Rain Fails To Dampen Antiques In The Garden

Boothbay, Maine

:"It was unbelievably horrible," Kim Washam, manager of Antiques in the Garden, sponsored by Maine Antiques Dealers Association, said a few days after the show closed on Saturday, July 11. She was, of course, referring to the weather, which brought heavy rains to the area on Wednesday, setup day, and not to the show, which was "unbelievably pleasant."

"We had the first nice weekend in months," Kim added, and with the change in the weather came happier dealers who were more than willing to forget some of the woes of moving into the three tents on the grounds of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. At one point on Wednesday, water was running through the tents, causing Steve Shapiro to comment, "I could use a submarine."

Jef Cherry was among the dealers who dug trenches to ward off the rain; Bill Schwind arrived with a bale of straw that he put down the aisle of tent A, and a few of the exhibitors put down tarps before thinking about rolling out a rug. "I think my rug is shot," Jon Magoun said after seeing all the sand and grit that had been tracked onto it.

"But the show went on, the dealers were great and really pitched in, and I was very pleased with the overall look," Kim added. Forty-one dealers took part in the show, 18 of them new to Antiques in the Garden this year, and "it looks like most of the dealers did well enough, or saw potential, and want to return in 2010," she said.

The show, now only two years old, has been going though a learning process to improve for the exhibitors, the garden and the visitors. This year it moved to a new site on the garden's grounds, one that had to be approved by the environment people, which caused some delays and the site was not really ready for use until less than a month before show setup. And the constant threat of rain this spring resulted in the decision to move some of the food tables for the preview inside the tents, making for crowded aisles. "That is going to definitely change for next year," Kim said.

But all in all, the show went on, and when the close to 600 patrons arrived for the 5 to 8 pm preview, both the dealers and their booths were spiffed up to welcome them. And while the food is a real treat at this preview — with lobster, clam chowder, pate, cheeses, pastries and spreads, to be washed down with special vodka and wines — the antiques are the real treat.

A very large American flag, 45 stars, covered most of the back wall in the booth of The Boat House Antiques, Wiscasset, Maine, and a pond boat of good size had a mast that measured close to 8 feet. The nautical look continued in the booth of Robert Foley Antiques, Gray, Maine, where a mahogany and teakwood ship's wheel had been made into an attractive coffee or end table. A wrought iron hall tree was also shown in this booth, as was a oil on canvas pastoral scene signed by T. Bailey.

"That's the only known sternboard by Bellamy, and I bought it 30 years ago from the Nightingale family," Paul DeCoste said of the carving on the back wall of his booth. "This is the first time I have had it out and I felt that this show would be a good one to offer it," he said. After a great deal of study, the piece has a good dozen or more carving techniques used by Bellamy, such as the two-part head that is square on top. The sternboard measures 11 feet long, 1860, Navy Yard, Boston.

James and Nancy Glazer had only a short distance to travel from their home on Bailey Island, Maine, and offered their usual variety of fine and interesting antiques. Their love for paint was shown through a paint decorated table, Empire base with octagonal top, circa 1830–1840, Maine origin, and a set of six red and gold leaf decorated fancy chairs, New York City, turned legs and in mint condition. The provenance lists the Phillips family of New York City.

A collection of photographs by Warren Taylor, all shot on Monhegan, an island he discovered in 1912, made a handsome display in the booth of Martin J. Ferrick Antiques of Lincolnville, Maine, and SAJE Americana of Short Hills, N.J., offered a sponge decorated wall shelf, Maine origin, circa 1840–1850. A dry sink from Belmont County, Ohio, circa 1850, in yellow and brick red paint, 44½ inches wide, 32 inches high and 19½ inches deep, was shown in the corner of the booth.

A fine pair of sack back Windsor chairs, New York, circa 1790, stamped "T. Drake NY," the current green painted surface dating from the Nineteenth Century, was displayed by W.M. Schwind of Yarmouth, Maine. Also offered was a country Chippendale chair table, possibly Rhode Island, circa 1780–1800, in maple and chestnut with a pine top measuring 47½ inches in diameter. The surface was old black paint over red.

Cherry Gallery, Damariscotta, Maine, had an interesting rustic twig bank, circa 1890, with steps leading up to a door at the base of the steeple. A pair of matched paintings showed a pickerel and a trout, two Northern fish species, by Wil Steward of Monson, Maine. They were dated 1908 and 1909 and were shown against a faux birch background. This display spilled outside the tent where an Old Town canoe, circa 1920, was shown, along with a Gaille outboard motor, 1930, that had been polished and shined to the Nth degree.

A Maine farm table with one drop leaf, 72 inches long with two-board top, circa 1800s, in pine, maple and poplar, was across the front of the booth of Reynolds Fine Books & Country Antiques, Bath, Maine. A shelf of books included the titles New Hampshire , Robert Frost, 1923 first trade edition, and America's National Game by A.G. Spalding.

A large full-bodied sailing ship weathervane, late Nineteenth Century, a single mast with two copper sails, measuring 35½ inches long, 31¾ inches high, shown at the front of the booth of Holden Antiques, Naples, Fla., and Sherman, Conn., sold during the preview. It was displayed along with another nautical weathervane, an English galleon of hand forged copper, early Twentieth Century, probably from a carriage house or estate barn.

