Internet Antique Gazette » pewter, tin & tole wares http://www.internetantiquegazette.com Reference information on antiques & fine art topics. Tue, 31 Dec 2019 08:03:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 Cartouche – Definition http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/ancient_artifacts/3189_cartouche_definition/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/ancient_artifacts/3189_cartouche_definition/#comments Wed, 06 Nov 2019 14:23:40 +0000 hcst http://3189-guid The decorative arts world has many “squishy” and vague vocabulary words, but few are “squishier” and vaguer than cartouche. Originally, the term comes from Egyptology and is used to describe a oval enclosing hieroglyphics and having a horizontal line at one end. (The line denotes royalty.) The oval had significance not unlike that of a closed circle, in that it was believed that an oval around a person’s name provided protection [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Cartouche – Definition

The decorative arts world has many “squishy” and vague vocabulary words, but few are “squishier” and vaguer than cartouche. Originally, the term comes from Egyptology and is used to describe a oval enclosing hieroglyphics and having a horizontal line at one end. (The line denotes royalty.) The oval had significance not unlike that of a closed circle, in that it was believed that an oval around a person’s name provided protection to that person. The strong association with the god-like royalty of ancient Egypt and the “good luck charm” nature of the symbol meant that it was eventually co-opted by the rest of the population and, as a result, it appears on all manner of structures and objects from the era.

Centuries later, when Egypt was a land divided constantly by conflicts, soldiers, seeing these ovals everywhere, are said to have found them to resemble the paper cartridges used in muskets. The French word for cartridge is cartouche and thus it became, in its original use, the term applied to this particular hieroglyphic element.


A Civil War-era example of a paper cartridge. (p4A item # D9865000)



Before long, however, the word cartouche began to be applied to any “ornamental enframement” as the Getty’s Art and Architecture Thesaurus puts it. That resource defines the term as being used to denote a space for “an inscription, monogram, or coat of arms, or ornately framed tablets, often bearing inscriptions,” and cartouche is often applied in this sense for the ornamentation surrounding a monogram or inscription on a piece of silver. The piece pictured here has a classic example of a “blank cartouche.”


Sterling silver vase with blank cartouche. (p4A item # E8906323)



While to most people the most accurate definition continues to apply only to this ornamental frame around an open space, it is also often used for objects like oval mirrors, which might be described as cartouche form if they have a heavily ornamented and decorated oval frame. In its most diluted “area of ornamentation” usage however, cartouche has also become the term for the central decorative ornamental element at the top of forms like a desk-and-bookcase or a high chest, whether they are oval in shape or not.

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/ancient_artifacts/3189_cartouche_definition/feed/ 0 Flagg and Homan Pewter http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/pewter_tin_tole_wares/3220_flagg_and_homan_pewter/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/pewter_tin_tole_wares/3220_flagg_and_homan_pewter/#comments Wed, 06 Nov 2019 14:23:22 +0000 hcst http://3220-guid In the mid-19th century, Cincinnati was booming and production of all kinds of goods increased rapidly, as the city’s industries found themselves well positioned to be supplying the frontier. Utilitarian wares such as pewter were in great demand, and in 1847, Prussian-born Henry Homan (1826-1865) and English-born potter Asa Flagg (1813-1854) began a partnership manufacturing pewter.

Despite the short nature of the partnership (Flagg moved on in 1851), the [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Flagg and Homan Pewter

In the mid-19th century, Cincinnati was booming and production of all kinds of goods increased rapidly, as the city’s industries found themselves well positioned to be supplying the frontier. Utilitarian wares such as pewter were in great demand, and in 1847, Prussian-born Henry Homan (1826-1865) and English-born potter Asa Flagg (1813-1854) began a partnership manufacturing pewter.

Despite the short nature of the partnership (Flagg moved on in 1851), the company produced a prodigious amount of traditional pewter from utilitarian wares like candlesticks and coffee and tea services to ecclesiastical items like chalices, baptismal bowls and alms dishes. They are perhaps best known for their baluster-form candlesticks which are instantly recognizable and which were manufactured in a variety of sizes, from 5″ to 14″ in height. (Early pieces were mostly unmarked, but occasionally they appear with “Flagg & Homan” imprinted in an oval mark.) Between the access to markets provided by the Ohio River trade and a candle mold machine that they patented, Homan and Company (Henry Homan died in 1865) continued to grow rapidly and by 1888, the business occupied a full block of East 7th Street in Cincinnati and ran two shifts with one hundred employees.

