A Tale of Art Forgery
This week TT came into the office with a nice oil painting signed A.G. Deacon. This oil on canvas landscape, a view of a French vineyard, came with memories, as …
F. Hopkinson Smith: An Artist with Technical Know-How
PS sends me a beautiful oil pastel on paper, signed F. Hopkinson Smith (1838-1915). The painting depicts a canal scene in Venice, but look closer, you will see an amazing …
Material Testimony to the Story an Object Tells: Judaica
DB from Oxnard sent me this photograph of a most beautiful mystery silver item, which appears to be a tea or coffee pot. But in this little item contains a …
Ancient Altar Painting Tells Treasured Story of Abraham and Isaak
JE sent me photos of a wonderful small 8 x 12 oil on canvas, a portrait of the aged Abraham, the father of the little infant at his feet, Isaak. …
High Culture Eagle Devolves to Low Culture Symbol
I possess my own theories about Early American Colonial Design style in the USA in the mid 20th century. I should know. I lived through this most unfortunate era in …
Doll with Celluloid spectacles Harbinger of 1910 Fashion
SK sends me an antique doll with spectacles, rather intelligent but haughty. Writing about dolls with spectacles, and why that became a fashion in the first quarter of the 20th …
California Colored Ceramics, a Mid-Century Delight
I grew up in a little farming area of Illinois which is now part of the sprawling Chicago metropolis, and our little red brick 2-bedroom house was close enough to …
When a Collector Becomes a Connoisseur
When I taught Decorative Arts at a SBCC, I had a room full of English speaking students, with one Japanese student, Haruto, who knew only a few English words. I …
Record Prices Set for Vintage Hot Wheels (Really!!)
Do you have any of these Hot Wheels? 1973 Pink Ferrari 1969 Blue Redline Olds 442 Yellow Redline Cipsa Mexican Sand Witch Ice Blue Redline Olds 442 Dark Purple Mustang …
How to tell if your fashion doll is valuable or haunted
EH sends me loads of photos for valuation of antique dolls, perhaps because (and this is a joke) she heard I have a doll phobia. This condition dates back to …