Remembering Esther Howland – Pioneer of the American Valentine
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, here’s a verse from an Esther Howland creation (ca. 1850-1870): Anticipation. How oft my bright and radiant eyes O’erflow with love – and so do thine How bright the morrow’s sun would rise...Fakes I’ve Known by Lew Larason
An antiques dealer friend generally buys and sells “mid-century” furniture, which doesn’t interest me very much since I was making furniture “back then.” However, she finds some interesting items. Recently, she asked me to re-glue two chairs she had gotten. She told...Fakes I’ve Known by Lew Larason
Many antiques dealers, whether selling from their own shop, a co-op or at antiques shows, carry a variety of items in order to appeal to a larger number of potential buyers. Some specialize, but many refer to their merchandise as “a general line.” Some dealers try to...Fakes I’ve Known by Lew Larason
It always surprises me when I point out something that’s out of place in a piece of furniture belonging to another person that he has never noticed. I was looking at a one-piece cupboard when I saw something wrong. The piece had two paneled doors below and two in the...Fakes I’ve Known
Sometimes, when I look at a piece of antique furniture, I get a gut feeling it isn’t “right.” Occasionally, it’s obvious, while at other times it’s far more subtle. Recently, I saw a small one-door cupboard at an antiques show. It just didn’t look “honest” to me. As I...
