Antiques 101

306 Pages·2005·28.754 MB·English

by  Loomis, Frank Farmer

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Master
NTIQUES
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Antique Styles

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Painlessly I
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Not sure how to tell Chippendale from Queen Anne, or Art Deco from
Art Nouveau? Learn the easy way with the author’s entertaining style.
Frank Farmer Loomis IV is an expert communicator who knows how to E
engage students with anecdotes and humor. If you’re looking for clear,
simple explanations rather than unpronounceable terms like corbeille a
S
fl eurs (fl ower basket) or sang de boeuf (red glaze), you’ve come to the
right place, as he will “demystify all the perplexing twaddle” for you.

And while you’re learning, discover your antiquing personality and how
1
antiquing can reduce stress.
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A User-Friendly Reference for Antiquers
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• Master 16 major antique furniture styles and the six main woods
• Use furniture styles to identify and date other antiques
A CRASH
• Learn the various types of china, silver, pewter, and their marks
COURSE IN
About the Author
Frank Farmer Loomis IV hosts Keep Antiquing!, a popular
radio show in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has been an appraiser EVERYTHING
on the Antiques Roadshow, teaches antiques classes at the
University of Cincinnati and writes a syndicated newspaper
column on antiques. ANTIQUE
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OO
Also by the Author
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Secrets to Affordable Antiques: How to Buy More for Less MM
II
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ISBN: 0-89689-158-5 $19.99 U.S.
p ($27.99 CAN)
51999
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FFRRAANNKK FFAARRMMEERR LLOOOOMMIISS IIVV
9 780896891586
0 7496200158 0
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a crash course in
everything antique
(cid:1) (cid:3)
(cid:2)
frank farmer loomis iv
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©2005 Frank Farmer Loomis IV
Published by
Our toll-free number to place an order or obtain
a free catalog is [phone].
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who
may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a
magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television, or
the Internet.
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2005930193
ISBN: 0-89689-158-5
Designed by Sandy Kent
Edited by Dan Brownell
Printed in the United States of America
Cover photo: table model disc
phonograph, circa early 1900s.
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Dedication
Th ese wonderful people are my heroes. Th is book is dedicated to them
with friendship and gratitude: Dan Brownell, Janet Costa, William
Hahn, Lee Hay, Paul Kennedy, Rick McCrabb and Th omas Oder.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the following for their generous contribution of
photographs:
• Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Du Mouchelle’s Auction, Detroit, Michigan
• Early Auction Company, Milford, Ohio
• Forsythes’ Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Garth’s Auctions, Inc., Delaware, Ohio
• Howard’s Wood Products, Paso Robles, California
• Jackson’s International Auctions, Cedar Falls, Iowa
• Skinner Auctions, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts
• Tim and Kathy Tyler, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Treadway Toomey Galleries, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Oak Park,
Illinois
• Wooden Nickel Antiques, Cincinnati, Ohio
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Contents
A Timeline of Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
(cid:4)
SECTION ONE
An Introduction to Antiques | 8
1 What Does Elvis Have To Do With Antiques? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2 How Antiques Embellish Our Lives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3 No More French, S’il Vous Plait! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4 What’s Your Antiques Personality? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5 A Tale of Two Antiques Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6 All About Woods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
(cid:4)
SECTION TWO
Antiques Styles | 50
7 Queen Anne: Understated Elegance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
8 Chippendale: Th e King of Mahogany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
9 “Heppleton”: A Hepplewhite and Sheraton Medley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
10 Empire: Th e Return of the Toga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
11 Th e Victorian Era: Th e Gilded Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
12 Victorian, Part I: Rococo Revival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
13 Victorian, Part II: Eastlake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
14 Victorian, Part III: Renaissance Revival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
