Review and Photos by R. Scudder Smith

CONCORD, N.H. — “The show went well, we brought people in and had a great opening,” Frank Gaglio, president of Barn Star Productions, said a couple of days after the show while getting a badly needed back rub after being on his feet for the better part of four days. He added that the show followed the pattern set by most shows these days, with some of the dealers coming away with great shows, while others did not do as well. “It’s rare that does not happen, but it is generally the case these days,” Frank noted.

Frank Gaglio, show manager, with Lynn King, who helped with ticket sales.

The Douglas Everett Arena, site of the August 4–5 show, has ample room for the exhibitors and an area at the front of the show that serves a double purpose. First, chairs are available there for those who come early to the show and sit inside in the air conditioning until the 1 pm opening, and after the show opens, that same area is the cafeteria or lunch room, right next to the food vendor. Sandwiches, salads and soups are made as ordered, and very tasty.

Midweek does not lean heavily in any particular direction of collecting, but there appears to be something there for everyone, as the saying goes. Paintings mingle with folk art, cast iron mixes with wood, brown furniture is in the company of painted pieces, and all kinds of fabrics, jewelry and decorative objects are present. One person who was resting and seated near the front entrance mentioned, without prompting, “There seem to be lots of packages going out of this show.”

As an added attraction, Frank Gaglio borrowed baskets from the personal collections of some of his exhibitors and put them on exhibit at the front of the show. “A Tisket A Tasket” proved to be a great success and caught the attention of many of the show visitors. Also up front was “The Sum of the Parts; The Sculptural Assemblages by John Sideli,” an exhibition of some of the unique work by John, all constructed of antique fragments he finds inspirational. A close look at his work proves that things that might seem to be worthless at first sight become important after John has worked with them.

Part of the opening day crowd, waiting inside the arena for the 1 pm start of Midweek.

While people were sitting at the front of the show, awaiting the opening on Tuesday, August 4, they had ample time to inspect the offerings of three booths in front, one being Holden Antiques of Sherman, Conn., and Naples, Fla. This time out Ed Holden brought two large weathervanes, a pig and a rooster, displayed on a Nineteenth Century shoe foot hutch table with pine top and maple base and feet. Dating from the early Nineteenth Century was a slant lid desk in cherry and tiger maple from the Pennsylvania area.

Another shoe foot hutch table, this one from New York State, oval maple top and pine base, was shown by Harold Cole / Bettina Krainin Antiques of Woodbury, Conn. Also shown was a 1927 Model T pickup truck weathervane, 30 inches long and 22 inches high, in a weathered surface. “The maker of this vane really knew what he was doing as the back of the truck is exactly as it should be,” Harold said. The seats were not covered by a roof, but there was a rollback cover that was pulled up in case of rain or snow.

Thomas M. Rawson Antiques of Cedar Rapids had a handcarved standing figure of a horse, circa 1888, and a circa 1900 heart-shaped yarn winder, while Stiles House Antiques of Woodbury, Conn., showed an eagle with flag wall plaque, 48 inches in diameter, picturing the eagle with a banner in its beak reading “Rallied Around The Flag.” A New England Hepplewhite server was made of several woods, including tiger maple, cherry and mahogany, and dating from the last quarter of the Eighteenth Century.

James Grievo Antiques, Stockton, N.J., hung a fine Nineteenth Century tackle trade sign in the shape of a fish, definitely from the blue fish family, lettered “Tackle,” that came from Brown’s Boat Yard, Great Kills Harbor, Staten Island, N.Y. An Eighteenth Century tiger maple slant lid small desk had just one long drawer, and a painted tole coffee pot exhibited on the desk dated from the Nineteenth Century.

“My focus for this show is going to be baskets,” Justin Cobb of Captain’s Quarters, Amherst, Mass., said, and he proved his point with a selection that included many Nantucket baskets and a row of Eskimo pieces. However, he did not let the opportunity to show a few paintings slip by, hanging a William Pierce Stubbs oil on canvas of the schooner Clare Goodwin. It measures 24 by 36 inches.

DBR Antiques-Doug Ramsay, Hadley, Mass., offered a decorative pair of pedestals in pine, painted, circa 1820, a pair of cast swan planters and an interesting trade sign for a tire shop in the form of a small tire with the wording in a circle and reading “Tubes — Tires Repaired.” A blue painted quilt frame, 8 feet long, was in the middle of the booth and raised lots of questions. “I have spent the better part of the day telling people what this is, what it is used for and how handy it was in the good old days,” Doug said.

