David Wheatcroft, Westborough, Mass.
Nathan Liverant & Son, Colchester, Conn.
John Sideli, Hillsdale, N.Y.
Judith & James Milne, New York City.
Gordon Converse & Co., Strafford, Pa.
Manchester Antiques, Manchester, N.H.
By R. Scudder Smith, publisher
The Philadelphia Antiques Show
The preview party for the Philadelphia Antiques Show is a very popular event and it means different things to different people. For some it is a social night out, while others see it as an opportunity to support a worthy charity. It is also a popular event for those who love and buy antiques, and it is certainly a “must” for the eager, die-hard collector who never seems to get enough exposure to fine antiques. Those are the people who are in line, and pay top dollar ($600 per person) to get into the show on Friday, April 6, at 4:30 pm. And they are the ones most responsible for the many red “sold” tags that seem to appear magically from booth to booth.
But they cannot take all of the credit for the sales that day. The patrons, $300 each, move onto the floor at 5:30 pm, followed by the sponsors, $250 per person, at 6 pm. Shortly after six the floor of the 33rd Street Armory is packed with visitors, sales are conducted, and many a collector goes home happily with some treasure. A couple of hours after the show had opened, two gentlemen, while refreshing their drinks at the center bar, agreed that this is “the finest antiques show in the country.” A third person joined in by adding it is “the best show in the country for American antiques.” Few will give argument to these statements.
Possibly the greatest show of enthusiasm at the show was demonstrated by one of the first people to visit the booth of Walters-Benisek Art & Antiques. “One of our clients came into the booth and in his hand he had a sheet of red dots. As he selected an object that he wanted to purchase, he merely affixed a dot to the tag and then moved on to other pieces. His first choice was the set of four black and white painted barber poles, and he added two weathervanes before he was through,” Don Walters said. He added, “This was a great show for us and we ended up borrowing some of his red dots before the evening was over.”
Now in its 40th year and under the management of Wainwright Keeling Associates for the first time, the Philadelphia Antiques Show is a bountiful spread of fine antiques and works of art. For those who just go to look, it is a showplace and a great learning experience. For those who wish to add an important object to a collection, it is the place to be.
One of the first booths at the entrance of the show is that of Nathan Liverant and Son of Colchester, Conn. Here a classical figured maple and decorated sewing/work table from Maine, circa 1820-30, with brass lion head pulls, is at the front of the booth, backed up by a painted pine architectural corner cupboard from Lebanon, Conn., circa 1750-80. This cupboard was filled with Leeds, canton, and a delicate canary lustre tea set. A carved and standing figure of George Washington, pine on tulip-poplar base, mid-Nineteenth Century, possibly South Carolina, attracted much attention and was sold opening night. For the past several years the Liverant firm has come to the show with a theme and this year the heart took center stage. Items shown with hearts either carved into or inscribed onto them included a tape loom, watch hutch, side chair, cast iron waffle iron, wall boxes, and even the headboard of a bed with turned posts, red stain, circa 1810-30, probably of Connecticut origin. The bed sold at the preview, as did about a dozen of the other heart-related objects. On Saturday Authur Liverant noted, “We have had a great show, one of our best.” His two large case pieces of furniture, a bonnet-top secretary and a curly maple highboy, both had “sold” tags.
Across the way Olde Hope Antiques, New Hope, Penn., put on quite a different look. Here painted furniture and folk art filled the large end booth and a good number of “sold” signs appeared preview night and during the opening day. “It has been steady, but so far not up to last year,” Pat Bell said late Saturday afternoon. One of the stars of the booth, a “View of the Schuylkill County Almshouse Property, Penn.,” an oil on canvas by Charles C. Hoffmann, 31 by 43 inches, original frame, signed lower right “C.H. Painter 1875,” was sold during the preview. This painting is the earliest known view of the almshouse. Another oil on canvas, a still life signed “Durand Del,” probably New York or Pennsylvania, circa 1840-60, 39¾ by 47¾ inches, also sold early into the show. A decorated blanket chest from Western Pennsylvania, signed on the reverse “January 24, 1840 Daniel Bowman,” pine with polychrome decoration, was offered, along with folk art objects that included a Hackney stallion weathervane attributed to Fiske, circa 1890, with trace of gilt. Another horse vane was attributed to the Rochester Iron Works, New Hampshire, circa 1870, cast and sheet iron measuring 23½ inches long.
F.J. Carey, III, of Ambler, Penn., showed a center table, rosewood and stenciled, New York, circa 1830, with a marble top measuring 29¾ inches in diameter. A New York box sofa was in mahogany and mahogany veneer and dated circa 1830. “We needed a tow motor to bring the lions onto the floor,” he said, pointing out the pair of marble lions that once resided on the estate of F. Corlius Morgan in Wynmore, Penn. The pair dated circa 1875 and came from Italy.
Harry B. Hartman of Marietta, Penn., brought out his collection of pewter and offered it from a painted Pennsylvania cupboard. A set of six plank seat Windsor chairs sported yellow paint and decoration, and a large collection of yellow ware – bowls, pitchers, plates, mugs, etc. – was displayed on an inside wall of the booth. Painted tole, chalkware, redware, Bell pottery, and hat boxes all made for a filled and interesting display. “We have had a very good opening,” Harry Hartman said while flipping through his sales slips. They indicated sales of pewter, pottery, a shoe-foot chair table with three-board top, and a walnut candlestand, among other things.
Georgian Manor of Fairhaven, Mass., had very little floor space left in the booth by the time all of the furniture had been arranged. Offered were an English Regency circular center table in rosewood with boxwood stringing, 44 inches in diameter and dating circa 1820; an English George III bow-fronted sideboard in mahogany, rich color, six tapering legs ending in pad feet, measuring 60 inches wide, 29½ inches deep, and 36½ inches high; and an English George III double sided architect/library table in mahogany with ring turned legs ending in brass feet on casters. It dated circa 1800 and had a tooled leather writing surface. Sales were good on opening night and included a nest of tables in rosewood, an English Regency armchair in mahogany, a painting showing a view of Naples, a pair of covered glass compotes, and a water and sugar jar.
Peter Eaton’s booth of early American furniture included a Pilgrim Century framed chest of drawers, oak frame, originally painted blue in the Eighteenth Century and later grain-painted, circa 1830-50. It is from the Connecticut River Valley, circa 1710-1730, and descended in a family from southwestern New Hampshire. This Newburyport, Mass., dealer also showed a transitional William and Mary Queen Anne desk in as-found condition. It was of tiger maple and maple with a walnut interior. The piece retained the original red wash and sat on a bracket base. Peter Eaton said, “It is probably from Southeastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island, circa 1740, and is what I would definitely call a rare survivor.”
