Month: November 2021

What happened in 1890?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn HistoryLeave a comment

When I am trying to find some information on an item that I recently purchased, I run across some fun facts that happened during a certain year.  Here’s what I recently ran across for the year 1890:

February 24—Chicago is selected to host the Columbian Exposition.

June 16—Stan Laurel (an English-born actor and member of the comic duo Laurel And Hardy) was born on this day.

June 20—The book titled The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is published Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine.

Do you know what was invented in San Francisco in 1890?  The Jukebox.

It’s always fun for me to see these fun facts, I never know what I will run across.  What fun facts have you run across?

What information is put on a maker’s mark for pottery?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, PotteryLeave a comment

There is a ton of pottery out on the market, how do you know what’s what?  And how do you read the mark on the bottom of the piece to know what you have in your hands?

Figuring out the mark on pottery is pretty easy.  Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are looking at a mark:

*With artists being hired on by the pottery companies to hand paint some items, the artist would sign their name to the piece as well.  Collectors not only collect certain pottery lines, they also look for a certain artist.  A word of advice on this though—if the piece is not signed by the artist on the bottom, then look at the area that is hand painted.  The artist’s signature will not too far away from it.

*The name of the pattern can be on the bottom as well.  The Frank Beardmore creamer’s pattern is called “A Sussex Homeland,” and the pattern is listed at the top of the mark on this piece.  I have seen the pattern name both incorporated into the mark and standing by itself, so keep an eye out for it.

The marks on pottery are not that hard to decipher, it just takes a minute to figure out how the maker wrote it on the piece.

What kinds of pottery have you found something out by looking at the mark?

Wow, this bowl really helps keep food warm?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Item highlightLeave a comment

Over Time, there have been plenty of items that have fallen out of favor for one reason or another.  It could be a different type of record player, radio or even a Television.

Take this child’s bowl that has been designed with a built-in container to hold hot water to keep the food stored in it warm.

It is still very functional, but with the advancements of electricity and the invention of hot plates or warmers (or even microwave ovens, for that matter) it has become easier to keep your kids food warm for them.

The bowl has a built-in spout with a removable lid so you can get the water in and out without having a problem.

All that you have to do is to pour some water into the spout and seal it up.  After that, you are good to go.  The bowl is kind of like the travel mugs that we have around today.

What kinds of items like this that have fallen out of favor have you run into?