal Auction's next sale is coming up this weekend and it has it's share of worthy lots which I have provided a sampling of below. I have been so busy recently that I haven't had a chance to review the paper catalog that
John Jelliff Neo-Grec VSA Article
John Jelliff in The Victorian Times I recently "met" Roberta Mayer virtually through this site when she saw my posts on John Jelliff and the "Jenny Lind" carved arms. She made me aware of an article she had written on th
My Antiques Roadshow Experience Part II
I left off with my Antiques Roadshow experience in the last post at the paintings table. Both Chris and I had lugged our final appraisal items through this, our longest line - long enough that it was broken in two, which
Does “Victorian” Really Have Any Meaning?
Photo courtesy of Liveauctioneers Now that we’ve tackled the semantics of Empire vs. Late Classical, let’s take a crack at something larger – the word “Victorian.” Does “Victorian” really have any meaning?