By the turn of the twentieth century, the company, which would become Homan Manufacturing Company, had refocused production to sell silver-plated wares for a time, but ultimately would experience a revival in the 1930s, manufacturing coffee and tea services, pitchers, trays, and even their classic candlesticks, again in a variety of sizes, in their traditional style (marketed as “made as it was over 80 years ago”) while marking them “Flagg & Homan Pewter.” This mark makes the later versions easy to distinguish, along with the fact that the candlesticks do not have the push-up candle ejector that the originals have. Homan Manufacturing Company would remain in operation until 1941.

Because their candlesticks have become iconic pieces and because they are earlier than most other extant pieces, they tend to be much more popular with collectors, although Flagg and Homan is still a rather regionally focused market. Non-candlestick forms can typically bring $200-500, but candlesticks, depending on size and condition, can bring as much as $1,000 or more. The smallest sizes and those rare pairs with engraved decoration tend to be the most desirable.

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/pewter_tin_tole_wares/3220_flagg_and_homan_pewter/feed/ 0 Marion and Donald Woelbing, Franklin Wisconsin – Provenance – Pook 4-2014 http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/boxes/3194_marion_and_donald_woelbing_franklin_wisconsin_provenance_pook_4_2014/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/boxes/3194_marion_and_donald_woelbing_franklin_wisconsin_provenance_pook_4_2014/#comments Tue, 15 Apr 2014 16:38:23 +0000 hcst http://3194-guid Marion and Donald Woelbing were the solid citizen types that for generations have built American small businesses. They were a true partnership supporting each other in their diverse interests ranging from breeding and showing American Kennel Club grand champion prize winning dogs, to building with their own hands “Thorntree,” their home in suburban Milwaukee, to building an impressive collection of 17th and 18th century American antiques, to collecting [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Marion and Donald Woelbing, Franklin Wisconsin.

Marion and Donald Woelbing were the solid citizen types that for generations have built American small businesses. They were a true partnership supporting each other in their diverse interests ranging from breeding and showing American Kennel Club grand champion prize winning dogs, to building with their own hands “Thorntree,” their home in suburban Milwaukee, to building an impressive collection of 17th and 18th century American antiques, to collecting varied toys and “collectables”.

Marion and Don’s partnership began in high school. They were married for 55 years and were best friends for life. Someone once asked Marion if the two of them ever disagreed and her response was, “About what? We pretty much agreed upon everything and in those rare instances where we didn’t, we deferred to whomever felt the strongest.”

Don’s father, Alfred, started a small company in 1937 that became Carma Laboratories, the manufacturer of Carmexâ„¢ lip balm, after a varied business career during the Depression. In the early days of Carma Labs, there was not enough business to support two families, but as the business grew Alfred asked Don, then a stone mason, to join him. Don had a particular talent for mechanical innovations; so as Carma Labs grew, the employees came to produce more Carmex with less effort.

It was quite natural that when Carma Labs became a financial success, Don would want to build a house with his own hands, in the way he had persevered in setting the foundation for Carma Labs’ business success. Don and Marion wanted to build an adaptation of a Pennsylvania stone farm house and furnish it in an appropriate fashion. To have it be “perfectly correct” would have meant bringing tons of stone from eastern Pennsylvania and Don decided that in this instance historical accuracy would be extravagant. “Thorntree” had all the modern conveniences, but some things, such as light switches, and heating outlets were cleverly hidden so they were not readily evident when one entered a room. As with most of their passions, they entered into furnishing “Thorntree” with enthusiasm after careful study.

The Woelbings were very generous when it came to their loved ones and their community. When the local fire department needed a new fire engine, Marion and Don gave them one. When a young woman needed a home, they acted as surrogate parents for her. Marion and Don were always proud of their two sons and two grandchildren, but there was always room in their home and their hearts for others in need.

-The Woelbing Family

Information courtesy of Pook & Pook Inc., April 2014

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/boxes/3194_marion_and_donald_woelbing_franklin_wisconsin_provenance_pook_4_2014/feed/ 0 Collection of Margaret & Lawrence Skromme-Prov-Pook 10-11-2013 http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/boxes/3174_collection_of_margaret_lawrence_skromme_prov_pook_10_11_2013/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/boxes/3174_collection_of_margaret_lawrence_skromme_prov_pook_10_11_2013/#comments Wed, 04 Dec 2013 15:54:57 +0000 hcst http://3174-guid Lawrence H. Skromme, P.E. was a lover of farms and farmers all his life. He was born on a farm in Roland, Iowa on August 26, 1913, the son of Norwegian immigrant parents Austin G. and Ingeborg (Belle) Holmedal Skromme.

