Not Quite Fit for a King

QUESTION: I purchased an old Dewers pottery flask in an antique shop a while back. The brown glazed pitcher features two characters from Charles Dickens’ book, Oliver Twist—The Artful Dodger and Oliver Twist. The tag on the flask said it was kingsware by Doulton Pottery of England. What can you tell me about kingsware

ANSWER: Kingsware is one of the most unusual and colorful items produced by the Doulton Pottery Company. It was very popular when it was made in 1899 because the owner could drink the contents and then display the attractive stoneware container.

Charles Noke, an artist at Doulton, experimented with glazes and eventually  developed kingsware. Born in Worcester, England, near the Worcester porcelain factory, to a father who had one of the largest old china collections in the Midlands. Through his fathers influence, he was often allowed to roam freely through the local potteries and see all phases of their operations. What fascinated Noke the most was the process of modeling and sculpture.



Charles took some clay home from the pottery and sculpted it into different forms which he showed to the top modelers at the company. They thought his work showed promise. At the age of 16 he became an apprentice modeler and designer at Worcester Porcelain. Meanwhile, he enrolled at the Worcester School of Design to study sculpture. Noke worked under direction of such noted Worcester modelers as George Evans and George Owen.

After working at Worcester for 16 years, John Slater, the General Manager at Doutlon’s Burselm Pottery, asked him to come work for him at the Doulton Company. The main reason his joined Doulton was for artistic freedom. Eventually, Noke became Doulton’s chief modeler.

Noke helped develop the glazes for Doulton’s Sung, Chinese Jade and Flambe wares. In 1895, he developed an unusual method of slip painted underglaze called Holbein. It gave the effect of an "old masters" painting with the application of slip in yellow, green and shades of brown on a cream earthenware body.

In 1899, Noke introduced a new method of stoneware production called kingsware which was much cheaper to produce than Holbeinware. He applied colored slips of subdued green, yellow and reddish brown to the interior of plaster molds into which he had impressed a design. When he poured another brown slip, the colors fused to give a deep and soft effect to the embossed design. Noke most commonly used a dark brown glaze, but also used an unusual paler yellow one which he called "kingsware yellow glaze."

Noke also used a method of finish on kingsware known as "aerographed brown." Using an ivory earthenware base, he added the colors to the shape after it left the mold. These colors lacked the soft effect of the usual kingsware and were sharper and more vibrant. These wares were also different because they had handles and necks and bases aerographed with a spray painting technique. One of these embossed pitchers features a golf scene, one of Noke's favorite pastimes.

 produced kingsware flasks to hold whisky. The pottery produced it in large quantities for firms such as John Dewars & Sons of Perth, Bullock Lade, Greenlees & Watson and the Hudson's Bay Company. Not only did kingsware flasks hold products from these firms, it also became a way of advertising. Many of the flasks had a company name embossed on them. The flasks also had designs depicting the pleasures of drinking and smoking. For example, an ovoid flask, called "Connoisseur,"  showed a gentleman studying the quality of a glass of wine. A wine pitcher featured an image of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. Doulton also produced a variety of other items in kingsware, such as vases, water jugs, pitchers, mugs, and tobacco humidors.

The range of characters used on kingsware was extensive. Besides his work, Noke loved to play golf and read the works of Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, and Robert Burns. It’s no wonder that he used so many characters from these literary works on kingsware. For example, a kingsware water jug called "Memories" shows Dickens characters wearing wigs. A flask called the "Artful Dodger and Oliver Twist" portrays two Dickens' characters from his book Oliver Twist. This gave kingsware a universal appeal.

Collectors look for kingsware for a variety of reasons. Some pieces have amusing mottoes and express fitting sentiments, such as "A bumper to her who adores me and another to her to adore" can be found on a loving cup. The motto, "Be content the sea has fish enough," can be found on an ashtray. On a whisky jug a motto would read, "It's hard for an empty bag to stand straight up.”

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about  La Belle Epoque in the 2020 Spring Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

G-Man Toys Took America by Storm

QUESTION: I love to read crime novels, especially those dealing with gangsters from the time of the Great Depression. Several months ago, I discovered a few “G-Men” toys in a local thrift shop. I didn’t know they made such things, so I bought them. And having read about the bad guys in the 1930s, I think I might like to collect some of these toys. What can you tell me about them? Are they worth collecting?

