On August 1, the Stevens Auction Co. held an on-site auction at the prominent antebellum home Belle Oaks in Macon, Mississippi.
The prize lot was a 4-piece Victorian parlor suite by John Henry Belter, dating to around 1855. The suite consisted of a sofa, one armchair, and two armless chairs.
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.
If you feel that you really belong in the 19th century rather than the 21st, you‘re not alone. A woman named Barbara Johnson, who lives in northern Baltimore County, is so sure of it that she has transported the interior of her 5,500-square-foot home back to Victorian times.
A recent article in the Baltimore Sun tells us that Mrs. Johnson has been reinventing her home ever since she and her husband bought it newly-built back in 1991. Today it’s full of antiques and collectibles such as toys, photographs, china and, yes, furniture.
The original dining room is now a train room showcasing a “Department 56 Snow Village” with over 30 buildings, trees, carousels, a snow covered mountain and sledding children. Her living room has become her parlor, with a camelback sofa and loveseat.
The living and dining area has been shifted into an elegant addition at the back of the house. The article says that the design and décor of this space is breathtaking. It features velvet draperies, two crystal chandeliers, and a 13-foot mahogany table that seats 18.
Where did Mrs. Johnson get her inspiration? She does have an interior decorator, but she also says that the key to decorating is to “create a presence; to go inside yourself for some kind of feeling.”
Click here to read the article and see some photos of the presence she’s created in her home.
Here’s another article out of the UK on the state of the market for antique furniture. Unlike the article I linked to yesterday, this one, which comes from the Telegraph, takes a negative view.
This makes the second article I’ve found that paints a gloomy picture of the Victorian furniture market, and the first negative one to come from the UK. Yesterday’s article and the one from the post on October 25 were both from the UK and both positive. Today’s sounds more like the one from November 27, which predicted a permanent collapse in the market for antique Victorian furniture.
And it would appear to blow up my theory about British Victorian being in a stronger position than American Victorian.
Here are some things the article says. Prices are at their lowest level in ten years. The 90s were boom years, but things have gone downhill since the 9/11 attacks. Collectors are selling off pieces to pay off debts. Many dealers are thinking of throwing in the towel. It could be a good time to buy if you could wait 20 years for prices to recover. Business at auctions is up because so many people are selling. The low prices are actually attracting a new generation of buyer.
The article provides a list of specific pieces, with their prices a decade ago vs. their prices today. Here are a few that may interest you (prices are in British pounds):
The article does not give its sources for this information, by the way, so it’s probably based on the word of a few dealers. Not all dealers are struggling in this market, by the way. On November 25 I linked to an article about a man who recently opened an antique shop in the economically devastated city of Detroit. He’s now enjoying great success selling high end antiques and also selling online.
Perhaps it’s the case that the market got overinflated, much like the housing market. If a new generation of buyer is now able to afford pieces previously out of sight, Victorian furniture could be getting a whole new life. Out of the hands of investors and speculators and into the hands of people who actually live with it and appreciate it?
More on this topic to come, I’m sure. We’re getting quite a variety of messages.
Sometimes antique Victorian furniture can become the inspiration for something that isn’t exactly Victorian.
The Hartford Courant ran an article two days ago about a couple who left their suburban home in favor of a downtown condo. They bought the condo on the basis of architectural drawings alone but were depressed when they actually saw it. It was smaller than they thought.
They hired a designer to expand the sense of size and otherwise make the condo reflect their own tastes. The result, from the one photo provided, is colorful, contemporary and chic.
The starting point for the whole design, however, was a Victorian sofa handed down from the woman’s grandmother, a sofa with a “curving spine and petite proportions.” They chose a fabric, reupholstered the sofa, and allowed the rest of the condo’s design to follow. The overall effect is not exactly Victorian, as I mentioned. But it’s quite striking.
And it’s interesting to think that such a contemporary design could flow from the curving spine of a Victorian antique.
You’ll find the article on this colorful condo and its inspirational sofa here.
I truly enjoy posts written by people who are excited about finding just the right pieces of antique Victorian furniture for their homes.
Here is one by a woman in Wisconsin who is remodeling the 1898 home that she and her family are living in. She had been looking for an antique Victorian sofa for years but had never found one she could afford. Finally she came across this one on Craigslist “for a really great price.” She tells us that it’s from the late 1800s and seems to belong in the house. Note the comment on the date though.
You can find the post with photos of the Victorian sofa here. You’ll see why she’s excited about the piece. It’s a great find. I’ll add that her blog overall is well worth the visit, and I myself plan to return.
On another note, this is the second post I’ve written about someone who was thrilled to find the perfect piece of antique Victorian furniture on Craigslist. The first was about a woman who had just found an elegant suite there: a Victorian sofa, love seat and chair.
If you yourself are searching for that perfect Victorian antique, you may want to take a look over there.
Here’s something light and a little different. I discovered a blog called Cedarwood, which promotes an historic 1830s antebellum farm estate of that name, located just outside Nashville, TN.
As this attractive blog tells us, Cedarwood is available “for the most romantic day of your life – your wedding.” What’s more, the estate’s gorgeous Victorian sofa can be used in the photo session! And they’ll take it anywhere on the estate for your photographs, to create what they call a “juxtaposition of contrasts” with the natural surroundings.
They’ve treated us to four photographs of the sofa, with the bride of an August wedding glamorously seated on it. Be sure to enlarge the photos to see the details of the carving and the upholstery. The sofa has a beautiful floral theme with appealing contours. Not to mention that it simply looks comfortable enough to take a nap in.
If you’re looking for a resplendent place to get married and would like to add an antique Victorian sofa to your gallery of memories, Cedarwood might be your answer!
I came across this nice little post on the Blossoms&Lace blog, authored by a woman named Jill. Jill is extremely excited about the Victorian sofa, love seat and chair she just acquired.
Interestingly, she found her antique Victorian furniture on Craigslist. It had been posted for five days, and the only reason it hadn’t sold was because it didn’t have any accompanying photos. That’s something to look out for. Given how excited Jill is, I suspect she got a pretty good deal on it.
Take a look at the photo she provides. You can click on it to enlarge it and see the detail of the carving. Very elegant suite.
I came across a newspaper article about a woman named Jean Barnes who restores antique Victorian furniture in a shop in Stantonsburg, North Carolina. She started her business 32 years ago, with a bit of personal experience and the need to support her children. She also had a love of history and inherited a few antiques from her grandfather.
Jean specializes in Victorian pieces with woods like mahogany and walnut that are uncommon today. She even supplies furniture for movie sets.
As she is interviewed, Jean discusses an 1860 Victorian sofa, with a hand-carved, walnut back. “A good piece of antique furniture is constructed so much better than the newer stuff; the craftsmanship is better.”
“You cannot get wood like this new,” she says.
Take a look at the article. It will remind you why we love this furniture so much.