Lawrence Skromrne graduated from Kelley, Iowa High School in 1931 winning an agricultural scholarship for his work in Future farmers of America. He graduated from [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Collection of Margaret and Lawrence H. Skromme, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lawrence H. Skromme, P.E. was a lover of farms and farmers all his life. He was born on a farm in Roland, Iowa on August 26, 1913, the son of Norwegian immigrant parents Austin G. and Ingeborg (Belle) Holmedal Skromme.

Lawrence Skromrne graduated from Kelley, Iowa High School in 1931 winning an agricultural scholarship for his work in Future farmers of America. He graduated from Iowa State University in1937 with honors in agricultural engineering, the first of four brothers to enter the agricultural engineering field. During his college years, he worked daily on his parents’ farm, riding to classes with a neighbor vocational agriculture teacher. He met his future wife at the Dinner Pail Club, a social organization for commuter students.

Margaret Elizabeth Gleason was born near Waterloo Iowa in 1915 and also spent her childhood on Iowa farms. She graduated with a degree in Home Economics Education in 1938 and taught a year before marrying Mr. Skromme on June 24, 1939.

While living in Michigan near Greenfield Village, Mr. Skromme designed implements for Ford-Ferguson tractors and Margaret was busy raising their three daughters, Cherry, Inga and Karen. When Margaret received a bequest of a Victorian bedroom set from her great grandmother, she began looking for accessories to furnish the bedroom. She became hooked on collecting antiques and soon Lawrence followed her interests.

Skromme was a design and test engineer at Goodyear Ti re and Rubber Co. and Assistant Chief Engineer at Harry Ferguson, Inc. where he designed tow-motors for aircraft carriers during World War II and then plows and implements for Ford­ Ferguson tractors.

Hired as Chief Engineer and later VP of Engineering for Sperry New Holland, in 1951, Mr. Skromme moved his family into a newly built home overlooking the Conestoga River, a site they bought at a farm auction. Skromme reorganized the engineering division, separating resting and design. After retirement in 1978, he became a consulting agricultural engineer for AID and the World Bank, supervising agricultural mechanization projects in developing nations.

While working to develop agricultural equipment and preserve Pennsylvania farmland, they roamed the Northeastern United States, purchasing major items of furniture, pewter, china, iron and books, as well as collecting dolls and cookie cutters to keep the girls happy. Over time, they developed a specific love of Pennsylvania and folk art especially items depicting birds, flowers and hearts, related to active life in gardening, birding, and flower arranging. Mr. Skromme’s work took him to Europe; he also visited many British locations seeking pewter and brass candlesticks.

Skromme was a registered Professional Engineer and was in many professional societies. He served as President and Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, receiving their gold John Deere Medal in 1979. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, American Society of Engineering Education, International Association of Agricultural Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, Phi Kappa Phi and Tau Beta Pi. He served as a member of the advisory board of the U.S. Congress Committee on Science and Technology, the research advisory committee of the U .S. Dept. of Agriculture, and the Engineers Joint Council, NYC.

Skromme was one of the founders of the Lancaster Farm and Home Foundation, serving as both director and president and was an officer and director of the Lancaster County Agricultural Land Preservation Board and a member of the Governor’s Commission on Agriculture and Land Preservation. He was an active member of Grandview United Methodist Church for more than 60 years.

After retirement in 1978, Mr. Skromme , returning to his farm roots, also began collecting farm implement seats and agricultural machinery literature, which he donated to the Iowa State University Library Special Collections in 2010 (http://www.add.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/arch/rgrp/21-7-227.pdf).

In June of 20 12, Margaret and Lawrence celebrated their 73rd anniversary. Lawrence died in December of that year at age 99. Margaret Skromme, now 97, is leaving their family home and has decided to share some of their collection with her family and other lovers of great antiques.

Information courtesy of Pook & Pook, Inc., October 2013.

