CHARITY ROW:
It is decent to look at in regular light, but it is especially nice when back lit! The wooden frame is in good condition but could use a coat of paint. The glass panels are in good shape overall with a few cracks (most notably in the red flower center) but no missing pieces.
It measures roughly 36 x 24 inches and there are screw eyes already in place along the top so it will be easy to hang in convenient sunbeam.
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There is little space between the island of genius and the raging sea of madness. In fact, the sandy shore where they meet is characterized by crashing waves of wild white horses.
Wild White Horses is the title of this work and it was originally executed by Violet Skinner in the early 1960′s.
It measures 37 inches by 22 inches and originally sold at Meier & Frank so it was a mass-produced item not a kitschy one-off.
Genius or Madness?
Art?
Take a look at the slide show below then vote in the poll. Remember to vote early and often, it is an election year!
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The major bummer of this lamp is that there is not a light bulb in the lower section. On the other hand there are a ton of glass prism that will nicely refract natural light!
The lamp works well and stands 40 1/2 inches tall over all. The lower part (from the table to the top of the prisms) is about 22 inches tall.
This picture has been here for a long time. Not so long that it’s eligible to vote in city wide elections (don’t forget to get your ballots in by May 15th!) but long enough.
Oddly it never made it online before now, probably because I was too lazy to get the ladder,
This vintage print is titled Gusty Weather and was made by Roger Berhoff, It measures 27 1/4 inches wide and 22 1/4 inches tall in frame. It is signed, both ‘in plate’ and over the print in what might be chalk or perhaps oil crayon.
My understanding is that Berghoff studied with Elton Bennet since their styles have marked similarity (see some examples in pieces we’ve had before, here and here) and he taught high school art in Ellensberg Washington before going out on his own (1964). Although primarily known for ‘flat’ art he also did at least some sculpture, including 20 characters for Never, Never Land in Tacoma Washington. Business on his own must have been choppy for a few years since by 1972 he was doing custom portraits, at department stores, for $17 a session (total time about 40 minutes!). By the 1980′s he was making the works that made him well known in the northwest and department store portraiture was a thing of the past.
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For some reason I have a hard time conflating those two styles in my mind, but that seems the best way of describing this piece. It even makes a certain amount of sense; just because folks were broke in the 1930′s didn’t mean they didn’t want stuff in the popular style of the Art Deco era.
So they made things like this cabinet and bookshelf combination.
I’m not sure if it was home-built or factory-built on the cheap. They did a decent job either way and used good materials (unlike certain modern flat-pack retailers).
It is 42 inches wide, 12 inches deep and stands 36 inches tall. The cabinet and drawer pulls are wood and there is about 10 inches between the shelves, so you could put ‘real’ books in there, not just mass market paperbacks.
Vintage silver set for 12 unless you’re serving salad, in which case everyone will have to share the same fork.
I don’t get it: there are 12 dinner knives, 12 dinner forks, and 12 soup spoons. There are 11 tea spoons which is kind of like 12 with one missing probably due to an accident. But there is only ONE salad fork. The obvious conclusion is that someone kept or lost the salad forks. The less obvious conclusion (and hence my preferred one) is that someone didn’t like to eat their vegetables.
This set of Lady Doris pattern silver-plate (a.k.a. Princess) is in good shape. The pattern was introduced in 1929 but this set has been put into a later silver box. All pieces but the salad fork have a monogram ‘P‘.
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These have been sitting in the back for a few days because I thought I should see if they work and come up with something pithy to say about them.
Let us let it go at “they work.”
We have a very nice ‘blue drip’ art pottery lamp by Blue Spruce Pottery of Bend. It stands 274 inches tall overall and the ceramic body is 13 1/2 inches tall and 6 1/2 inches in diameter.
We also have an older art pottery lamp that was bought at the Saturday Market about 30 years ago. Unfortunately we don’t know the potter. It stands 25 inches tall and the ceramic body is 13 1/2 inches tall and 9 inches in diameter.
