Historical Hall, that wonderful old building that sits about six feet above the level of the road and looks out over the village green, was once again the center of activity for the Bedford Historical Society over the October 20′1 weekend, the dates of the annual antiques show. Rain on Friday, set-up day, dampened progress for a couple of the exhibitors, but all was ready to go on Saturday, with beautiful New England weather encouraging people to go out and do things.
“We had a pretty good crowd, but not quite the strength of last year,” Lynn Ryan, executive director of the Bedford Historical Society, said. “We had a feeling that might happen with the market dropping 360 points at the end of the week.” As far as dealer sales were concerned, “We had good news from a fair share of our exhibitors and there was a great variety of objects sold,” she added.
With a tent tacked onto the side of Historical Hall there is room for only 18 dealers, including using the balcony, stage and even a small side room off the stage. Eight dealers were new to the show this year and the interest ran from maps and lithographs to silver, from folk art to carpets, and from tin biscuit tins to objects for the garden and patio.
The long and narrow side balcony space was perfect for Maile Allen of Colonia, N.J., who deals in maps and prints. The dealer displayed racks of prints and hung four framed illustrations of “The Rules of Golf” by Charles Crombie, 1906. Also framed were four illustrations by Sherman Denton, 1902, of trout including a brook and a rainbow. Four duck prints, 1859, 3rd edition, were by J.J. Audubon.
Traveling down from Portland, Maine, and consuming the end of the balcony, was Willmert-Newell Antiques with an interesting variety of objects, including a child’s sled with bird and branch decoration on a red ground, a pair of well-weathered wooden benches, a paint decorated Italian chest of drawers, very narrow and dating from the Twentieth Century, and a painted Salem rocker that was displayed on a round, low, outdoor patio table.
One did not even have to look for a dealer name when confronted by a large collection of decorated biscuit tins in many shapes, including a cottage, rack of books, creel, cabin, Toby mug, purse and spy-glass case. It had to be Rena Goldenberg of Orange, Conn., who had arranged this interesting display on the stairs leading to the balcony. She also showed a grouping of framed fashion prints, “S.T. Taylor Co., 930 Bway, N.Y.C.” A selection of brass objects included andirons, candlesticks, scales and a fender.
Staffordshire signals the presence of Jane McClafferty, New Canaan, Conn., who filled a good portion of a display case with figures and large and small pairs of dogs. And even with a small booth she offered several pieces of furniture, including an inlaid cherrywood New England Pembroke table, circa 1810, probably of Connecticut origin, and an American inlaid mahogany four-drawer chest, circa 1810.
H.P. McLane Antiques, New Canaan, Conn., showed an American two-drawer writing table in applewood, circa 1835, probably of New England origin, and in the case was a Chinese Export Gu-form vase, circa 1850. A coin silver sugar bowl of by a Philadelphia maker and a Rose Mandarin wash basin dated circa 1830.
Antiques II of Bedford had a booth to satisfy the gardener, showing a large cast iron urn, a bench with decorative iron supports and wood slats, a cast stone bird bath and a long handled trough in old red paint that could easily be made into a planter.
Another Portland, Maine, exhibitor, Nancy Wells, shared the stage and offered a wrought iron patio set of four chairs and table, dolphin pattern, and a collection of old clay flower pots of small size. A pair of lamps made from cast iron posts held down either end of a long table, and tucked into one corner of the booth was a pair of large tin wash tubs.
Furniture offered by Donald Rich Antiques of New Canaan, Conn., included a Windsor armchair in black paint, circa 1810‱820 and a small sideboard, inlaid mahogany, English, dating from the Nineteenth Century. A large pair of Rose Mandarin covered vases, Chinese, Nineteenth Century, was on the sideboard.
Coming the farthest distance to do the show was Kenny Ball of Charlottesville, Va., with a variety of furniture that included a pair of cast iron chairs with brass detail, and a Swedish painted commode with a faux marble top.
Fall Into Bedford History Day, sponsored by the historical society, took place on Saturday and was well attended. Quill pen writing took place at the school house, while musket drills and colonial games entertained visitors at the museum building. “Many of those who enjoyed the activities also came to the antiques show, which is what we had hoped would happen,” Lynn Ryan said. The show continued on Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm.
