You have to see these Donatello pieces by Roseville to appreciate them.
A few pieces from our latest collection, Roseville Donatello.
In 1908 Harry Rhead succeeded his brother as Art Director. In an era where hand-decorated wares were becoming unpopular and unprofitable, Harry began in earnest to create less labor-intensive lines. He was responsible for the creation of the famous Donatello line, which was produced for at least ten years. They sold over 100 shapes of Donatello and the line made the Roseville Pottery successful and profitable.
The Roseville Pottery was incorporated in Roseville, Ohio in 1892. Not only is its history long and well-received, its lines carry great value to collectors even to this day.
As with all other American pottery companies, cheaper imports from Japan undermined their sales. Constantly struggling to survive, Roseville Pottery limped along until 1954, when they sold the company along with all designs and plants to New England Ceramics Company who then sold it to Franklin Potteries of Franklin, WV. In 1954, all production of Roseville Pottery stopped. Even to this day vintage Roseville Pottery is collected by thousands of people world-wide. Prices have undergone wild swings over the years, and some patterns fall into and out of style with collectors. But with a solid history and thousands of different shapes, Roseville Pottery is certain to be collected for many decades to come.
Beautiful Roseville Donatello pieces available at Bahoukas Antiques!
Beautiful Donatello by Roseville bowl, flower frog, candle holders
These pieces are outstanding! Stop by and view them for yourself. Beautiful pieces of Roseville Pottery from around the 1920s. And yes, we’ll be watchin’ for you!
Do you know the history behind the plastic pink flamingo?
First designed in 1957, the fake birds are natives not of Florida but of Leominster, Massachusetts, which bills itself as the Plastics Capital of the World. At a nearby art school, sculptor Don Featherstone was hired by the plastics company Union Products, where his second assignment was to sculpt a pink flamingo.
…A flamingo-friendly trend was the sameness of post-World War II construction. Units in new subdivisions sometimes looked virtually identical. “You had to mark your house somehow,” Featherstone says. “A woman could pick up a flamingo at the store and come home with a piece of tropical elegance under her arm to change her humdrum house.” Also, “people just thought it was pretty,” adds Featherstone’s wife, Nancy.
Part of this amazing story is that Don Featherstone’s net worth was about 5 million dollars.
Our beautiful, pink flamingo TIN sculpture stands 4′ high.
By the mid-1960s, the environmental back-to-nature movement more-or-less declared the very word ‘plastic’ an adjective for fake, and the American Dream was exposed as an empty ideal based in consumerism.
The plastic flamingo became a bit of a class symbol as in, “Oh I’d never have that in MY yard!” The whole idea of ‘plastics’ was now gauche.
Enter John Waters of Baltimore
In 1972, Waters released the film Pink Flamingos, which was called both an abomination and an instant classic. The movie has almost nothing to do with the tropical fowl that stand sentinel during the opening credits…
The plastic pink flamingo following WWII was received as a symbol of the American Dream and optimism. Later it became the ridicule of all things plastic! Only to be revived as a kind of cult acceptance.
The plastic pink flamingo is a perfect example of perceived style going ‘out’ and returning years later. Sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes with genuine appreciation, the pink flamingo seems to be a mainstay in American Culture, often just to be a bit silly or even contrarian!
But OUR PINK FLAMINGO is the creme de la creme – she’s a beautiful tin (not plastic) sculpture.
So whatever reason you might have to own a pink flamingo, you’ll definitely want to consider ours!
In the media and fiction, plastic flamingos are often used as a symbol of kitsch, bad taste and cheapness.
The movie Pink Flamingos is named after them and helped them become an icon of trash and kitsch.
In the television sitcom ALF, jokes about the garden flamingos of the neighboring Ochmonek couple are a running gag.
In the computer game The Sims, plastic flamingos are the cheapest garden decoration.
The animated film Gnomeo & Juliet features a garden flamingo named after its inventor, Featherstone, voiced by Jim Cummings.
In the television show The X-Files episode Arcadia (The X-Files), Mulder places one on the lawn of his rented house, contrary to the neighbourhood rules.
Here at Bahoukas, we try to be able to share a bit of trivia with our collections. As you can tell from this article, we work to discover little tidbits that will make your purchase extra special! Don’t forget, we’re hear and ready to say, “Welcome” (and maybe share a bit of trivia with you)!
It’s not quite the same – movie posters and art shows. But here at Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum, we wanted to be sure to show our enthusiasm for the 56th Annual Havre de Grace Art Show sponsored by the Soroptimist International Havre de Grace!