Just to the right of the main entrance Hyland Granby of Hyannis Port, Mass., set up a booth filled with wonderful and rare nautical rdf_Descriptions. A sheet metal weathervane at the front of the booth depicted Moby Dick and Capt Ahab with harpoon, and against the left wall was a builder’s model for a captain’s gig, circa 1860, 83¼ inches long, 21½ inches wide, and 10¾ inches high without the mast. The detail in the model was remarkable. Paintings included a portrait of the US mail packet Atlantic by James Buttersworth, 30 by 44 inches sight.
On Saturday Leigh Keno of New York City said, “We have sold seven pieces of furniture, and there are still four days left in the show.” Among the pieces with red dots were a Chippendale slant-front tiger maple desk attributed to John Dunlap, Bedford, N.H., circa 1780; a grained and smoke painted cupboard from Lancaster County, Penn., 84 inches high, with two glass doors, six lights each, in the top portion, and two drawers over two doors in the lower section; and a blue painted corner cupboard from “Northwood,” Cambridge, N.Y., circa 1820. The piece measured 955/8 inches high.
“The show has been wonderful,” Gary Young of Centreville, Md., said late Saturday afternoon. He indicated that sales so far were better than last year, and the show was only two days old. Among the rdf_Descriptions sold were a large screen, four Sheffield candlesticks, a circus carving, a wine cooler, a portrait miniature, and a small cupboard. A mahogany tall boy with rare ball and claw feet, England or Ireland, reeded columns and dentil molding, circa 1755, measured 71 inches tall. “This is our third show of the year: Washington, New York and now Philadelphia; and all of them have been good for us,” Gary Young said.
Shortly after the preview opened, the booth of David Wheatcroft, Westborough, Mass., was filled with dealers and collectors. It was almost to the point that one should take a number to get inside. Attracting people were many things, including a colored pencil on paper work by Fritz G. Vogt, the residence of Mr Isaac Abbott, Freys Bush, N.Y. It was signed and dated Nov 12, 1895. A grouping of six rare redware plates on the outside of the booth included a Solomon Grimm polychrome and sgraffito plate with slip, copper and manganese decoration with a coggle wheel rim. It was from Berks County, circa 1830. Among the sales were a work by J.H. Davis, a carved eagle, a Bellamy eagle, four frakturs, a number of bird carvings, and a watch hutch. “The show is going very well and compares favorably to last year,” David Wheatcroft said the following day. Attracting a great deal of attention, and displayed on the right hand wall of the booth, was a pair of portraits on poplar panels, most likely New York State, circa 1820-30, artist unknown. Well-lit on the outside wall of the booth was a cast iron figure of a lady with bonnet riding side saddle on a prancing horse. It was in two parts, made of cast iron, and was an advertising piece for the Cincinnati Stove Works. “I have seen this figure before, but only one half of it,” dealer James Glazer noted. “This is a really rare piece and has great presence.”
Kramer-Newcomer of Robesonia, Penn., had a stand of four tall case clocks including a Chippendale carved and inlaid cherrywood example, 30 hour works, by Isaac Grotz of Easton, Penn. The dial was signed by the maker and decorated with birds and flowers. “This is the best show we have had here,” Greg Kramer said, noting that in addition to a great number of works of art, redware, stoneware, and wood carvings, among the pieces of furniture sold was a Queen Anne corner cupboard, walnut, from Lancaster County, Penn. This piece dated 1760, measured 93½ inches high, and had one 12-light door over one drawer and a single door.
“Last year was our best show ever and we are close to matching it right now,” Grace Snyder of South Egremont, Mass., said towards the end of the preview Friday evening. Elliott Snyder noted that among the rdf_Descriptions sold were a Chippendale chest of drawers, straight bracket base, pinwheel carved center drawer, New Hampshire, circa 1860, with chocolate brown surface over salmon; a Nineteenth Century primitive landscape, American, circa 1875, showing sheep and a herder; a metal base candlestand, paint decorated round top; a grouping of four small wooden bowls, green painted surface; six pieces of needlework; an armchair, Queen Anne period; and a decorated settee, Pennsylvania origin. “We sold this apothecary cupboard a good number of years ago and just prior to coming to this show we got a call and were able to buy it back,” Grace Snyder said, referring to the piece in the middle of the booth. It dated circa 1825, had 44 drawers with three shelves in the center of the top, and measured 54 inches wide and 78 inches high. It was probably made in Connecticut and had the original red surface.
Suzanne Courcier and Robert Wilkins of Austerlitz, N.Y., showed a paint decorated chest of drawers, circa 1835, from eastern New England, possibly South Paris, Maine, and a maple tall chest with red stain and original hardware, 60¼ inches high, circa 1800, came from either Massachusetts or New Hampshire. “Shaker is selling,” Suzanne Courcier said with a smile, noting that they had sold a good number of things including a clock, two tables, two hooked rugs, and two side chairs.
Portraits, landscapes, and still life paintings were all shown from the booth of Schwarz Gallery, Philadelphia. An oil on canvas portrait of John Williams, circa 1766, was by Benjamin West and “Office Board for Robert B. Davis,” 1904, oil on canvas, was the work of John Frederick Peto. A large oil on canvas by George Cope, “Hunter’s Paraphernalia,” showing gun, hat, and coat hanging on a deer rack, was a major work by this Philadelphia and West Chester artist.
James and Nancy Glazer of Villanova, Penn., said on Saturday, “The show last night was great,” and they had red tags all over the booth to prove it. From the center of the booth they sold a Montgomery County dower chest, green and tan sponged decoration, floral motifs, bracket feet, and dated 1795. Six folk art canes with carved and polychromed handles in the form of birds were displayed against the back wall of the booth. They were also sold during the preview and were held in position by molded plaster of Paris hands. “We found a Canadian firm called Body Parts and had the hands cast,” Jim Glazer said. The hands were then drilled to hold the canes. Also among the sold rdf_Descriptions were a Pennsylvania paint decorated Windsor settee, two mirrors, a blanket chest, and several small wood and painted carvings.
