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Rare Victorian Toolbar Available
I've developed a toolbar for those of us that use Rare Victorian and the forum on a daily basis. I know some of you are thinking, "John why the heck would I want a Rare Victorian toolbar?". Well, the answer is that it pu
House Of Representatives Bookcase Bidding Update
"John, get over it. Bidding issues happen all the time. Join the club." I know that's probably what you're all thinking and I agree. I've been the under-bidder many times before and it's never a happy feeling. Not succee
W. W. Strong Ebonized, Aesthetic Movement Bedroom Suite
This Aesthetic Movement bedroom suite has popped up on Ebay and is labeled via stamp to be made by W. W. Strong Co. of Chicago, Illinois. The seller has some other provenance to share with us on the set: The set was purc
Didn't Win The House Of Representatives Bookcase
Just a quick note to pass on very bad news confirmed this morning. I didn't win the House of Representatives Bookcase that I bid on this weekend at the Harlowe Powell sale. Apparently my $1,625.00 bid was not enough to t
1857-Era House of Representatives Bookcase
As members of the Rare Victorian forum and of subscribers to Rare Victorian Special Finds have known for a number of days, this somewhat simple bookcase may be a pretty rare find. Thanks to a tip from Jason/1881Victorian
Neal Auction - Spring Estates Auction - April 18th, 19th 2009
Neal Auction is preparing for another great sale this weekend, their Spring Estates Sale on Saturday April 18th and 19th. The Victorian Furniture headliner for me in this sale is the Herter Brothers-attributed credenza s
Consensus: Not Stanford White Design - Aesthetic Parlor Set
There was a lot of good discussion on the Parlor Set in the last post that, by family history, had been designed by or is in some way associated with Stanford White. Cheryl (AKA misslillybart) found a photo that seems to
Stanford White Parlor Set Mystery
Usually when I do these antique Victorian furniture posts I post an image or so and accompany it with the brief research that I have done. I'm going to do it backwards this time. I am posting the image first without havi
Signs Of A New Generation Of Antique Collectors
A post that I did on the passing of Richard Wright in early March asked a question that a not-yet 20-year old site visitor named Frank Merante of Francis Clay Antiques answered in an email to me. His note gives me hope t
Fontaine's Exceptional Antique Auction, April 4th
Fontaine's has another one of their Exceptional Antique Auctions coming up this weekend and there are many great Victorian pieces to be aware of. Live bidding will be provided
Truman & Tyler Bill Of Sale To Robert Knight
Truman & Tyler were furniture dealers "in Rich and Common Furniture, Feathers, Mattresses, Looking Glasses, and Housekeeping Articles, at Wholesale and Retail." They were located at 109 Westminster Street in Providen
Old House Tours Launches!
I have no free time but I had to do it. I've launched a new site dedicated to the appreciation of historic properties - Old House Tours. My aim is to capture old homes and buildings of all eras and share them with others
For The Record: Bardwell, Anderson & Co., Boston, MA
I was perusing one of my oft-used Victorian furniture books, Furniture Made In America, 1875-1905, and ran into a table that I knew that I had seen before. My recollection is that Meg and Bruce Cummings had one in their
Victorian Antique Furniture Stolen - Birmingham, AL
Please be on the lookout for some Victorian Furniture that was stolen on it's trip down to Stevens Auction. If you come across any of it please contact us (info @ rarevictorian.com) and we will pass the information on to
John Henry Belter Lion & Serpent Decoration
In a recent post I mentioned a John Henry Belter sofa design that integrated uncommon Belter themes of sea serpents, lion arms and carved paw feet. Photos of this sofa can be found on page 65 of the Belter book and are s
S. Karpen & Bros. Furniture Exhibition - Russell Senate Office Building
Emily Rose, a Karpen descendent and author, tipped me off that there is a special exhibition going on featuring furniture from the S. Karpen & Bros. furniture manufacturing company at the Russell Senate Office Buildi
Rare R.J. Horner Bedroom Suite Up At Auction
Just a quick note to mention the upcoming April 5th sale of an attributed R.J. Horner Bedroom suite. A tag does accompany the set. More details and photo tour at the R.J. Horner blog.
