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Showing 1–36 of 641. Use the topic index above to filter, or page through below.
Own the Name: Exact-Match .com Domains for the Great Victorian Cabinetmakers
Herterbrothers.com. Rjhorner.com. Johnhenrybelter.com. Rare exact-match .com domains for the most documented American Victorian cabinetmakers — available now via secure escrow.
For the Record: Daniel Pabst, the Hand Behind the "Furness" Modern Gothic Cabinet
The Met's towering Modern Gothic cabinet is attributed to both Frank Furness and Daniel Pabst — designer and maker. Here's why the distinction between the two roles matters when you're cataloging one of these pieces.
German Renaissance Revival
I received an email from Alyson wanting to sell her Renaissance Revival parlor set (contact me if interested) and was intrigued by it's history so I thought that I'd share. "This set was handed down to me by my Grandmoth
Decent Furniture for Decent People
I'm sharing a PhD Thesis on 19th Century Canadian furniture with a special focus on manufacturer Jacques & Hay by Denise Jacques (I assume there is no coincidence there on the last name). She is now working on a book
Daniel M. Karcher Bookcase For William S. Auchincloss
It's not often that you can definitively identify a maker for a particular piece of Victorian furniture and equally rare is identifying a piece's original customer. When lucky enough to have some of this information, you
"Based On The Quality of Work" And Other False Reasonings
There are a lot of methodologies that people use to identify a particular piece's maker, but few of them drive me more bonkers than "based on the quality of the work it surely was made by so and so". Relative to what? Ho
No Reserve - Signed Alexander Roux Bed
You don't come across a signed, Rosewood Alexander Roux bed for $2k that often (current price with no reserve). It's not an overly grandiose bed in size or sophistication of design, but the carvings are exceptionally wel
George Hunzinger Receipt
I recently purchased this original George Hunzinger receipt from 1900, which is two years after George Sr's death. Notice the "& Son" in the logo. I assume that this is an example of Hunzinger wholesaling to another
$4,594 Seems A Bit Steep
There must have been a few bidders that REALLY wanted this Victorian-era terrarium. Either they know something about it that I don't know or they had some excess money on hand that they wanted to part with. This terrariu
Update and Book Giveaway
I know that I have been very silent in past weeks so I thought that I would give you an update on what's going on and give away a copy of a recently published book that will be of interest to many of you. My life has cha
Fontaine's Exceptional Antique Auction Tomorrow, 5/21
press release: The following Monumental R.J. Horner Figural Mahogany Dining Room Set. 12 Pc. Figural carved set will be offered at Fontaine's Auction Gallery in Pittsfield MA, on May 21st 2011 at 11am EST. The set includ
Neo-Grec Parlor Suite For Sale
I get a lot of offers to buy Victorian furniture and recently I've been passing on them personally and handing the opportunity on to you. Here is a Neo-Grec three-piece parlor suite that I have not run across before. It
Leon Marcotte-Attributed Credenza For Sale
After having been in a private collection for 36 years, you can now own a piece of the Cummins Diesel estate from Columbus, Indiana. Possibly made by Leon Marcotte of New York in the 1860s, this credenza has all the high
Two Belters are Better Than One
Here is not one, but a matching pair of John Henry Belter settees in an early, seldom-seen grape pattern from the applied crest era of his work. Notice the scrollwork has a ridged pattern instead of the usual flat "taffy
Unusual Brass Chair - ca. 1900
I don't think that I've ever seen a brass chair before aside from those depicted in books. You may also remember this very unusual glass chair that sold three years ago - I haven't seen one again since. It's more common
"Massachusetts Style" Cabinet
Some might be tempted to put a New York attribution on this Neo-Grec cabinet, including myself, but not so fast this time. This one was made in Manchester, Massachusetts by John Bigwood in 1875. We know this because he t
Herter Brother Credenza Will Sell at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
This credenza was bought at an estate sale, misidentified as an Italian piece, and now is coming up for sale at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers as lot 122 this weekend. Fortunately, it has been properly identified as a piece
Allen & Brother Desk on the Roadshow
One my favorite cabinetmakers, Allen & Brother from Philadelphia was profiled in the May 1996 edition of the Magazine Antiques and a desk very similar to this one appraised below on the roadshow is shown on page 723.