John Sideli with some of his works that were on view during the run of the show.

Dordy Fontinel Mason, Nellysford, Va., hung a trade sign advertising “Crystal Shore Farm, Holsteins, Adams, N.Y.”, and an oval hooked rug depicted a snow scene with a home next to a running stream.

A carved log soldier in a red painted uniform stood guard outside the booth of Neverbird Antiques, Surry, Va., protecting objects such as an early Twentieth Century strawberry carrier with barrel stave handle and a New Hampshire birch table, circa 1775–1810, in the original red painted surface.

Maria and Peter Warren Antiques, Sandy Hook, Conn., had four cases filled with various makes of ceramics, one dedicated mostly to Staffordshire figures of dogs, different breeds and different sizes. A.J. Warren, who now runs the business, cited a large portrait as one of her favorite things in the booth; it depicts two young brothers with a hobby horse, an unsigned oil on board measuring 53¼ by 41½ inches.

“There has been a good deal of interest at the show and I have sold several things, including my ventriloquist figure,” Aarne Anton of American Primitive, New York City, said. He was referring to his wood-carved male figure, movable mouth, who was dressed in his original clothes, including a black suit and tie. Other pieces in the booth included an Asbury Amusement Park sign of a cutout tin head of Tillie, with glass eyes, dating circa 1930–1940, and a harlequin arcade target from Chicago, circa 1920–1930.

Part of the collection of baskets in the loan exhibit.

A New England berry sorting sink, measuring 55 by 28 inches, circa 1840, was filled with painted wood fish lures in the booth of Halliday House Antiques, Napa, Calif., along with a primitive painting of a salmon. Another piece of furniture was a pine stand with one drawer, linen shelf and gallery top with cutouts.

When you happen upon a booth that has a set of shelves and every bit of space is taken by an example of Bennington pottery, you have arrived at the haunt of Charles & Barbara Adams Antiques of South Yarmouth, Mass. Here you will find a vast variety of things, such as three beaded Victorian purses, framed, and a splash of nautical, including sailor bookends and a grouping of Old Salts, various sizes and some not painted yellow.

David Thompson Antiques and Art, South Dennis, Mass., showed a Battle of Antietam relic, a walking stick dated September 17, 1862, and a diorama of a dory, 1870–1900, carved wood painted red and found in the New Bedford, Mass., area.

Bill Union of Art & Antiques Gallery, Inc, Worcester, Mass., offered more works of art than his booth walls would hold, often showing people paintings that were stacked against the walls of his booth. Centered on the back wall was a large oil on canvas by Edmund Darch Lewis, American, a landscape with cows seeking a drink from the shallow part of a river. Antonio Jacobsen was represented by a signed and dated, lower right, oil on canvas of the passenger ship The Jefferson.

A colorful, life-size tiger zoo figure from Riverside Park, Chicago, stood in the middle of the booth of Park Place Gallery Antiques, Delton, Mich. A colorful pair of Hessian soldier andirons was on the floor near a chair table, with one drawer at the bottom of the chair, two-board top in birch and painted yellow with black striping.

Regulars at the show were Claude and Sharon Baker of Hamilton, Ohio, with a circa 1800 New England drop leaf table, painted, with one drawer at the end, and a paint decorated candle box that could be either hung on a wall or placed on a table. A early Nineteenth Century hanging knife box with lollypop handle was in old red paint.

Jim Grievo and his daughter Kristin check out their distorted images in an amusement park mirror at the booth of American Primitive Gallery.

Willow Springs Perennial Antiques, Rexford, N.Y., had a Queen Anne Eighteenth Century highboy, flat top with cabriole legs, the base with drop finials, and a paint decorated six-board chest from Vermont. The nice horse and sulky weathervane went to a young couple visiting from New Jersey.

Martha Perkins and Barrett Menson, Townsend, Mass., are generally under one roof, but this time they had side-by-side booths with distinctly different inventories. Fabrics and shelves filled with smalls dominated the display by Martha, while there was little question about what held the interest of Barrett — picture frames. When asked if the frames on the walls of the booth and stacked against the walls, with only a few of them surrounding pictures, were the bulk of the collection, Barrett only smiled and said, “No, there are only about 150 here. The majority I left at home.” In addition to just selling the frames, he also has his hands in the framing business, which one would expect.