“When you see our booth I think you will be surprised,” Stuart Feld of Hirschl and Adler, New York City, said prior to the preview. And indeed, many were surprised and pleased with the “informal” look presented at either side of the entrance to the booth. “We decided to let people know that we were not all formal, and so we brought out some of our other things,” he added. The other things included an Adirondack desk, circa 1890-1900, applied with white birch bark and split twig trim. On the left side an Adirondack tall case clock, circa 1890-1900, pine with mosaic pine twigs, was shown with works by Silas Hoadley, Plymouth, Conn. It measured 92¼ inches tall and both pieces were sold. Complimenting the desk was an oil on canvas, “The Bass Season,” by John Atherton. It measured 26 by 20 inches and was the June 29, 1946, cover for the Saturday Evening Post. A wonderful and rare pair of painted chalk cats, 153/8 inches tall, Pennsylvania, circa 1860, ex Fine Collection, flanked the tall case clock.
M. Finkel and Daughter of Philadelphia came close to papering the entire booth with samplers. And they were selling, including a Salem, Mass., sampler worked by Lydia Symonds, 1791, complete with family history. A theorem of a basket of fruit was executed in wool, embroidery, paint, and wire, circa 1840, original frame, and an American silk embroidery was done as a memorial to George Turner, Boston area, circa 1825.
C.L. Prickett Antiques of Yardley, Penn., displayed a Chippendale carved mahogany lowboy with molded top, one long drawer over three overlapping drawers, the center one shell carved, circa 1775 and of Philadelphia origin. It had cabriole legs and ball and claw feet. A Hepplewhite inlaid mahogany serpentine sideboard measured 72 inches long, New York, circa 1790-1810, and a Queen Anne candlestand in mahogany with dish top, ball and ring turned standard, cabriole legs and pad feet measured 21½ inches in diameter.
“We sold a Long Island side chair, a watercolor theorem showing a blue basket of fruit and a bird eating a strawberry, and a doll’s bed in mahogany, among other things,” Bob Kinnaman of Kinnaman and Ramaekers, Inc., Wainscott, N.Y., said on Saturday. Several weathervanes were offered from the booth including a wooden rooster, circa 1880, New England, 22½ inches long, and a small codfish in copper, original surface, 26 inches long. One of the stars of the booth was a yellow painted five drawer chest, very simple construction and design, circa 1830, New England or New York, with the original wooden pulls. A desk and china press, Southern US, probably Pennsylvania or Virginia, was of curly maple and had two doors, eight lights each, in the top portion. The interior included one shelf fitted with a spoon rack.
Horses, birds, and a scattering of people were worked into a silk on linen embroidery in the booth of Stephen and Carol Huber of Old Saybrook, Conn. This piece, dated 1829, was done by Jane Hammel, Burlington County, N.J. “This piece is from the Folwell School, a silk embroidery picture, and only two others are known,” Stephen said, indicating the work hung in the middle of the booth. Carol Huber noted, “Business has been very good and we have been lucky to acquire a grand inventory recently.” She said that since the New York show in January, they have located and purchased a total of 103 pieces of needlework, including two private collections which each had 40 works.
Samuel Herrup of Sheffield, Mass., offered a fine collection of furniture including a Delaware Valley highboy in walnut, perhaps New Jersey, signed “WB” and dated 1752 in red chalk on a backboard. It measured 74¾ inches tall and was ex collection of Haskell. A tavern table with stretcher base, hard pine and ash, dated circa 1740 and was of New England origin. In old paint, it had a single board top, 26¼ by 17 inches. Among pieces sold at the opening were an English armchair dating 1660, several pieces of ceramics and redware, Continental pictures, and a 1717 decorated blanket chest, Massachusetts or Connecticut. “Last year was my best show in Philadelphia and at this point I am about the same. I am very pleased,” Sam said.
Walters-Benisek Art and Antiques of Northampton, Mass., had the usual rush of buyers and the cluster of red dots which they always seem to experience at the Philadelphia Show. However, even with such success, they have decided to bow out of the show after 18 years of participation. “We are going to deal more directly with clients,” Don said. “We will be holding on to only three shows – two in York and the New Hampshire Show in August.” (We will miss them, as I know countless other show goers will.)
This year the Walters-Benisek booth was again filled with fine things, and again “sold” dots came quickly. The major piece in the booth was a large copper horned owl with out-spread wings. This piece was originally on the Holloway & Fowler Hardware Store in Fremont, Neb., a building dating back to 1884. It was removed in 1950 when the building was torn down and has been in storage ever since. “We got it just one month before the show,” Mary Benisek said, and it was one of the first things sold at the preview. It will not go far as it was purchased by a Philadelphia collector. Five of the six weathervanes in the booth were sold by mid-Saturday, including a fist holding lightning bolts, a vane which was made for the American Electrical Works building in Phillipsdale, R.I. It was copper, paint over gold leaf, and dated circa 1880. Other vanes which sold were a large copper fish, a leaping stag, a cow with painted surface, a banner, and a horse and rider example. Another opening night sale, and going into an important collection, was the wood carved figure of a man with entwined snake by Edgar Alexander McKillop of Balfour, N.C. It dated circa 1930 and was of black walnut with glass eyes.
Wayne Pratt, Inc., of Woodbury, Conn., again had a booth filled with case pieces of furniture and interesting accessories. One of the pieces sold on opening night was “one of the top ten pieces of furniture I have ever owned in original untouched condition,” Wayne Pratt said. He was referring to a Sheraton dressing table in mahogany, Portsmouth, N.H., 33¼ inches high, 351/8 inches wide, and 177/8 inches deep. It had slender reeded legs and one drawer and, “We acquired this piece just prior to this show,” Wayne said. A New London, Conn., flat top Queen Anne highboy, poplar case and oak legs, measured 65 inches tall and was highlighted in the center of the back wall. “This is another piece which we have just acquired,” Wayne said, “and at this point it is almost certain to be sold.” The piece had the original red painted surface, original brasses, pad feet, with four drawers in the top section and three short drawers in the bottom.
“We had our best show ever last year and are close to matching it already,” Allan Katz of Woodbridge, Conn., said the second day of the show. He had sold a wonderful and one-of-a-kind sheet iron rooster weathervane, New York, circa 1850, with the original surface, and a princess tobacco figure in the original paint. Also sold was a pair of whirligigs, wood carved and painted, made by Aaron Woodley in 1845 at the Long Point Settlement on the North Shore of Lake Erie.
