In 1821, the Santa Fe Trail was opened as a commercial route between Missouri and New Mexico by William Becknell and his party of five traders. The famous “Commerce of the Prairies” developed and grew until the railroad reached Santa Fe in 1880. The Trail was a route of conquest during the war with Mexico, 1846-1848, was the scene of […]
By Barry Krause Antiques have been repaired since they were first made, first by their makers themselves when customers brought damaged examples back to their original creators for expert repair. Later, antiques were repaired by anyone, qualified or not, as wear and age harmed them over the years. So, when we are offered an old object as “repaired,” it doesn’t […]
July’s What Is It? appears to be a collection of mid-19th century black-lacquered and hand-painted papier mache boxes according to William McLaren of Alaska. Most appear to be snuff boxes. Portraits of prominent people or landscapes are commonly seen, as are gilded initials and inscriptions. The portrait box in the top middle is of a shape to hold cheroot (cigars) […]
By Robert Reed Displays of patriotism abounded in the United States long before the most timely arrival of holiday postcards on the American scene early in the 20th century. Yet the robust stars and stripes and all those related images just never looked better than they did in print on illustrated postcards. Within ten years of the ‘new’ century citizens […]
July 4 Independence Day 25th Anniversary of NASA’s Pathfinder space probe landing on the surface of Mars (1997) July 8 Liberty Bell tolls to announce Declaration of Independence (1776) July 16 77th Anniversary of the first atomic test at Trinity, New Mexico (1945) July 20 Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong takes historic first steps on the moon […]
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