As we enter a new year, it’s fun to look back a century to see how far we’ve come while we look forward and imagine what will be in the years ahead.

As the country ushered in 1925 in Roaring 20s style, Calvin Coolidge was our newly elected president, and the economy was booming after a dreadful postwar recession and deferred spending. Under the Republican Party’s laissez-faire approach to Capitalism, American free enterprise was robust, confident, and delivering the goods, literally, to a new generation of consumers excited to partake in the Country’s newfound prosperity.

New industrial manufacturing processes for the mass production of goods invented in the early 20th century were by 1925, fully operational and pumping out new consumer products that were within the financial reach of average Americans – from household appliances to beauty products and clothing. Americans were buying cars and traveling just to take a road trip and expanding their horizons from home through radio. On March 4, 2025, over 19% of American households heard the inauguration of Calvin Coolidge over the airwaves. A first in American history.

At the heart of this economic boom was a shared reverence for business as a core component of America’s greatness, which cleared the way for inventors and entrepreneurs – immigrant and American-born alike – to realize their dreams and vision of the future. In 1925, $15 billion was invested in the business segment of the U.S. economy to launch and grow new businesses and products.

Like any year, 1925 had its ups and downs and memorable moments and people. On February 21, the first issue of The New Yorker magazine was published; on March 18, the Tri-State Tornado, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history, killed at least 751 men, women, and children and injured more than 2,298; on April 10 F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby; on June 17, the first National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C.; on October 15 the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Washington Senators to win the World Series; on November 28 the Grand Ole Opry was first broadcast on the radio; and on December 12, the first motel in the world, the Milestone Mo-Tel (later the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo), opened in San Luis Obispo, California for motorists tooling about in their car, looking to see America.

It was also the year that Walter Chrysler established Chrysler Corporation and revolutionized the automobile industry with the Chrysler Six; Giuseppe Uddo founded Progresso Foods and forever changed the American diet by introducing imported Italian products to supermarket shelves; Benjamin Leroy Holt founded Caterpillar and revolutionized the agricultural industry with the Holt steamer, No. 77 and its continuous track wheels; and Amanda Smith moved out of her kitchen to launch a pie baking enterprise that offered housewives a quick and easy option to elevate a meal without the effort. And if you smelled a hint of citrus and vanilla in the air, that was Shalimar. We share the origin stories of these now century-old companies in our January issue.

American actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul Newman, American illustrator and writer Edward Gorey, baseball great Yogi Berra, human rights activist Malcolm X, and American World War II hero and actor Audie Murphy, among so many others who went on to make contributions in their field of endeavor, were born in 1925. The year also saw the deaths of portrait painter John Singer Sargent; Thomas R. Marshall, 28th vice president of the United States from 1913 to 1921; lawyer and politician William Jennings Bryan; and tobacco and electric power industrialist James Buchanan Duke.

So, what can we expect looking forward? We start with the patent trends of 2024 and what they say about the innovative technologies and solutions that will shape our future. Based on these intellectual filings, expect to see next-level advancements and new products in such areas as AI, Virtual Realities (VR), Data Management, Eco-sustainability, Legal Department Digitalization and Automation, and Automation. How that trickles down to consumers and changes the world we live in has yet to be determined but like the inventors, innovators, visionaries and startups of a century ago, their ideas are fueled by the possibilities.

When it comes to antiques, the 1920s saw multiple furniture styles, including Mission/Arts and Crafts, a response to the mass production of the Industrial Revolution; Art Deco, which captured the optimism of the 1920s; and Early Modern, marking a departure from the ornate and heavy furniture styles of the past and embracing simplicity, functionality, and harmonious integration with the evolving modern world. A century later, these design eras are enjoying a renewed appreciation among designers and collectors, as reflected in recent design trends and market sales.

For a look at what antique and vintage trends we can expect to see in 2025, we turn to design trendsetters for their POV.

ELLE Décor magazine lists 19th-century American Quilts, Victorian Wicker, Surrealist Paintings, Windsor Chairs, and Knole Sofas as its “Five Antique and Vintage Trends That will be all the rage in 2025.” Veranda.com shares its “7 Biggest Antique and Vintage Trends for 2025” as Table Smalls, Folk Art, Painted Furniture, Art Nouveau and Art Deco, Chinoiserie Papier-mâché, Dark Wood, and Gustavian Pieces. “1stDibs’ 2025 Predictions” include items in earthy colors, designs from the ‘20s and ‘30s, organic patterns and motifs like botanicals, furniture with curvy and irregular shapes, and classic glass lighting. AOL says “These 7 Antique and Vintage Jewelry Trends Will Be Everywhere in 2025”: Western Pieces, Chokers, Cabochon, Bezel Settings, Sculptural Metal, Animalia, and Medallions and Coins.

Whether you’re a dealer, buyer, collector, or antiquer, 2025 is also the year to get back out and shop the hundreds of indoor and outdoor antique shows, vintage markets, and antiques & collectibles flea markets taking place across the country, all year long. Look for our Annual Show Directory for 2025 in the mail, in your Inbox, and online to start planning your year.

As a sign of the times, we too will be making changes in 2025 to our magazine. Significant increases in printing, postage, and shipping over the last couple of years make it no longer feasible for us to publish the magazine in print; however, we will continue to publish monthly in 2025 so please sign up online at JournalofAntiques.com to receive us and our bi-monthly e-newsletter, Post-Press Update, to digitally receive us in your Inbox. Or, you can always find and read us online, here.

Happy New Year!