Slag-Glass Lamp
S.S. from Santa Barbara sends me photos of an Arts & Crafts style table lamp with green slag-glass and patinated cast iron that bears no maker’s mark. It has either …
The First Keyboard
RP sends me a Hammond typewriter, circa 1905, a mechanical writing device with a keyboard. The history of the typewriter is vital to understanding how we think about words and …
Imari Dish
H.B. got lucky at the Assistance League Thrift Store, she left that great little shop with a dish for which she gave under $20. She sends me pictures of that …
The Elephant and the Many Flowers
You might find it odd to see an elephant holding up a thousand flowers with its trunk. That’s the theme of this little Art Deco lamp, sent by DS. She …
Durham Ox Mezzotints
K.R. has two pictures of English cows. These, K.R. are not cows, but oxen, The great-celebrated Durham ox, a castrated bull who became universally admired in all Anglophile countries in …
Grandmother’s Lace Collar
SB sends me a beautiful lace collar that belonged to her grandmother Elsa. Such collars were expensive in the mid-19th century and a young married middle-class girl would’ve been hard …
Malcolm McDowell
Ojai Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Honoree Malcolm McDowell. On November 3 a screening of O Lucky Man! will be followed by a Q&A with Mr. McDowell led by actor/writer Peter …
Japanese Tansus Chest
SL sends me a photo of a gorgeous Japanese tansu that reflects, in a remarkable way, how a piece of furniture can tell the social history of a culture. Tansus, …
Stitch and the Contemporary Collectible
Dr. Jumba, the evil scientist who created Stitch, spoke to the Galactic Council about his creation: “he is bulletproof, fireproof and can think faster than a super computer. He can …
“The West-Dressed Woman”
Santa Barbara Historical Museum Historian Michael Redmon and Guest Curator Sharon Bradford discuss “The West-Dressed Woman” exhibit.