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
Appraisal Daze: Identifying Your Antiques
August 30, 2018 by Michelle Miller & Carrie Gough
Given the never fading popularity of the PBS hit Antiques Roadshow, we increasingly hear the question "Where can I get my antiques appraised?" "How can I appraise my antiques" You've probably seen at least one episode of the PBS hit show "Antiques Roadshow." With art appraisers excitedly waiting at the helm, people line up in droves to discover more about their beloved antique items or ... 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
Hidden Gems Waiting to be Discovered
November 2, 2017 By Lauren Johnson
We’ve all heard lore of thousands of dollars tucked away in households, unknown to the owners that they are sitting on such pockets of value. Or perhaps you’ve tuned into the PBS program Antiques Road Show to see someone bring forth an antique handed down from family member to family member until it ends up in a box labeled ‘junk’ just to see it be valued by specialists on the television ... Read More
