AmSharing

Collecting Antique Lockets

leah posted this on April 6th, 2012

Lockets have been popular since Elizabethan times, when the Queen herself wore a locket ring with a portrait of her mother, Anne Boleyn. By the mid-18th century, mourning lockets were fashionable, usually containing a lock of hair from the deceased. The hair was oftentimes woven into tiny baskets, and might contain a pearl or other small token.

By the 19th century, lockets were most often associated with loved ones, both romantic and familial...

Antique Engagement Rings

ajmorris posted this on February 10th, 2012

Rings have been a popular token of esteem from ancient times. Royalty exchanged rings and other jewelry to memorialize events such as Royal Visits and Coronations. The aristocratic class followed suit and used rings to mark their lesser occasions, like birthdays and holidays. As societies became ever more democratic and egalitarian, the common classes did their best to imitate the wealthier models, and used rings to symbolize their bonds...

Louis XVI Rose Marble Fireplace Mantel

morris posted this on February 7th, 2012

This fine mantel made of Rose Marble, with matching hearthstone, is 3 feet and 6 inches high; 3 feet and 8.5 inches wide. The fireplace opening is 2 feet 11.5 inches by 2 feet 7.75 inches. Nicely fluted pilasters and carved floral frieze mark this as Louis XVI in style, though it probably dates from the 19th century. I suspect the frieze was carved all the way across, but looks half-done now due to glare when the photo was taken, exacerbated in the printing process...

Mexican Talavera Pottery

morris posted this on January 30th, 2012

According to Eberlein and McClure (The Practical Book of Early American Arts and Crafts, 1916), the Spanish introduced the production of Talavera style majolica pottery in the 1500s. The city of Puebla, founded in 1531, became the center of production, and the only producers of majolica in the western hemisphere for nearly three centuries...

Ogden UT Rail Station ca 1908

morris posted this on January 27th, 2012

This postcard of the Union Depot at Ogden Utah was published by Spargo's Book Store, in Ogden. It has a postmark, but the year did not print. The back has the uneven division typical of cards printed just after messages began to be allowed on the back in 1907. Most such cards date from 1907 to 1910 or a bit later. There is also a printers logo on the back, for EK Co.

This card is addressed to Miss Effie Knock, Willow, Calif...

Williamsbridge NY Railroad Station ca 1908

ajmorris posted this on January 26th, 2012

Postcard showing photo-lithograph of the Williamsbridge New York railroad station; postmarked 11 Aug 1908, 7 P.M. Addressed to Mrs A L Austin; 37 North Divison St, Peekskill, NY. Message: Heard from Art to-day, said Papa and he arrived OK. Uncle Lou met them at Brauchville. Just heard from Carrie Hadden, Tillie fell and bust her wrist. Was anxious to hear from you all. Susie.

Printed by The Rotograph Co., N.Y...

Twelve Section Automatic Dress Form 1912

ajmorris posted this on January 26th, 2012

• 1. Opens entire figure and controls the waist and hip measurements.
• 2. Controls the lengthening or shortening of the waist.
• 3. Controls the neck and bust measurements.
• 4. Controls the lengthening or shortening of skirt.
• 5. Enlarges dimensions of lower skirt.
• 6. Lock Wheel No. 2 controlling waist length.
• 7...

Trade Cards

ajmorris posted this on January 22nd, 2012

Trade Cards were popular from the mid-1800s to the early 20th century, as a means to promote businesses. They usually had some advertising on the back, but the real interest point for most collectors are the colorful graphics that often grace the fronts of these cards. This example from an 1880s card for Metropolitan Life Insurance is a good example of the high-quality graphics often found on these cards...

Native American Photographs

ajmorris posted this on January 22nd, 2012

Original photographs of Native Americans are a highly collectible sub-category in the field of antique photographs. They were popular in the 19th century, so there are many examples available. Unfortunately, these are also one of the most frequently counterfeited types of photographs, some of the forged copies themselves dating back to the 19th century when illegal copies of celebrities and desirable topics (such as these Native American images) was big business...

Dated Images - an Untapped Resource

ajmorris posted this on January 18th, 2012

Old photographs only rarely have a date on them, but those that do are particularly useful. Here is an example. This photograph has a tax stamp on the back, which gives us an approximate date to begin with -- if the stamp is original, and not added later (as occasionally happens). By law, these tax stamps were required in the United States from August 1st 1864 to August 1st 1866. So just by its presence we narrow the date for the image to a two year period...