Tropic Zone with Ronald Reagan and Rhonda Fleming, 1953
Tropic Zoneposter , featuring Ronald Reagan and Rhonda Fleming (1953)
Reagan’s character, Dan McCloud, is an American (described as a “soldier of fortune” in the publicity for the picture’s release who becomes the foreman of a Central American banana plantation. Learning that his employer, Lukats, is corrupt and trying to corner the market, McCloud joins with one of the smaller growers (played by Rhonda Fleming) to organize the workers and stop Lukats’ scheme.
Rhonda Fleming was known as the “Queen of Technicolor” and is still loved by many cinephiles. If you’d like to view this movie, we’ve linked to it here.
Blood Alley with John Wayne and Lauren Bacall is a 1955 film.
Blood Alley poster
A group of oppressed villagers ask a merchant skipper to guide their Chinese ferry to Hong Kong and freedom, but the skipper, a prisoner of the Chinese authorities, must first be sprung from captivity before he can ferry the stolen paddleship. Navigating the treacherous waters, the captain and his strange crew have a gun boat and a destroyer hot on their heels.
Tennessee’s Partner 1955 film features John Payne, Ronald Reagan, Rhonda Fleming and Coleen Gray
Tennessee’s Partner poster
A debonair gambler, Tennessee (John Payne), gets into some trouble in the rough-and-tumble mining town of Sandy Bar, Calif., and it takes the bold action of Cowpoke (Ronald Reagan) to get him out of it. Grateful for Cowpoke’s intrusion, Tennessee does him a huge favor and informs Cowpoke that his fiancée, Goldie (Coleen Gray), is a dastardly gold digger. Cowpoke isn’t pleased with Tennessee’s news and they fight. But Cowpoke comes to the gambler’s aid just when Tennessee needs him the most.
What’s interesting is this movie is actually based on a novel published in 1869!
Tennessee’s Partner is a short story by Bret Harte, first published in the Overland Monthly in 1869, which has been described as “one of the earliest ‘buddy’ stories in American fiction.” It was later loosely adapted into four films.
First printed in California in the Overland Monthly for October 1869, “Tennessee’s Partner” was reprinted the following month in Baltimore, in the New Eclectic Magazine. In 1870 the story was published in a collected volume of Harte’s short stories, printed in Boston, The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Sketches. Reviews of the volume appeared in the Lakeside Monthly, the Atlantic Monthly, and in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, all giving particular mention to “Tennessee’s Partner”. In the same year the story was anthologized in London in George Augustus Sala’s A 3rd Supply of Yankee Drolleries: The Most Recent Works of the Best American Humourists. Thereafter it continued to appear in magazines, such as Boston’s weekly Every Saturday of Jan. 14, 1871, as well as in other anthologies and in collections of Bret Harte’s work.
Sitting high on a shelf, we discovered this bust of David. Possibly there’s a shelf in your home or office that’s perfect for this piece.
Our wood carved camel is another beautiful and unusual piece available in our shop. Maybe it would be perfect for your collection?
This chalk, decorative pitcher is beautiful. Do you have a special spot in your home or office for this unique piece?
You know that there are many items tucked up high on a shelf or maybe in a box. We encourage you to stop in to Bahoukas Antique Mall to discover a perfect collectible for your home or office – or maybe as a gift. Yep, we’re here and we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
As you know we are always searching for a unique collection. Looking closely at a number of shelves, these beautiful Thomas Kinkade figurines, Victorian and Elegant Ladies, caught our eye. One, or several, may be a perfect gift for a lady you know (young or old) or a wonderful addition to your own collections.
Stop by Bahoukas Antique Mall to see these exquisite figurines. We’ll be watchin’ for ya!
Amazing Tiny Pencil Sharpeners just arrived at Bahoukas Antiques
Taking photos for this blog, I discovered a shelf stuffed with die-cast pencil sharpeners… little tiny pencil sharpeners. These are amazingly detailed. Who would have thought?!?
Here’s one example of a serious collector that also shows us how many kinds of miniature pencil sharpeners there are! Click on the link in the quote for more info.
For many years we (Johan and Anky) have collected Die-cast miniature pencil sharpeners. Our collection now consists of over 500 different pieces and we would like to add some more.
Check out the variety and detail of this recently acquired collection!
GIFTS IDEAS?
If someone has a special interest whether it be music, cars, motorcycles photography, art … well, you name it, we probably have a miniature pencil sharpener that would make an outstanding, fun, and thoughtful gift.
Here is another collector of tiny pencil sharpeners:
Paul Johnson collected 3,479 pencil sharpeners (no duplicates) and displayed them in a one-room shed in his yard in Carbon Hill. He died July 2010; the shed and collection are now displayed in the Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center.