ANSWER: The 1930s was indeed an exciting time for both criminals and law enforcement. During the Great Depression, everyone’s thoughts turned to money—or the lack of it. So the robbing of people’s savings in local banks was a prime concern.

In the mid-1930s, newspapers and radio stations reported daily on the extensive crime escapades throughout the United States by John Dillinger, "Baby Face"Nelson, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, "Pretty Boy" Floyd and other notorious and dangerous gangsters. Their brazen murders, kidnappings, bank robberies and other heinous crime sprees constantly stunned the nation and were headline stories everywhere. Newspaper reporters and radio announcers often reported these crime sprees with more drama than actually happened, heightening the imaginations of young boys everywhere, most of whom wanted to play the parts of law enforcers.

Through print and radio, the public intensely followed every detail of their crimes, high-speed chases and blazing shoot-outs with authorities. The eventual captures of these criminals were equally covered by radio programs, in the newspapers and on newsreels at the movies. People all across the country breathed sighs of relief each time agents of the then Bureau of Investigation, renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935, captured on of these criminals.

George "Machine Gun" Kelly and others on July 22, 1933, kidnapped Charles F. Urschel and another man in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and held them for $200,000 ransom. After the ransom was paid. Kelly released Urschel and the other man. Government agents Kelly captured Kelly on September 26, 1933, in Memphis, Tennessee and when he was told he was under agents as government men. The "G-Men" acronym stuck and has been used ever since that time when referring to FBI Agents.

While T.V. romanticized and popularized the exploits of Elliot Ness later on in the 1960s, it was Melvin H. Purvis, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago office, that caught everyone’s attention. His most famous case was when he led the team of agents who killed John Dillinger, Public Enemy No. I, in a shootout in Chicago in July 1934. Purvis instantly became an American hero. Thereafter, every kid in the country wanted to be a "G-Man" and to play "G-Man."

 left the FBI and got into the toy and cereal premium business with General Foods of Battle Creek, Michigan, to develop and market a line of "Junior G-Man Corps" badges, toys and other cereal premiums in about 1936. Kids would send in boxtops from Post Toasties. Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, and POST-O Cereal, usually with 10 cent in stamps, to become members of his Junior G-Man Corps. They could also get specially marked Junior C-Man Corps toys, including a ring, fingerprint set, wallet, watch fob, sparking machine gun, an invisible writing and secret code writing kit, and a whistle. Toy badges of different rank ranging from a "Junior G-Man” to a "Roving Operative Junior G-Man,” and then the ultimate rank of "Chief Or Operative Junior C-Man" were also available. Along with the badges, members also received an identification card for the lower ranks and an elaborate 8-x-10 "Commission" appointing them to the highest rank.

Back before all the added sugar, breakfast cereals tasted bland and kids weren’t drawn to them. Cereal companies realized they needed to create incentives to get kids to eat their products. Out of this incentive necessity grew the cereal premium. This was usually a toy which kids could get by sending in boxtops from numerous boxes of cereal. Each toy sold not just one box of cereal but many.




Around 1937, Purvis and General Foods started the Secret Operator Law and Order Patrol for kids to join and also so they could get specially marked Secret Operator Law and Order Patrol toys. Included were a ring, fingerprint set, whistle, knife, pencil and toy badges of different ranks, ranging from Secret Operator to Lieutenant Secret Operator and then finally to the highest rank of Captain Secret Operator. The consumer was prepared to send cereal boxtops and usually 10 cents in stamps. Post cereals advertised these two lines of premiums extensively in newspapers, magazines, and in free catalogs. They all featured former "Ace G-Man" Purvis' name and photograph along with various G.Man stories and pictures of the badges, toys and other premiums offered - "just like the real G Men used." Purvis was a hero to parents and young children who wanted to be like him, and the cereal promotions were successful. Children had to eat a lot of Post cereal in order to send in the required number of boxtops to get the badges, toys, and other exciting premiums.

They got their Junior G-Man badges, G-Man machine gun that sparked, their G-Man fingerprint set, Secret Operator Law and Patrol knife, and other toys so they 'could play Galan. Purvis and Post devised the various higher ranks within the Junior G -Man Corps and the Secret Opera-tor Law and Order Patrol for the kids to attain by passing certain tests and sending them in to headquarters for grading and 'issuing the higher rank badges and com-L missions. Before they could take the tests, kids had to study the "Manual of Instructions" for Junior G-Man Corps members and the Secret Operator's Manual for Secret Operator Law and Patrol members. However, there was an important catch to attaining these higher ranks besides just passing a test—the kids also had to eat more Post cereals because they had to send in more boxtops for the new badges and “commissions” of their higher ranks.



