Barrett Menson Antiques,
Townshend, Vt.
Review and photos by R. Scudder Smith
PHILADELPHIA, PENN. -- , staged at the 23rd Street Armory by
Barry Cohen, went "very well considering all that is going on,"
according to management. On Friday, April 4, opening day, the
gate was up from a year ago, but was softer on Saturday, with
Sunday running about the same. The end result: "We were down a
bit from a year ago," according to Barry. This three-day event,
now in its sixth year, opens with a reception on Thursday, 7-9
pm.
A shuttle bus ran between the Center City Show, Philadelphia's
Navy Pier Antiques Show and The Philadelphia Antiques Show at the
33rd Street Armory and "it worked well" Barry Cohen said. Several
of the exhibitors agreed, noting people would arrive at the show
in bunches, indicating the use of the shuttle.
Several dealers mentioned seeing the same faces on consecutive
days, bearing out the shopping habits some collectors have when
more than one show is in town. "Let's see what is at the other
shows before we make a decision here" was a well-used comment by
many. Jo Calame of Rutabaga Pie Antiques, Chesterfield, Mo.,
reported a lady, with husband and two children in tow, returning
to her booth a day later and going home with a large rug.
Thomas and Julia Barringer of Stockton, N.J., had a booth toward
the front of the show and among the pieces of furniture offered
was a Dutch step back cupboard in two pieces, old yellow surface
over the original red, Pennsylvania or Ohio, with two eight-light
doors in the top section, and two short drawers and two cupboard
doors in the lower portion. It was among the things sold from
this booth, along with a hooked rug, owl carving and several
pieces of treen. Other textiles shown were a Star of Bethlehem
quilt from Calpepper, Va., signed and dated 1888, and a felt
table rug with scalloped edges, 601/2 by 431/2 inches, circa
1890. As for the show, "We have never had a bad one here," Tom
said.
A good show was also reported by Out of Hand Antiques, Claymont,
Del. Furniture offered included a Massachusetts painted chest of
drawers, circa 1815-20, from Chester Village. The name of the
town, together with the initials of either the maker or the
owner, is on the back of the piece. Against the right wall was a
Mennonite wardrobe from Indiana, circa 1880, with two paneled
doors and a grain-painted surface. Folk art included a hooked rug
depicting two parrots facing each other, possibly Mennonite,
dating from the late Nineteenth Century.
A large trade sign advertising a meat market hung on the right
hand wall in the booth of Otto and Susan Hart of Arlington, Vt.
It had red lettering on a white ground. As of Saturday afternoon,
"the show was not quite up to last year," Susan said, but they
had been selling. A bucket bench, a jelly cupboard, pieces of
cast-iron including a frog and several doorstops, a Civil War
painting and two other small works of art had left the booth.
Among the things remaining was a portrait of a gentleman, school
of Prior, N.Y., circa 1830; a table quilt, ribbed cotton
background with velvet cotton appliqué, 4 feet 8 inches by 4 feet
6 inches, decorated with birds, fish, but-terflies and hearts,
circa 1880; and a portrait of a standing horse, circa 1850, oil
on board and of Connecticut origin.
Townshend, Vt., dealer Barrett Menson spent a good deal of his
time at the show selling, and came away very pleased. A sold
ticket hung from his large drop leaf table with green base and
turned legs on casters, and also marked sold was a one-drawer
blanket chest in old red with cutout ends. Several paintings,
wood carvings and "smalls" were among the items sold. He offered
a sandpaper drawing of the Hudson River with a large sailboat and
two men in a rowboat in the foreground, a Grenfell rug depicting
two flying geese in perfect condition, and a 96-drawer apothecary
from a hardware store with porcelain knobs.
More formal furniture was in the booth of Virginia Nicholson
Antiques, Holland, Penn., including an English gate leg dining
table in walnut, original finish, circa 1780; and American
breakfast table, classical revival, Boston origin, mahogany and
mahogany veneer, circa 1825-30; and an English card table with
one long drawer, ball and claw feet, handkerchief knees, dating
1750-60.
Otto and Susan Hart, Arlington, Vt.
Painted furniture and folk art filled the large booth of Tucker
Station Antiques, Louisville, Ky., including a hooked rug, 35 by
20 inches, with an American shield holding three stars, cotton
and wool, Nineteenth Century. "There are some things that are
really special to me and I love to be able to buy them," Larry
Tucker said, adding, "that rug is one of them. I sold it and have
bought it back two times. This is my third go-around with it and
I really love the piece."
Furniture in the booth included a maple tea table from the
Connecticut River Valley, untouched original surface, stop fluted
legs, rare vine and star decoration, one board top, dating circa
1770; a small stand with a Parcheesi board top, circa 1890-1910;
and a grained and painted hanging wall cupboard from Leigh
County, Penn., Nineteenth Century, 261/2 inches high, 22 inches
wide and 101/2 inches deep.
A visual standout in the booth of Jane Langol Antiques, Medina,
Ohio, was a large wood louvered fan light hung on the back wall.
In a light brown paint, this piece measured 80 inches wide and 48
inches tall. A wood and painted eagle had a provenance listing
Sharpsburg, Md., the carver a veteran of the Battle of Antietam,
1862. One of the paintings offered was by Ray C. Needham, an oil
on canvas by this Indiana artist, depicting a landscape with an
early snowfall. After the winter we have had, it is little wonder
the picture remained unsold.