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/boxes/3174_collection_of_margaret_lawrence_skromme_prov_pook_10_11_2013/feed/ 0 The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James Grievo – Provenance-Pook May 2012 http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/architectural/3051_the_collection_of_mr_and_mrs_james_grievo_provenance_pook_may_2012/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/architectural/3051_the_collection_of_mr_and_mrs_james_grievo_provenance_pook_may_2012/#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:51:58 +0000 hcst http://3051-guid

It all started around 1971. Just home from college and having a difficult time finding a job, I started going to house tag sales where I would find small interesting things to sell to antique dealers. It was something I really enjoyed doing, and 1 was amazed I was making real money for the first time. I soon realized that this was [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James Grievo, Stockon, New Jersey

It all started around 1971. Just home from college and having a difficult time finding a job, I started going to house tag sales where I would find small interesting things to sell to antique dealers. It was something I really enjoyed doing, and 1 was amazed I was making real money for the first time. I soon realized that this was what I wanted to do with my life.

I began traveling to local auctions where I became friendly with a man named Joe Bazata. For several years we bought and sold together. I gained a great amount of knowledge from Joe about redware and slipware Pennsylvania pottery, and it was that knowledge that helped launch my wonderful collection.

In the summer of 1972, I made my first big antique trip to Brimfield, Massachusetts, to what was then only Gordon Reid’s Market. I was absolutely in awe of all the dealers and great merchandise available there. I will always remember this little guy running up and down the aisles with a knapsack strapped (0 his back. Sticking out of this sack was a long stick with something hanging off of the end of it, swinging back and forth. I tracked him down, introduced myself, and asked about the strange contraption he was toting around. He replied that it was a Betty Lamp. I wondered what the hell a Betty Lamp was. And that was the beginning of a lifelong friendship with Frank Gaglio, my most loyal and dear friend who has always been there for me through the good times and the bad.

Brimfield, though, was just the beginning of my travels. Over the years I continued to buy many wonderful objects in Brimfield, but knew I had to expand my search to find other amazing things. Through my journeys, my real passion, a love of weathervanes, started. I began buying and selling them in the early 70′s. To me, there was something so wonderful about the surface of a weathervane. It always amazed me that these utilitarian objects withstood the extreme and relentless pounding of their environment year after year. Every weathervane tells a different story of how time and location impacted its appearance. Weathering from the top to the bottom, some present a crusty surface while others are simply an untouched weathered surface that takes at least seventy-five years to create. As with anything you look at, when you study a good surface, it speaks for itself. As years went by, I tried to purchase objects that were very special to me in some way. Maybe it was the vibrant colors or the way it was carved that called to me. Sometimes it was just a great untouched surface on a piece of furniture. I always tried to buy the very best I could afford to buy, and sometimes way more than I could afford to buy, which reminds me of a story.

One Saturday I traveled to county sale outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was a local farm house. When I arrived, all the items were in the back yard. I walked around but did not see anything I wanted to buy. Just then, I saw two men carrying a yellow drysink from the house. When I saw it up close, I knew I had to own it. I patiently waited all day, and finally they put it up. I was nervous, but I was sure I could buy it for around seven hundred dollars. Drysinks at the time were selling for around two hundred and fifty dollars. The bidding began and stopped around three hundred. I started bidding against a farmer standing in the back of the sale. We went back and forth: $1,200, $1,500, $1,800. I had waited all day, so I didn’t want to stop. Finally, at $2,250, he backed off and I bought it. Caught up in the pursuit of this sink, I completely lost track of reality. I didn’t even know if I had that much money in my checking account. Afterwards, the farmer came up to me, congratulated me on the drysink and introduced himself. I didn’t know who he was, but I was glad I grabbed the piece from him. On my way home I stopped at my good friend Dick Machmer’s house to say hello. He asked what I bought, and I showed him the drysink. He asked who bid me up so high. I replied, “a farmer named Bill Koch.” Dick said he had never known someone to outbid Bill. Well, I had done that. And that was how I started a friendship with Bill and got the drysink that is in this sale.

On another Saturday morning, I was driving around in Bernardsville, New Jersey, looking for garage sales. There was a sign out at the end of a long driveway that read “SALE TODAY”. I drove down and saw this early stone farmhouse and out in front of the house I spotted this wonderful green two-door cupboard with a white piece of paper taped to it that said “$50.00″. I bought it immediately and then thought to myself, how in the world am I going to get this 5′ wide 6′ high cupboard home when I’m driving a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle?

I found some rope in the barn and began lacing the cupboard to the roof of the car. The entire time I was thinking this was like a grade school science project where you had an egg and you had to throw it off a roof without it breaking. Only I was trying to tie a flat cupboard on a round egg. Down the highway 1 went, stopping every ten minutes as the cupboard slid left and right and then forward so I couldn’t see where I was going. But I made it home safe and the cupboard made it to this sale. As with many of the objects I bought throughout the years, there are many wonderful and memorable stories.