Both the Junior G Man Corps and the Secret Operator Law and Order Patrol had Girls Divisions with their own distinctive badges, were featured in 1936 and 1937 on the sides of the Post Toasties cereal boxes, asking boys and girls to join them.

Purvis and Parker Brothers developed a board game titled "Melvin Purvis' G-Men Detective Game,” with separate red and blue versions being produced. Board games by other companies included The Black Falcon of the Flying G-Men" and the "G-Men Clue Game."

Numerous other toy manufacturers, including Disney, Marx, New York Toy and Game Manufacturing, Pressman Toys, dropping toy G-Man-Detect-I-Phone had a transmitter, receiver and phone line powered by a three-volt battery that actually worked. A wiretapping set contained a badge, handcuffs, gun, identification card and a toy dial telephone resembling those used by telephone repairmen, complete with wires dangling from it and metal alligator clips on the ends of the wires so the Junior G-Man could tap into a telephone rule.

And other food companies, including the makers of Dan-Rich Chocolate Flavored Drink, used G-Man rings, tie clasps, lapel buttons and watch fobs to promote their products. Numerous rings were made, some with different color enamel around "G-Man" on the face of the rings. Some tie clasps had the same "G-Men" insignia on them as the rings, along with the same color enamel. Some "G-Men" rings were adjustable. At least eight different C-Men rings were made during this time.



To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about  La Belle Epoque in the 2020 Spring Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

An Educated Collector is a Wise One

QUESTION: Every time I go into an antique mall or visit a show, I become overwhelmed by all the items.  How can I make sense of it all?

ANSWER: Looks like your mind and senses have gone into antiques overload. So many items—furniture, ceramics, pictures, jewelry, old Coca-Cola signs, and things that look like the cat dragged them in.

Go into any antiques mall, and you’ll soon be swooning. Lots and lots of stuff, much of it junk. Where did all of it come from? And who’s buying it?

The world of antiques is a big one and is often confusing. But there is a way through this maze. The key is education. If you’re serious about collecting antiques, it’s important to become an educated collector.

An education in antiques and collectibles can take many forms. You could begin by obtaining books on whatever category of antiques you plan to collect. You could enroll in evening classes dealing in antiques. You can visit the decorative arts collections in noted art museums. You can read antiques magazines, in print or online (Be sure to check out The Antiques Almanac.)

It all seems so confusing. And the prices for some products seem ridiculous , especially if you’re a beginning collector. But don’t despair. There’s a method to all that antique madness. Believe it or not, there are some main categories.

When most people think of antiques, they think of furniture. And though it makes up a good percentage of antiques out there, smaller items, known as “smalls” in the antiques business—ceramics, glassware, silverware, toys, and commemorative item—all play important roles.



All in all, there are about 15 major categories and 75 sub-categories. Within these there are other, more specialized areas, such as antique maps and posters, two very specialized categories.

Even though antiques can be categorized generally, dealers and serious collectors use historical periods—Victorian, Gothic, Civil War, Western, Retro—to sort things out. Often, these terms also indicate different styles.

For instance, in the world of furniture, you’ll probably see examples of English, French, American, and Chinese styles at most antique malls, shows, or auctions. Most English furniture falls into the pre-Victorian or Victorian category while American furniture tends to fall into different types: Pennsylvania, Shaker, New York, etc..

Porcelain or pottery pieces fall into categories associated with the country in which they were made–England, Germany, France, American, Chinese and Japanese are just a few. The four you’ll see most are English, German and Japanese, and American. You’ll soon become familiar with names such as Royal Doulton, Staffordshire, and Meissen, Blue Willow, Limoge, Belleek and Sevres, especially if you frequent the better antiques venues.

Glassware is the third most popular category. You’ll see all types, including Depression, Venetian, English, and Czech glass. Most glassware collectors specialize in a particular produce line–bowls, tumblers, decanters, etc. There’s also a refined category known as art glass in which you’ll find all those pretty vases blown in amberina, peach blow, and ruby.

Other specific categories include silverware, jewelry, memorabilia, militaria, toys, clocks, commemorative and architectural antiques.

