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J.S. writes that she found an original oil on hardboard at a vintage shop: she asks if I might help identify its near-illegible signature. What follows is how I narrow …

R.E. has a glamorous kangaroo fur coat once owned by famous comedian Phyllis Diller. R.E. has wonderful provenance on this coat: Her sister was once a personal assistant to Miss …

ML from the Midwest sends me photos of this little flocked papier-mâché mechanical “noddy” dog, late 19th century. This is a life-sized model of a spotted black on white dog …

J.P. has a framed embroidered silk-on-paper lady’s fan depicting an elegant couple seated in a horse-drawn Regency-era cabriolet, circa 1820. I couldn’t find any similar fans so I resorted to …

J.S. has a Rembrandt etching of a windmill, 8 inches by 6 inches. The print is signed in the plate (the artist etched his name into the copper before it …

K.K. sends me a tiny enameled tin suitcase in red with white trim, lined inside with beige and silver stars; a case for a toddler-shaped doll dressed in a plaid …

C.B. has a quartet of engravings, dated 1864, a commemoration of four leaders, often called “The Peacemakers.” These works on paper all have condition issues like water damage and foxing, …

P.J. from Carpinteria writes to me that during the tragedies of the last few months, she “lost control” of her household. “I’m now feeling like I need a checklist on …

SL from Santa Barbara is very sentimental about her grandmother’s wedding gown. She has sent two sets of photos, and each time she says the photos do not do it …

J.S. has four framed engravings on paper from the Victorian era, circa 1840. The titles are narrative, instructive and symptomatic of the mid-Victorian sentiment around art for the home: “A …