We encourage you to check out this most amazing collection that we just acquired at Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum. Yes sir (m’am), we’ll be watchin’ for ya!
“In pre-Christian days, eggs were associated with many different springtime rites,” says Lubow Wolynetz, curator of folk art at the Ukrainian Museum in New York City and the Ukrainian Museum and Library in Stamford, CT. “In Ukraine, for example, people were an agricultural society. A late or cold spring had an impact on crops, so people attempted to harness the power of the sun to bring about the resurrection of nature.”
And what reminds you of the sun? An egg with its bright yellow center and the life that springs from it, says Wolynetz. Many cultures throughout Europe embraced the idea that eggs had life-giving associations. In Ukraine, people began the practice of “writing” the eggs, called pysanky (from the word pysaty, meaning “to write”). They adorned them with symbols such as the sun, a triangle, or lines that encircle the egg.
Pysanky eggs are hand-drawn creations — first in pencil using guidelines to section off an egg into a grid pattern, and then with detail within the grid. Afterwards, pencil lines are covered with beeswax and layered with colors of dye, similar to the batik work done on fabric.
But the intricacy of the design is not what makes a pysanka beautiful. Even simple patterns can be just as striking as detailed ones. The key to a beautiful traditional pysanka is symmetry and precision (although symmetry does not always play a role in contemporary patterns). By precision, I mean that the design is drawn within a grid that has been laid out meticulously, usually with a tape measure. If a pysanky is only divided in half, each half will measure exactly the same. Similarly, in quadrants, each will measure exactly the same. The entire design, whether simple or detailed, depends on these first measurements to be exact. This is especially important if the egg will be very intricate!
The early spring tradition became a beautiful Easter tradition.
For Christians, the Easter egg is symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Painting Easter eggs is an especially beloved tradition in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches where the eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. Easter eggs are blessed by the priest at the end of the Paschal vigil and distributed to the congregants. The hard shell of the egg represents the sealed Tomb of Christ, and cracking the shell represents Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Moreover, historically Christians would abstain from eating eggs and meat during Lent, and Easter was the first chance to eat eggs after a long period of abstinence. (Orthodox Christians continue to abstain from eggs during Lent.)
Easter egg hunts and egg rolling are two popular egg-related traditions. An egg hunt involves hiding eggs outside for children to run around and find on Easter morning. Eggs are rolled as a symbolic re-enactment of the rolling away of the stone from Christ’s tomb. In the United States, the Easter Egg Roll is an annual event that is held on the White House lawn each Monday after Easter.
Visit our FB page and let us know what your Easter Egg Traditions might be. Do you hide eggs for the family to find on Easter morning? Is it a family event to color Easter eggs?
Be sure to stop by and see these beautiful pysanky eggs. We don’t have many, but they are beautiful. We’ll be watchin’ for ya!
After centuries of writing with quills dipped in ink, people in the 1800s began embracing fountain pens with internal ink reservoirs that were filled with eyedroppers. Almost until the end of the century, fountain pens were notoriously fickle devices. They routinely leaked and the flow of ink onto the writing surface was uneven.
Fountain pens have always served as the quintessential combination of beauty, tradition, and dexterity. But did you know they’re also tools of environmental consciousness? Join our tour of the fountain pen’s history, infinite varieties, and remarkable powers. With tips for shopping and maintenance. By TIM REDMOND
Thirty-two years ago, when I was a young writer struggling to pay the rent and eat, I walked into an art supply store in San Francisco and put down $120 for a pen.
My friends thought I was nuts: that was, literally, half a month’s rent, a month’s groceries. A pack of ten ballpoint pens went for a buck; what on Earth was I thinking?
Collecting fountain pens has its own vocabulary, just like any other collectible. CLICK HERE for the basics of fountain pens.
Fountain Pen Nibs
A fountain pen nib is the metal writing point at the end of the writing instrument. Virtually all quality fountain pens use solid gold nibs, both for their durability and for the smoothness of the writing experience they provide. Cheaper steel and gold-plated nibs, on the other hand, have a tendency to deteriorate and are harder to customize or repair, whereas a solid gold nib can last a lifetime (and more).
Tin can containers with advertising have always been popular.
Tin containers are loved for decoration, especially when enjoying the many colors and designs from their advertising. Some are very collectible. But they’re nearly all quite utilitarian. They make perfect storage containers for a very wide variety of items from bags of flours to cookies, yarns to crayons, and just about anything you might think of.
