Saturday, February 26, 2011
RANDOM 341 OBJECT
BIG Antique 8 by 10 Hand Colored TINTYPE Serious Couple-$69
Doc Somber and his pretty wife, Leanna, already had an appointment with the photographer, so they went to his studio and sat for this image in spite of the sadness that swept their little town of Mudville the day after Casey struck out.
It measures 10” by 8”, and, as you can see, it has remained in pretty danged nice condition.
Leanna was named after her mother, Leanna Donner, so the whole family had been in a pretty sour mood since the incident, as they called it, of 1847.
Leanna married “Doc” when she was in her early teens. “Doc,” whose given name was Jeremiah, scratched a living out of the land his father had homesteaded and cleared before succumbing to consumption two days before his ninetieth birthday.
*Note: I’m sorry. You’ll have to forgive me. I have brain weevils, and that’s my excuse for making that whole thing up. I take medicine for brain weevils, but nothing seems to get rid of them. My head doctor, Doc Watson, says they won’t kill me, but they’ll annoy the devil out of everyone I meet. (There I go again. His name isn’t Watson. It’s Milsap. Dang! I did it again. That’s not true either.)
It’s just a nice old tintype. I have no idea who they were. You’ll have to make up your own story, but you can use mine if you need to.
Uh-oh. I just found the old wooden backing from the frame that once held this tintype. The frame was destroyed. I’m sure glad I saved the back. I’ll send it along with the tintype.
It looks like “Eli and Hannah Cushman” and something about Cincinnati and “Bird Hill.”
Q: I love you (and your brain weevils), Dennis! ;-D
A: At least they're not catching. Thanks, D
RANDOM 341 OBJECT
AMERICAN Country ANTIQUE Pine PEN & INK or Button BOX-$103
My best guess is that this delightful late 19th Century pine box began life as a place to keep paper, pens and ink. But as the years passed it became a catch-all, and finally ended up as a place where granny kept her buttons. You are seeing it just exactly as I found it.
It measures 11 ¾” by 8” by a little over 4” tall.
Don’t be put off by the decades of dust and dirt. I’m sure it will clean up easily to reveal an authentic old finish; that is, if you don’t mess with it too much.
It’s as country as a board fence. The only nods toward fanciness are the five brass tacks, one at each corner and another in the center of the raised panel.
Open it, and you’ll see it has a lift-out tray with two notched supports meant to hold something at least 6” long – the measurement between the outsides of each support. I’m thinking “pens,” but that’s just a guess; a guess supported by something else about the box.
The notches were cut by hand with a scroll saw, and two of the “points” have turned up missing. (Psst! See the ink stain? That supports my theory about the pens.)
The hinges may or may not be original, but they are certainly of the same period. I think someone simply moved the bottom sections to the outside.
One thing that amazes me is that all the trim remains. You can see some maintenance brads here and there, but it is basically just the way the old boy made it.
Someone got clumsy and spilled ink. If they were under the age of twelve, they got a good switchin’. (Thank goodness for conjecture. I’d be mute without it.)
There is nothing fancy-smancy about it. It is nailed construction all the way. The fanciest thing about it would be the mitered corners. We’re talking about simple folks with simple needs here. They plowed, planted, raised, weaned, fed, watered, butchered and harvested what they needed in the way of food, and they bought yard goods from a catalogue and made their own clothes. (Oops. Conjecture raises its ugly head yet again.)
Don’t ask me about the buttons. They come with the box, but only “button people” know buttons, and I’m not a member of the club.
Friday, February 25, 2011
RANDOM 'RANT'
has scum walker told unions to eat cake yet?
has scum walker told unions to eat cake yet?
RANDOM 341 OBJECT
Vibrant OLD Snow LANDSCAPE Oil Painting JOSEPHINE MOORE-$137
I fell in love with this colorful, cheerful and interestingly executed painting the moment I laid eyes on it. It certainly has the feel of one created on the spot; en plein air. The only problem is that I have only sketchy information about the artist.
It’s a large painting, and it is in beautiful, clean condition.
Overall, including the fine custom frame = 34” by 29”
Painting on Stretched Canvas = 30” by 25”
When it arrives at your house you can take the time to count the myriad of colors used. There must be a jillion in the bark of the trees alone. It’s quite a piece of work.
It is signed, lower left: “Josephine
I’ve found references to her at The University of Indiana in Pennsylvania, and also in Clarion, PA. Then again, I’ve seen her mentioned as working in the Allegheny Mountains. Just judging from the canvas, the exceptional frame and an overall feel, I think this work is from somewhere between 1935 and 1950.
My pictures aren’t coming out well this morning. I wanted you to see the big, bold and confident strokes of thick paint, but it’s just not showing up as I wanted. That’s good, in a way. You’ll be extra tickled when you receive it.
That gives you a little better idea of Josephine’s technique.
