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This little green kerosene lamp proves a point. Objects possess much the same uncanny property as the old theory of “six degrees of separation.” The principle suggests that any two …

LB owns an 1898–1902 Symphonion crank-operated tabletop music box. It spins perforated seven-and-a-half-inch steel discs on a double-comb movement patented in Leipzig by Symphonion Musikwerke. The photograph shows a bound …

JS sent me a chunky, hand-carved wooden sculpture of a powerfully built male figure with an amputated left leg below the knee. He’s shown in a direct, full-frontal pose, seated …

DD sent me a 19th century etched and blown-glass dressing table mirror, angled on an easel back. She asked about the history of “self-reflection” and its value. In the Golden …

Tacky? Bad Taste? Or a nice change from beige, black, and taupe? High or low culture? A serious work of art or a frightening mess from the 1980s? HG’s pseudo …

HH owns a large jewel box that encompasses three cultural styles across ten centuries. Yet it’s neither rare nor particularly pricey. This vintage handmade inlaid box draws from the traditions …

Historian BG sent me a bracelet passed down from a friend of her grandmother’s whose husband served in North Africa during WWII. This bangle comes from Egypt. I know by …

RR inherited a chair with a four-post back. Her grandmother called the chair Amish. She asked me to verify the origin. The form shows some Shaker or Amish elements, but …

A matched pair of glass lamps standing three feet tall combines the history of glass, the color yellow, and the 20th century stylish designer lighting. An object contains worlds! Two …

A remnant called “Ramona’s Chain” presents a fantastic range of possible histories. The card beneath four links states: “Rusted and Corroded Chain from a Pirate Ship Washed up on the …