|
|
Lithophanes
Lithophane comes from two Greek words: lithos, meaning stone and phainein, which has a more shaded meaning that is close to making something appear quickly. The term refers to an image or scene that is etched or molded into very thin porcelain, so that the intaglio image “pops” when light is placed behind the porcelain. (Because of their windowpane-like appearance, they are sometimes mistakenly referred to as “lithopanes.”) This makes lithophanes three-dimensional, unlike [...] 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 [...] Click here to continue reading.
Mustard
The word mustard is thought to come from two words: “mustum,” a Latin word for young wine, which is called must, and “ardens,” a Latin word for hot. It was a hot condiment made by grinding mustard seeds up with must to form a paste, and still today as a condiment made from mustard seeds (whole, ground, or cracked) and mixed with a liquid like water or lemon juice to create a paste, [...] Click here to continue reading.
Timothy H. O’Sullivan (circa 1840 to 1882)
Timothy O’Sullivan immigrated to New York City from Ireland with his parents when he was a small child and it was there that he later found work in Mathew Brady’s photography studio. (Brady, who was afflicted with vision problems that struck when he was still a young man, depended heavily on the talent he found in recruits like O’Sullivan and Alexander Gardner.) While O’Sullivan appears to have [...] Click here to continue reading.
Sorting Out Sizes of Pages and Prints
Page and Book Sizes You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but you can at least tell its size, but to do that, you have to know a little bit about the printing process, which basically, at least when it comes to paper sizes, has two eras: the modern era and the hand press era. In the hand press era (pre-1820, for [...] Click here to continue reading.
Dovetail – A Definition
Examining a piece of furniture is like examining a crime scene – forensics play a role in unraveling puzzles about the who, what, where, when, how of each object. One of the “fingerprints” commonly found in pieces of furniture is the dovetail joint (also known just as dovetail or, in Europe, often called a swallowtail or fantail joint). The photograph here shows the front corner of a drawer in a [...] Click here to continue reading.
Sotheby’s Catalogue Note regarding the silver hand seal of the 1st Continental Rifle Regiment.
Sotheby’s, Important Americana, 24-25 January 2014.
Catalogue Note: Lost to time for over two hundred years and recently rediscovered, this silver seal is one of only two surviving objects related to the famous 1st Continental or Rifle Regiment, the first American unit to be raised, equipped and paid directly by the Continental Congress. Also known as the Continental Rifle Regiment, [...] Click here to continue reading.
Captain Lewis Barnes (1776 to 1856)
Barnes was born Jacobi Ludwig Baarnhielm in Sweden, and migrated to Salem at the age of fourteen. He became a successful merchant and sea captain, owning stakes in the Recovery and the Lewis, and lived on Islington Street.
More than ten pieces of Barnes’s furniture survive and all are branded “L. Barnes.” For a discussion of Barnes and the other individuals and families that branded their [...] Click here to continue reading.
Will Evans and the Shiprock Trading Post
Will Evans (1877 to 1954), also known as Awoshk’al or “Missing Tooth” to the Navajo, partnered with Joe Wilkins and Ed Dustin in 1898 to build Little Water Trading Post in Sanostee Valley, south of Shiprock, New Mexico. Filled with dry goods and groceries, Evans spent that first winter alone manning the shop, trading with the Navajo, and passing his time by painting. In 1917, Evans purchased [...] Click here to continue reading.
Stanford White (1853-1906)
Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was in his day best known for his Beaux-Arts work with the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, in which he was a partner, work which typifies what is thought of as the American Renaissance of art and design.
White’s family had no money, but were still well connected in the art world of New York in the 19th century, and [...] Click here to continue reading.
|
Recent Articles
- Charles Alfred Meurer – American Artist & Tromp L’Oeil Artist
- Sendak, Maurice – American Artist & Writer
- Godie, Lee – American Artist
- Davis, Vestie – American Artist
- Bartlett, Morton – American Artist
- Mackintosh, Dwight – American Artist
- Evans, Minnie Jones – African-American Artist
- Mumma, Ed (Mr. Eddy) – American Artist
- Nice, Don – American Artist
- Savitsky, John (Jack) – American Artist
- Gordon, Harold Theodore (Ted) – American Artist
- Dial, Thornton – African-American Artist
- Doyle Sam – American Artist
- Johnson, Lester Frederick – American Artist
- Finster, Howard – American Artist
|
|