H.L. Chalfant Antiques, West Chester, Penn., showed a Queen Anne bonnet top highboy in walnut, tobacco leaf finials, shell carved top drawer, attributed to Samuel Harding of Philadelphia, circa 1730, and a large oil on canvas, American, circa 1860, depicting cows and a milkmaid.
“This is the smallest known Boston Chippendale bombe chest,” Guy Bush said, pointing out the Perkins family piece which measured 35 inches wide, circa 1770, in mahogany. On the outside wall of the booth, positioned for all to see when entering the show, was a Queen Anne cherrywood bonnet-top highboy, all original, circa 1760, from Ipswich, Mass. In the front center of the booth was a set of six William and Mary side chairs, Portsmouth, N.H., Spanish feet, arched crest, from the School of Gaines.
Stephen Score of Boston, Mass., was on cloud nine when talking about the quilt which hung against the back wall of his booth. Executed on a white ground, the circle design represented the planets of the universe. It was made in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1870 and the following verse was written by hand on a whit patch which was sewn near the center of the quilt: “Earth is round like a ball, seems swinging in the air, the sky extends around it all, and the stars are shining there.” His asking price for the quilt was $225. “I will not even consider taking one cent less,” Stephen said. By the end of the preview the quilt had sold to a collector. In keeping with the theme of the quilt, a rare pair of cast iron andirons in the form of quarter moons was displayed in front. He was having great show and listed among the rdf_Descriptions sold, in addition to the quilt, a large cast iron frog, an umbrella trade sign, hat box, wonderful milliner’s head, and an untouched Prior portrait of a young girl in a red dress.
Peter and Jeffery Tillou of Litchfield, Conn., found the show to be “generally active” and had sold a desk on frame, a card table, several paintings, and a good number of accessories. Not sold by Saturday, but attracting interest, was a graduated collection of 16 chestnut bottles.
A familiar face at the show was Josh Wainwright, who noted, “All is going very well and I am wondering if I have forgotten something.” He had taken over as manager of the show, replacing Sandy Smith, who resigned last year after some ten years as manager. Josh was a part of the Smith team in managing shows which led him to comment, “Really nothing is new to me as I have been helping out here for years.” Josh is expanding his show schedule and will be the manager of the new American Show, the Museum of American Folk Art Show which will debut in January in New York City.
Special events are scheduled during the run of the show and this year included a talk by Kristina Haugland entitled “In celebration: Needlework Treasures from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.” This lecture highlighted many of the works which were a part of the loan exhibition. “Hidden Treasures,” a lecture and book signing, was conducted by Leslie and Leigh Keno on Sunday, and Monday’s program included “A tale of Two Cities: Colonial Samplers and Needlework Pictures of Philadelphia and Boston” by the noted needlework expert Betty Ring of Houston. “Entertaining with Tiffany & Co” was discussed by John Loring, and the final lecture of the show was given by one of the exhibitors, Arthur Guy Kaplan, on “Jewelry & Textiles.” Other events included a Young Collectors’ Night, a Wine “WalkAbout,” a Victorian Tea, and guided show tours with some of the dealers.
The Philadelphia Antiques Show is a benefit for the University of Philadelphia Medical center and this year proceeds will go to the department of Internal Medicine. Each year well over 8,000 people visit the antiques show and the committee, all volunteers and over 250 members strong, is already looking towards 2002. It promises to be another outstanding event, reflecting the successful history of the show.
Navy Pier
The Navy Pier Antiques Show, under the direction of Frank Gaglio and Barn Star Productions, opened on Friday, April 6, for its second outing at one of the large exhibition halls at the Naval Business Center. The show, in many ways, reflected last year’s event. Again 68 exhibitors set up attractive booths, a long line formed for the first day rush, buying was scattered all over the floor, and an interesting loan exhibit drew visitors to the middle of the building. And Frank Gaglio again seemed to be everywhere, spreading good will and handing out special gift bags to the first one hundred people entering the show. The show, a strong presentation of furniture, folk art, textiles, and decorative accessories put on by some of the leading dealers in the country, draws major collectors from all parts of the country.
According to the management, the gate seemed to run near parallel to last year and a great number of visitors went home with something. Again, sales results were scattered and well over 50 percent of the dealers questioned reported sales equal to or better than last year’s. “We save things for this show and I think the people who come here appreciate it. In any case, all of our best things have sold, objects we have not shown before,” one dealer explained. True, there seemed to be many things of importance which had not been shopped and a number of the dealers were quick to point out rdf_Descriptions which were “fresh to the market” or “right out of a private collection.”
SAJE Americana, Short Hills, N.J., covered the best part of the end of the booth with a chintz quilt of large size, circa 1825, geometric with fine quilting. Furniture included a maple four-drawer chest, circa 1790, Portsmouth or Newburyport, with thumb molded top and original brasses, and a tavern table with maple top and chestnut base, circa 1780-1800, 39¾ by 25¼ inch top, ex Weld collection.
A set of four family portraits with landscape and interior views hung in the booth of Joan Brownstein of Ithaca, N.Y. These works, oil on canvas, dated circa 1845 and were of New England origin. A chamber or dressing table with serpentine side and bow front, Salem or Portsmouth area, circa 1800-1810, was of inlaid mahogany with old surface and original brasses. The piece had turned legs, Salem bulb feet, measured 31½ inches wide, and descended in a family from Chelmsford, Mass.
Tom Brown of McMurray, Penn., who said on Saturday that he had been battling a three-day headache, noted that selling had been good and that “the combination of the three shows in town at the same time certainly makes for a good gate and brings in the buyers.” Offered from his booth was an oval portrait of a young girl in a red dress, Philadelphia, circa 1830; a New England one-drawer tavern table, pine and maple with old finish; and a four-drawer figured maple bureau, also from Philadelphia, circa 1780, with the original brasses. Among the things sold were a Connecticut bonnet-top highboy, a California Impressionist painting, and a Philadelphia tea table. One of the area dealers in the show, Irvin and Delores Boyd of Fort Washington, Penn., had a large corner booth which was filled with all manner of furniture and a few Kentucky rifles. A chair table with two-board top, maple, pine, and chestnut, New England origin, circa 1780-1820, and a set of six birdcage Windsor side chairs with seven spindles and butterfly medallions in the back, mixed woods, Pennsylvania, circa 1800-1840, were among the objects offered.
