By Dr. Hugh Grant Rowell

This article describes the skill involved in the craft of miniature clockmaking, as well as the different types of miniature clocks (grandfather, grandmother, and grandchild), how each is made, and some of the notable manufacturers. It originally appeared in the January 1939 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

The true miniature antique clock of whatever land, is characterized by fineness of conception and skillful workmanship. Today they are among the rarities because far fewer of them were made than clocks of full-size with movements …

continue reading | 3 Comments

By Richmond Huntley

This article notes the various woods cabinetmakers have used, such as oak, mahogany, maple, and cherry, and argues that birch is comparable in quality and should be equally as desirable. It notes the limited locations in which birch was used and the wide variety of items that were crafted from the material, from clocks to tables to plates. It originally appeared in the November 1940 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

Many qualities have gone into the making of the much discussed “American way” but one of …

continue reading | 0 Comments

By John Meredith Graham, II

This article, written by the Brooklyn Museum’s then-Curator of Decorative Arts, discusses the global influence on American ceramics in the 19th century, using the china found at the Sunnyside house (Washington Irving’s home) as an example. It notes the types of china produced, the decorative characteristics, and the various manufacturers and production processes. It also describes public reaction to the introduction of the bath tub and details a typical 19th century dinner party. It originally appeared in the October 1947 Sunnyside Edition of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique …

continue reading | 6 Comments

By Thomas H. Ormsbee

This article on the Sandwich Glass Company’s glass candlesticks, made in the mid- to late 19th century, focuses on the production processes, the designs’ inspiration (Venetian glassblowers), and the various colors and styles that were most available at the time the article was published. It originally appeared in the December 1937 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

The dolphin candlestick and its various half brothers, the fluted column, the loop-and-petal and the baluster, have been popular with collectors for many years. They have been sought in …

continue reading | 0 Comments

By Thomas Hamilton Ormsbee

This article discusses hidden compartments found in antique furniture pieces, especially desks and secretaries, and describes some examples with multiple secret compartments. It originally appeared in the November 1939 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

Secret compartments for money, securities, ancestral jewelry and silver plate, a missing will, or a carefully written confession of a crime committed years before, have served fiction writers well. In fact, so well, that they are apt to be considered as just literary props, something to sustain a tale and maintain …

continue reading | 6 Comments

By Naomi Waugh

This article focuses on 19th-century night lights known as fairy lamps, which were the first lamps that were safe to leave on without supervision. It describes advertisements for the lamps, as well as their multiple uses (from discouraging burglars to calming children afraid of the dark) and various designs. It originally appeared in the September 1940 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

Some years ago a police commissioner in a large city offered the practical suggestion that one small electric light bulb left on while the family …

continue reading | 0 Comments

By Ruth Webb Lee

In this article, the author notes what she perceives as a decline in the standard of glass collecting at the time of publishing and addresses fads, the definition of “antique,” and reproductions. It originally appeared in the March 1941 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

On a cycle as constant as the seven-year locust, though more frequent, magazines devoted to fashions and the home have published articles on taste in interior decoration — good and bad. The illustrations picture a room cluttered with “horribilia” and, for …

continue reading | 0 Comments

By Waldo Hopkins

This article on ceramic portraiture in the 17th and 18th centuries focuses on notable potters and artists, the various figures that were produced (from homely figurines such as courting couples to important people, such as Queen Anne and Sir Isaac Newton), as well as the history of the art form. It originally appeared in the September 1939 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

Although English artists began working very early in other media, the making of portrait busts and statues in ceramics lagged far behind. But once …

continue reading | 3 Comments

By Stephen Decatur

This article details the silver plate that belonged to Captain Tobias Lear, the father of George Washington’s secretary (and close friend) Colonel Tobias Lear. It describes the various pieces in the set and identifies the manufacturers using the makers’ marks. It originally appeared in the December 1937 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

It is a matter of general observation that in this country family possessions tend to become scattered in the course of a few generations. Division through inheritance and the normal rate of disposal and …

continue reading | 0 Comments

By Thomas Hamilton Ormsbee

This article addresses the popularity of Queen Anne furniture in America in the first half of the 18th century, noting the major differences in design between the American and English styles. It originally appeared in the October 1939 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

Whole books, and many of them, have been written about American furniture of various periods and special localities but one of the most charming styles has had scant attention. This bears the name of Queen Anne, England’s last Stuart monarch.

There this …

continue reading | 1 Comment

By Edna Deu Pree Nelson

This article on slipware (pottery with pinpricked designs) made in Pennsylvania focuses on the processes and methods used to create slipware, as well as the history of the pottery and some of the most notable designers and manufacturers. It originally appeared in the December 1940 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

A goal for the collector is old pin-decorated slipware. Even run-of-the-mill slipware does not grow on trees, since its value was not appreciated until about a quarter of a century ago, but pin-decorated examples …

continue reading | 1 Comment

By Charles Woolsey Lyon

This article discusses colorful blown glass produced predominantly at the New England Glass Company and the Mount Washington Glass Company (although also attempted by various other glass manufacturers) in the 19th century. It notes some of the most talented craftsmen and innovative colors of the time, and provides a step-by-step explanation of the process of creating colored glass, illustrating the differences in production compared with normal overlay glass. It originally appeared in the January 1940 issue of American Collector magazine, a publication which ran from 1933-1948 and served antique collectors and dealers.

American glass of the last …

continue reading | 2 Comments