FEATURES ARCHIVE

January’s sale of Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver and Chinese Export will feature a strong selection of folk art. Full of fascinating and oftentimes whimsical details, these extraordinary objects offer a window into America’s aesthetic history.

Fit for a Parade
Rather than towering flames and scorching temperatures, the six firemen’s hats offered in this month’s sale were more likely to have seen the sunny skies and main streets of 19th century American parade routes. These hats, used solely for ceremonial purposes, were an important part of the volunteer firefighting tradition leading up to the Civil War. Often adorned with symbolic imagery, including portraits of national heroes such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, many of these hats are known to have been painted by artisans who were members or friends of fire companies. The parades in which these groups participated were a tremendously important aspect of civic life during this period; an 1832 parade honoring the birthday of George Washington, a volunteer in his own time, included 37 fire companies and drew a crowd of 100,000.

Sophistication and Style
Representing the early 19th century rural Vermont ‘high style,’ this vibrantly painted chest is just one example of the paint decorated furniture offered in January’s sale. This style developed primarily outside urban centers with the goal of creating a surface that emulated the fine grained mahogany, satinwood, flame birch, tiger maple and bird’s-eye maple veneers seen on fashionable furniture of the day. Artisans even went so far as to create the look of “inlaid” patterns, an otherwise costly embellishment usually reserved for works bound for the period’s urban style centers. The craftsmanship on display through these works embodies the very best of folk art during the 19th century. 

Decorative Details
A group of stoneware featuring cobalt decorative elements rounds out this selection of folk art highlights. These hand-painted vessels were a vital part of everyday life during the 19th century and are sought-after items by today’s collectors for their beautiful and often whimsical aesthetic properties. Rarer and more unusual imagery tends to command higher values, but this group offers something for every collector with estimates beginning at $3,000.