Tuesday Treasures - July 16, 2024
This is a Radio Picture Frame Co. Inc. lithograph. This company is one of many who provided framed prints to stores like Woolworth's so everyone could have framed art.
The original painting is by Heinrich Hofmann, depicting Jesus as a boy listening to teachers in the synagogue.
However, Radio Picture Frame Co. Inc. labeled it as "Mother of the Saviour." Well, I'll give them that Jesus as a young boy could have been mistaken for a young girl, at least as Hofmann depicted him! From the Goodwill Bins in the original frame.
1940s Paul L. Baruch carriage lithograph from a Goodwill retail store for $1.16. Under the mat the paper is very discolored, but I left it, since it's an off shape and size hard to find. The lampshade shaped feature in the front is where the driver sits, and the fabric is called the "hammer cloth." It would have been embroidered with gold and bear a crest. It would have been a town coach, or dress chariot carriage.
At St. Vincent de Paul I found something I'd never seen before. I had read about it, just never expected to find any of its kind.
These are salt and pepper shakers carved from the seed of the Ilala or Makalahi palm in Africa. There are other palms by the name in tropical regions of South America, however these in Africa live in arid regions . Also called tagua nut, and vegetable ivory, the seeds have been used since the 1880s for making buttons. The buttons available online (eBay for one source) for quite reasonable prices ($3 for a pair, $10 - $20 can get a dozen or so) and very beautifully carved and stained.
What makes these particular vegetable ivory items so special?
Still in the packaging, I can only assume an unwanted gift seen as "icky," from a traveling friend or relative!
St. Vincent de Paul has ended its run on 5¢ postcards. No new ones in a few weeks. They have also taken to bundling them into groups based on where the photos show. But, they are $1.50, and being used to 5¢, plus only being able to see the top postcard, and not really caring about view of Pennsylvania (for the most part) I wasn't interested. Except for one top card I'd check out every time, for months! $1.50 for a packet of 15 PA cards (cheap, but 14/15 sight unseen). Finally I gave in! And, you know what? There were plenty of interesting cards, all from the 1950s. I won't risk another $1.50 though. I'm cheap.*
This is the one I wanted.
Three other goodies.
*While I never pay much for my thrifted items, I'm cutting back even on the not "much." My bathroom floor needs replacing (rotted under the linoleum, my son broke through!). That was all planned out, scheduled, etc. Then... the asbestos test came back positive. High positive. Not that high or low matters, it requires special handling, and that raised the price considerably. 2/3 of the cost is now asbestos abatement. 😖
Sorry about the asbestos. That sucks. At least it'll get taken care of.
ReplyDeleteMy father loves to get random basketball card collections. He'll go through all of the cards to see if any are worth anything. It's a gamble. Perhaps you should treat those postcards like that. You might get a good one in the bunch. It could happen.
I found your first lithograph so interesting I didn't look much at the others! There was a lithograph with some similarities on sale on eBay. Description said rare find antique from 1910's and said it may have been based on a painting of young Jesus before judges and lawyers. And oh no, asbestos abatement. Ugh. Several years ago we got our roof replaced. Before they could proceed we had to have tests done, due to the age of our house and the fact that the original wall shingles were asbestos (it's visible in the attached garage) to prove no asbestos remediation was needed. Just the testing was several hundred dollars. I'd say go back and spend that $1.50 on the postcards - life is too short. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI love the salt and pepper shakers!!! They are beautiful.
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