The Wild Side Of John Henry Belter
I hadn't been paying attention. It took a couple years into my Victorian furniture "mindshift" for me to notice that some of the attributed John Henry Belter chairs had lions carved into the arms. I had probably seen hun
Herter Brothers Attributed Cabinet
I think that Herter Brothers fans would likely agree with me when I say that I don't think the Herter Brothers attribution on this cabinet currently for sale on Ebay is warranted. The use of hardware on this piece is in
Emerson & Son Spiral Table
I recently purchased an Emerson & Son furniture catalog from 1893 which I will make available on the catalog page in future. What caught my eye in the catalog was the image seen below. As I said to Paul Tucker in an
For The Record: James W. Cooper & Brother
In case anyone runs across one of these Hunzinger-looking pedestals, they were actually made by Philadelphia maker James W. Cooper. You may have already viewed his "Art Furniture" catalog here on this site. Paul Tucker,
Victorian Furniture At Grand View Antiques & Auction
There is a fair amount of Victorian furniture in today's Grand View sale and the lot that popped out from the rest for me was #129 - the Pottier & Stymus-attributed, mirrored credenza, above. There are some other fam
James W. Cooper & Bro. - Philadelphia Art Furniture
Many of you may already be aware that I have set up a special page on Rare Victorian to make original furniture manufacturer catalogs from the 19th century available for Rare Victorian readers to view. I own several peri
William "Richard" Wright Jr. (1947-2009)
The sad news of the passing of William "Richard" Wright on Sunday at the age of 62 made me pause for a moment and feel very upset that I won't get a chance to hear him unleash his seemingly endless depth of knowledge on
Belter Bidding War
This video is from a 2006 Antiques Roadshow video appraisal done on this pair of John Henry Belter scroll pattern armchairs where the buyer paid $7,000 for them - a result of a heated bidding war where the thrill got the
Selection of Hal Hunt Auction Results
Thanks to Rick Ponder, we have a selection of results from the last Hal Hunt sale enumerated in the forum. A few highlights are the Belter bed shown on this post went for $175,000, a Belter dresser for $80,000, and a Bel
M. & H. Schrenkeisen Sofa With Carved Bust Arms
I thought I'd post a catalog reference image for M. & H. Schrenkeisen to help set the record (kinda) straight on this sofa. I say "kinda" since one can never believe everything one reads, but this is photographic pro
"Shannon Phila" Locks = Daniel Pabst?
I ran into this dresser listing on Ebay which caught my eye due to the expertly done Aesthetic Movement carvings. What further caught my eye was a mention in the listing description of the presence of locks that bear the
George Henkels Bedroom Suite Analysis
This bed from the Neal Auction February 2008 sale is part of a 3-piece bedroom suite that I recently ran into in the hands of a dealer. I believe they are one and the same set and probably one and the same as the one "Ha
Gerald Lawhorn Collection At Hal Hunt Auctions
Major collectors of the best in American Rococo probably have already directed their attention to the February 21st Hal Hunt Auction of the Gerald Lawhorn collection. Lawhorn founded the Griffin, GA PetroSouth chain of g
Antique Purchasing Poll Results
It's been almost two days since I put up the poll on antique purchasing and the response distribution has stayed relatively the same since the early votes so I thought I'd share the results thus far. It seems that 50% of
Are You Tempering Your Antique Purchases In This Economic Downturn?
I had to resist signing a check and handing it over the the dealer who was displaying this birdseye Maple bedroom suite. I am in need of a bedroom set badly and my wife reminds me regularly about the bare mattress in one
Lincoln's 200th Birthday - Library of Congress Images
It seems odd that the states in U.S. can't make up their mind as to what President's Day should be called or who it should honor. Depending up on the state you live in, it may be called "Washington's Birthday", "Presiden
Not A Belter Work/Sewing Table
I received a note from Joan Bogart about the table that was profiled in a few previous posts. It was documented in the book, "The Furniture of John Henry Belter and the Rococo Revival" on page 83. Joan feels that the tab
Staircases Are Not Furniture
I have a new pet peeve - though I need a stronger way to express my disdain for this practice but I'll keep the blog clean. The removal of historic staircases from homes that are not being demolished is a low way to secu
Strange Things Happen
On February 2nd I published a post about a John Henry Belter work table and explain that by blogging about it I was imprinting it's form in my brain. February 7th I spot what I think is a larger version of the same table