M. H. Schrenkeisen Factory
I thought that I'd share this M. H. Schrenkeisen factory drawing from an October 1880 Scientific American cover. It depicts the full cabinetmaking process beginning with raw logs coming into the factory and in the lower
Alexander Roux Cabinet Hiding On Ebay
I've always liked perusing Ebay for Victorian Antique finds because you never know what will pop up at a reasonable price. I believe that I have run across an authentic Alexander Roux cabinet (auction completes on 1/4/11
J.W. Davis, Cabinetmaker Extraordinnaire
JohnM posted some photographs in the forum of a 12' tall Renaissance Revival bedroom suite that must be seen to be believed. It lives out it's existence in the Brennan House (built 1868), originally the home of a wealthy
Spiral Furniture Often Not Hunzinger
I thought that this Rare Victorian blog had quashed the rampant Hunzinger mis-attributions out there with our global reach, pervasive presence in the antique community and from me being featured on the cover of Magazine
Why Antiques Get Mis-Attributed - Six Reasons
Unfortunately, identifying an antique's manufacturer is sometimes an art and not always a science. It is not often that a 19th Century item has a patent existing to help us easily identify the maker as does the "lollipop
What's It Worth?
Antique Value Having a blog that is well entrenched into the Google search results leads a lot of new site visitors here that send me photos of their items asking, "what is the value of this antique?" The problem is, it
Elijah Galusha Settee Photos
As I always say, one cannot have too many Elijah Galusha reference photos lying around for that emergency Rococo furniture identification that always pops up. This set is from a Galusha settee at the Rensselaer County Hi
The Rare Victorian Store Launches
It's high time I selectively whittle my Victorian antique collection down as I have bought and bought and ran out of space to put it all in. Therefore, the Rare Victorian Antiques Store has been born! I will be adding mo
William Koelle, Philadelphia Maker's Label
One of my first late-19th century table purchases was a real beater, but I bought it because at the time I felt it was probably a table by Merklen Brothers. I thought that I'd get around to repairing and refinishing it a
Neal Auction Louisiana Purchase Sale, November 20th & 21st
Neal Auction is preparing for their annual Louisiana Purchase sale this weekend which includes a full representation of styles from the early 19th Century through the early 20th. One of the more interesting items is a Go
Armour-Stiner Octagon House
Be sure to stop by my other blog, Old House Tours, for the latest installment of the Armour-Stiner House in Irvington, NY. I've posted almost 50 images of the interior and exterior of this important property. Also, If an
"Jos. Stiner" Chair Lands At Armour-Stiner House
Continuing from where I left off with my Victorian cliff-hanger - I was about to unveil the name written under the upholstery of one of my Egyptian Revival chairs. I was pretty excited when John Hutchinson of Rose Valley
Pottier & Stymus Egyptian Revival Restoration
A few years ago, I purchased a three-piece Pottier & Stymus Egyptian Revival set. There was strong evidence to back up the attribution that I had made - the set was pictured in many of the reference books and labeled
Aesthetic Movement Spiderweb Chair
Here is a really unique Aesthetic Movement chair for sale incorporating a spiderweb, spider and butterfly caught in the web. The design of the back also includes a pair of what appear to be palm fronds, a wreath, a ribbo
Contents of Historic Conewago Manor Inn To Be Sold October 23rd
(ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.) – The contents of the Conewago Manor Inn – an historic structure dating back to an original 1742 grant from the William Penn family, founders of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – will be sold
Fontaine's Unreserved Auction, September 25th
Saturday, Sept. 25, beginning at 10 a.m. It will be an unreserved estate auction (everything sells, regardless of price), featuring over 650 fresh to the market items offered in two sessions. Sold will be a fine Newport,
Frank Otremba Family History
From time to time I hear from descendants of the great 19th Century cabinetmakers and it is always fun to hear their family stories. This one is from the great-granddaughter of Frank N. Otremba, a highly-skilled Hawaiian
Mystery Cincinnati Furniture Manufacturer
A Rare Victorian reader contacted me about a chair that they have below with a badly damaged label, but a label nonetheless. It is clearly from a Cincinnati cabinetmaker (or retailer), but the question is: Which one? It