Bedford Antiques Show Filled With 'Positive Energy'

BEDFORD, N.Y.

:"We had lots of positive energy and that's what it takes for this show," Lynn Ryan, executive director of the Bedford Historical Society, said following the close of the annual antiques show at Historical Hall on the Bedford Village Green. She added that the show ran smoothly, about 500 people attended, staying in the range of the past several years, and all but one of the exhibitors indicated interest in returning in 2006.

Every nook and cranny of Historical Hall is needed, along with an adjoining tent, to produce this show with its 19 exhibitors. At one point in time the show ran under the management of the late Russell Carrell, but has since been in the capable hands of the historical society.

Director Lynn Ryan has seen to it that the show does not become top heavy in any one line of collecting, but has brought in quilts and rugs, American and English furniture, prints and lithographs, and smalls of every description.

This event becomes the showplace for two of the local dealers over the October 15-16 weekend, with Linlo House offering furniture including an English Hepplewhite bow front chest in maple and a Chippendale tall chest in cherrywood with molded cornice and ogee bracket base. This piece measured 561/2 inches high, 401/2 inches wide with six drawers. Amy Parsons Quilts took over half of the stage area, room enough to hang two large quilts including a Log Cabin Windmill design, circa 1890. Complimenting the bed covers were several hooked rugs with floral design, and a number of pillows including one with the Masonic emblem.

Chatham, N.Y., dealer Skevington-Back Antiques showed a late Eighteenth Century oak and elm Welsh dresser with three drawers, turned legs ending in square feet, with a later plate rack. On the dresser was a Davenport porcelain compote, 8 inches high, circa 1825, with hand painted flowers and gilt and floral border. A cast iron fireplace surround with 263/4-by-20-inch opening was manufactured by the New York City firm of W. & N.H. Jackson.

It was not necessary to read the booth sign to recognize the stand of Rena Goldenberg of Orange, Conn. Her usual fine display of biscuit tins filled a set of shelves to the left of the main entrance and examples included "Bicky House" depicting a child and black cat at the door of their home and a 1908 field glass case tin by Huntley & Palmers. There was also a selection of breadboards, another Goldenberg staple.

Easily spotted from the front door of the show was a Federal lady's tambour writing desk in cherrywood, New England, circa 1800, in two sections, against the back wall in the booth of Jane McClafferty of New Canaan, Conn. She also offered her trademark selection of Staffordshire including pairs of dogs, castles, and both human and animal figures.

H.P McLane Antiques, also of New Canaan, shared a booth with Deacon's Horse, Stamford, Conn., offering a small settee, circa 1880, upholstered in red with gold with "Napoleonic Bee" symbols, and a nice inlaid, lift-top sewing stand, circa 1840. A pair of Rose Medallion Ku vases, circa 1830-40, graces the ends of a side table.

French antiques and accessories filled the booth of Barbara Bluestone & Co., of Stamford, Conn., and show against the back of the booth was a large, elaborate, tole funeral wreath in zinc dating from the Nineteenth Century, and a stylish bibliotheque with arched aperture, carved feet and gray painted surface.

Spilling out into the aisles from a corner booth was the display of Steven Rowe Antiques of Newton, N.H., and Blue Hill, Maine. A Gothic mirror in mahogany hung over a mahogany commode with marble top, a cottage dresser, three drawers, was grain painted and decorated with landscapes, and a low coffee-type table held a reverse painted checkerboard with red and mosaic squares within a fancy gilt border.

The narrow stairs leading to the balcony level of Historical Hall were no challenge to East Dennis Antiques of East Dennis, Mass. Fred DiMaio and Tom Buto managed to maneuver an English corner cupboard in two sections, Nineteenth Century with nine lights in the top door, 76 inches tall; a four-board sawbuck table with breadboard ends, white painted base; and a set of eight rosewood faux-grained side chairs, cane seats, circa 1850, into the booth that filled the front end of the building. In addition they offered complete table settings, several paintings, smaller pieces of furniture and a stack of six graduated, grain-painted boxes.

Stephen-Douglas from Rockingham, Vt., shared part of the balcony and limited its display to things that went up and down the stairs easily. About the largest piece of furniture was a miniature drop front desk, while the largest accessory was a tall birdcage with three towers. A rhino was of carved wood, a lamp was made from a Pouchong de canton tin, a firemark showed the Phoenix eagle, and still banks were in painted cast iron and redware.

Neil Greco of Birchknoll Antiques, Wolfeboro, N.H., set up in the tented area during the rain storm on Friday evening. With additional plastic protection around his furniture, he displayed a New York Sheraton swing leg table of Cuban mahogany, turned legs with the original casters, and a New Hampshire blind-door secretary in bird's-eye maple with satinwood inlay, original brasses, probably from Portsmouth, N.H. An oil on canvas by the English artist William Gosling showed a horse standing at a cottage door. "Gosling was best known as a landscape painter and this is one of the few subject painting he ever did," Neil said.

"We didn't have the best weather for the show this year, rain for setup and more on Saturday, but on Sunday the tent flaps went up and we all had a good time," Lynn Ryan said, adding, "We are looking forward to doing it again next year."