All through the 80′s and 90′s, I pursued the business of antiques with relentless passion and extreme diligence. In 1990, I bought Secret Meadow Farm and sold my redware pottery collection to my very dear friend and collector, a gentleman in every sense of the word, Paul Flack. These forty years flew by and I was very fortunate through the years (0 be able (0 go out and find, with the support of my wife, several very special pieces. In search of things every day, I traveled over 40,000 miles a year in search of the best I could afford to buy. Every day there was a destination, but it was not the destination that was important to me, it was the journey, a 1,600,000 mile journey. Even though I was able to amass great treasures on my adventures, it was truly the journey itself that was priceless because it gave me the opportunity to meet wonderful people and build lasting friendships. I know I wouldn’t be where I am or have what I have without my friends and colleagues, and it was my daily treks for treasures that led me to them. It will continue to be a remarkable journey, but now my priorities have changed, and I am at a point in my life where I would like to simplify a little bit, help my children out more, and do some different things. I will always stay in the business, but not in the same way I have these past forty years. Still, I will always have my wonderful memories and friendships.

As the years go by, our lives change and so do our priorities, I have had some good things occur as well as some bad. It’s these times that make you realize what’s important, like your loved ones and the friendships you’ve made. I have to mention David Wheatcroft a brilliant man and one of my best customers. Whatever he bought and sold, we always would see with the same eye. And there is Fred Giampietro, who I’ve known forever, and I always in my eye sold him
wonderful things. He has always been way ahead of everybody else. Sam Herrup, my good friend, is the most dedicated and honest dealer I know. My good friends Susan and Sy Rappaport were the ones who introduced me to Susan and Jerry Lauren, two people with impeccable taste. James and Nancy Glazer need to be mentioned. The Glazers are two of the most gracious people anybody could possibly know. And last but not least, I can’t forget my dear friends Helen and Scudder Smith who never miss covering a great auction or show. The antique business would not be the same without them. I mention these friends because they all have had some impact on my career throughout the years. There are way more I would like to mention, but I would have to go on for an eternity.

How many people wake up every morning excited to go to work? Well, for the past four decades I have. The career path that I stumbled upon not only provided enough for me to support my family, but it also presented me with opportunities to see beautiful and wonderful objects, to appreciate extraordinary craftsmanship, and to revive the souls of artists forgotten long ago. The path that I chose gave me the chance to build lasting friendships with individuals who shared my passion for collecting antiques. I spent years building a collection of pieces that spoke to me, and now I would like to share these pieces with the world again.

It is with great sadness and great pleasure that I turn over my things to my good friends Ron and Debbie Pook to sell at auction without reserves.

Have fun, Jim

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/architectural/3051_the_collection_of_mr_and_mrs_james_grievo_provenance_pook_may_2012/feed/ 0 El Roy and Helene Master Collection -Provenance- Pook & Pook, 6-19-09 http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/architectural/2622_el_roy_and_helene_master_collection_provenance_pook_pook_6_19_09/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/architectural/2622_el_roy_and_helene_master_collection_provenance_pook_pook_6_19_09/#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:25:02 +0000 hcst http://2622-guid The offering of the antiques and collectables of El Roy P. and Helene Livingood Master comes with some degree of sadness. This collection has remained intact for five generations and it is hoped that others can now appreciate its beauty and fine craftsmanship.

Helen, Harry and Minnie Janssen

This legacy started with the arrival of Henry Janssen and Ferdinand Thun from Germany at the turn [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> The Collection of
El Roy and Helene Master

The offering of the antiques and collectables of El Roy P. and Helene Livingood Master comes with some degree of sadness. This collection has remained intact for five generations and it is hoped that others can now appreciate its beauty and fine craftsmanship.


Helen, Harry and Minnie Janssen

This legacy started with the arrival of Henry Janssen and Ferdinand Thun from Germany at the turn of the 20th century. They started the Wyomissing Industries, including Textile Machine Works and Berkshire Knitting Mills.

Henry Janssen had four children, two of whom, Helen and Minnie, became very interested in antiques and collectables. Together they went on buying trips along the east coast and sometimes found themselves bidding against the DuPonts.

Helen married Richard Wetzel and her collection was housed in properties in Wyomissing, PA and Bar Harbor, ME. When she died in 1980, the collection was sold at an on-site auction, one of the largest of its kind.