John Sideli of Hillsdale, N.Y., was holding down his regular spot, an end booth near the entrance to the show, and it was filled with interesting folk art rdf_Descriptions. An oxen weathervane had a great yellow surface, attributed to Cushing and White, circa 1875, the form in the manner of Edward Hicks, while another weathervane from a meeting house, iron arrow with painted gilt surface, New England origin, dated circa 1840. Furniture included a low back Windsor armchair with comb, circa 1775, Rhode Island origin, with a wonderful green painted crusty surface.
Evanston, Ill., dealer Harvey Art and Antiques showed an American Queen Anne highboy of New England origin, circa 1750-70, in curly maple, and an Amish crazy quilt of wool which was made in Arthur, Ill., by Mary Ann Beachy Simon, 1915-25. A most unusual piece of tramp art, polychromed and a statement of architectural and design elements, dated circa 1915-25.
Paint and patina were the key elements in the booth of Russ and Karen Goldberger of Rye, N.H. Against a black wall, a dressing table in chrome yellow paint showed to advantage. This piece was probably from Portsmouth, N.H., circa 1820-30, ex Samaha Collection. It measured 31 inches wide, 18 inches deep, and 38 inches high. The original verdigris patination was on a bronze figure of a dove, an architectural piece which came from the Old Stone Bank in Clinton, Conn. It dated circa 1880. A vinegar grained blanket chest with recessed panels was from the mid-Atlantic States, 48 inches wide, all original, dating circa 1820-40.
An attention-getter in the booth of Jackie Radwin of San Antonio, Tex., was a stack of 16 painted pantry boxes in shades of green, red, blue, yellow, rust, and gray. A grain painted apothecary chest with 67 drawers was of dovetailed construction and dated circa 1840. It had the original surface and pulls and was used in the 1860s as a school locker in Dedham, Mass. Other furniture included a Lancaster County two-piece Dutch cupboard, circa 1830, mustard paint over the original salmon.
A pair of large carved geese, ex collection Gladys Topping Bevil, were fixtures for over 70 years in her Long Island garden and now were offered from the booth of Autumn Pond Antiques, Norma Chick, of Woodbury, Conn. A maple chest of six drawers, New England, dated from the last quarter of the Eighteenth Century, and a yellow decorated fire bucket, circa 1800, was originally used in Newburyport, Mass.
Pam and Martha Boynton of Groton, Mass., offered a cast iron horse weathervane with sheet metal tail, fine rusted surface, and a selection of five sponge decorated pitchers. A bittersweet painted surface was on a wooden box, with the initials DFK in gold on the top. “The show has been very good for us,” Martha Boynton said on Saturday morning. No furniture had sold from the booth but sales included a tole tea pot, decorated blanket chest, and an interesting picture of two five-man sculls on a river. It was quite colorful, with the men dressed in yellow in one of the sculls, and in orange in the other.
“The show has been really good and I am nearing last year’s total, and we still have a day to go,” James Grievo of Stockton, N.J., said. A pair of duck carvings, small size, had the original labels of “Frank Adams, Builder of Maine Weathervanes, West Tiebury, Mass.” affixed to the bottoms, and a highly decorated tea table had a checkerboard painted on the top. Sales on the first day included a dower chest, Pennsylvania, Eighteenth Century, 1798, Sarah Richter on the front with pin-wheel decoration; a game wheel in yellow and blue, red center, with up to eight chances to win; and a horse and rider wood carving. A Queen Anne stool, paint decorated box, bench, and hooked rug also were among the rdf_Descriptions sold.
A large horse weathervane of sheet iron, some black paint remaining, 38 inches high and 48 inches wide, was shown in the booth of Steven F. Still Antiques, Elizabethtown, Penn. This vane, circa 1880, came from a farm in Spring Grove, York County, Penn. From the Goddard-Townsend School, a slant top desk in mahogany, circa 1790, Newport, R.I., was shown along with a Dutch cupboard in cherrywood, Lancaster County, circa 1820. It was in the original red finish, 7′ 2″ tall, with two six-light doors in the upper part and three drawers over two paneled doors in the lower section.
Gloria M. Lonergan Antiques of Mendham, N.J., had a wonderful pair of stable vents, cast iron, by J.W. Fiske, dated 1865, ex Allan Daniel collection. An early hanging cupboard in sage gray was of New England origin and dated from the Eighteenth Century, and an early wall hanging with black dog design in the center was dated 1928 and came from Maine. Patrick Lonergan noted, “The show is not as good as last year, but we are doing fine.” Among sales were a blanket box which was sold to a Hollywood producer and is on its way to California, a horse weathervane, and a good hooked rug.
A pair of American Sheraton easy chairs in blue upholstery, Nineteenth Century, was at the front of the booth of Marie Plummer and John Philbrick of North Berwick, Maine. A Queen Anne side chair, molded crest and shaped apron, had horse bone legs, and a cherrywood tavern table was in untouched condition with traces of red on the base. Hanging against the back wall of the booth was a whole cloth quilt with scalloped border and overall floral embroidery. It measured 91 by 82 inches. As with most of the exhibitors, John Philbrick noted that “sales were not up to last year,” but there had been “some good selling.” They sold a rare set of Amos Doolittle prints, a Queen Anne high chair, scenes of Philadelphia by William Birch, Delft, and textiles.
A Martha Washington easy chair of Honduras mahogany, with chestnut and pine secondary woods, was shown in the booth of Jenkinstown Antiques of New Paltz, N.Y. This chair descended in the Brinkerhoft family of Beekman, Dutchess County, N.Y. It retained the original muslin and old finish. In the center of the booth was a country red painted bed with ball finials on each of the four posts. Sandy Levy noted that “the show has been good and we have sold many smalls including needlework, carvings, some iron pieces, and a nice stoneware churn.
Shaker dealer John Keith Russell of South Salem, N.Y., offered a one-drawer work table with yellow and black painted surface, signed and dated in the drawer, “Mathilda Thane, 1859.” It was Scandinavian and dated circa 1850. A Shaker side chair, fitted with tilters, was of maple with dark surface, New Lebanon, N.Y., circa 1855. Other furniture included a Queen Anne tall chest in cherrywood, circa 1760, in old red stain with a tall cut-out base.
“It is a wonder the artist kept his colors correct,” Howard Stein of Solebury, Penn., said of the marquetry ship portrait of the Normandie. This work dated 1920 and hung against the back wall of the booth. Also shown was an unusual pair of polished steel Windsor armchairs.
