Lot Essay
Palmer Cox's illustrations form Brownie's, a sprite-like character he created to teach children morals and good manners, first appeared in 1882. The following year, the Brownies appeared as feature characters in a story about them in St. Nicholas Magazine, inaugurating the series of books, calendars and Brownie memorabilia that followed. In his history of Palmer Cox's Brownies, Roger Cummins traced the variety of Brownie products available and popular among turn-of-the-century Americans, including, "household articles, such as carpets, cloth, wallpaper for nurseries, and fireplace sets..." (Roger Cummins, Humerous but Wholesome: A History of Palmer Cox and the Brownies, (Watkins Glen, New York, 1973), p.213). Although Cummins' examples suggest the majority of items were intended for use or decoration in nursery or children's rooms, such as the andirons offered here, items such as the moustache cups, dinner services, and sterling silver spoons, demonstrate the range in expense of Brownie material and that these popular products were not directed strictly at children (Courtesy of the Winterthur Library Printed Book and Periodical Collection).
A similar pair of andirons were sold in These Rooms, October 23, 1993, lot 126. A silver two-pint flask with etched Brownie decoration was sold in These Rooms, October 21, 1989, lot 34.
A similar pair of andirons were sold in These Rooms, October 23, 1993, lot 126. A silver two-pint flask with etched Brownie decoration was sold in These Rooms, October 21, 1989, lot 34.