Helen Janssen Wetzel and Minnie Janssen Livingood

Minnie married Dr. John Livingood and purchased Berksveldt Farm in Robesonia, PA in the 1930′s. One part of the home dated back to 1769 and the other part to 1830. They hired renowned architect Oakie remodel the existing parts and add a stone addition. The work was done between 1937 and 1941 with Farr Nursery landscaping the entire property. Minnie had been collecting antiques with her sister Helen to furnish Berksveldt Farm. Unfortunately, she died before she and her husband could permanently move into their “new” home. Helen Wetzel placed the furniture and collectables in Berksveldt and John moved in with his two daughters, Helene and Elsa.

After World War II, Helene and El Roy P. Master purchased the property along with the furnishings. They appreciated the beauty and integrity of the pieces and took meticulous care of them. Their children were taught at an early age to respect the antiques and grew up living in a museum setting as if it wasn’t something out of the ordinary.


El Roy P. and Helene Livingood Master

El Roy, a West Point graduate and officer in the war, eventually became president of Textile Machine Works. Helene was very active in the community and touched the lives of many people.


Berksveldt Farm

She loved Berksveldt and her place in Maine. They entertained graciously, in the beautiful setting, allowing many people to enjoy their home and surroundings. With the death of Helene in 1998, and El Roy in 2008, the collection is now being sold in its entirety. It marks the end of an era for the family.

courtesy of Pook & Pook June 2009

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/architectural/2622_el_roy_and_helene_master_collection_provenance_pook_pook_6_19_09/feed/ 0 Carter, Margaret Scott & Winthrop L., Provenance, Northeast October 2009. http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/clocks_watches/2694_carter_margaret_scott_winthrop_l_provenance_northeast_october_2009/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/clocks_watches/2694_carter_margaret_scott_winthrop_l_provenance_northeast_october_2009/#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:01:54 +0000 hcst http://2694-guid Scotty and Win were certainly well known to many of us as an integral part of the New England antiques business for over forty years. In the early 1960′s Scotty was exhibiting at an antiques show that Win came to as he was looking for items for a show where he would be exhibiting. Win walked into Scotty’s booth and found many [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Property from the Collection of Margaret Scott Carter and Winthrop L. Carter

Scotty and Win were certainly well known to many of us as an integral part of the New England antiques business for over forty years. In the early 1960′s Scotty was exhibiting at an antiques show that Win came to as he was looking for items for a show where he would be exhibiting. Win walked into Scotty’s booth and found many pieces that were exactly the type he was looking to purchase. At that time Scotty and Win knew they had similar interests and were soon married. They lived in Hollis, New Hampshire and raised the seven children they had jointly brought with them. Family came first but antiquing was a close second. They exhibited at the New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Show and soon became very active with the NHADA. With Win’s great business skills, Scotty’s people skills and their combined passion for antiques they restructured the event in its time of need. It was their support that helped strengthen the organization which recently held its 52nd Annual August Antiques Show in Manchester.

One day while antiquing they fell in love with an old brick warehouse on the Portsmouth waterfront. Soon they were the new owners, restoring the building with a duplex loft for themselves and a shop for their antiques business on the first floor. Their personal collection included items that Win’s father had purchased from Israel Sack during the depression, objects they each had brought to the marriage and pieces they had collected together including English pewter, brass candlesticks and decoys. Over the years some things were sold while others were added. It was Scotty’s wish that the pieces not left to their children would be sold by me in New Hampshire with the exception of the decoy collection which will be auctioned by their longtime friend Ted Harmon on Cape Cod. Our New Hampshire auction not only includes items such as the Andrew Wyeth paintings and the Willard clock, but also many more affordable treasures from their collection such as the heart-cut food chopper and the many primitive paintings of farm animals and produce that reminded Scotty of her parents’ farm.

Ron Bourgeault

Northeast Auctions

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/clocks_watches/2694_carter_margaret_scott_winthrop_l_provenance_northeast_october_2009/feed/ 0 Smith, Richard and Joane – Provenance -Pook & Pook 10-30-2010 http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/bottles_flasks_jars/2847_smith_richard_and_joane_provenance_pook_pook_10_30_2010/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/bottles_flasks_jars/2847_smith_richard_and_joane_provenance_pook_pook_10_30_2010/#comments Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:00:17 +0000 hcst http://2847-guid Richard Flanders Smith and his wife Joane both grew up in New England, Richard in Massachusetts and Joane in Connecticut. They both had a keen interest in art and design and attended the Yale University School of Fine Arts where they met as 3rd year art students. The couple sent each other one handmade drawn or painted card after card as their romance blossomed. After eloping in [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Ex Collection of Richard and Joane Smith