Then there is an ‘awesome’ ceramic lamp from 1984. I’m not familiar with the makers stamp but it’s a wonder to behold (if there was ever a lamp required a day-glow neon fluorescent bulb it is this one). It stands 22 inches tall and the ceramic body is 10 inches tall and 7 inches in diameter.
Finally we have this cool brass looking but probably some sort of other metal urn-shaped lamp with a glass globe and figurative swan handles. It probably once had a glass chimney to complete the faux oil-lamp look but it’s gone and the one I have in reserve for such occasions is too big to fit (it figures). Overall it is 19 1/2 inches tall and the shade is 10 1/2 inches in diameter.
Short on kitchen space AND square footage? A small but useful vintage cabinet could be the answer. This one holds a surprising amount of stuff and there is a hidden compartment too, which is always handy.
The lower part is accessed by two doors, there is a small interior shelf and the inside of the doors are lined with pegboard so you can hang items off them. Above are four tilt-out metal bins for storing flour, sugar and other bulk items. Since these aren’t full depth the top slides forward* and you can access the ‘hidden’ breadbox compartment in the back.
Overall the cabinet is in fair to good condition. One of the doors was bent at some point and re-worked to almost as good as new. Most notably it could use a good sanding or bead blasting and a new coat of paint. The Formica top is in good shape and all the door/drawer pulls are still present.
The cabinet is 36 inches tall, 23 3/4 inches wide and 17 3/4 inches deep.
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*if you don’t want to tilt the bins out the top also slides backwards and you can get to the contents from above.
Heavy sterling silver master butter knife from the height of the Victorian era. It weighs two troy ounces and it is 8 inches long.
This piece was made by the prolific London silver smith Henry Holland and bears a London city mark, sterling proof mark , 1875 year mark and Victoria tax duty mark .
In excellent condition. $60
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Except for the use of different woods the darn thing is a dead-ringer for the one we had last November.
And with good reason. They were made by the same company, Crocker Chair of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Crocker went out of business in the early 1930′s, another corporate victim if the worldwide economic downturn of the Great Depression.
Unlike the last one this seat bears a label in the underside that notes the patent date for this design, September 20, 1898. This was one of two patent stool designs issued to Crocker that day.
Two decorative stretchers are missing (one each in the front and back) but otherwise it is in good condition. It is 23 inches wide, 23 inches tall and 15 inches deep.
If you’re not looking for a stool it’d make a pretty sweet little side table too.
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OK, it’s not actually hers. It is from a line of luggage Amelia Earhart endorsed* beginning around 1929. Oddly enough the line is still in production which seems a little unusual since she died/disappeared in 1937 and who’d want luggage that might never be found after a flight?
We can’t directly date this particular piece but it looks strikingly similar to this set advertised in 1952. It is 21 1/2 inches wide, 13 3/4 inches deep and 7 inches thick. It is lined with a brown satin-like material which is in quite good condition.
The case seems to be made of some type of board with a heavy fabric over it and leather “cushion edge” bumpers all around. There are some notable marks on the exterior but think of them not as unsightly blemishes but as the badges one gets with hard-earned adventure.
If this is from the early 1950′s it is the Overnight case, in Autumn Brown. Originally it retailed for $24.95 but in the intervening years they’ve become collectible. I’ve seen similar ones sell for as much as $150 but due to the minor flaws this one has we’re asking $70.
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*’Endorsed’ is perhaps too strong a word. Earhart’s promoter and later husband, George Putnam was famous for signing her name to all sorts of things in the quest to raise funds to support her costly pr0jects. Since Amelia loved flying more than anything else she usually went along with the promotion.
This well-designed Windsor chair bears a paper label underneath for the John M. Smyth Furniture Company.
As it turns out the Smyth company was a long time Chicago area furniture retailer (125+ years) before being bought out in the mid 1990′s. Since the piece isn’t otherwise marked I’m not sure who actually made. Whomever it was used high grade solid walnut, good joinery techniques and overall did a pretty decent job of it.