Peter E. Baker of Elgin, Quebec, Canada, offered many pieces of folk art, including a large paddlewheel boat with all the trimmings. It was a real work of art for some heavily detailed person, painted white with various colors used to accent the details of the boat. It was sold within minutes of the show opening, and then interest spread to other objects in the booth, such as a large wood carved and painted swan and a row of five flying Canada geese, graduated in size, on the back wall of the booth.

Ackerson Homestead Antiques, Park Ridge, N.J.

Hanes & Ruskin, Old Lyme, Conn., had a delicate child’s Windsor chair and a Rhode Island porringer top table in walnut that sold to a couple from the Midwest. An American painting, oil on canvas, was of a young boy hunting, and several pieces of ceramics changed hands.

A large red painted storage barrel was in the corner of the booth of Lisa S. McAllister, Clear Spring, Md., and against the back wall was a dry sink/bucket bench in blue paint, dated 1831 on the back side, chestnut and yellow pine, from either Maryland or Pennsylvania.

“I have been selling across the board,” Tex Johnson of Adamstown, Penn., said, mentioning in particular a couple of early quilts that he had just gotten out of a private home. The booth, laced with variety, was filled with interesting things, including a selection of butter stamps, an assortment of tin cookie cutters, trivets, baskets and some wrought iron pieces, including an elaborate toaster that came out of the Harry Hartman collection.

American Primitives, New York City

A stack of nine graduated round covered kitchen boxes drew attention to the booth of Baker & Co., Delmar, N.Y. The boxes were painted various colors, including red, green, yellow, blue and white. A grouping of five black bottle dolls were offered, with most dressed in the original clothing and each with a head bandana.

Quiet Corner Antiques, Sterling, Conn., set up a neat and uncluttered booth that gave added attention to the various pieces of furniture offered. A one-drawer, tapered leg stand in old red paint had a top with ovolo corners, circa 1806, that was found in a home in Brooklyn, Conn., and a matched pair of Windsor fanback side chairs was from the Boston area. The pair dated circa 1790–1810 and had an old green surface.

For additional information, www.barnstar.com or 845-876-0616. Date for the 23rd annual Midweek Show will be August 9–10, 2016.

Photo Gallery
Please click any photo to enlarge.

Art & Antiques Gallery, Inc, Worcester, Mass.	Art & Antiques Gallery, Inc, Worcester, Mass.	Baker & Co., Delmar, N.Y.
Barbara Peter Antiques, Sayville, N.Y.	Barrett Menson Antiques, Ashby, Mass.	Bill Powell, Franklin, Tenn.
Candler Arts, Atlanta	Captain’s Quarters, Amherst, Mass.	Charles & Barbara Adams, South Yarmouth, Mass.
David Thompson Antiques & Art, South Dennis, Mass.	DBR Antiques-Doug Ramsay, Hadley, Mass.	Dennis & Valerie Bakoledis, Rhinebeck, N.Y.
Early American Antiques, Canfield, Ohio	Halliday House Antiques, Napa, Calif.	Hanes & Ruskin, Old Lyme, Conn.
Harold E. Cole / Bettina Krainin Antiques, Woodbury, Conn.	Holden Antiques, Naples, Fla., and Sherman, Conn.	James B. Grievo, Stockton, N.J.
Jim Yeager Antiques, Lees Summit, Mo.	John Sideli, Wiscasset, Maine	John Sideli, Wiscasset, Maine
Joshua Lowenfels Works of Art, New York City	Kristin Grievo, Whitehouse Station, N.J.	Latcham House Antiques, Waterville, Ohio
Lisa S. McAllister, Clear Spring, Md.	Marc Witus, Gladstone, N.J.	Maria and Peter Warren, Sandy Hook, Conn.
Martha Perkins, Ashby, Mass.	Matthew Ehresman Antiques, Wadsworth, Ohio	Michael Friedman Gallery, Weston, Conn.
Neverbird Antiques, Surry, Va.	Peter E. Baker, Elgin, Quebec, Canada	Peter E. Baker, Elgin, Quebec, Canada
Quiet Corner Antiques, Sterling, Conn.	Stephen Score, Inc, Boston	Steve Smoot Antiques & Navajo Textiles, Lancaster, Penn.
Stiles House Antiques, Woodbury, Conn.	Stone Block Antiques, Vergennes, Vt.	Tex Johnson & Son Antiques, Adamstown, Penn.
Thomas M. Rawson Antiques, Cedar Rapids, Iowa	West Pelham Antiques, Pelham, Mass.	William R. & Teresa F. Kurau, Lampeter, Penn.