Articles by: admin

What Is It? January 2015

What Is It? January 2015

We had several correct answers to our January’s What Is It contest. Yes, the item is a toast holder or rack. This one is silver-plated from Cunard’s second Caronia, launched in 1947. It was bought in 1974 for five dollars at a shipboard sale after the vessel’s retirement. Congratulations to Cheryl Miller of Ft. Collins,  Colorado; Dottie Unruh of Lakewood, […]

by · January 4, 2015 · 0 comments · What Is It?
Christmas Paper Dolls Were Eagerly Awaited

Christmas Paper Dolls Were Eagerly Awaited

By Roy Nuhn   Greatly treasured by today’s collectors are the many wonderful paper dolls of the last 150 years. Of all the types available, paper dolls from magazines and newspapers rank among the favorites. Enthusiasm, however, is strongest for Christmas and Santa Claus themes from the printed pages of such popular periodicals as Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Home Companion and […]

by · December 7, 2014 · 0 comments · Feature Article
What Is It? December 2014

What Is It? December 2014

We had one correct answer for our  December’s What Is It. Norman Thompson of Louisville, Colorado correctly identified the object as an apple peeler or parer. The object to the left is an apple parer. This particular one is a painted Pennsylvania Dutch decorated 2-foot-long apple parer. It is meant to be straddled. It includes the name of Samuel Skann, […]

by · December 6, 2014 · 0 comments · What Is It?
Recognizing the Stylized Look of Theorem Paintings

Recognizing the Stylized Look of Theorem Paintings

By Anne Gilbert Theorem paintings, that became popular in the early 19th century, began with the cutting of stencils into various shapes. Usually fruit and leaves were used, however rare examples have been discovered using bird shapes. A good example of what stenciled designs look like are antique Hitchcock chairs. The first step was deciding what the main subject, such […]

by · October 31, 2014 · 0 comments · Feature Article
What Is It? November 2014

What Is It? November 2014

We only had one correct answer to November’s What Is It. Our reliable guesser Charles Pheasant properly identified the object as a lady’s evening bag circa 1920’s. He added, “Hard to tell about scale, but my guess is small. Suitable for a lipstick and a derringer.” This item is a purse! This tiny party bag is of the 1920s era. […]

by · October 31, 2014 · 0 comments · What Is It?