These are just some of the many categories of antiques that you can begin to collect. While some tend to be higher priced, you’ll find plenty of small pieces of furniture, ceramics, and glassware to get you on your way.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about  La Belle Epoque in the 2020 Spring Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

Shining a Light on Flashlights

QUESTION: Throughout my life, I’ve owned a variety of flashlights. When I was a kid, my dad had a bulky one made of metal that was rather heavy. I’ve owned all sorts, from big ones that took four “D” batteries to a small one that took one “AA” cell. I still have several of these and was thinking of starting a flashlight collection. Are flashlights collectible? And can you tell me how they originated?

ANSWER: Flashlights are definitely collectible. Plus they have an interesting history beginning with the first one invented in 1888.

Most people most likely believe that the flashlight first appeared in the early 20th century. But actually its invention occurred much earlier. The development of the flashlight went hand in hand with battery production. A portable flashlight depended upon a portable battery, which first came to market in 1888. These early batteries, used to power telephone and telegraph lines, were six inches tall, so people referred to them as "#6" batteries. Around 1896, battery manufacturers began producing a smaller battery, known today as a “D” cell.



The earliest flashlights did not have an on/off switch, just a ring or tab that would push against a button or band of metal. These early flashlights suffered from inefficient bulbs and weak batteries that were short lived. People called them "flash lights" because the user would flash them on for a few moments and then turn them off. If just switched on, the battery would die within minutes. However, these were still a great improvement over candles and lanterns. As the technology improved, the bulbs gave off more light and batteries lasted longer.

Before 1920, consumers had to buy a multi-battery pack fitted to their flashlights. Owners of long tubular flashlights had to buy a battery pack with two or three cells permanently attached in a long, one-piece tube. Anyone with a vest pocket light, that was about the size and shape of a cigarette pack, bought a battery pack with the cells attached side by side. Merchants had to carry a variety of battery pack arrangements. The single battery or "unit" cell first appeared around 1920. After that, merchants only needed to carry unit cells.

Flashlight company batteries are difficult to come by since hundreds of companies came and went. Battery companies thrived and bought some of these flashlight makes. They knew that people could keep one flashlight for years, but they would need batteries every few months.

Battery companies began selling flashlights at cost during the 1920s to promote battery sales, causing many smaller companies to go out of business. Even Eveready, a well-known brand today, was bought by the National Carbon Company (NCC), which was Eveready's main supplier of the carbon used in making batteries. NCC also bought other flashlight companies, too. Eventually, NCC changed its name to Union Carbide, a union of carbon companies, to reflect what it had become.

 advertising campaign in 1916 attempted to change the name of the flashlight since flashlights could now be turned on to produce a steady beam. There was no longer any reason to call them "Flash Lights." In 1917, the company held a contest to select a new name for its product. The winning name for the flashlight was “The Daylo," a contraction of the phrase, "To and Behold, it is daylight."

While the campaign was a sales success, unfortunately the new name was not. Only Evereadys could be called Daylos. Other flashlight makers still called them flashlights so that's what the public called them.

Union Carbide dropped the Daylo name in 1921, which helps to date flashlights marked Daylo as having been made between 1917 and 1921. Daylo signs had been distributed to hardware companies across the nation. When the name charged, retailers discarded the Daylo signs and catalogs to make way for the new ad campaign. Only a few of these colorful advertising pieces remain, so they’re highly sought after by collectors.

Flashlight collectors also seek the advertising items put out by earliest flashlight makers. The brochures and catalogs provide information about what lights the companies’ produced  and when they sold them. Early flashlight maker companies included Ohio Electric, Electric Novelty Company, American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company, Reliable Electrical Novelties, Interstate Electrical Novelty. and Western Electric.

As with other collectibles, there are rare flashlights that can sell for more than $1,000, while common ones can go for as little as $2. Generally, flashlights are, for the most part, very reasonably priced. Most people think of flashlights as being tube shaped which is the most common. There are thousands of nickel-plated or black tubular Eveready lights from the 1920s and 1930s that sell for only a few dollars.

One of the most valuable flashlights is the 1898 Eveready. It isn’t marked "Eveready," The patent dates are stamped on a metal ring around the middle of the light. There’s no switch, just a metal ring that presses against the metal band. The end caps don’t screw on, but the lens side is held on by friction and the other end cap has a bayonet latch. Most collectors will gladly pay $1,000 to acquire it.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about  La Belle Epoque in the 2020 Spring Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

Pandora Loved Her Box

QUESTION: I love old boxes and want to start a box collection. But where do I begin? What sort of boxes are highly collectible?

