The Antique Victorian Furniture Blog

The Jan. 26 episode of Antiques Roadshow featured a particularly interesting piece of antique Victorian furniture, owned by a woman named Cathy Crocker from New Hope, TX. A recent article in the McKinney Courier-Gazette Star Community Newspapers tells the story.

The piece was identified as a Texas Fall Front Victorian desk, valued between $2,000 and $2,500. It had been abandoned in a barn that Crocker’s grandparents bought back in the 60s. The drawers had to be chiseled open because of the rats nests. Crocker stripped and cleaned it and has been “hauling it around” for years.

She sent a picture of it to Antiques Roadshow and was selected to appear. She was told that essentially some pioneer cut down a tree and built the desk. Now she understands its value and gives the desk due honor in her home.

You’ll have to take a look at the photo. It’s a fascinating piece of furniture. I never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of the Victorian cabinetmakers.

Click here to see the desk and read article.

Technorati Tags: Antique, Antiques, Antiques Roadshow, cabinetmakers, Desk, Drawers, fall front, Furniture, Texas, Victorian

A recent article in the Nashville Business Journal describes how the Lotz House, located in Franklin, TN, is becoming a participating destination with Heritage Travel, Inc.

What’s the news here, you ask?

Well, The Magazine Antiques states that the Lotz House, built circa 1855, contains the finest private collection of American Victorian furniture in the Southeast. That’s a comment to contemplate for a second or two. What do you think is in there?

Also, starting this spring, Heritage Travel “will provide extensive online visibility for historic destinations, including the Lotz House.” And they appear to provide attractive incentives for traveling with them.

An informative little article in the NBJ, isn’t it? We’re going to get to see some photos of this celebrated collection of American Victorian furniture online. And perhaps get a nice travel package if we want to see it up close.

Click here to read the article.

I’m going to keep an eye out for that online visibility and find out what kind of deals they’re offering for the visit.

Technorati Tags: American, Antiques, collection, Furniture, Lotz House, Online, photos, Victorian

Back on Jan. 12, I linked to a post all about antique mirrors at the Unique Unique Design blog. One of the mirrors in the gallery was a white wicker Victorian mirror with beveled glass.

The blog has run a more recent post about that particular mirror. It includes a price. I have no financial interest in this, by the way. I’m just passing along the information.

I myself don’t know what I think about the mirror. The photo may not do it justice.

In any case, have a look.

Technorati Tags: Antique, Furniture, Mirror, mirrors, photo, Victorian

What does James F. “Jimmy” Jones, Jr., president of Trinity College in Hartford, CT, have in the formal living room of his home? Antique Victorian furniture, of course.

The Hartford Courant has just run an engaging article on Mr. Jones’s life in a fishbowl on Trinity’s campus. Each morning he dashes outside, clad in his bathrobe, to get his newspaper. It’s usually early enough that none of the students or faculty sees him.

Mr. Jones and his wife Jan have lived in the president’s house since 2004. One of the challenges facing the Joneses when they first moved in was how to make their largely antique furnishings work in what was a modern, contemporary home. In the end it turned out to be a good fit.

The formal living room, home to the Victorian furniture which came from Jan’s great-grandmother, is where they often hold receptions. The one and only photo accompanying the article is fortunately of this room. The furniture (see if you can spot all the chairs) gives the space a remarkably comfortable and inviting aspect. The article calls it “warm and welcoming.”

It’s worth remembering what a social world the Victorians lived in. The furniture was meant to say “Welcome!” Furniture designed for function alone simply doesn’t speak to you in the same way.

Click here to see the article.

Technorati Tags: Antique, Chair, Furnishings, Furniture, Home, room, social, Victorian

Back on Dec. 26, I wrote a post about a woman who felt like she belonged in the 19th century rather than the 21st and transformed her home accordingly. I just found another article in the Des Moines Register about a couple who feels the same way and who likewise have turned their home into a showcase of antique Victorian furniture and other furnishings.

Carolyn and Dan Rogers have gone for High Victorian, “where excess is OK” as Carolyn puts it. Because the Victorians considered it poor taste to have any bareness in a room, there is neither a nook nor a cranny of their 1903 home which isn’t “crammed.”

There’s a parlor with 24 working antique lamps, a master bedroom with a Victorian bed 150 years old, and a ballroom sized third story with a funeral parlor at the far end.

The article provides some photos that give you a good sense of it all. Quite striking. I love the detail of the Victorian mirror over their dresser.

You can see for yourself here.

Technorati Tags: 19th Century, Antique, Bed, Dresser, Furniture, Home, lamps, Mirror, Parlor, room, Victorian

I found a post full of antique mirrors on a tasteful blog called Unique Unique Design. By my count the post has 21 photos of 15 mirrors.

We don’t get a lot of information on the background of the mirrors, but the first in the parade is an old Eastlake mirror, as Marcie, the author of the blog tells us. The last is a Victorian mirror, wicker with beveled glass. Marcie promises to get these mirrors posted in their “check it out” list with prices and sizes. Click here to see the selection.

And here are two earlier posts of mine with Victorian mirror as the theme: Nov. 3, Oct. 26.

Technorati Tags: Antique, Eastlake, glass, Mirror, Victorian, wicker

I just came across a blog called Slip Into Something Victorian. Its most recent post is about Lizzie Borden. Mystery and the Victorian era sure do go hand in hand.

Denise Eagan, the author of the post, recently visited Lizzie’s Victorian home, which is located in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was in this house back in 1892 that Lizzie’s father and stepmother were found murdered in exceptionally brutal fashion. Lizzie was brought to trial but acquitted.

To this day the crime is unsolved, although Lizzie remains the primary suspect in the minds of many. The post gives a very nice summary of the circumstances of the mystery, with some interesting details about such things as possible sexual abuse and the miserly nature of Lizzie’s father.

And here’s something you probably didn’t know. The home today is a bed and breakfast. You can actually sleep in Lizzie’s room, in a nice antique Victorian bed, I might add! I don’t think I would shut my eyes for a second, and not just because I was admiring all the furniture in the room.

Slip Into Something Victorian contains a gallery of pictures, among which are an excellent selection taken at the Borden house. There’s a lot of antique Victorian furniture in there. You’ll see beds, chairs, mirrors, dressers, a dining room table, a striking medallion back sofa, and more – all within the confines of one of the world’s eeriest Victorian homes.

And maybe you’ll be inspired to visit the home and spend the night. I understand you’ll be treated to the breakfast the Bordens had that morning. The contents of Abby Borden’s stomach actually provided an important clue as to the time of her subsequent murder. Food for thought.

You can read the post here. If you have trouble finding the picture gallery, click here.

And here are some earlier posts of mine involving mystery of one kind or another: Nov. 24, Nov. 20, Nov. 17, Nov. 16, Nov. 13.

Technorati Tags: Antique, Bed, Beds, Chairs, Dresser, Furniture, Home, House, lizzie borden, Mirror, Mystery, Sofa, Table, Victorian