I love things that hold and hide and enclose things. Wrapped gifts, books, envelopes and packages--and boxes.
And I love discovering what old things are, and, even more, their social history.
Yesterday at work, I unpacked this donated brass-fitted box holding four crystal decanters. Beat up, but wonderful.
Googling around, I find it's in the category of Georgian/Victorian (1714-1901) campaign furniture---designed for soldiers around the British Empire. (A blog post about it.)
It struck me as bizarre that officers would bother with such fripperies. But the British military didn't travel light.
Anyone know wood? I don't.
The previous owner had saved in a bag some veneer that'd peeled off. Mahogany?
Black and pink marbled formica table. Love!
Out-of-season Dream Pet reindeer.
(The orange flying tiger on my work desk is a Dream Pet.)
Finally, here's the newly stripped floor, about to get waxed. A volunteer who travels a lot had said our store was the dirtiest thrift store he'd ever been in. No more!
It's still plenty beat-up, with dented, rusted display shelves and the like, and don't go in the bathrooms or work spaced.
But we've probably moved up to . . . I don't know, the fifth dirtiest.
Hooray!
And I love discovering what old things are, and, even more, their social history.
Yesterday at work, I unpacked this donated brass-fitted box holding four crystal decanters. Beat up, but wonderful.
Googling around, I find it's in the category of Georgian/Victorian (1714-1901) campaign furniture---designed for soldiers around the British Empire. (A blog post about it.)
"There seemed no limit to the number of items an officer would take with him if he could afford to and how well one's tent was kitted out was perhaps an indication of your social standing. William Howard Russell of The Times noted on 2 February 1858 in his diary,That changed before World War I:
'Sir Colin Campbell's baggage &c. extended for eighteen miles, when he came down from Lucknow'.
"The British had been taught a lesson by the Boers in South Africa who could move quickly and they discovered that their mobile units were not quite as mobile as they had thought. In 1903, the Secretary of State for War, H. O. Arnold-Forster, stated, 'The British Army is a social institution prepared for every emergency except that of war.'"(Above quotes from Wikipedia)
Anyone know wood? I don't.
The previous owner had saved in a bag some veneer that'd peeled off. Mahogany?
Also--a pin of Elsie the Borden cow. I remember her from my childhood. The company closed in 2001.
I photographed that orange ashtray, and a few other mid-century goodies too.
I'd mentioned it'd make a murder weapon. Mr Furniture said his mother hit one of her boyfriends with such an ashtray! Nice to have one's suspicions confirmed...
Black and pink marbled formica table. Love!
Pyrex butterprint refrigerator dish with lid.
Pyrex continues to be popular--I'm bored by it now.
The teak-handled silverware–– Ekco Eterna La Joya––
made in Japan:
Out-of-season Dream Pet reindeer.
(The orange flying tiger on my work desk is a Dream Pet.)
Finally, here's the newly stripped floor, about to get waxed. A volunteer who travels a lot had said our store was the dirtiest thrift store he'd ever been in. No more!
It's still plenty beat-up, with dented, rusted display shelves and the like, and don't go in the bathrooms or work spaced.
But we've probably moved up to . . . I don't know, the fifth dirtiest.
Hooray!
Fab stuff! I suppose when one is out on the war path having brandy and desks and little fold out chairs of leather wood and royal blue might bring one back to their "humanity" momentarily. I doubt that 's the reason for such stuff, more like British empire/ conquerers comprised of a higher order- sort of thing. And so it goes...
ReplyDeleteThe floor looks....CLEAN! YAY!
( thank you so much for the thing by the way, soothed my aching heart, which can not be talked about just now)
I remember Elsie the cow, thinking that she was real and that cows were always so glad, with daisies on their heads.
I think that floor looks pretty darn impressive. I'm always amused by the huge ashtrays that predominated in the '50s and '60s. I wonder how people could possibly smoke enough to fill up one of those things! But I guess if someone had a card party or some similarly '60s gathering, the resulting cigarette smoke would probably choke a horse.
ReplyDeleteThat decanter set looks like it could be valuable! The British very firmly believed they were bringing "civilization" to the rest of the world. Decanters went with that mentality!
Hi Fresca,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments-the previous one on the last post I only just saw today. (If a little red haired girlette wants to travel to the UK then I would love to give her a home!) What you wrote in your comment on yesterday's post was really lovely. I love that you still tell your friend things. I am not sure what toy Mum is holding. I will see if Nicky knows.
I have missed reading your blog and am looking forward to catching up, though I know some of the recent events especially in your part of the world, have been shocking and tragic.
I like the things you shared from your shop today. Campaign furniture was a big thing and it seems that the officers probably didn't do a lot of carrying themselves. It often comes up on British antique shows, and some of the pieces are large, although ingeniously collapsible. Hope the cleanup continues to go well.
If you want to really nerd out on campaign furniture, there's always this: https://lostartpress.com/products/campaign-furniture
ReplyDeleteI love all the bits and pieces, especially the table. I think that customer was quite rude to make such a comment.
ReplyDeleteLINDA SUE: "Humanity"--I suppose that was an impulse in bringing 18 miles of personal supplies on campaign:
ReplyDelete"I feel like a full human when I recreate my drawing room in the field"?
Conspicuous wealth like that seems to imply,
"And you there, without the crystal and mahogany, (and you there, carrying mine) are a lesser human".
As you say--the furniture signals its owner is of "a higher order".
You are welcome for The Thing That Can't Be Named. I was moved by your impassioned post--we must do something! Even if it's only to fill in an online form saying,
"THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA!"
STEVE: Those giant, beautiful ashtrays really say something about the culture of smoking at the mid-century! "This material, this behavior of ours, is worthy of a beautiful receptacle."
Like funerary urns? (Ha.)
Do they even MAKE ashtrays anymore?
Now they are probably things to hide in shame.
Ditto, decanters. Such gorgeous materials to hold alcohol.
As you say, symbols of civilization.
Luxury items signal that a civilization has to have a lot of resources.
SARAH: Yes! The little red-hair girlettes held a confab to choose who gets to go live with you! Please send me your address, if you would: frescadp at gmail
I'd never heard of campaign furniture until I looked up the decanter set. Though if I think about it, you can see such stuff in the US Civil War too.
Such wonderful design!
Ingenious, as you say.
KRISTA: Thanks for the link to the book on campaign furniture. I MISS LIBRARIES!
RIVER: I like the table too! If I had room, I would buy it.
Thanks for your kind comment about the rude volunteer, but I abbreviated the story.
To be fair to the volunteer, he wasn't really rude.
He comes in and cleans the store, for free.
He's a flight attendent who goes to thrift stores around the country.
I asked him if he'd seen a dirtier thrift store in his travels.
He said no, ours won.
I couldn't disagree.