ANSWER: Collecting old boxes is a great introduction into collecting antiques. Boxes are small enough so as not to take up too much room, yet intriguing enough to keep you interested as your collection grows.

Legend says that when Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus, the king of the gods, took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Prometheus' brother Epimetheus. Pandora opened a box left in her care containing sickness, death and many other unspecified evils which were then released into the world. And so antique boxes offer mysteries as to the contents they once held.

Boxes are popular with collectors. The shape of a box reveals clues as to what it once held while the quality and type of workmanship are a key to the type of individual that owned and used it. And when you life the lid of an antique box, you’ll smell exotic aromas of times gone by—the scent of peppery clove, the fruity wood smell of tobacco, the delicate odor of beeswax or bayberry.

With the passing of time, the styles and functions of boxes have changed . Early settlers used rustic wooden and tin boxes to hold necessities like salt, flour, and candles. Colonials in Ben Franklin's day toted their snuff in convenient pocket-size boxes, the elaborateness of which indicated a gentleman's social standing. Elegant Victorian ladies who indulged in the luxury of lace gloves and cloth beauty patches kept them in ornate silk- and velvet-covered boxes. Today,  boxes like these bring a bit of history to any room and can be used to hold keepsakes or simply enjoyed for their own unique charms. So you want to start a box collection? What’s involved?



Before you buy any antique box, research it carefully. If you're looking for boxes made in the late 19th century, for example, read books on the subject, view historical displays of that period in museums, and browse antique shops and shows.  Once you decide on the type of boxes you want to collect, go to auctions, estate sales, and quality flea markets to see what's available.

Once you begin finding boxes to add to your collection , select on the best ones and avoid those that show more than normal wear. Bypass wooden boxes with warped veneers, cracks, and damaged hinges. Check porcelain, pottery, and glass boxes for chips and cracks, and avoid metal boxes that have bad dents. Always buy the best your budget will allow. Quality boxes do appreciate in value with time. Plan to keep any box you purchase at least 10 years to realize this appreciation.

Box collectors particularly favor those handmade by American craftsmen in the 19th century. Many of these are rustic and were designed to hold everyday possessions, such as salt and seasonings or grooming aids. The contents of a box usually determined its shape. A box made for a three-cornered hat, for instance, was triangular, while a candle box was long and narrow. Craftsmen decorated some boxes with carving or delicate hand-painted designs while they left others plain.

Brightly colored boxes made by Pennsylvania Germans, and boxes with finger-style joinings made by Shakers are excellent examples of folk art, and command high prices today. Fortunately, most antique shops and shows have many other types of primitive boxes at reasonable prices.

Boxes made during the early 20th century are also gaining popularity with collectors. Victorian women used some of the most common ones, made of cardboard covered with silk, velvet, paper, or shells, to store gloves, handkerchiefs, sewing items, and trinkets. You’ll find these boxes for $15-20 and up. Other early 20th-century examples include assorted sizes of Japanese lacquered  boxes, selling for $20 or more, small brass Oriental ones with metal appliques, and porcelain "fairing boxes," originally sold at English country fairs. You’ll usually find these “fairings” in antiques shops or at shows, starting at around $125.

Collecting boxes can be addictive because there are so many different kinds out there. The more focused your collection is, the better.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about  La Belle Epoque in the 2020 Spring Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

Simple Gifts

QUESTION: I always associated the Shakers with rocking chairs. My grandmother had one, although I’m not sure it was an authentic one. But last Fall I took a trip to Hancock Shaker Village in western Massachusetts and discovered that the Shakers invented a whole host of items, many of which we use in improved forms today. What can you tell me about some of their inventions? And why were they so creative.

ANSWER: The old saying “Necessity is the mother of invention” certainly applied to the Shakers. Since this religious sect lived in communities apart from the outside world, they had to produce everything they needed. And this led to them inventing all sorts of things. And although they made and sold great chairs, especially rockers, to the outside world, they produced so much more.

