Did you know that the earliest versions of Play-Doh were once used to clean wallpaper? The Kutol company of Cincinnati originally invented Play-Doh in the 1930s as a product to be rolled over wallpaper to remove dirt without damaging the paper. Later, vinyl wallpapers could be cleaned with water, so the product fell out of use until a teacher with […]

By Robert Reed  The beauty of Art Nouveau and the amazing light of electricity arrived at nearly the same time in the twilight of one century and the dawn of still another.  “Nouveau was flowing, growing lines of vines and trailing flowers,” wrote Jean Minar Paris.  “It was foliage that grew across page and wall, from chair leg to table […]

By Barry Krause   Genuine 18th century Benjamin Franklin collectibles are still available for purchase by collectors.  His authentic autographs are not cheap because of constant strong demand for them, but he was a prolific letter writer and signed many documents in the many important functions he had as a Colonial American patriot, statesman, diplomat, writer, editor, philosopher, inventor, scientist, librarian, […]