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.

The National Images of George Washington, a Reluctant Portrait Sitter

American artist Joseph Wright painted this likeness of Washington after the Commander in Chief had finally secured American independence. General Washington sat for the portrait at his headquarters in Rocky Hill, New Jersey, in the fall of 1783, just before he traveled south to resign his command.

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher In his day, and even today thanks to portraits painted while he was alive along with copies from those images made after his death, George Washington ...

Black Americana

Americana, Black Americana, black memorabilia, Features

In the throes of the Rodney King riots in 1992, Nehemiah Cisneros’ family store for Black collectibles in Inglewood was razed. Black illustrated books and Golliwog dolls salvaged from the ashes wound up on the shelves and in the closets of Cisneros’ childhood bedroom, ambivalent and uncanny reminders of both violence and resistance. “As the lifeless doll eyes of racially exploitative faces stared back at me while [I was] trying to fall asleep, I formed an atypical relationship with trauma; trauma became my guardian angel,” the artist said. photo: Control Gallery in Los Angeles

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher When we use the word “Americana” to identify an item associated with the culture and history of America, we are often referring to objects of historical rather ...

Carved American Eagles: America’s First Americana

American Eagles, Americana, Features

Eagle, pine carving by William Rush, c. 1810. Note the white color of the bird. photo: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor Many Americana objects in collections and museums incorporate the one symbol that the first Congress approved as this country’s emblem: the American Bald Eagle. Not ...

Peter Max 1960s & 1970s: All-American Art

counterculture vibes, Features, Peter Max

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor The 1960s and ’70s were all about color. Peter Max Color. Bright, fluid, fantastical, and full of enlightenment. This artist burst on the scene in ...

The British Invasion: A Revolution in Music Memorabilia

counterculture vibes, Features, music memorabilia

Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon with Ed Sullivan giving him a “guitar lesson” before appearing onstage at The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964.

By Laurence Carpenter The British Invasion of the 1960s was a seismic cultural shift, where a wave of British bands crossed the Atlantic and captured the hearts and minds of ...

Comics in the 1960s: Groundbreaking Silver Age

comics, counterculture vibes, Features

By Amanda Sheriff The Silver Age of comics, which ran from approximately the mid-1950s to 1970, is noted as a transitional time for the medium. Many new characters were created and several ...

Mary Quant: Designing the Look of the Swinging Sixties

1960s, counterculture vibes, Features, Mary Quant, Swinging Sixties

Color and comfort are shown in several Mary Quant designs.

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher “The whole 1960s thing was a ten-year running party, which was lovely. It started at the end of the 1950s and sort of faded a bit ...

11 Sky High Apollo 11 Collectibles

Apollo 11, Features, Space Age

by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher Ask anyone over the age of 60 to name a significant memory and many will say they recall watching the Apollo 11 moon landing on July ...

John Lautner, Jr. – Living Space

Features, John Lautner, Space Age

Perched on a single concrete column, the Chemosphere marks a turning point in Lautner’s career. Built in 1960, it is not only one of John Lautner’s most important projects but also one of the best-known houses in Los Angeles, one that represents the optimism of its time and place as much as the architect’s genius.

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor “The purpose of Architecture is to improve human life. Create timeless, free, joyous spaces for all activities in life. The infinite variety of these spaces ...

Chesley Bonestell – The Father of Space Art

Chesley Bonestell, Features, Space Art

Background title image: Detail from Saturn from Titan, Space Art cover, 1978. Oli on board, 19.5 x 29.5 inches. Heritage Auctions sold this painting for $15,000 in 2014. Full image shown at left. Photo: Heritage Auctions

by Maxine Carter-Lome “There isn’t an artist painting today, in the science fiction fantasy field, who didn't start with Chesley Bonestell" – Ray Bradbury What do the Chrysler Building, the ...

Andre Courreges: Space Age Fashion Designer

Andre Courreges, Features, The Space Age

Title image: Andre Courreges and his Creations

by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher "André Courrèges was a visionary designer who foresaw the 21st century and believed in progress. That is what makes [him] so modern today." – Jacques Bungert ...

The Bigger the Bolder: Outdoor Advertising

Advertising, billboards, Features, Signs of History

One of the first billboard images promoting P.T. Barnum’s Circus

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor Ever since man formed a written language, there have been outdoor signs and billboards. Even the ancient world had billboards–or something a lot like them ...

Words to Live By: Those Wonderful “Wood” Wall Plaques

Features, Signs of History

What would Mom like more than a plaque in a modified heart shape?

by Donald-Brian Johnson “A penny saved is a penny earned” … “A stitch in time saves nine” … “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Some folks call them ...

These Old Sites on The National Register of Historic Places

Features, Historic Signs, The National Register of Historic Places

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher “THIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR” The National Register of Historic Places ...