Tin Trays offer everything from advertising, to tourism messages, and symbols of the states.
Tin trays have been used for their primary use – carrying things. But tin trays have also been used for wall decorations or to hold things on shelves and tables. They come in pretty much every shape and size. Many collectors love them for their advertising as well.
Here at Bahoukas we also have a wonderful assortment of decorative, tin signs. Some have old advertisements on them, others are just great images, like the surfboards in the one pictured to the left.
Stop in and see the many tin collectibles we have at Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum. Then think about the creative ways you might use them in your home or office, or which ones you might add to your collection.
Of course, you’ve seen our Christmas Tree decorated with PEZ! And we have a huge selection in our shop. Did you know that George has an entire room in his home dedicated to PEZ. Yup, he sure does!
Canning labels are very collectible and can add to your kitchen decor as well.
Canning was a major industry in Havre de Grace for many decades. And collecting canning labels is a passion for many. Our label reprints make for some very colorful items to create decorative pieces especially for your kitchen.
We encourage you to visit Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum to discover our many ‘collections.’ George really is a “Collector of Collections”! We’ll be watchin’ for ya!
Do you think you know what’s hiding in the 9,000+ sq ft of antiques at Bahoukas? Well, you might just want to stop by and see how diverse we really are.
Amazing sculptures at Bahoukas in Havre de Grace
Here’s a sampling of some beautiful wood sculptures. They’re just one of the many unique pieces of art you might find to delight the perfect person on your holiday gift list.
You really do want to drop in and spend some time browsing all our shelves and nook and crannies. It’s astounding just what you’ll find.
You never ever know what you might discover in all the treasures at Bahoukas. While gathering photos for more blog posts, this most beautiful sculpture was discovered on a high shelf. You have to stop in and see it for yourself. It’s beautiful.
Of course, it’s been mentioned that George is having some big sales this month on glass and record albums. Well, I’m not sure what all is included… but check out this amazing blue glass that just arrived in the last couple weeks.
If you don’t know by now, George is always willing to make a deal. Stop in and see for yourself. In the meantime, here’s a bit more beautiful glass for every taste:
Now doesn’t this look festive for the Holidays! Or maybe you prefer one or two of these beautiful pieces. They would add wonderful beauty reflecting candles and lights at your holiday table.
Hopefully, we’re on your to-do list to visit for that special decorating idea you have or the perfect gift for someone on your gift list. Yes, we are here and waiting to say, “Welcome!”
Look at this wreath and tell me you wouldn’t love it! CLICK HERE for the directions on how to create!
We have a variety of unique rolling pins as well as a number of large wooden spoons used for decoration.
Are you crafty? There are some fun ways to use these items to create a beautiful gift. You have time – we have the items to help you out!
Need ideas? CLICK HERE for a great article offering 16 decorative ideas using old rolling pins. If you create something, be sure to send us a photo!
Oh my, there are some beautiful ideas for gifts created from old hankies. Check out AllWomensTalk.com for some wonderful and fairly easy crafts. You can also try your crafty fingers with those old doilies that many of remember our grandmothers having on their furniture. Visit this site for some beautiful ideas that are even in time for Christmas gifting or decorating! NOTE: This site loads slowly due to ads, but the ideas are definitely worth it!
Besides having the perfect numbers for your house, these metal numbers might be a perfect addition to a craft. Have you considered that? No? Well, at Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum, we have ‘Surprise Boxes’ scattered throughout the store.
CLICK HEREfor some ideas that will get your creative juices flowing. Our numbers are a few inches tall. But if you’re ‘crafty,’ these examples just may be the spark you need! One idea, paint them with different colors and use them for the kids’ bedroom or playroom!!! FUN!
Put your creativity hat on and consider how you might upcycle these treasures. Yep, We’ll be watchin’ for ya.
While sorting some items in the shop, we realized that our reproduction canning labels are truly beautiful. Most are $5 each and we can order more and get them back in a day. (We also have some ‘original, collectible, canning labels if you desire those. Priced a bit higher.)
Anyway, check out the artwork. WOW! The photos don’t do justice to how great these actually look. (We took photos through a vinyl covering.)
Could you imagine decoupaging some of these beautiful canning labels for unique kitchen decor!
Beautiful. Oh, not sure what decoupage is:
Decoupage or Découpage is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf and other decorative elements. Commonly, an object like a small box or an item of furniture is covered by cutouts from magazines or from purpose-manufactured papers. from Wikipedia
Look around. You can create beautiful coasters, cover a cutting board or that wood knife holder on your counter, a tray (metal or wood), cupboard doors, jars, and more. Beautiful, unique, and truly your own! Stop by Bahoukas Antique Mall today and plan your holiday gift or creative decor items. We’ll be watchin’ for ya!