Design-wise it’s interesting as it sort of treads the fine line between mid-century/ Shaker geometric design and the often poorly considered aesthetics of the ‘colonial’ revival (usually in maple) of the 1970′s.
It stands about 34 1/2 inches tall to the highest part of the back. Overall it is in good condition and is a good serviceable chair.
I suspect the pierced top-rail with the center spindle running through it is a trait that would be diagnostic to the maker or designer, but I haven’t managed to figure it out.
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Early 1970′s vintage Apollo model celestial globe by Repogle. Instead of holding it up to the sky like a smart phone the celestial globe requires the use of something called “imagination”.
“To understand and interpret the information from a celestial globe, you must first imagine yourself located in the center of the globe looking outward to the sky above.” from Repogle’s Instructions For Your Celestial Globe November 2007
Our globe is dated 1971 and stands about 16 inches tall. It is in excellent condition. $60
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The modern mermaid as rendered bu Lucio Cruz in 1995.
This art object is 54 inches long and 24 inches tall. It is something like plaster applied over wood, carved and then painted.
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A plaything is a tool and the outcome is largely dependent upon the input of the parent. It’s impossible to really control what your kid will actually turn out like, but you can influence the potential outcome.
Start now by proscribing your child’s future by instilling ‘traditional values’, or begin creating the world’s next greatest prodigy chef with this child’s size play kitchen unit thing-a-ma-bob.
It features four faux burners, a work top, two drawers and two cabinets (one large and one small) accessed by three drawers.
It is 36 inches wide, 40 inches tall and 18 1/2 inches deep.
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That’s my dream; that’s my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor.
Straight razor’s are the perfect tool for getting a close shave (unmatched by any disposable razor) and an imperfect tool for personal protection on dark nights amongst disreputable people.
This is a nice Wade & Butcher razor with box. It was made in the great English steel making city of Sheffield around 1910. It is essentially ‘shave-ready’ but could use a little touch up on a leather strop.
I believe the handles are celluloid. They are in great condition with no cracks or chips.
When folded in the box it is 6 3/4 inches long. Fully extended it is 9 3/4 inches in length. The blade is 11/16th’s of an inch wide.
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“Who’s a pretty kitty? Who’s a pretty kitty?”
“Yes, you are . . uh huh.”
“Who’s a pretty kitty?”
“Yes you
Much like a decommissioned thermonuclear weapon this large ceramic cat is great for display purposes and won’t kill you in an instant.
It is approximately 29 inches tall, ceramic and it is in good but not perfect condition (some crazing and minor cracks).
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I looked around my personal collection of old catalogs and didn’t see this particular tray, but some that were pretty close. As such it seems that this piece likely dates from around the end of the 19th or beginning of the 20th century.
It’s a cast iron pen or pencil tray with the face of a plains Indian in full regalia at either end. Since it is cast iron it is in great shape even though some of the copper or bronze finish has won off over the years (see photos).
It is 11 inches long, and 3 inches wide it is marked on the back with 659. From other examples I know that this was made by the firm of Bradley & Hubbard, of Meriden, Connecticut and likely once bore a paper label.
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Dux was a San Francisco based company started by Swedish designer Folke Ohlsson around the time he moved from Sweden to the United States in 1953. By 1955 Dux was featured in major trade magazines as mentioned in Arts and architecture: Volume 72 (1955): “Dux: A complete line of imported upholstered furniture and related tables, warehoused in San Francisco and New York for immediate delivery; handcrafted quality furniture moderately priced; ideally suited for residential or commercial use; Write for catalog – The Dux Company 390 Ninth St. San Francisco“
Ohlsson is also credited with introducing the idea of shipping furniture disassembled in a flat pack or knocked down fashion, thereby reducing costs and contributing to the democratization of design.
As anyone who has ever exhaled a deep breath in the vicinity of furniture from that Swedish place beginning with the letter ‘I’ that I won’t mention by name here knows, flat pack furniture sometimes doesn’t hold up well in the long run. This may also be a problem with older knock down furniture as the corners/legs of this piece look to have after-market reinforcement blocks. Who ever did this did a nice job. Also, there is one very small crack in a stretcher and two slightly grey spots on the top itself.