Peter Warren of Southport, Conn., noted, “People are showing lots of interest and for the ceramics we offer the business collector driven.” In addition to several cases filled with ceramics, Peter Warren offered a Hepplewhite inlaid Pembroke table with oval top, square tapering legs, New York, circa 1810, and a Queen Anne fall front desk, 36 inches wide, Rhode Island, circa 1760. A very decorative pair of stall gates for a pony paddock, circa 1875, hung on the outside wall.
Also finding the show not up to last year was Buckley and Buckley of Salisbury, Conn. In the front of the booth was a classic tavern table from New York, dating from the mid-Eighteenth Century, one board pine top measuring 27 by 47 inches, in the original red stain. A William and Mary chest was from either coastal Connecticut or Eastern New York, maple and pine, circa 1720-40, with two short drawers over three long drawers. It measured 36 inches high, 18 inches deep, and 40 inches wide. A canted banister back side chair was from Chelmsford, Mass., circa 1720-30, soft maple and ash with the original black painted surface. It had the classic Chelmsford “gothic” crest. Sales included a dressing table with stretcher base, red surface and hard pine, Massachusetts origin, circa 1730-50, the only piece of furniture to sell. Glass, candlesticks and other smalls, including a circa 1690 set of English touring maps, found buyers.
Raccoon Creek Antiques of Bridgeport, N.J.,, brought a selection of Pennsylvania rdf_Descriptions to the show, including a chair table with the original red surface on the base, breadboard scrubbed top; a miniature folk art blanket chest from Lebanon County, circa 1830, with turned feet and a circular carved design centered in the front panel; and a stepback cupboard in salmon paint, circa 1830.
A Philadelphia bowback Windsor side chair, circa 1790, in the original straw yellow paint was shown by Marna Anderson of New Paltz, N.Y., along with an Indian archer weathervane, painted tin and iron, 42 by 36 inches, from the Eastern Oneida Lake region. It had been exhibited in a folk art exhibition at the Williams Munson Proctor Institute.
Jackson-Mitchell of Centreville, Md., had a large booth which was filled to capacity with both furniture and accessories. A large collection of English furniture included a rare small size early George II bureau bookcase, oak and red maple, with a shaped mirror in the door. It was on a bracket base, dated circa 1735, and had the original brass and iron hardware.
Robert Snyder and Judy Wilson of Wiscasset, Maine, noted, “We could have sold our carving of a whale any number of times.” This piece was carved and painted wood, about four feet long, and from Maine. “The show has been better than last year,” Bob Snyder said, “and we have sold seven hooked rugs, a set of painted chairs, advertising material, and a good number of smalls.” Still to find buyers on Saturday were a country store counter from the Kennebunkport area, painted green and measuring 6′ 3″ long, and two Enterprise coffee mills, a number 9 and number 2, both in original paint and decoration.
Joanne Boardman of DeKalb, Ill., has been in the Gaglio shows for the past four years and said that each year they get better. She noted that one of the first rdf_Descriptions sold from her booth was “my own collection of 15 German made sheep of different sizes, complete with the display shelf.” She also sold a chest of drawers, some lighting, a tavern table, and a pair of joint stools. “The pair was the best I have seen, still covered in mustard lindsey.”
Francis Purcell of Philadelphia was able to acquire a couple of Eighteenth Century American tables just prior to the show and they were among the first things sold. “Fresh to the market pieces sell fast,” Francis noted, referring to the tables, which originated in Connecticut and New Jersey.
“The first day was the strongest for us,” Michael Malce of Kelter-Malce, New York City, said. Items which went on Friday included an album quilt from the Lovett family, 1849, Doylestown, Penn.; several gameboards; and a painted Windsor side chair.
Lots of French pottery, hearth iron, and a number of food choppers with animals as decoration were sold by Pat Guthman of Southport, Conn. “It has been a good show, about the same as last year,” Pat said. Also offered was a painted chest of drawers with red surface, New England, circa 1770, and a roomend with fireplace and door, white painted, circa 1750.
Judy Milne of James and Judith Milne, New York City, experienced a very good first day, selling a baseball design dart board, a settle bench, a Jewell horse weathervane, a cow vane, and “all of the rugs we brought to the show.” A large round architectural piece, originally from an Amish barn, circa 1880, filled the best part of the rear wall in the booth.
George Spiecker of North Hampton, N.H., was in line with those dealers who had not experienced shows which measured up to the year before. He noted, “Folk art seemed to be selling all over the floor and was the strongest for me.” Among the first things sold was a hand carved pilot eagle with traces of white paint remaining, all original, circa 1870, measuring 23 inches high, 31 inches wide, and 25 inches deep; an oil on masonite showing the “Port of Charlotte Bailey Rice” by John Woodruff, circa 1820, ex collection of Peter Tillou; and an American Hepplewhite card table, probably Boston, dated circa 1800.
Harold Cole of Woodbury, Conn., showed a New London chair table in pine, circa 1740; a blanket chest with Norwich feet, three drawers, original red surface; and a corner cupboard in white paint with shaped shelves, 1740, Queen Anne, with rosehead nails and chestnut backboards. “All of those pieces just came out of the same house,” Harold noted as he swayed back and forth in his usual manner.
An album quilt from Poughkeepsie, dated December 25, 1891, hung on the back wall of the booth of Mary Sams, Ballyhack, Cornwall Bridge, Conn. Furniture included a Canadian cupboard with solid door, mid-Nineteenth Century, found in Waterloo County, and a tall case clock, walnut and cherrywood with works by Seth Thomas, Central Pennsylvania, in all original condition.
“We have done so well it is almost embarrassing,” Michael Seward of Pittsford, Vt., said. With his wife Lucinda, he sold five pieces of furniture including a sawbuck table, blanket chest, shoe-foot fire side bench, corner shelf, and ladderback side chair. Other rdf_Descriptions included two large rugs, a Noah’s ark complete with many animals, five paintings, and many smalls. “We saved for this show and it has paid off,” he noted.
Ruth Van Tassel of Van Tassel-Baumann, Malvern, Penn., said that the show was off a bit, “but we are delighted with some of the follow-up business that has taken place.” Three days after the show she was writing up a sales slip for seven pieces to one customer, “something everyone dreams off but does not often happen.”