Today, modern wood workshops wouldn’t be complete without a circular saw. Historians trace the origin of the circular saw blade to 1810 and the Shaker community at Harvard, Mass. It seemed that a Shaker Sister witnessed two Shaker Brothers cutting wood using a two-person reciprocating saw, and using her experience at spinning, realized she could improve the conventional way of sawing wood. She conceived a circular metal disk with saw teeth on its perimeter. She discussed it with some of the Shaker brothers who made a prototype blade and used water to spin it.  Today, the circular saw blade has been improved to cut everything from wood to concrete.



Mother Ann Lee founded the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, which is the sect's true name. She claimed to be the female manifestation of Christ. Persecuted in England, she and some followers came to Albany, N.Y., in late 1774. Ultimately they formed self-sustaining communities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Indiana, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky.

They became known as Shakers only after arriving in America. It was originally a derisive name given them by outsiders because of the frenzied dancing and shaking that typically took place during their worship services.

The Shakers under Mother Ann Lee believed they should strive for perfection. Using resources efficiently and effectively and finding ways to complete tasks faster and with less effort was a step toward perfection here on Earth.

One of the most common of Shaker inventions was the flat broom. Mother Ann is believed to have said, “There is no dirt in Heaven.” So keeping all the rooms and buildings in Shaker communities clean was a major chore.

And while brooms existed before the Shakers, but they were typically lengths of corn straw tied to a wooden handle. Brother Theodore Bates at the Watervliet, New York, community decided that a broom made with its bristles bound flat and straight would work better than a traditional one, so he devised a way to stitch the straw so as to make it flat when fastened to a broom handle. Shakers everywhere began to make flat brooms, not only for their own use, but to sell to outsiders.

A major obstacle to cleaning floors was heavy furniture. Moving beds in particular posed a problem, so the Shakers invented bed rollers so they could easily move beds to clean beneath them.

Doing laundry for a community of several hundred people was a daunting task. In 1858, Brother David Parker at tire-Canterbury, NH., community designed a steam powered "wash mill." It sped up the laundering process and made the work easier for the sisters assigned to laundry duty.

The Shakers didn't often patent their inventions. but the washing machine was an exception. Not only was it patented, Brother Parker's design won a medal at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Copies of his wash mill were sold W several big hotels.

Shaker herbs and plant seeds were' sought after because of their consistency and high quality. The Shakers were the first to put seeds in small printed pack-ages for home use. The seeds were sold through stores and by mail order.

The Shakers also invented a spike wheel that produced evenly space holes l; for seeds, and it automatically planted seeds, too. It reduced planting time by about fifty percent.

Poplar trees were abundant in some areas, but the wood wasn't useful for either building or burning. The Shakers, !however, found it was an excellent material for baskets. One of the brothers !devised a machine to split lengths of poplar wood into thin splints that could the he used for basket weaving. And Shaker baskets became another product the World" demanded.



Shaker woodworkers developed a machine for making uniform barrel staves, and another for making broom handles of varying lengths.

The Shakers cared for one another, especially the elderly and those that were sick. They invented several things to make life easier for those who were ill. For example, they invented the tilting or adjustable hospital bed. And most Shaker communities had wheelchairs for the elderly and incapacitated. They were rocking chairs with large wheels akin to today's wheelchairs, and a stabilizing wheel or wheels in the back. The finger splint was a Shaker invention, and they created pill making machines for producing herbs and plant potions.

Only a few brothers took care of household chores. The rest were farmers, so they invented several machines to make their jobs easier, including a hillside plow, a horse drawn mowing machine and a thresher machine. Brother Hewitt Chandler of the Sabbathday Lake, Maine, community created the Maine Mower. which mowed hay fields more efficiently than other available equipment. And Brother Daniel Baird at the North Union, Ohio, community developed the revolving harrow used to breakup soil for planting.

And while brothers were busy in the fields, sisters tended to the feeding the community. Feeding several hundred people, three times a day, seven days a week was a daunting task, so naturally invention played a major role.

Cooking on an institutional scale presented its own problems. While a housewife might cook one roast or chicken or bake one pie, Shaker sisters had to prepare dozens, sometimes 60 pies a day. To help with them, for example, They invented a double rolling pin, and it's claimed they could roll twice as much pastry dough in half as much time, verses a conventional rolling pin. Peeling apples is no easy task, so a screw-based apple peeler was created to strip the peel from an apple in a matter of seconds. Once peeled, the apples were cut into quarters using an apple splitter, a spike like device invented by Brother Sanford Russell at South Union, Ky.