All of these details may be seen in the pictures.
When made up this table is 19 1/2 inches wide, 29 1/2 inches long and stands 20 1/2 inches tall. As the mark shows it was made in Denmark. Even with the minor flaws I’d consider it to be in good condition.
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Telephone tables are sign number 437 that things have changed and kids have it too easy. (The wire mesh table is still available.)
“Back in my day we had to have special furniture for our phones. It wasn’t some easy thing where you carried around more computing power in your pocket than the Strategic Air Command and could do internet searches for even the simplest stuff, like how to breathe. No, we had to remember phone numbers or look it up in a book. Ever hear of a book kid? It’s not some E-lek-tronik doo-dad, no sirree, its analog and uses paper and you had to know how to spell to use it. Bah you kids!
Wanna play Words With Friends?”
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Stylized blown and hot glass application cat after the work of Livio Seguso (born 1930, active in Murano). It is about 8 inches tall, 8 inches long and 7 inches deep. There is an etched or incised signature Seguso A.V. on the underside as well as a gallery label from Florence, Italy.
In perfect condition.
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We’re just as shocked as Katrina here to learn that the ingestion of large amounts of cookies will make ones skirts rather “voluminous”.
This jar was designed by Charles Murphy for Red Wing Pottery and introduced in 1941. She was called ”Katrina” and was produced in tan, yellow and two-tone blue like we have here. Green was later added to the line too.
She is about 10 1/4 inches tall and 7 inches in diameter and in excellent condition with no chips or cracks.
UPDATE (2/1/12): When looking around for something else I ran across the design patent for this piece. It can be found here.
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This is a cool vintage mirror with an orange flecked gilt frame and out-swept edges in the corners. It’s probably 1950′s vintage and looks remarkably like the snout/grille of an Edsel. Unlike an Edsel the mirror has eyelets placed so it can be hung with the skinny end at either the top or the bottom.
As the sticker on the back shows this was made in Belgium for La Barge Mirrors of Holland, Michigan, a company that’s still reflecting on its business model.
It is approximately 20 inches wide and 43 inches long and has a few small drip marks (like mascara after crying, or watery ink) on the frame at the skinny end. Otherwise it is in excellent condition.
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This cute vintage sewing stand has good ‘bones’ but could use some care. The top was stripped and never refinished and the rest of the original finish is a bit rough too. Fortunately all the parts are solidly attached and it is otherwise OK.
My guess is that this fell prey to an organizer who likes to start projects but has trouble actually completing them.
Maybe you know someone who can finish it?
The lid lifts to reveal a tray with notches and spindles for thread. You can remove the tray to access the lower storage compartment, or you can pull the front out since the compartment is also a drawer.
It is 26 inches tall, 12 1/2 inches deep and 16 1/4 inches wide.
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Black loom the crags of the uplands behind me;
Dark are the sands of the far-stretching shore.
Dim are the pathways and rocks that remind me
Sadly of years in the lost nevermore.
H.P. Lovecraft was an author of some really twisted and scary stuff. Throughout his works there are a variety of central themes and the sea can often be found connecting them together. It’s especially prominent in the Cthulu mythos.
I imagine this is what Lovecraft would consider a nice view from the veranda at a vacation cottage by the sea while waiting for the evil ancient gods to come and devour his liver (kind of like this)*.
Fortunately not everyone knows Lovecraft, or cares, or has had a ‘deep well of cynicism’ described as one on their better personal characteristics.
Those folks might take home a very different message from this painting.
In frame it is 31 1/2 inches tall by 43 inches wide. It appears to be a commercial decorators painting in the style of Thomas Kinkade “the painter of light” (or alternatively). I’ve looked closely at the work and it does not appear to be signed but there is a pencil mark on the back that seems to read c187356. It may be one of Thomas Kinkade’s piece, or it may not, I’m not sure.
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*I’m actually quite relieved that someone else made the Cthulu/Kinkade connection well before I did.
