A creamer in a pattern that was supposedly the same pattern used on the Titanic.

A creamer in the pattern (Wisteria) used on White Star Line vessels, including the Titanic.

The Wisteria creamer image (above right) is courtesy of Titanic Mementos.

One thing that can really raise values for antiques & collectibles across the board and in a hurry are anniversaries of historic events or intense media exposure, such as a television special or block buster movie. One of the memorable major occurrences of this was the release of the movie “Titanic” in 1997. Within days, items with even dubious links to that ship and the tragic event were dug out of attics, basements or garages across the country and carted off to local and National Road Show-type events.

What was more amazing than the “Titanic” items we appraised at the time were the family history’s that came with them. Some owners of these items had truly missed their calling and should have become Hollywood script writers. Most of these stories likely started out innocently enough, but these passed down through three or four generations, had become more fantastic with each telling.

The piece above on the left, a creamer, is a prime example of an item marked with the name “Titanic,” but has no connection with the ship itself. The owner was told that this was the same pattern that was supposedly used on the Titanic, but the ill-fated liner had already left the dock before the shipment arrived. Several things were wrong with the story, but the most obvious was the lack of a certain marks. All pottery and porcelain used on ships like the Titanic that belonged to the famous White Star Line carried the company’s White Star logo of a red pennant with a white star, over a banner that read “White Star Line.” The second problem is the style of this piece; its Art Deco design is of a style did not become popular until about 15 years after the famous liner sank.

The example on the right is not from the wreck of the Titanic itself, but is of one the same patterns (Wisteria) used on the White Star Line vessels. This pattern appeared well before Titanic’s construction and launch, and was used in First Class on other White Star passenger vessels of the period.

A great many companies have tried to capitalize on the fame of the Titanic in the past and commemorative ware is still being produced matching the Wisteria pattern originally used on the ship, along with other patterns used on the White Star line. Currently, it is possible to purchase almost exact replicas of Titanic dinnerware, retailing in the $35-150-per-plate range.

If your pocket book is big enough you can have your dinner on the real thing for about $20,000.¹

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¹ One with a solid provenance from Margaret Easton, a Titanic survivor, was sold for this price by Hantman’s Auctioneers & Appraisers in 2004.

Mike Wilcox, of Wilcox & Hall Appraisers, is a Worthologist who specializes in Art Nouveau and the Arts and Craft movement.

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Lisa Townley’s great grandmother’s bride and groom “pulgas vestidas” or dressed fleas.

One of the most unusual and interesting Ask A Worthologist questions that we have come across was posed by Lisa Townley, a WorthPoint member from Texas, regarding a small matchbox that contained miniature wedding dress and tuxedo—worn by a flea bride and groom. Lisa told me that she remembered the small box from when she was a child; she was told it had belonged to her great grandmother. Lisa further remembered that when she was a child, the flea groom had a top hat and the flea bride a veil, which have since disappeared. Oh, the things that people did for entertainment before radios, TV and computers. Women sewed and dressed these fleas in very elaborate costumes. One can only imagine the hours spent laboring on the itty-bitty costumes. It’s an unusual form of folk art that has all but disappeared, and I wonder who had the job to catch the fleas. Mike Wilcox, one of WorthPoint’s Generalists Worthologist, did the valuation for Lisa.

Dressed fleas from the Tring Museum.

“Flea brides and grooms (dressed, but dead) were popular collector’s items in the 1920s,” Mike reported. “In Mexico during that period you, might find “pulgas vestidas“—or “dressed fleas”—for sale. Fleas were dressed in tiny costumes. The history of flea art appears to have originated in Mexican convents, and was later taken up by the general tourist trade during the early 1900s.” There were also traveling shows, carnivals and flea circuses that went from town to town, where the audiences were amazed by that they saw. Or, might I say, what they thought they saw. Trained fleas were pulling and pushing objects much larger and many times the flea’s weight, as well as performing other amazing gymnastic triumphs. There were many tricks of the trade that gave the illusion of the fleas doing these tricks and performing. The curiosity for the flea circus died out in the 1930s, due to the general public’s increase knowledge of hygiene. The dressed fleas survived on as folk art souvenirs a while longer, until around the 1960s. To take a look at this short video to see a flea circus in action, watch this video.

A poster for Profesor Likonti's Flea Circus.

Mike Wilcox placed a fair market value for the dressed fleas at $75. The dressed fleas ranked a rare factor of 5 on our scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being most rare. Lisa’s wedding fleas remind me of one of the great pleasures of being a collector: to put yourself, if even for an instant, in the mind set of the people who created and treasured things long ago. Although we will never know who sat sewing these tiny costumes, we do know that flea circuses were bringing pleasure and entertainment to people as early as 1833, as they were advertised in England at that time. And we can imagine that the fleas belong to Lisa’s great grandmother, who probably took this little couple home, and kept them as a reminder of a very special trip to the circus. I always think how fortunate it is when family members hold on to special mementos and pass them on to younger generations. This is one of those little things that so easily could have been tossed away and forgotten about, but thanks to Lisa’s relatives, we all got a little look into the past. Dressing fleas belongs to a bygone era, but you can still see videos of flea circuses and how fleas are “trained” in the Internet. While the idea of flea circuses is fun and nostalgic, the way the insects were “trained” is a different and less-pleasant story. You can read about some of training techniques here. You can also find a list of current flea circus performers.

