Where do you find yours?

A favorite topic among antique dealers, interior designers and collectors is often the story of the "the find". The who, what, when, where and why of acquiring an object can be evocative tale. If you are anything like me, getting up at 4 AM to arrive at a flea market before dawn is the beginning. If it ends happily, your car or van will be stuffed to the gills and everyone who came along will leave with something held tightly in their lap along with another object tucked in between their legs on the floor. 

Today I stopped by Linkedin to join the conversation started by Jason Fox on "Where do you get your antiques?"  I mentioned my favorite haunt was a place called the Perkiomeville Flea Market in Pennsylvania. Though I haven't been there in years, when I lived in PA it was a regular stop.

Now that I live in Wisconsin, I shop locally here as well; unless I am looking for something very specific. That's how I came upon my current subject of the blog chair. This Victorian era reproduction of an 18th century Chippendale ribbon back chair was discovered via a quick peek at my local antiques mall 5 Star Antiques in Fort Atkinson WI. 

Photo: SHS

I am never able to follow through on that "quick peek" promise to myself so it always turns into a long stop and look into every corner. Happily, my main interest is in furniture so I don't look in every smalls case. 

BUT, the trick to collecting is this; go armed with the knowledge of what you are looking at! 

As an ongoing student of antiques and material culture the book on my nightstand is almost invariably a text. A few of my favorites are Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, American Furniture 1620 to the Present and Upholstery in America and Europe. With titles that include words like Encyclopedia one might think this is pretty heady stuff to read before you go to bed. But it is what I love, so it is neither heady or difficult to read. 

This is a detail shot of an empire period foot from my personal collection, and I love it!

Photo: SHS

Here is what I recommend to the novice. Establish a time-line in your head!  And start with something you love. 

Let's just say you are infatuated with round piano stools that sport glass ball feet. Research the form at your library and discover who made it, what materials they used, when and where it was made and think about why you collect it. (You can do this online if you use documented sources.)

You will discover these piano stools were all the rage in Victorian America, so many manufacturers (who) made them. What they were primarily made of would be a wood abundant to the manufacturer; at this time, mahogany, walnut, maple and other woods where readily available.  When has already been answered; and where is in all major manufacturing sites during this time. Pianos and their accessories were extremely popular items. It was a way of life for the family to spend time in the parlor every evening entertaining each other. Those who could afford them owned a piano. Why you collect them is a personal question for you to answer.

As you memorize this information, you will no doubt survey a broader field of information about furniture in the Victorian era. Now you have a starting reference point from which to build you antiques vocabulary. Where you go from here, depends on you. Move on to a period before or after your muse, staying focused on your field of piano accessories. It also helps if you stay on one continent as well.

Make notes of what you find and keep them close at hand. Draw details if necessary. 

Illustration by the author, Photo: SHS

Review them as often as you like. It's your hobby so move at your own pace. I studied this way for years. But it all came together when I took a university course in the history of American design. We moved through each period with painstaking accuracy. The knowledge from the course combined with what I already taught myself made it all click.

Of course you can choose to go on taking the advice of less knowledgeable friends and antique store owners. But don't whine if you spend too much money on a pretty object only to find it is an impostor! 


Collecting antiques is a way for many of us to interact with the decorative arts. It's a worthwhile endeavor that brings beauty and meaning into our lives. 

I received this vintage chair as compensation for an upholstery job. I have not researched its period yet, but it's value is not important to me. I love it!

Photo by the author

There is a reading list at the end of this post. If you are interested in a survey of all western and American periods of furniture, I highly recommend the first selection: Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture.

Happy collecting AND studying!

Theresa

Yummy Furniture and Design

theresamhs@sbcglobal.net

Connect with me at Facebook 
Link up at LinkedIn

Recommended Texts:
Payne, Christopher. Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture, New York, Harper & Row.

Fairbanks, Jonathan and Bidwell Bates, Elizabeth, American Furniture 1620 to the Present, New York, Richard Marek.
Cooke, Edward S. Jr., Upholstery in America and Europe from the 17^th C to WWI., New York, W.W. Norton & Co. 90.