“The first day attendance was good, and it was fine until about mid-afternoon on Saturday when the effect of the religious holiday was felt,” Frank Gaglio said. All in all, the gate was off slightly. “My Favorite Thing” was the name of the loan exhibition, a grouping of things on loan from the exhibitors which were not for sale. Special events were scattered throughout the weekend, starting with a talk by Chris Jussel on Saturday. Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson conducted an appraisal clinic on both Saturday and Sunday with about 60 people showing up each day. “Sampler: Secrets of Identity” was the topic of a Sunday lecture by Ruth Van Tassel.
“The contracts are already out for the fall show at the Navy Pier,” Frank Gaglio said. “So far we have had a good dealer response.” He added that there are still some details to work out for the second annual event, but “we will be ready with a great show on October 19.”
Center City
“This was the fourth year for our Center City Antiques Show and it ran well from start to finish,” Barry Cohen, show manager, said. He noted that this was the first time that the show had opened at the same location two years in a row, the Historic 23rd Street Armory between Market and Chestnut Streets. The show made its debut in the design center building, later moved to an ice rink at one of the colleges in Philadelphia, and finally into the armory after Frank Gaglio moved his show to the Navy Piers.
“We tried something new this year and it worked,” Barry Cohen noted, referring to the Opening Reception for the show on Thursday evening, 7 to 10 pm. The show would normally open on Friday morning, generally at the same time as or close to the opening of the Navy Pier Show. “This way we did not conflict with anyone and it gave the exhibitors at the other two shows a chance to visit ours,” he said. Attendance was about 200 on Thursday and the total for the run of the show was down a bit from 2000. He plans to implement the same time schedule for the show next year and was pleased with the positive feedback from Thursday’s reception.
Fifty exhibitors fill the armory to capacity and of that number about 15 were new to the show this year. Management continues to maintain a good mix of exhibitors and, as a result, fills many interests in the world of collecting. The show was attractive, dealers put effort into booth displays, and, as usual, it was a mixed selling bag when the show closed on Sunday. One exhibitor commented, “Paint is really selling, and I am sitting here with a booth filled with brown furniture.”
Thomas and Julia Barringer of Stockton, N.J., were in their regular spot at the armory, right in front of the loading dock. As a result of this location, they were the last to set up for the show, but were ready for the opening reception. “This is one of the shortest setups we have,” Tom said, “but we made it and this show has been good for us.” Opening night they sold their sponge decorated blanket chest, bright yellow graining, circa 1840, from Lancaster County, Penn. It was all original and in excellent condition. A large log cabin quilt, very colorful and in fine condition, covered one end of the booth; and among the painted furniture was a bucket bench in teal blue paint over green, mid-Nineteenth Century. “The opening was good for us, followed by a bleak Friday. However, Saturday and Sunday were also good and we sold two quilts, lots of smalls, and a Philadelphia tea table.” He noted that they have been in the show from the start, at all three venues, and have never had a bad show. This year’s gross was comparable to last year’s.
Nancy and Craig Cheney Antiques of Delaware, Ohio, offered a very nice rooster weathervane of large size, 21 inches tall, with gilt surface, along with a Philadelphia crib quilt, red and green flower design inside a green and yellow border, circa 1850.
Deep red colored paper covered the walls in the booth of Temora Farm Antiques, Newtown, Penn., making a very suitable background for an opposing pair of girandole looking glasses, circa 1790, with eagles on the top. The looking glasses flanked a portrait of the Honorable Robert Porter, who was born in Philadelphia on January 10, 1768, and died in Reading, Penn., June 23, 1842. The work was by Lancaster, Penn., artist Jacob Elcholtz. In contrast to the formal furniture and accessories, a stack of five painted firkins, gray, red, green, cream, and blue, was at the front of the booth.
Barbara Eliot, who runs Pottles and Pannikins of Windsor, Conn., with her husband Marvin, said that the show was “a total zero for us,” adding that they sold only one small rdf_Description and that was on the opening evening and to a regular customer. In addition to a large collection of iron hearth material, a set of six thumb back Windsor side chairs, green painted, from Windsor, S.C., but found in New Hampshire; a hanging chest in blue paint with four lights in the door, Nineteenth Century, 23½ inches high; and a high chair in the original green paint, Boston or Maine origin, 33 inches tall with button feet and scroll arms were offered. The chair was from the Berdan collection.
Dog Eat Dog Antiques, Old Lyme, Conn., and New York City, offered a ship model of the schooner Philadelphia, five masts and fully rigged, mid-Nineteenth Century, displayed in the original glass case, and a large hooked rug covered the best part of the left-hand wall. This rug had 24 squares and showed, among other things, a rooster, bull, eagle, cat, US hat, kettle, corn crib, and candlestick. It was dated 1903 and signed Hassell.
A Sheraton dough box with two drawers, turned legs, was among the furniture shown in the booth of Sally Good Antiques, Ambler, Penn. A large decorated firkin was painted with a red surface and lettered in gold, “Sugar,” and a set of four plank seat Windsor side chairs was in yellow with decorations. Four weathervanes were in the booth of Chuck White, Mercer, Penn., including two horses, one large cow, and a rooster. A large painted chalk deer was resting on one shelf, while on the back wall was a very nice bird tree, with three carvings on a formed stick, which had just come from a private collection.
Nicholas Domenick of Baden, Penn., had a large step-back cupboard, green painted with cream colored panels in the doors, along with a tall case clock by R. Whiting, Winchester. Four paintings on tin depicted the four seasons. One of the largest booths was taken by Orkney and Yost Antiques and Oriental Rugs, Stonington Village, Conn., and filled with furniture which included an oversized writing table, 85 by 29½ inch top, Nineteenth Century, green tooled leather top, found in Lyon, France. Also of French origin was a set of eight earthenware plates dating from the Eighteenth Century. A Queen Anne burl walnut commode of diminutive size, 31 inches high, 18 inches deep, and 35 inches wide, was of Dutch or English origin.
Portraits of John and Hannah Harrah of Philadelphia, oil on canvas and in the original frames, hung in the booth of Woodsmoke Farms Antiques of New Vienna, Ohio. These pictures were authenticated to Rembrant Peale, American, 1778-1860, unsigned. Among the furniture in the booth was a country French pine pewter cabinet in old blue paint over green, circa 1840.
“The show did not go well for us,” Paul Phillips of Bryn Mawr, Penn., said. “It was not the fault of the management, as the show did receive lots of pre-notice and was well advertised… Sales included two one-drawer stands, a Federal and a Sheraton example, and a French clock dial which was a decorative piece.” Furniture in the booth included a classic Federal Boston card table, circa 1800, mahogany with serpentine sides and reeded legs, original surface, and among the clocks was a traditional New England tall case example with round bonnet top and three finials, bird’s eye maple, cherry and soft woods, dating from the first quarter of the Nineteenth Century. One of the iron face clocks, decorated with blossoms, had a 30 hour movement and was attributed to Terry and Andrews.
