Innehållsförteckning för September 23, 2020 från Kovels Antique Trader

With their soft, boneless bodies, flowers may not seem like candidates for X-rays, but a doctor in the 1930s applied his knowledge of radiology to them, creating sublimely minimalist images of their inner beauty. Although radiographs created for non-medical purposes are common today — natural history museums take X-ray photographs of specimens to examine them without damage, and artists also document the hidden skeletons of our world — Dr. Dain Tasker (1872-1964) stands as a pioneer of botanical radiographs, especially emerging from a period when radiography was new and scientists’ understanding of radiation was still developing. Born in Beloit, Wisconsin, Tasker was the chief radiologist at Wilshire Hospital in Los Angeles when radiology was in its beginning stages. In the 1920s, he became interested in pictorial photography as a hobby,…

TODAY ANTIQUE TRADER promises to take you Back To School. Of course, we never actually left. The School of Life doesn’t have study halls, or locker combinations or even a Junior Prom. Mostly it offers endless assignments. We pass. Or we fail. But the lessons keep coming. If we’re lucky, we also come across teachers who make us think, like all great teachers do. Here’s one. Meet Shirley Curry. She’s 84 and lives in southwestern Ohio. After working as a secretary and in a candy factory and several years as an associate in a Kmart women’s clothing department, she retired in 1991. She enjoys quilting. Shirley also has four sons. And 911,000 grandkids. Well, that’s not entirely true. By the time you read this she’ll have more than 911,000…

I did not participate in the dumpster-diving days of the 1970s, but over the years I’ve picked up my share of architectural treasures from salvage dealers, antiques shops, eBay, mega flea markets, and even a curb or two. All of these sources remain great places to search for items that help restore character to a historic house. Since I bought my first one — a 1942 Cape Cod in North Carolina, where the first bit of salvage was a bottom-of-the-line Norge dishwasher picked up by my father — the salvage world has grown, changed, and matured in astonishing ways. Walk into a long-time architectural salvage shop and you will find hardware, lighting, structural elements such as doors and newel posts, and furniture neatly arranged in curated galleries that border on…

A futuristic and space-age piece of architecture designed decades ago fits right at home today and takes self-quarantine to new extremes. Designed circa 1971, Maurice-Claude Vidili’s Sphère d’Isolation and its design is more ideal than ever for those looking to switch up their work-from-home routines. It was a standout at a recent Sotheby’s “Important Design” auction, where it sold for $52,500. The product of the 1970s’ plastic-furniture boom, this multi-functional work is equipped with all the necessities of a modern office, including seating space, lighting, storage and electric outlets. The sphere was designed as a quiet and comfortable room-within-a-room, allowing its user to find shelter in a peaceful and insulated environment. In addition to serving mainly as a private office space, the sphere was meant to embrace a variety of…

EDITOR’S NOTE: The cancelations or postponements we have received are marked with asterisks. Be sure to check if events you are interested in are still on before you go. We will be updating this calendar and the one online as we receive official notification of any cancelations/postponements. ARKANSAS Ongoing, Rogers. Outside the Box NWA, 1225 W Hudson Rd., Rogers, AR 72756; 479-631-8974; www.outsidetheboxnwa.com. Indoor flea market, 30,000 sq. ft., 100+ vendors, antiques, collectibles, general merchandise. SH: M-Th 10am-5pm; Fri-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 12-6pm. CALIFORNIA Ongoing: every first Sunday of the month, Alameda. Alameda Point Antiques Faire. Oct 16-17, 2020 Alameda. Alameda Vintage Fashion Faire. COLORADO Oct 16-18, 2020 Denver. The World Wide Antique and Vintage Show, Denver Mart, 451 E. 58th Ave., Expo Building, Denver CO 80216; www.findyourantique.com. Admission: $5 for…

Around 1900, as homes were spreading outward from the inner city, lawns began to come into vogue and mowers were needed to maintain those new lawns. Once established, water was needed to keep these new lawns green. That required regular watering to prevent grass from turning brown and dying. Thus was a new market born: lawn sprinklers. Lawns first appeared in France and spread to Great Britain and the rest of Europe during the 1700s. Lawns most likely appeared as status symbols for the rich. They first emerged as pasture land. Usually, grazing sheep or other farm animals were utilized in keeping the grass trimmed. Continuous grazing kept the grassy areas cropped. Another way was by cutting them using a hand scythe. This probably seemed to those watching the ledger…

Taking the place of local classified ads: Facebook Marketplace, where you can find a revolving inventory of everything from free cast-offs to the occasional treasure — locally. Pick it up and save on freight cost. You might find a bargain, like an antique, mahogany display case with glass doors for $90, sold fast and cheap because the family was moving across country. In a recent visit, “Today’s Picks” included a 1959 Corvette, an active bee hive, window sash from a demolished farmhouse, and a Limbert sideboard. Find your location at FacebookMarketplace.com, then filter by distance from your town, price range, and category. Other sources, tried and true, include salvage yards and antiques emporia, eBay, nonprofit architectural recycling centers, big flea markets, and even yard sales. Salvage dealers often arrange finds…

Like many cultural phenomena in mid-century America, the lunch box owes its popularity to television. Until the 1950s and the advent TV’s influence on pop culture, the lunch box was mostly associated with the working class. That all changed when Aladdin Industries manufactured the first children’s lunch box based on a TV show: Hopalong Cassidy. Debuting in time for back-to-school 1950, 600,000 Hopalong Cassidy lunch boxes were produced, selling for $2.39. The lunch box was forever changed. Goodbye Blue Collar staple; Hello school-kid fixture. Although the “Hoppy” lunch boxes weren’t the first licensed effort – the first such lunch box was a Mickey Mouse number released in 1935 – they were the most influential. The lunch box market shifted almost immediately from rather bland black versions for workers to brightly…