Features

Curated articles that explore the rich intersections of history, craftsmanship, and collecting culture. These long-form pieces are your gateway to learning something new, seeing the familiar in a fresh light, and connecting with the past meaningfully.
/ Features, mourning, mourning warehouses, mourning wear
Cover and title page of A History of Mourning by Richard Davey, commissioned by Jay’s London Mourning Warehouse to offer rules of etiquette for mourning during the Victorian Age.

Victorian Mourning Warehouses: One-Stop Mourning

by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher “MOURNING—Court, Family, and Complimentary—The Proprietors of the London General Mourning Warehouse, Nos. 247 and 249 Regent-street, ...
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/ Features, Flowers, mourning
This Victorian family home memorial followed the guidelines of the day as far as appropriate height, stand, wreath, and flowers were concerned.

Memorial Flowers: The Oldest Form of Tribute

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor The arrangement and placement of flowers around the dead are considered the oldest act of ...
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/ Features, mourning jewelry
Below: Glass/gold/hair mourning brooch, mid-1800s, American, Gift of Miriam W. Coletti, 1993. Public domain, www.metmuseum.org

Mourning Jewelry

By Melody Amsel-Arieli During the Middle Ages, Europeans grieved the passing of loved ones by following a variety of traditional ...
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/ Features, mourning, mourning wear
Mourning Dress, 1850 – 1855, wool mousseline Amsterdam Museum

The Evolution of Mourning Wear

by Maxine Carter-Lome Mourning attire has evolved throughout the centuries but one thing that has remained constant, at least in ...
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/ Features, Shaker, Shaker Fancy Goods
Mount Lebanon sewing carrier, made of brown-stained & varnished gumwood, 1920s-40s. Inset: Interior of Mount Lebanon carrier is purple brocade, with matching pincushion.

The Shakers Get Fancy: Sewing-Related Fancy Goods of the Northeast Shakers

By Diane Dolphin (Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are by the author, Diane Dolphin. All items shown are currently or ...
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/ Features, Shaker Villages
Experience life as a Shaker: A brief history tour of five village sites

Experience life as a Shaker: A brief history tour of five village sites

by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher Step back in time and experience a simpler way of life, separated from the ways of ...
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/ Features, Shaker, Willis Henry Auction
Single board tiger maple rectangular top, 18 1/4 x 25 1/4 inches, single drawer below with three dovetails, classic cherry Canterbury dimpled drawer pull, elegant turned and tapered legs, with a medial circular scribe line, Canterbury, NH, c. 1840-1850. Sold for $6,500, June 2022 Willis Henry Shaker Auction

The Shaker Experience from Willis and Karel Henry’s Point of View

Interview by Maxine Carter-Lome publisher Willis Henry Auctions, Inc., a Massachusetts-based auction company of antiques and fine art, has been ...
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/ Colonial Williamsburg, Features, old houses
The Catherine Orr House today.

Dating and Preservation at Colonial Williamsburg: And How Hints Lead to Change

By Dani Jaworski, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Manager of Architectural Collections, and Jenn Wilkoski, Shirley and Richard Roberts Architectural Historian, ...
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/ enslaved labor, Features, old houses, The White House
Hoban’s 1793 north elevation drawing reduced the building from three to two floors because of a concern that there was not enough stone at the government quarry to complete both the Capitol and the President’s House. – White House Historical Association, Original Plans Courtesy of the Maryland Historical Society Title image: This drawing has also been used in the title image of this article and has been edited for clarity of viewing

Building the White House

By Lina Mann, Historian, The White House Historical Association “I wake up every morning in a house that was built ...
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/ Features, old houses
In 2020 we closed on a c.1740 house in Brookfield, MA

Our (Very) Old House

By Kaitlin Servant In January 2020 we said goodbye to the house we had lived in for the past ten ...
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/ Antique Shops, Estate Sales, Features, garage sale, thrift store
buying in person tag sale

A New Road Map to Buying In Person

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor Not too long ago, buying good used or antique items in person was the thing ...
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/ Danna Crawford, eBay, Features, WorthPoint
Danna Crawford inducted into eBay Hall of Fame in 2008

Danna Crawford: A Treasure Hunter who Knows the Business

Danna Crawford is a self-made social-marketing expert who went from having three jobs while raising her family to creating her ...
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/ dead horse bay, Features, mudlarks
Trade Token dated 1666 photo Jason Sandy

The History of the Mudlark

by Jessica Kosinski A lark is a type of bird, so when you hear the term “Mudlark” you might think ...
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/ american fashion, Features
A 1992 Tommy Boy Carhartt jacket sold for $3,780 at Sotheby’s.

