This rare surviving wooden panel from a historic American carousel features a majestic moose in a lakeside landscape.
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This impressively large bentwood box with an elaborately embellished top is known as a Mi’kmaq bride’s box. We explore the context of its origins in Nova Scotia in the early 1800s, and describe how its form and decoration relate to other examples of early Mi’kmaq craftsmanship.
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Often the specific historical story of an antique gets lost over time. But not so with this wooden wannigan. Embedded within it are the place and date of a particular fishing trip, the signatures of two renowned fishing guides, and the exquisite artwork of one of them.
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This birch bark canoe model was made over 100 years ago by a Native American man who not only skillfully replicated a traditional form of tribal watercraft, but also graced it with his own distinctive artwork. This article describes the canoe model in the context of what is known about its maker and his larger cultural context.
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Living with antiques is one of life’s pleasures, whether you enjoy them primarily from an aesthetic, functional, historic, or social perspective. We advocate enjoying antiques in these ways well into old age instead of letting concerns about their ultimate dispersal taint your enthusiasm for antiquing.
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This article presents details about a Vivian Akers lake painting, and explores the biographical and regional contexts that shaped and inspired Akers and his art.
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These 19th century miniature canoe paddles are models of Eastern Cree paddles that were used by voyageurs to transport furs for the Hudson’s Bay Company.
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In this follow-up to our previous article on Cabinets of Curiosities, we discuss what makes an object “curious” and present some natural and ethnographic objects that fit within categories that have been of interest to curiosity collectors—and rusticators—throughout the ages.
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There is a continuity across centuries of people who admire fish living in wild waters, including anglers who like the sport of fishing and those who just appreciate fish as wildlife. The community of fish enthusiasts has also always included artists, who scrutinize the astounding physical characteristics of fish more closely than most observers.
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Pictorial etchings that decorate a birch bark backrest made in the early 20th century by Passamaquoddy artist and guide Tomah Joseph document aspects of his tribe’s lifestyle, including their interaction with non-native rusticators—represented as passengers sitting in his canoe as he paddles them to see an offshore attraction.
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In the 16th to 18th centuries, cabinets of curiosities celebrated the mysteries of nature and culture in grand exhibits that filled entire rooms. A book about these extravagant displays has inspired our exploration of the topic.
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“Camp Dudley” was a private fishing and hunting club established in 1908 on Deer Lake in Quebec. Its rustic sign and photo album survive as artifacts of the sportsmen’s happy haven.
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This 1873 engraving of a Frances Anne Hopkins painting titled Canoes in the Fog, Lake Superior is a rare find that accurately captures the magic of the original painting depicting voyageurs paddling fur trade canoes.
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Antiques last for generations, so they typically go through many cycles of ownership. This article explores the life occurrences (all beginning with the letter “D”) that underlie how and why antiques change hands.
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This is a stunning and rare bedroom set made by an artisan with an amazing ability to create intricate geometric patterns using just the natural features of a simple gift of nature: tree twigs.
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We explore the topic of nesting from both figurative and literal perspectives, as a phenomenon that happens both inside and outside of our homes.
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This super rare, highly functional hickory case piece was made in LaPorte, Indiana nearly 100 years ago by Rustic Hickory Furniture Company.
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An 1891 painting by the artist Charles George Copeland depicts Native guides, fishermen, and birch bark canoeing scenes. It has inspired us to learn more about the artist, and to delve into history to interpret the story the painting tells.
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