Check out this NYTimes article on a new exhibit about the history of breweries in NYC at The New York Historical Society. It reminded me of all the vintage breweriana that I sell at the Brooklyn flea. I will have some great stuff for sale tomorrow in my booth. Ballantine's, Piel's, Schaeffer. Ahhhh summer....
| | |
|
In my wanderings in the wilderness that is Brimfield, I found a large crate of wonderful old cylindrical wax records. I purchased them for their lovely packaging without knowing too much about them. I have since done some research into these fascinating musical artifacts. Most of the lot that I have were made by Edison, but a few were from Columbia Records (which is still in business today.)Edison invented the cylindrical records and player in 1877 and they gained in popularity through the turn of the 20th Century. Competition with Columbia Records was fierce until the early 1910s when Columbia's new disc records played with a steel needle eclipsed the more fragile cylindrical records. By 1912, wax cylinders were no longer being produced.
Edison sold 2-Minute wax Gold Moulded Records in these ornately decorated boxes. The box on the left is an earlier version and the one on the right is a later version used just prior to the introduction of 4-Minute wax Amberol cylinders in 1908. These record boxes are very substantially made with cotton padding on the inside to protect the fragile wax records.
If you would like to see or purchase one of these records, I will be bringing them to the Brooklyn flea and selling them for a modest $7 each.
| | |
|
I just returned from a few days at Brimfield buying, visiting friends and slogging through mud. It just wouldn't be a May Brimfield show without some soggy, windy and unsettled weather. Nevertheless, there was some great stuff to be found. Here are some snapshots.
| | |
|
Click here to read the New York Times Magazine "Who Made This" Article on the history of Mason or canning jars.
I recently found some really neat WWII era canning jars that have very unusual clip tops and are embossed with a Victory logo on the glass lid. They were made by the Crown Cork and Seal Co. Clip or clamp top canning jars are very common in Europe, but so rarely seen here. Bail top and threaded or screw top closures are the norm.
| | |
|
I just had to share a photo of this bizarre German mid-century educational chart. It is a depiction of Pavlov's dog theory/experiment? It certainly is a striking image. I will have many charts like this (well, none exactly like this) at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene today.
| | |
|
If you have spent any time perusing my blog, you have probably noticed that I have a thing for groups of related objects. I set aside these items until they reach critical mass. I enjoy the collection and then....I sell them.
Here is some great egg-themed vintage americana- so country and cute.
Click here for more on this theme and to see a great photo and an appraisal of a vintage Jiffy-Way egg scale in Country Living Magazine.
Oh, and one more nifty vintage egg thing- an early 20th C incubator.
| | |
|
It has been such a beautiful and early spring this year in Brooklyn. My backyard is all abloom.
I will have many items like these for sale on Saturday April 14th at the Brooklyn Flea- including the perfectly weathered cafe table and chairs.
Here are a few more spring-y items that you will find in my booth.
| | |
|
Coming soon to my new store at oldschoolmaps.com, a great assortment of school charts that were originally made as teaching aids for young children. But these colorful, whimsical and graphic classroom charts are certainly not just for kids'rooms. Elementary school chic.
| | |
|
The heyday of educational wall charts lies roughly between 1870 and the mid 20th Century. During that period of time, hundreds of series were printed in huge numbers, covering an extensive range of subject matter for all educational levels. Most of the charts were produced in Germany. In the nineteenth century, after a thorough reorganization of the educational system, there was an enormous increase in the number of German schoolchildren and university students. Circulating loose prints or books in the crowded classrooms was not particularly easy. Large wall charts – sometimes accompanied by textbooks – provided the perfect solution. In the course of the nineteenth century, Germany developed into a superpower which dominated Europe intellectually, economically and politically. The educational wall charts printed by German publishing houses were sold all over Europe and in America.
| | |
|
I recently came across a great house tour on the popular blog Apartment Therapy that featured some great vintage school maps. I have a very similar map to the one shown in the photos. I will have it up for sale soon on my much anticipated (at least by me!) new website Old School Maps.
Click here to see more of the house tour on Apartment Therapy.
| | |
|
