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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 …

In the 1990’s I rented a marvelous apartment in an unrestored 1920’s building. Each of the 20 units had a 1920-30 Magic Chef gas/propane antique gas stove. The owner dumped …

C.R. from Santa Barbara finished remodeling her house and decided to go with a new, fresh look. She’s tired of the look of rooms we used to call “period,” in …

JD from Santa Barbara sends me two pieces of bright yellow Vaseline glass, both of which were once part of a desk set. You see an ink well and a …

The first time G.M. and her family evacuated, ash from the Thomas Fire fell around them. She packed up three cars and they headed for a friend’s house in Monterey. …

A.K. sends an old engraving on paper of Abraham Lincoln in oval form, bordered by scenes from his life. The bottom is printed “Photograph by MB Brady” with a Lincoln …

G.R. uses a pair of Polish Judaica candlesticks for the weekend Shabbos family meal. They date from the last quarter of the 19th century. They’re marked with the Polish double …

PS sends me a large red Chinese temple vase with two huge black painted dragons curling along the sides. The vase stands about 36” tall, the base material terracotta. Two …

The Personality of the American Home, an expert’s look at Generations of People Who Own ‘Stuff,’ is a result of five years of observations of appraiser’s clients, spanning four generational …

ES sends me a porcelain-headed doll with jointed limbs. Her grandmother brought it with her when she immigrated to the US in 1916. The doll wears modern (polyester) clothing, and …