A large sign advertised the Lincoln Athletic Park and its events in the booth of Roland Dallaire, Brockway, Penn., and ochre graining covered a nice three-drawer blanket chest. A Lancaster County bucket bench was in the display of 1848 House of Hamilton, Ohio, along with a New Hampshire high chest of drawers, six graduated drawers, 1785-1810. A New York or Pennsylvania stepback cupboard with mustard interior, paneled doors top and bottom, dated circa 1840, and a lindsey woolsey quilt, signed and dated 1820, Chriswell, N.Y., had nine alternating red/orange and blue stripes.
Furniture in the booth of Dee Wilhelm of Grand Blanc, Minn., included a Queen Anne drop leaf table in maple with swing legs, probably Rhode Island, circa 1750, red wash surface, and a Philadelphia comb-back Windsor armchair in old finish, circa 1770. A salt box, graphic form, was grain painted, circa 1850, and probably of Pennsylvania origin.
Things went very well for Joseph J. Lodge of Souderton, Penn., from the moment the show opened to the close. He offered an early hooked rug depicting two black cats and a nice set of five four splat ladderback side chairs from South Carolina. Some of the rdf_Descriptions sold included a set of four Windsor side chairs in yellow paint, a barber pole in the original paint, and a large horse weathervane with solid head and gilded surface.
An English server/dressing table in mahogany, circa 1830, English, was shown by Mongenas Antiques of Loveland, Ohio. From the Georgian period was an English Pembroke table with one drawer and the original brass, circa 1800-1820, and a linen press in mahogany dating from the Nineteenth Century.
A painted snake, measuring about 12 feet long and from an Indian reservation, was shown in the booth of Manchester Antiques of Manchester, Vt. Against the back wall hung a copper broken arch pediment with central flame finial, 8′ 6″ long and 30 inches high. It was found in Pennsylvania. Cases of Staffordshire figures, including castles, people, and animals, were in the booth of Shaeffer’s Antiques of Glyndon, Md. In addition there was a selection of Toby jugs, and a large pair of copper lustre spaniels rested on the back table.
While furniture pretty much dominated the booth of Daniel and Karen Olson of Newburgh, N.Y., it was works of art and smalls that made for a good show. Karen Olson noted that they sold five pieces of art including an early sampler which had never been removed from its frame, a barnyard scene on mattress ticking with glass fragments applied to the frame, an oil on canvas still life, a landscape, and a watercolor theorem on paper. Furniture which went home for the next show included a Queen Anne drop leaf table with cabriole legs and pad feet, red surface, and a red painted one door jelly cupboard from the Delaware Valley.
John and Robin Sittig of Shawnee-On-Delaware, Penn., displayed a set of six plank seat Windsor side chairs, decorated brown surface, circa 1850; a corner cupboard in red stain, 12 lights in the top door, 74 inches high; and a New York decorated settee, circa 1840, 72 inches long, grained with gold stenciling.
A Hudson River landscape, 35½ by 21½ inches, circa 1850 and in gilt frame, hung over a Philadelphia Federal Sheraton sideboard, bowfront center drawer, circa 1821, 66½ inches wide, in the booth of Roger D. Winter, Ltd., of Solebury, Penn. A Welsh dresser, dating from the late Eighteenth Century, had chicken cage sides and a pot shelf on the bottom. It was of English origin, 1780-1800, with shoe feet and all the original brasses.
Eighteen weathervanes lined both the sides and the back of the booth of Gold Goat Antiques, Rhinebeck, N.Y. The procession began with a standing wooden horse, traces of white paint remaining, tin ears, 26 inches high by 25 inches wide, Nineteenth Century, and ended with a wood fish, missing the back section, 24 inches long and found in Maine. In between there were a swordfish, fox, dog, pig, and hand, some in wood and others in sheet metal and copper. It was an impressive display which drew show visitors into the booth.
Gordon S. Converse of Strafford, Penn., said, “I did all right, covered my expenses, and sold only one clock, a music box, and some small decorative rdf_Descriptions.” At the front of his booth was a large handmade model of the “Robert E. Lee,” complete with “clockworks” to drive it. For the most part construction was of thin tin, all hand painted, 4½ feet long. Clocks included a presentation banjo by Edward Howard Clock Co., Boston, 1900-1930. Edward Howard was, at one time, a jeweler in Philadelphia.
The Fassnachts of Canandaigua, N.Y., covered the walls of their booth with examples of embroidery and sold a good number of them, recording a successful show. Among the works shown were a sampler depicting three women and one child, Reading, Berks County, Penn., done by Emma Shenfelder in 1846, 30 by 39 inches sight, and a mourning silk embroidery worked by Emily Ann Massey of Kent County, Md.
A selection of whirligigs was attractively arranged against the back wall in the booth of Campbell House Antiques of Baltimore, Md. Offered were an Indian, a man in clothing, a soldier with tin hat, and an Nantucket sailor in blue and white paint.
Lots of furniture was in the booth of Lourinic Antiques of Lambertville, N.J. A Chippendale blanket chest was painted and decorated, Albany County, circa 1800-1810, blue surface with red and black swags on the front and the initials E.K. A slant-lid secretary from the Connecticut River Valley was 80 inches tall and dated circa 1750-70, and a small tiger maple fall front desk, Rhode Island, was signed on the back in black “Eira Clark, 1764.”
For the moment Barry Cohen is going over the returns from the show and measuring the comments from the exhibitors. He is also thinking about a show in New York City during the same time frame as the Winter Antiques Show. “I have located a couple of places where a show might be possible and now have to explore it further with my tape measure,” he said. When asked if it will get off the ground for 2002, he replied, “It is possible, but there is a great deal of work to be done and we will have to see how it all shakes out.”
If the show should happen, it will make five shows in New York during that time period – The Winter Antiques Show, Stella’s Antiques at the Other Armory, the new Americana show sponsored by the Museum of American Folk Art, and the Ceramic Fair. And Christie’s and Sotheby’s will again be running any number of Americana sales. Meanwhile, Barry Cohen is turning his attention to his next antiques show, the York Tailgate, set for Friday and Saturday, November 2 and 3.
