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
Dolls for Days – Part 2: Madame Alexander’s Delightful Dolls (United States)
June 13, 2019 Michelle Miller
Hailing from New York, the Madame Alexander Doll Company holds a special place in the world of dolls. The company was founded by Beatrice Alexander, along with her sisters, in 1923. The girls grew up around gorgeous dolls as their father owned the first "doll hospital" company in the United States! The Madame Alexander Doll Company initiated many new and lasting doll trends and innovations. ... Read More
Dolls for Days – Part 1: Doll Basics
June 6, 2019 Michelle Miller
The second Saturday in June is World Doll Day, so let's celebrate with some history about antique and collectible dolls from around the world! Check back all month for parts 2 and 3! First, an important note before we begin- how do you know what type of doll you even have? With a variety of materials - from porcelain to plastic, composite to cloth, papier-mâché to leather, and celluloid to ... Read More
APRIL SHOWERS BRING LIMOGES FLOWERS
May 7, 2019 Michelle Miller
How To Ensure A Porcelain Piece Is A True Limoges Limoges...what is it? Those porcelain dinnerware sets, trinkets boxes, and tea sets adorned with fluffy, pink, cabbage-style roses, tend to be categorized as examples of the "Limoges" porcelain. Limoges, however, is not a company, but rather a term which has come to encompass a variety of porcelain pieces produced in a specific area. Limoges ... Read More
Rookwood Pottery: An American Heritage
January 11, 2019 Michelle Miller
Rookwood pottery was one of the most illustrious American pottery manufacturers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Winning awards at several international exhibitions and world's fairs, such as the 1893 Columbian Exposition of Chicago and the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, Rookwood pottery also garnered international acclaim. Pottery as an art form blossomed during the ... Read More
A Very Merry (Holt-Howard) Holiday To You!
December 16, 2018 Michelle Miller
Looking for a fresh way to bring that winter magic to your own holiday "tablescape?" How about giving some vintage Holt-Howard holiday ceramic decorations a try! Holt-Howard was a ceramics company that manufactured adorable (and cheeky) kitchenware during the 1950s and 1960s. The company popped with its "Pixieware" line: little imp faces decorated the tops and lids of a plethora of condiment ... 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
Is It Really An Antique?
May 31, 2018 by Michelle Miller
Maybe a piece of furniture has been passed down in your family throughout the years - a grandmother's charming writing desk, for example, or an heirloom cedar chest. Or maybe you're going to a flea marketing hoping to find that perfect exquisitely carve antique French parlor chair. These pieces definitely look, well, old (like they've seen better times), but the question becomes "is it really ... Read More
Can I Really Appraise My Art Online?
November 1, 2017 by Carrie Gough
What is my art worth? What are my antiques worth? Where can I value my art and antiques? As the art world remains opaque, these questions become more prevalent. There are very few industries out there that have not been affected by technology and the art world is certainly no exception. These days we can easily capture high quality digital images of our art, antiques and collectibles and ... Read More
Is a Free Appraisal Really Free?
by Carrie Gough
Where can I get a free art appraisal? Buyer beware - why free appraisals are not really free and why consumers should choose an unbiased source like What’s it Worth when valuing their art, antiques and collectibles. If you google “free art or antiques appraisal” plenty of options can be found. But if the consumer digs a little deeper, they will soon discover that the entity advertising a ... Read More