 Emeline Hart at the Canterbury, New Hampshire, community designed the Revolving Oven. Numerous pies could be baked simultaneously in this oven.

Sisters also invented the slotted spoon, pea shellers, a cheese press, bread kneading machines and even a potato washer. In 1796, the Shakers produced one of America's first cookbooks.

The Shakers even improved on articles of clothing. One of them, the woolen hooded cloak was a staple of every sister’s wardrobe to protect them from the cold blasts of winter. As with the broom, they sold these to the outside world to make money to buy supplies they needed.

Shaker communities attracted some of the best craftspeople and cooks but unfortunately they believed in celebacy. And that didn’t help their future.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about  La Belle Epoque in the 2020 Spring Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

The Snob Appeal of Antiques

QUESTION: I’ve been buying most of my antiques at flea markets and in shops. The dealers are usually very nice and helpful. But when I’ve gone to antique shows, especially higher-end ones sponsored by one charity or another, I find the dealers helpful but the showgoers off-putting. Why is that? What makes some of them think that I shouldn’t be there just because of my appearance?

ANSWER: Antiques have a long history of appealing to the wealthier set, especially those high-end antiques produced before 1830—what many call “authentic”antiques. In 1930, the U.S. Congress formulated a law which stipulated that all antiques had to be 100 years old or older. So at the time, 100 years old meant 1830, the date selected because of its relevance to the start of the Industrial Age.

When the law passed, the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, so only the very wealthy could afford antiques. It had been that way for well over a century. But after World War II, prosperity came to more people. By the 1960s, the wealthy were still purchasing and collecting those “authentic” antiques, but another type of antique came on the market—the furniture and accessories belonging to the Victorians. And since these were 100 years old, they certainly were antique according to the law, but antique experts and the wealthy didn’t consider them “real” antiques.

The snobbery towards antiques and antique collecting continued as unknowing novices followed articles in “American Home” magazine and bought not-so-good-looking pieces of Victorian and early 20th century furniture at flea markets and used furniture stores, stripped them down, and painted them with “antiquing” paints. Oh the horrors!

As the decades of the latter half of the 20th century continued, more and more old objects came on the market through yard and garage sales and flea markets. Now everyone with a little extra cash and a little knowledge of antiques and collectibles could get in on the act.

The wealthy who frequented the high-end shows stayed right where they were, but now some of those not-so-wealthy collectors began to go to the them for the hefty price of a ticket. Most didn’t buy anything, but they learned a lot. Unfortunately, the wine-glass toting buying patron of these shows still looked down their noses at the newbees.

There are generally three types of antique shows out there---the friendly firehouse or school show, the more elegant hotel show, and the high-end show.

You’ll find the first of these, the friendly firehouse or school show, held in a local fire company hall or the all-purpose room of an elementary school once or twice a year. Here, you’ll find lots of affordable antiques and collectibles. Prices range from as low as a few dollars up to perhaps three figures. Dealers, mostly from the surrounding region, tend to sell only at shows or out of their homes.

The more elegant hotel show comes around usually once a year and features finer items. Tables often display a myriad of small objects—Japanese Imari porcelains, Wedgewood, fine English majolica, and Staffordshire ware, along with small pieces of furniture, trunks, stained glass lamps, and so on. Dealers tend to come from a wider area, including surrounding states while prices range from two to four digits, with finer items selling for several thousand dollars.

High-end shows are extravagant affairs, both in goods and prices, and feature dealers from all over the country. For some patrons of these shows, nothing says they’ve made it better than bragging about how much they’ve spent on an antique, whether it be a piece of fine 18th-century furniture or a diamond necklace that once belonged to a princess. Patrons at these shows often think nothing of whipping out their checkbooks and writing checks for $30,000 to $40,000 for an Empire sofa or as much as a quarter million for an 18th-century Philadelphia secretary in the Chippendale style.



Many of these shows are vetted, which means the promoters guarantee everything sold there as authentic. Where’s the fun in that? Part of the thrill of the antique hunt is being able to tell for yourself if a piece is real or not by the knowledge you’ve amassed about it beforehand, especially when the dealer doesn’t have a clue. But when someone pays six figures for a piece of furniture, they damn well want to know it’s the real McCoy.

Collecting antiques and collectibles is for everyone—young, old, and in-between. There’s something out there for those in every economy level. Let the snobs look down on you in your jeans and trendy T-shirt. How do they know you didn’t just inherit a cool million from daddy.

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