Carhartt: The Original Workwear Brand

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor In 1889, the Industrial Revolution was up and running thanks to the practice of mechanical ...
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/ Features, Vogue
August 1954 cover featuring Young Americana Fashions for 1954 during the “Decade of [Jennifer] Daves”

Vogue: America’s Fashion Bible

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher On December 17, 1892, American businessman and socialite Arthur Baldwin Turnure published the inaugural issue of ...
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/ Features, Hallmark Collectibles
Hallmark’s 2009 Cousin Eddie’s RV Ornament National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation selling on eBay for a very high price of $575. Pricing generally runs from $99 to $400.

When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher “On January 10, 1910, a teenager from Nebraska stepped off a train in Kansas City, MO, ...
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/ Cake Toppers, Donald-Brian Johnson, Features
Wonderful facial features highlight this crepe paper pair, circa 1930. Marked “A Reed Product, C.A. Reed—Williamsport, PA.” Groom 5-1/2”. $175-$200/pr.

Crowning Glories: Wedding Cake Toppers

Wedding Cake Toppers By Donald-Brian Johnson The sun shines merrily, in a brilliant blue sky. The birds are chirping, the ...
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/ Features, Glass, Rene Lalique
In 1888 René Lalique registered his “RL” stamp and engraved the unique pieces created in his workshop with these letters. photo: Lalique SA

René Lalique: Master Jeweler Turned Glassmaker

by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher When the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts opened its gates to the public on ...
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/ CMoG, Corning Museum of Glass, Features
Display in the Fire & Vine Exhibit Courtesy of Corning Museum of Glass

Fire & Vine: The Story of Glass and Wine

Fire & Vine: The Story of Glass and Wine by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor with Katherine Larson, curator of ancient ...
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/ barnstorming, Features, Hancock Shaker Village
The Round Stone Barn at the height of summer, photo: Hancock Shaker Village

A Simple Gift: The Shakers Crafted An Agricultural Archetype with the Round Stone Barn

By Jennifer Trainer Thompson, Director, Hancock Shaker Village The Round Stone Barn at the height of summer, photo: Hancock Shaker ...
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/ Antique Glass Bottles, Features, Milk Bottles
Trish Manfredi, Domestic Cow Antiques & Events photos by Peter Blieberg and Trish Manfredi

Vintage Milk Bottles: A Collectible with Many Possibilities

Trish Manfredi, Domestic Cow Antiques & Events photos by Peter Blieberg and Trish Manfredi The vintage milk bottle is, for ...
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/ barnstorming, Colonial Williamsburg, Features
The 18th century threshing barn at Clover Hill in Albemarle County, Virginia. While slightly modified over time, the building essentially stands as it did when Thomas Jefferson visited in 1796 to view the wheat threshing machine installed by William Douglas Meriwether. photo: Jennifer Wilkoski, 2017

Agricultural Buildings in the Colonial Capitol and Beyond

An overview of 18th century agricultural buildings in Williamsburg, VA, and throughout the greater Chesapeake Region by Jennifer Wilkoski Shirley ...
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/ barnstorming, Features, The Auto Archaeologist, Vintage Cars
Barn Find: 1969 Dodge Daytona

My Top Six Barn Finds

By Ryan Brutt, The Auto Archaeologist Barn Find: A barn find is a classic car, aircraft, or motorcycle that has ...
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/ Black Inventors, Features, History of Dry Cleaning, National Dry Cleaning Day, Thomas Jennings, U.S. Patent
Portrait of Thomas Jennings Dry Scouring Inventor

Thomas Jennings: “Dry Scouring,” U.S. Patent No. 3306x

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher In 1820, Thomas L. Jennings (1791–1856) was a well-known tailor among gentlemen of wealth and taste, ...
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/ 18th Century Boston, Enslaved Boston, Features, Historic Deerfield
Figure 2. Shirt (detail), English and American, c.1790. White, plain-weave linen. Historic Deerfield, Gift of the Cooley Family, Hartford, Connecticut, direct descendants of Col. Elisha Porter, 2017.30.3. photo: Penny Leveritt. 18th century Boston tailoring trade

Behind the Seams: Enslaved Labor in the 18th century Boston Tailoring Trade

By David E. Lazaro, Curator of Textiles, Historic Deerfield In late summer of 1741, Boston tailor Richard Billings (1699-1776) announced ...
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