Sunny days, backyard barbeques, campfires, and pool parties - these are some of the hallmarks of the Great American Summer. Let's cap off the sunlit season with some "homespun" fine art: American folk art paintings. Recognized for their picturesque landscape scenes, harbor views, darling portraitures, or glimpses into the lives of early colonists, folk art paintings hold a special place in ... Read More
Finding Phyfe: America’s Elusive Furniture-Maker
July 3, 2019 Michelle Miller
Although having an acclaimed name within American decorative arts history, Duncan Phyfe furniture is extremely rare to behold. So, for an antique furniture appraisal, setting eyes upon a piece of Phyfe furniture would be like discovering the holy grail of American antique furniture! Scotting-born Duncan Phyfe (1768-1854) was the most sought-after furniture maker in the United States during the ... Read More
Halloween Collectibles
October 11, 2018 by Michelle Miller
Halloween is a supernaturally fun holiday for children! Spooky decorations, like ghosts, spider webs, and bats trimming bushes and trees, lend homes a decidedly "haunted house" aura. The anticipation awaiting the hunt for the perfect pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern with a wacky or scary face. The excitement of donning costumes and being a superhero, witch, pirate, or princess for the night. ... Read More
A Quilted History: America and Its Sewn Collections
July 10, 2018 by Michelle Miller
When you think about American collectibles and antiques, cars, rock-n-roll memorabilia, presidential campaign paraphernalia, and Civil War relics are a few things that come to mind. Quilts, however, especially patchwork ones, are an overlooked category, but one that has become recognized as a distinctly and uniquely American form of art. Throughout American history, women were in charge of ... Read More
