Whenever my schedule allows, I always enjoy attending antiques shows - especially when they benefit good causes.
Last week, I was invited to lecture at the Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show. Founded in 1962, this event is one of the longest running antiques shows in the country. This year, 60-exhibitors offered a vast selection of furnishings, decorative and fine art pieces for both the period and modern American home. And all proceeds from the 2018 Show go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Penn Medicine.
While I was there, I also conducted a book signing for "Martha's Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering, and Enjoying". It was a full and successful day. Enjoy these photos.
That evening, we attended the preview party for the Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show. It was nice to see prominent signs for our lecture the next day.
I was joined by Kevin Sharkey and Susan Magrino.
This piece is called Golden Hours. It was made by Virgil Marti in 2013 using urethane, medium-density fiberboard and chrome plating. This piece was in a booth that was part of a loan exhibit. The Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show features a loan exhibit every year, a tradition since the Show's founding in 1962. The curated, museum-quality exhibit changes with each Show and allows visitors a closer look at a specific genre of antiques.
This booth was presented by Bette & Melvyn Wolf, Inc. from Flint, Michigan. Bette and Melvyn began collecting American Pewter in the 1960s. They started selling pewter, American, British, and Continental in 1974, exhibiting at their first antiques show in 1975. They brought a beautiful selection with them to the show.
I love brass, and have an extensive collection of brass candlesticks. These caught my eye right away.
This is a Japanese silk embroidery of two tigers by Kyoto silk manufacturer Nishimura Sōzaemon. It is from the late Meiji period, also known as the Meiji era, a Japanese era which extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan during which Japanese society moved from being an isolated feudal society to its modern form.
Here is another Japanese silk embroidery piece of four kittens. It was exhibited by Janice Paull Antiques in Wilmington, Delaware.
James and Nancy Glazer from Bailey Island Maine set-up this booth showing museum-quality 18th and 19th century American furniture and folk art.
These pieces are from Marcy Burns American Indian Arts LLC. Marcy specializes in antique Native American Art, focusing primarily on vintage baskets, pottery, textiles, beadwork and jewelry. It is always so interesting to learn about antiques and art pieces from the expert exhibitors.
This bench was shown in the booth of Kelly Kinzle from New Oxford, Pennsylvania. Kelly is known for his inventory of tall case clocks, fire arms, Pennsylvania decorative arts and fire fighting memorabilia, but he is also interested in those objects that are outstanding in any genre and period. He has worked closely with institutions including the Smithsonian, Colonial Williamsburg and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
I spotted this peacock right away and had a couple photos taken of me standing next to it. It reminded me of my beautiful blue peacocks at home.
Here is another peacock sculpture with its tail of feathers extended.
Here's a fun snapshot of Kevin enjoying a cocktail during the preview.
We all took photos of these interesting garden benches – we all loved their intricate design. These are cast-aluminum benches made around 1930. They feature acanthus leaf and griffin motifs.
These were also very interesting wall pieces – each with a different face. These belong to Greg K. Kramer & Co., from Robesonia, Pennsylvania. Greg focuses his passion for antiques on 18th and 19th century Americana.
Here is a full body copper eagle weathervane presented to John Gordon of Portland, Connecticut by President Woodrow Wilson about 1920. Its wing span is 52-inches and dates to 1910 to 1925. It was shown by Nathan Liverant and Son, LLC of Colchester, Connecticut. This reminded me of the giant falcon in my foyer.
Here is a yellow, blue and red applique Pineapple Rose quilt, American 1840 to 1855.
Here is a Boston, Massachusetts sampler piece by Zebiah Gore in 1791. It was exhibited by M. Finkel & Daughter.
M. Finkel & Daughter also presented this imported Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania sampler by Sarah Ann Graffin in 1839. This piece was priced at 26-thousand dollars.
The next day, we returned to the venue, which was The Navy Yard, formerly known as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. It was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries and is now a large industrial park that includes a commercial shipyard.
Here are some of the ships we passed on our way to the Antiques & Art Show. The United States Navy ended most of its activities here in the 1990s. In 2000, the city of Philadelphia took over and began to redevelop the land. The Navy still has a Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility and a few engineering activities at the site.
Kevin and I participated in a discussion about "Martha's Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering and Enjoying". We talked about our love of flowers and what inspired many of the beautiful photos we featured in the publication.
I showed a selection of slides as part of our presentation. This is the cover of "Martha's Flowers" – do you have your copy yet? It makes a wonderful gift for Mother's Day, which is coming up very soon.
Afterwards, we conducted a book signing, where we both signed 100-books for guests who attended.
I always try to stop and talk to guests. It is a nice way for me to meet all sorts of people and to learn what consumers are looking for when it comes to lifestyle products, books, etc.