15 Victorian, Part IV: Th e Aesthetic Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
16 Centennial: Th e Return of Duncan Phyfe and Ethan Allen . . . . . .130
17 Art Nouveau, Part I: Tea and Waltzes at the Ritz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
18 Art Nouveau, Part II: Masterpieces for the Common Man . . . . . .148
19 Arts and Crafts: Th e Return to Handcraftsmanship . . . . . . . . . . . .155
20 Art Deco: A Streamlined Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
21 Art Deco Transforms Main Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
22 Lucy and Ricky: Th e Queen and King of Mid Century . . . . . . . . . .177
23 Elvis: Th e King of Retro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
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(cid:4)
SECTION THREE
Antiques Classics | 196
24 China: Bottoms Up for Identifi cation and Dating . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
25 Silver: A Sterling Antique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214
26 Pewter: Silver’s Humble (Yet Trendy) Cousin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
27 Glass: A Clear Choice for Antiquers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229
(cid:4)
SECTION FOUR
Antiques Legends | 238
28 Wedgwood: A 1700s Achiever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
29 Th ree Cheers for the Ladies! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244
30 Currier and Ives: Th e Rodgers and Hammerstein of Antiques . . .247
31 Th e Shakers: No Nonsense Practicality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251
32 Th e First Ladies of Folk Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255
(cid:4)
SECTION FIVE
Antiques Superstars | 266
33 Wing Chairs: Beauty and Comfort with a Hidden Agenda . . . . . .267
34 Rocking Chairs: Homegrown Furniture with Sway . . . . . . . . . . . . .270
35 Windsor Chairs: History Meets Mass Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274
36 Hitchcock Chairs: No Mystery about Th ese Stenciled Treasures . .277
37 Dolls: Th e Most Joyous Antiques of All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280
(cid:4)
SECTION SIX
Preparing for Graduation | 286
38 Future Antiques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
39 Raising the Antiques Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299
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A Timeline of Style
period approximate date
queen anne (ish - ish)
chippendale ( - ish)
heppleton (s - ish)
empire (ish - )
rococo revival ( - )
eastlake ( - )
renaissance revival ( - s)
aesthetic movement (s - s)
centennial reproductions (s - s)
art nouveau i (ish - ish)
art nouveau ii (ish - ish )
arts and crafts (ish - ish)
art deco (s)
art deco ii (ish - ish)
mid century (s and s)
retro (s - s)
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background historical events
france cedes canada to great britain
the american revolution
the war of 
the war of /western expansion
the u.s. civil war
reconstruction and the centennial
birth of the skyscraper/growth of u.s. cities
birth of the skyscraper/growth of u.s. cities
birth of the skyscraper/growth of u.s. cities
the death of queen victoria
the paris world’s fair of 
world war i
the roaring twenties
the great depression/world war ii
i love lucy and the beatles
the u.s. bicentennial
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SECTION ONE
(cid:1)(cid:2)
An Introduction
to Antiques
(cid:3)(cid:4)
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| 9
Chapter 1
What Does Elvis Have To Do
With Antiques?
A decade ago in my antiques classes at the University of Cincinnati,
my students and I discussed how age and handcraftsmanship don’t al-
ways guarantee quality. To illustrate that point, I routinely comment-
ed that although velvet Elvis Presley paintings are handmade, they
aren’t necessarily fi rst class. But I would never make such a statement
about these paintings now because Elvis is more stellar than ever, and
something extraordinary has happened to those fabric portraits. “El
on Vel,” as I aff ectionately call this genre, has become a new category
of antiques that many collectors fi nd “awesome.” Th e King is only one
of the numerous examples of how our perception of value changes
over time.
Let me tell you what a delight it is to welcome you to the wonderful
world of antiques! You are on the threshold of an exciting adventure.
Antiques 101 will help make you a savvy antiquer and a better person,
too. As you read this primer, I promise:
• You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the perks that antiques
provide.
• Th e major furniture styles will become second nature to you.
• Th e main woods used in antique furniture will become more
familiar to your fi ngers than the keys of your computer.
• You’ll learn to distinguish French Limoges porcelain from
English Wedgwood services.
• You’ll become astute at diff erentiating solid silver from plated
pieces.
• You’ll be able to tell molded from cut glass by touch.
• Movies will be even more enjoyable because you’ll relish the
furnishings as plots unfold.
• Museums will become favorite destinations because you’ll be
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