Citrus and cyanide
J.H. sends me a ceramic fumigation pot, alongside a photo of her grandmother’s house, in the first quarter of the 20th century set in an unincorporated area of West Covina. …
Before Bread Machines We Had Dough Boxes
LS sends me a photograph of a dough box, which, in its heyday (1850) would have weekly felt the weight of “three pecks” of flour to make the family’s bread. …
Traditional (Furniture) is No Longer Popular Today
North Carolina is known for its beautiful forests, and since the 19th century was the state known nationwide to produce serviceable wooden furniture. My son lives there now, and some …
How to Protect valuable art
The week before the Thomas fire roared into Santa Barbara County, a new client asked me for an appointment for an appraisal for insurance purposes. On Dec. 5,, my photographer …
Could this old violin go for a song?
C. from Santa Barbara has an old violin bearing a paper label in the interior of the waist behind one of the F holes. I am not a violin expert, …
A Slice of Musical Theater History
Old folks always have the best stuff. A framed piece of sheet music on paper always hung next to Mom’s piano, given to her by my Aunt Ann. The title …
Vase holds appeal for mid-century modern collectors
The year was 1962 and D.’s mom spotted a great-looking, modern-style, green-, blue- and gold-trimmed vase at Ott Hardware in Santa Barbara. She displayed it for 55 years on her …
Studio Craft and Developing an Eye
D.H. sends what appears to be a basket, produced in the 1990’s in Australia, a great example of “studio craft art.” Objects like this are typically innovative, ambiguous, true to …
Grandmother’s tray serves up poignant family history
J.H. of Santa Barbara owns a handled copper or brass tray passed down to her from her grandmother, who arrived in Portland, Ore., in the 1890s from Odessa in the …
Bronze tabletop pagoda houses much history
D.L. has a fine little Asian ornamental bronze figure standing at about 30 inches. It is in the shape of a Japanese pagoda with seven stacked six-sided tapering roofs. Each …