One of the three Philadelphia dealers in the show, Accents on
Design, offered a nice selection of country items and folk art
including a cupid with arrow weathervane in sheet metal, some
paint remaining, early Twentieth Century, New Jersey origin. A
portrait of a Quaker woman holding a bible was by an unknown
artist, oil on canvas, and the lady looked as if she had never
smiled in her life. The picture came from the estate of a US
senator from Colorado whose family lived in Pennsylvania during
the Nineteenth Century. A pie safe, with old blue painted surface
and six punched tin panels, dated circa 1830 and had one long
drawer over two paneled doors.
A blue-painted wheelbarrow with wooden wheel was filled with
large gold wooden letters which, when setup after the show
opened, spelled "ANTIQUES" across the back of the booth of Warren
Spector of Houston. George and Martha Washington were depicted in
two portraits from Currier & Ives, while an interesting sheet
metal weathervane, Nineteenth Century, depicted a hunter with gun
and a deer. Painted boxes of many sizes were displayed about the
booth, the largest from Chester County, Penn., circa 1840, with
green grain-painted surface.
A Nineteenth Century pine mantle of the Federal period, painted
white, was the backdrop for a collection of formal furniture
offered by Pear Tree Hill Antiques of New London, N.H. A slant
front desk of the same period, circa 1840, Hepplewhite style,
with the original brasses and fitted interior, was against the
side wall of the booth, while at the back was a country
Hepplewhite four-drawer chest with cockbeaded drawers, cut nails,
with Maine origin. On top of the chest was a collection of pink
Sunderland in the "bubble" pattern including plates, creamer,
cups and saucers, and pitchers, some pieces attributed to Charles
Allerton & Son.
Campbell House Antiques of Baltimore also offered painted
furniture and folk art including a number of whirligigs, such as
a sailor from Nantucket and an English policeman, 26 inches tall,
dating from the early Twentieth Century, and a large
ventriloquist's dummy. A New England two-drawer blanket chest in
the original ochre and yellow paint dated circa 1800, and a
display case held a nice collection of mocha. A double-sided game
board, Parcheesi and checkers, came from the collection of Selby
Shaver and was pictured in The Art of The Game. It was
painted with the initials EBS and XMAS 1900.
Two tall-case clocks were shown in the booth of Gordon S.
Converse, Strafford, Penn., one dating from the late Eighteenth
Century and of English origin. It had a four seasons dial, inlaid
case, circa 1785, 7 feet 1 inch tall, and was from either
Liverpool or Manchester. A child with lamb was depicted on the
lower glass panel in a Aaron Willard shelf clock, Boston, circa
1820. This clock was signed and retained an old finish. Sculpture
offered included a detailed eagle on rock, carved walnut,
American and dating from the Nineteenth Century.
"I do only two shows a year, Antiques Manhattan in January and
this one in Philadelphia," said S. Scott Powers of Brooklyn,
N.Y., while giving his black-papered and meticulously arranged
booth a final once-over. His love for treen was evident through a
collection of carved handled knives and a good number of small
objects in the cases. He also showed a painted and carved trade
figure 15 inches tall, the head of a man, dating from the early
Twentieth Century.
One of his tags mentioned the "tour-de-force of the turn-er's
craft" while describing an ash burl communion cup 153/4 inches
tall. It dated from the Nineteenth Century and was probably a
gift to a church from the maker. A Nineteenth Century fireman's
leather parade belt was stretched out on the wall, making it easy
to read the red lettering "#1 HUMANE." A delicate harp saw in
maple was found in Ohio and dated 1875.
Exton, Penn., dealers Vander Laan & Schill had the large
booth facing the main entrance to the show and had divided it for
those who had an interest in more formal brown furniture to look
to the left, while those who bought folk art and paint should
head to the right. A very colorful basket quilt in red, yellow
and green on a white ground seemed to pull visitors to the right.
This textile was flanked by four shelves, each holding a piece of
painted tole, three black ground and one red.
Robert J. Perry Antiques, Hamburg, N.Y.
Across the front of the booth was a paint-decorated butterfly
Windsor settee, circa 1800, with bamboo turnings, and on a
platform was shown a Queen Anne splay-leg tavern table of New
England origin, circa 1760-70. The rectangular top had cut
corners and the legs were joined by a box stretcher. Three
miniature chests were displayed on a paint-decorated chest of
drawers, pine and poplar, grain-painted in green and yellow. The
piece was the work of Karsten Peterson (1776-1857) of Winston
Salem, N.C.
A large pair of scissors, made circa 1900 as a trade sign for a
New York fabric store, hung in the booth of Darwin of
Philadelphia. Other folk art included a grange hall lottery
wheel, Nineteenth Century, in oxblood paint with black letters,
from Bennington, Vt., and a large sheet iron prancing horse
weathervane.
"This was the most successful show for brown formal furniture I
have had in a long time," Barry Cohen said, "and it was also nice
to see textiles and ceramics moving." He mentioned "just about
all of the dealers did some sort of business and many reported
good sales on Sunday."
The next show on the Cohen calendar will be the York Country
Classic Antiques Show on Friday and Saturday, May 9-10. This
event will run the same time as Jim Burk's York show and both
will be on the York Fairgrounds. "People are excited about this
new show and I already have a waiting list," Barry said.
