By Maureen Timm  The first great invention developed by Edison in Menlo Park was the tin foil phonograph. While working to improve the efficiency of a telegraph transmitter, he noticed that the tape of the machine gave off a noise resembling spoken words when played at a high speed. This caused him to wonder if he could record a telephone […]

By Robert Reed  From lovely plates and delicate pitchers to decorative trinket boxes and figural animals, souvenir pottery was proudly displayed in American homes for decades.  Today many of the more interesting pieces, such as a plate honoring the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition or a ceramic dog labeled Wheatland, Wyo., are the subject of renewed interest among the current generation of collectors. […]

By Rosemary McKittrick  Humans are more easily fooled by decoys than birds are. That’s the old joke among decoy collectors. The work of master carver Elmer Crowell (1862-1951) just might be the exception. His work is housed in the collection of the Shelburne Museum. Some say Crowell was the best carver ever. Maybe it was his passion for hunting. Maybe […]

By Robert Reed  Symbols of love and togetherness, figures of the bride and groom have adorned the traditional wedding cake for well over a century.  They are known affectionately as toppers.  The most famous of all wedding cake toppers, the bride and groom, are no longer just keepsakes of the newly weds. They, like so many other vintage wedding items, […]