The Word on the Street: A History of Street Signs

Features, Street Signs, Transportation

Sold at MilleaBros.com, this cross sign shows Union Avenue and Lehigh Place. First half 20th c., probably Irvington, NJ, double-sided metal signs bolted to intersection street post cap, 16.5” h x 20.5” w x 20.5” d. Sold price was $150, just over the estimate of $80-$125.

by Jessica Kosinski It’s interesting that I was asked to write an article about street signs because I have firsthand experience with living on an unusual street, or in my ...

19th Century African Americans Who Transformed Transportation

african american patents, Features, Transportation

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher Despite the constraints of slavery, poverty, lack of education, and social and racial discrimination, these seven men defied the odds and went on to influence, through ...

1964: A Banner Year for Transportation!

1964, Features, Transportation

“This is a many-sided challenge. We cannot and we do not rely upon massive spending programs as cure-alls. We must instead look to closer cooperation among all levels of government and between both public and private sectors to achieve the prudent progress that Americans deserve and that they expect.” – LBJ on the Urban Mass Transportation Act

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor The Teamsters Master Freight Agreement JANUARY 15, 1964 – A monumental day in Teamsters history when the first National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA) was signed ...

Cunard: The Most Famous Ocean Liners in the World™

Cunard, Features, Vintage Travel

Title image: Painting of the Queen Elizabeth I. In late 1968, Queen Elizabeth was sold to the Elizabeth Corporation, with 15% of the company controlled by a group of Philadelphia businessmen and 85% retained by Cunard. She arrived in Port Everglades, FL on 8 December 1968 and opened to tourists in February 1969, well before Queen Mary, which opened two years later, in 1971. The climate of southern Florida was much harder on the ship, and Queen Elizabeth’s retirement in Florida was not to last. The ship was forced to close in August 1970, after losing money and being declared a fire hazard.

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher On July 4, 1840, the steamer Britannia departed Liverpool, England on her maiden transatlantic journey, bound for Boston, MA carrying mail, passengers, and freight. Fifteen days ...

The Railroad in American Art

Features, Railroad, Shelburne Museum, transporation

Samuel Woolf, The Under World, ca. 1909–10. Oil on canvas, 22 ½ x 30 ½ in. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Purchase, Funds provided by a private Richmond foundation. ©Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Photo: Travis Fullerton.

By Thomas Denenberg, PhD John Wilmerding Director and CEO, Shelburne Museum The exhibition All Aboard: The Railroad in American Art, 1840-1955 is on view at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, ...

Sinclair Gas: DINO still going strong 90 years later!

Features, Petroliana, Sinclair Gasoline

Sinclair double-sided, lighted, plastic pole sign sold for $4,366 at Mecum Auctions in January 2024. The sign stands over 11.25 feet tall on its original cast iron base.

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher If you traveled by car almost anywhere in the Continental U.S. in the first half of the 20th century, chances are you stopped at a Sinclair ...

Survival of the Fittest

but not forgotten, Features, Fotomat, gone, Tower Records, toys r us, triptik

A Fotomat “hut” somewhere in Massachusetts in the 1970s.

By Judy Gonyeau, managing editor Fotomat Back in the days of 35mm film and the affordable Kodak Instamatic, getting that film developed took time – and patience. Most people would ...

Radio Shack: Where America Shopped for Consumer Electronics

Features, Radio Shack, The Tandy

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher Ask anyone who grew up in the second half of the 20th century if they knew about, shopped at, or had a Radio Shack store nearby, ...

Timeless Treasures: A Glass Quintet

Carnival Glass, Features, Georges Briard, Higgins Glaaa, Schneider glass, Spun Glass

Two large “Tango Orange” vases by Charles Schneider. Tallest, 18-1/4” h. (Photo by Leslie Piña)

By Donald-Brian Johnson Some things exist “outside of time:” The Wizard of Oz … Model T Fords … Turntables and LPs. After brief, brilliant moments in the sun of our ...

Entertaining and Decorating with Stretch Glass

Antique Marketplace News, Features, Stretch Glass, Vintage Living

The gold-encrusted Blue Trumpet Stretch Console Set brings this idea to a different level – a bit more formal yet too beautiful not to have on display. This version was made by Central Glass Works in the early 1900s. It is for sale at www.carnivalglass.com for $175.

by Cal Hackeman, Treasurer, Stretch Glass Society American iridescent stretch glass brings color and excitement to your home entertaining and provides just the perfect splash of color when decorating your ...

Influencing Glass History

Antique Glass, Features

Dorothy Thorpe (1901-1989): Glassware Designer

By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher We toss around the term “influencer” today to refer to someone we follow on social media who catches our attention, however fleeting, and introduces us to ...