Richard Flanders Smith and his wife Joane both grew up in New England, Richard in Massachusetts and Joane in Connecticut. They both had a keen interest in art and design and attended the Yale University School of Fine Arts where they met as 3rd year art students. The couple sent each other one handmade drawn or painted card after card as their romance blossomed. After eloping in 1948, they moved to follow Rich’s design career, first to Providence, Rhode Island, to St. Louis, Missouri, to Ames, Iowa and finally to Pennsylvania.

The couple and their growing family moved from a basement apartment, to an A-frame home, to a modest single family home, to a brick 1850 farmhouse. Joane was a wonderful full-time mother to three sons and one daughter. Richard went from being a teacher, to grading mail-in drawings, to being an art director of a public television station, to being a designer, then Vice President of Product Styling and Design at Armstrong World Industries. Their initial taste in decorations and furniture were modern, with angular 1950′s shapes, Eames chairs, and glass and marble tabletops.

Alter moving into the early Mennonite farmhouse in Lancaster, they began to collect local antiques and folk art to furnish the home. They focused on Pennsylvania-German primitive antiques. Weekends would start with scouring the paper for the Saturday and Sunday auction listings, mostly household good sales. Saturday mornings would start early, in order to get to the ‘finds’ before other collectors. They looked for hand painted early bookplates in hundreds of boxes of books, the occasional fraktur glued to the underneath of a blanket chest lid, rat-tail hinges in random boxes of hardware, splint and rye baskets, early clay figures and wood carvings. They would pour over the furniture; often finding a piece they knew Richard could strip down to its original blue, green or red paint. Joane would go after the baskets, quilts, carvings, hooked rugs and prints. Sometimes they would split up to cover another sale, but usually they stayed together, often with Richard bidding and Joane telling him he paid too much. They amassed an amazing collection over the years – corner cupboards, blanket chests, schranks, Dutch cupboards, farm tables, fraktur, stoneware, redware, wood carvings, etc. Joane became known as the “Basket Lady” for her large collection of rye straw baskets.

Joane and Rich made many wonderful friends in the antique world – Vernon and Jackie Gunnion, Don and Trish Herr, Jim and Betsey Nyeste and Eugene and Vera Charles, to name a few. They started dealing in Pennsylvania German folk art and Fieldstead Farm Antiques soon was a regular fixture at Shupp’s Grove and Renninger’s Flea Markets in Adamstown, PA on weekends. The 5AM start allowed ample time to setup a booth or table, which almost always included scouring the other dealers’ inventories to fill in a blank prior to opening. The Lititz and York Antiques shows were a must. Richard and Joane’s flair for art showed in their well-designed booths. Their passion for antiques also eventually led them, along with a few others, to help found the Heritage Museum in downtown Lancaster.

Richard routinely lectured on Pennsylvania German Folk Art and freely shared his knowledge with anyone who would ask. He poured over church records, went to cemeteries and read constantly, to increase his knowledge of Pennsylvania craftsmen, when and where they worked and lived, what motifs and materials were common for each.

The couple also found time to pursue their other many interests, from painting to gardening to cooking. Joane designed and maintained a spectacular raised-bed German kitchen garden that was featured in gardening magazines and on garden tours. In 1970, Richard released a limited edition book entitled Pennsylvania Butter Prints, which has become a great reference on the subject. He worked with Richard and Rosemarie Machmer on another excellent source book, Just For Nice, which documented a Pa. German Folk Art woodcarving exhibition.

After years of living in Lancaster, while on a drive in the country, Joane and Rich discovered and were drawn to the large stone miller’s house in the little village of Millbach. They eventually purchased and moved into the Millbach House, which was build in 1752. They decided not to disturb the fabric of the house by restoring it to present day standards, so they used the land across the street to build a charming country kitchen and reassembled an old log house from York County on the property in addition to other outbuildings. People driving by would routinely come up the driveway, ring the doorbell and ask, “When are the tours?”

In 1995, Rich photographed and released a limited edition set of Collector’s Circle Prints suitable for framing, featuring early clay flower pots, kitchen shelf items and pottery figures.