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]]> http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/dressed-fleas-flea-circus-necessarily/feed 7 http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/stickley-furniture-crafted-stickley http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/stickley-furniture-crafted-stickley#comments Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:43:54 +0000 Mike Wilcox http://www.worthpoint.com/?p=2479933

This ornately carved rocker is a Stickley, but not Gustav Stickley’s work; it was made by brother Charles Stickley and the Stickley-Brandt Furniture Company. When they are identified for what they are, these ornate Stickley-Brandt rockers often sell in the $600- $800 range.

The best known Stickley furniture, and the most valuable on today’s market, hailed from the workshop of Gustav Stickley (1858-1942), the creator of the “Mission” style in North America. Because the style was such a success, Stickley’s brothers produced similar pieces in their firms: L. & J.G. Stickley, Stickley & Brandt, and Stickley Bros., but Mission was not the only style of furniture made under a Stickley banner.

This rocker (pictured) is a piece by Charles Stickley (1871-1927), who married into the Brandt furniture family in 1891, forming the Stickley-Brandt Furniture Company in Binghamton, N.Y. It couldn’t be any further from the Mission design, and its elaborate styling would never be identified at the back of an auction hall as a “Stickley.” There is a pretty good reason for this, as of all the Stickley furniture companies formed, this is the only one whose catalogs of their Victorian style furniture have never been reprinted, and there is not a lot of documentation on the late Victorian furniture designs made by the company.

What we do know is that Stickley-Brandt’s retail store opened in 1896, and did well until World War One. The retail store remained open until 1928, but the furniture factory closed in 1917. Towards the end of the factory’s life, the craftsmen there did try to capitalize on the Mission Style, bringing out their own version of older bother’s Gustave’s vision in 1909, but it was too late, as the demand for the massive oak pieces was in decline, finished off by the war and changing tastes. After the furniture company’s bankruptcy, Charles left the industry, but remained in Binghamton until his death in 1927.

Today these heavily carved Victorian-style Stickley-Brandt chairs are a footnote to the family saga. While not as valuable as Gustave’s Mission pieces, when they are identified for what they are, these ornate Stickley-Brandt rockers often sell in the $600- $800 range.

Mike Wilcox, of Wilcox & Hall Appraisers, is a Worthologist who specializes in Art Nouveau and the Arts and Craft movement.

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A painting signed simply with the name “Chandler” turns out to have been created by the “W. H. Chandler and Co.” of New York City. Founded by William Henry Chandler, the company produced paintings for sale in department stores in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Seascapes, like this one, were the rarest of all Chandler pieces and can sell for upward of $500 today.

By Mike Wilcox. Over the years, I have come across a great many pastels but never put two and two together regarding the artists. The reasons are many: One, because most were done by amateurs for whom little biographical information exists; and two, most sell for rather modest amounts. After recently coming across several signed by the same artist, a signature reading “Chandler,” I decided to pull out the stops and do a little research into who this Chandler was.

Generally, when one finds a half-dozen pieces of artwork by the same artist over a period of a couple of years, there is generally some biographical information available, but it was not the case with Chandler. None of the usual reference sources I had on hand, nor any I subscribed, to had anything other than sales of Chandler’s pastels at auction.

In such cases, one has to think outside the loop and broaden the research to first find general references to the artist’s name and narrow it down from there, e.g. Internet searches for “Chandler print,” “Signed Chandler,” “Chandler still life,” etc. I hit pay dirt with “Chandler fruit,” a search based on a Chandler I had just seen of a bowl of fruit, which brought up the artist’s full name—William Henry Chandler—and his date of birth and death (1854-1928). Using this new information, I found an obscure booklet on the artist titled “Chandler—Early American Pastel Artist” by Peter Neeley and a few other references sourced in the booklet that allowed me to put flesh to the bare bones.

As it turned out, “Chandler” was no amateur. In fact, his company had probably produced more pastels than any other artist of his time, and he led a rather interesting life.

William Henry Chandler was born on June 9, 1854, in New York City. His working life started as a cameo engraver in a button factory, but his art output didn’t start in earnest until 1887 when he partnered with his brother, Frank Chandler (1857-1912), to create the label of “W. H. Chandler and Co.” in New York City’s lower Manhattan.

Unlike the work of other decorative-art producers, such as Currier & Ives or Taber Prang, W. H. Chandler and Co. did not turn out art in mass production. Instead, it created its art in what was called “The Loft,” where up to 20 easels were set up with some artists working three at a time. Other artists worked at home on a piecework basis. Pastels were not the only product. W. H. Chandler and Co. produced oils, watercolors and charcoals, as well. The bulk of Chandler’s company’s output was in the form of landscapes, featuring some form of water, such as a lake, stream, river or waterfall, with mountain backdrops dotted with cabins and cottages. Still-life images of fruit bowls and hanging wild game are not as common, and the rarest of all Chandler pieces are seascapes.

Chandler pastels were mainly sold through art stores, art dealers, gift shops and department stores such as Simpson’s, Eaton’s and Hudson Bay in Canada, and Marshall Field’s, Sears, Higbee’s and the May Company in the United States. Chandler operated the company until his death on Feb. 26, 1928. The company was taken over then by William McMurray Thompson, who had apprenticed under Chandler. Today, it is still possible to find a Chandler pastel for less than $200, but Chandler’s day as a relative unknown are over, with some of the larger seascapes pieces now selling for more than $500 at auction and even average landscapes pushing $400.

Mike Wilcox, of Wilcox & Hall Appraisers, is a Worthologist who specializes in Art Nouveau and the Arts and Craft movement.

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