Lionel Barrymore is best known for his character “Mr. Potter” in the 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life. Of course he is known for many other performances in movies, stage and radio. But did you know he was also …
Composer; graphic artist; novelist
Barrymore also composed music. His works ranged from solo piano pieces to large-scale orchestral works, such as “Tableau Russe,” which was performed twice in Dr. Kildare’s Wedding Day (1941), first by Nils Asther on piano and later by a full symphony orchestra. His piano compositions, “Scherzo Grotesque” and “Song Without Words”, were published by G. Schirmer in 1945. Upon the death of his brother John in 1942, he composed a memoriam, which was performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra. He also composed the theme song of the radio program Mayor of the Town.
Barrymore was a skillful graphic artist, creating etchings and drawings. For years, he maintained an artist’s shop and studio attached to his home in Los Angeles. Some of his etchings were included in the Hundred Prints of the Year.
He wrote a historical novel, Mr. Cantonwine: A Moral Tale (1953). from Wikipedia
This place mat is titled “San Pedro” and is part of a set created by Lionel Barrymore.
We have a beautiful set of dinner mats (place mats) from this well known actor who would rather sketch than act. He loved the sea. This beautiful set of place mats would be wonderful on your table or even, perhaps, framed and hung on a wall. They were originally “presented with the compliments and good wishes of The Holland Mfg. Company of Baltimore, NY.”
This place mat is titled “Point Pleasant” and is part of a set created by Lionel Barrymore.
A few other unique pieces tucked among our 2200 sq ft of wonderful antiques and collectibles include these smaller pieces. On the left is an adorable baby with teddy bear that has a curved cover with black decoration, painted by Charlotte Cox Becker. Born in 1901 and died in 1984, she lived and worked in both Germany and the U.S. and is best known for children’s book illustration, figure and genre, lithography. Her baby pictures were very popular and still are today. We do not have any information on the silhouettes.
As you have seen here, art is very much a part of the wonderful discoveries you might make when browsing the many shelves and corners of Bahoukas Antique Mall and Beer MuZeum. We look forward to giving you a warm ‘hello’ next time you drop by. See you soon!
This beautiful model from a local estate just arrived this past week at Bahoukas. It’s an 18 gun, 3 masts with 15 sails.
Construction
Galleons were constructed from oak (for the keel), pine (for the masts) and various hardwoods for hull and decking. Hulls were usually carvel-built. The expenses involved in galleon construction were enormous. Hundreds of expert tradesmen (including carpenters, pitch-melters, blacksmiths, coopers, shipwrights, etc.) worked day and night for months before a galleon was seaworthy. To cover the expense, galleons were often funded by groups of wealthy businessmen who pooled resources for a new ship. Therefore, most galleons were originally consigned for trade, although those captured by rival states were usually put into military service.
The most common gun used aboard a galleon was the demi-culverin, although gun sizes up to demi-cannon were possible.
Because of the long periods often spent at sea and poor conditions on board, many of the crew often perished during the voyage; therefore advanced rigging systems were developed so that the vessel could be sailed home by an active sailing crew a fraction of the size aboard at departure. …From Wikipedia
This model is 51 inches long, 41 inches tall, and 8 inches wide. All wood. An absolutely exquisite model. We do not know who built her, but she’s a beauty!
The most distinguishing features of the galleon include the long prominent beak or beakhead followed by a fore-mast and main-mast, both noticeably taller than the single or double lateen-rigged mizzenmasts with their sloped lateen-rig yards, and below those the square Quarter gallery at the stern. On average with three masts, in larger galleons, a fourth mast was added, usually another lateen-rigged mizzen, called the bonaventure mizzen. …From Wikipedia
Here’s a wee bit closer view. She presently sits in our front window. Stop by and check her out. When the called Spanish Galleons – “Sea Castles” – it’s easy to understand when you see this model. Click this link for a little more history from Pirates & Privateersblog.
Of course, always amazing ‘finds’ at Bahoukas Antique Mall in Havre de Grace!
Several of these pieces are from Ghana. They’re tucked here and there throughout the store. We gathered a few pieces of our beautiful art for you for this photo (apologies for the blur). There are many wonderful items from around the world. You’ll find the perfect art for your home or office.
The Secret?
… leaving yourself plenty of time to browse our more than 9,000 sq ft of amazing antiques and collectibles. There are many, many, more beautiful art pieces to be discovered. Will we see you soon!?