In the summer of 2000, the Smiths donated the House of the Millbach and 13 acres to the Millbach Foundation, run by Chip Henderson, who had restored Charming Forge, 12 miles away. This foundation is still active and operated by Chip Henderson. Rich’s declining health led them to move back to Lancaster in order to be closer to their children. Richard died in 2001 and Joane passed away this year.

They were wonderful parents, grandparents, friends, collectors, artists, patrons of the arts and students of Pennsylvania German folk art. They left behind a legacy of artistic endeavors, all carefully conceived and executed. Both will be missed for their enthusiasm and dedication.

Dad always said, “We don’t really own these things. We’re just caretakers for a brief moment in time and are lucky enough to enjoy them for that moment.”

Peter G. Smith
We hope you enjoy your time with them, too.

Information courtesy of Pook & Pook, October 2010

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/bottles_flasks_jars/2847_smith_richard_and_joane_provenance_pook_pook_10_30_2010/feed/ 0 Blakeslee Barnes – American Tinsmith http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/pewter_tin_tole_wares/3052_blakeslee_barnes_american_tinsmith/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/pewter_tin_tole_wares/3052_blakeslee_barnes_american_tinsmith/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:00:47 +0000 hcst http://3052-guid Tinsmith Blakeslee Barnes was born in 1781 at Wallingford, Connecticut and died in 1823 at Berlin, Connecticut. He worked in Berlin, Connecticut from 1800 to 1806. In 1807 he moved to Philadelphia and was listed as a partner with Thomas Danforth. Pewter scholars believe that Barnes was a merchant selling pewter made for him by others. He continued to be active in Philadelphia from 1810 to 1817.

Reference [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Blakeslee Barnes (American, 1781 to 1823)

Tinsmith Blakeslee Barnes was born in 1781 at Wallingford, Connecticut and died in 1823 at Berlin, Connecticut. He worked in Berlin, Connecticut from 1800 to 1806. In 1807 he moved to Philadelphia and was listed as a partner with Thomas Danforth. Pewter scholars believe that Barnes was a merchant selling pewter made for him by others. He continued to be active in Philadelphia from 1810 to 1817.

Reference note by p4A editorial staff, April 2012.

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/pewter_tin_tole_wares/3052_blakeslee_barnes_american_tinsmith/feed/ 0 Hamlin, Samuel – pewterer http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/pewter_tin_tole_wares/1360_hamlin_samuel_pewterer/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/pewter_tin_tole_wares/1360_hamlin_samuel_pewterer/#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:59:57 +0000 hcst http://1360-guid Hamlin, originally from Middlesex, Connecticut apprenticed as a pewterer to Thomas Danforth in Hartford, Connecticut in 1760, following which he moved to Providence and operated a shop on Long Warf from 1771 until 1774. From that date he partnered with Gershon Jones, another noted Rhode Island pewterer, until 1781 when a lawsuit ended their association.

Hamlin was a member of a small but influential band of craftsmen who worked [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Samuel Hamlin (1746 to 1801)

Hamlin, originally from Middlesex, Connecticut apprenticed as a pewterer to Thomas Danforth in Hartford, Connecticut in 1760, following which he moved to Providence and operated a shop on Long Warf from 1771 until 1774. From that date he partnered with Gershon Jones, another noted Rhode Island pewterer, until 1781 when a lawsuit ended their association.

Hamlin was a member of a small but influential band of craftsmen who worked in Providence. A cover article in Antiques and the Arts Weekly, September 10, 2004, “Pewter: Williamsburg Pewter Collection” contains the following quote “After serving his apprenticeship in Middletown, Connecticut, Hamlin introduced the flower-type of handle to Rhode Island.”

Samuel Hamlin Sr. was succeeded in business by his son, Samuel Hamlin Jr. (circa 1801 to 1856). His name appears in the Providence Directory for 1824.

Of all the pewterers of the period, Samuel Hamlin and George Caldwell alone share the peculiarity of never having made eight-inch plates. For the rest, everything that he did produce was characteristic of the best output of the pewterers trained in the old traditions of the craft. His specialty appears to have been porringers and basins, and it is said Hamlin produced about half of the marked pieces documented in these forms.

Hamlin’s identification marks are varied; his normal mark is a name-touch reminiscent of the late eighteenth-century style, and he affected the use of hallmarks. Three eagle touches were used mostly on his porringer handles, hallmarks were used on his large plates and dishes, and the hard metal mark with name-touch was used on rare superior quality nine-inch plates. Hamlin’s name-touch is habitually used on all his flatware and basins.

Reference note by p4A editorial staff; updated April, 2012.

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