Pat & Rich Garthoeffner of Lititz, Penn., had a showcase filled with early mechanical and still banks, as well as some cast iron and painted toys. The mechanical banks included a Punch & Judy, Uncle Sam and Mason Bank that sold during the preview, Jolly 'N', and eagle with eaglets. Standing next to the case was a carousel horse in the original park paint from Baltimore, Md., circa 1880.

A number of items in the booth of M.S. Carter, Inc, Portsmouth, N.H., could have come right off the farm, including an orchard ladder and a tiered sign offering "raspberries, cabbage, plums, cucumbers and cherries." An interesting right-angled bench, mustard paint, was at the front of the booth, with a large eider decoy on it.

A pine hutch table, circa 1860, that had "been in the same family for the past 80 years," was offered by Colleen Kinloch Antiques, Bristol, Maine. Against the back wall was a Queen Anne chest of five drawers, pine, cutout base, that dated circa 1750.

A matched pair of large clam shells, 32 inches across, was shown by Michael Whittemore Antiques & Folk Art, Washington, Ill. "This is the best pair I have owned and they are hard to get now as they are not allowed to be imported," Michael said. An interesting Victorian mirror, large size, had an intricate cast iron frame, a wire plant stand was in the form of a skirted lady, and weathervanes included a large cow, rooster and seaplane that sold during the preview.

Doing Antiques in the Garden for the first time were Hilary and Paulette Nolan, Falmouth, Mass., offering a large circa 1880 hooked rug depicting a dog lying on a checkerboard floor, with floral border; a merganser decoy in the original paint, H. Davis of Waquoit, Mass.; and a very large American turned wooden bowl in chestnut, late Eighteenth Century.

Bob and Debbie Withington of York, Maine, do not take things lightly when it comes to the antiques they offer. For instance, it took four strong men to unload and put in place a cast iron table with large marble top. Several pairs of urns were displayed, some of stone and a small pair in cast iron, circa 1890, and an Art Deco console table was of French origin, circa 1920. An interesting pair of lamps, again cast iron, had lyre-form bases.

Country objects filled the booth of Pioneer Folk Art of Ellsworth, Maine, including a pair of early shutters with cutout lighthouse design, trade signs offering "Minnows" and "Picnic Point," and a log cabin design large hooked rug. Dating from the Nineteenth Century was the top of a hitching post, a man with top hat holding his hands out to accept the reins.

Iron Renaissance of Damariscotta, Maine, moved into a corner booth and expanded outside the tent in order to show off the large inventory of garden furniture brought to Antiques in the Garden. A pair of Lee Woodard clam pattern chairs in white paint, classic midcentury design, was offered, along with more Woodard pieces with sunface by Picasso, late 1940s, a design that was featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. A large shadowbox, found in Belfast, Maine, circa 1930, had a lake in a forest scene, with lots of trees, birds, boats and people fishing. It hung over another set of Lee Woodard furniture, a circa 1956 sculptured pattern, dating from the midcentury and a World's Fair award-winning design.

From Searsport, Maine, Pumpkin Patch Antiques showed a wood and iron garden table with flower and vine design, a large Nineteenth Century overdoor window fan, and a sturdy Nineteenth Century industrial table in old green paint.

A wing easy chair, with rockers, New England, circa 1780–1810, was at the corner of the room-setting booth designed by Colette Donovan, Merrimacport, Mass. Near it hung a map of Old Marblehead & Salem, a one-of-a-kind map created in the Nineteenth Century. Colette always sets up her booth with objects as they would look in a room, not cluttered, and she notes that "it works for me, people seem to like it."

If you happened to look up at the right time, you would see part of the inventory of Heller-Washam, Portland, Maine, and Woodbury, Conn. — a set of six Windsor side chairs — hanging from the board across the top of the booth. At a lower lever, a good number of pieces of furniture was shown, as well as some accessories, including a nest of eight Nantucket lightship baskets, circa 1900, ranging in diameter from 5¼ to 13 inches, and a carved and gilded pilothouse eagle, found on Cape Cod, 1865–1885, in white pine with weathered gold left surface. It was 30 inches long, 22 inches high, with a wingspan of 21½ inches.

The water running through the tents left a few uneven spots, but still Ed Weissman of Portsmouth, N.H., was able to level his case pieces of furniture, including an American Chippendale slant front desk of New England origin, probably Rhode Island, circa 1780, in figured maple. It retained the original brasses and measured 35½ inches wide, 16½ inches deep and 40 inches high. An American gate leg table, probably Massachusetts or possibly New Hampshire, circa 1730, in maple with one drawer, measured 29 inches high, 46 by 53 inches top opened, 46 by 19½ inches wide closed.

Sharing a booth were Nancy Prince, Portland, Maine, and James Lefurgy, Wiscasset, Maine, offering a Nineteenth Century terrarium on legs, probably French; a wire plants stand, three tiers, painted wire; a stack of five lidded painted baskets; and a ship model of the bark Martha .

Seven carved and painted fish of different sizes, all mounted on boards, hung about the booth of Jon & Carla Magoun of South Paris, Maine. This large collection of Adirondack material included a rack of eight painted canoe paddles and a fine twig decorated small size child's dresser with mirror.

The gate this year exceeded 2008, about 350–375 visitors per day, but "we felt the great weather, our first in a long time, kept some people home doing things all the recent rain prevented," Kim Washam said. She also hopes to get more people involved in the presentation of the show. "Antiques in the Garden has great potential, and in the years to come we are going to prove it," Kim said.

For additional information, www.maineantiques.org or 207-775-3301.