Art Tucked Among The Antiques

Art IS in The Eye of the Beholder…

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

Placemat with art "San Pedro" by Lionel Barrymore

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.”

Place mat from a collection by Lionel Barrymore, titled "Point Pleasant."

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.

Art pieces available at Bahoukas Antiques include this beautiful child with teddy bear by Charlotte Becker, and two small framed silhouettes: a lady at a spinning wheel and a lady losing her hat in the wind while walking her dog.

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!

70,000 BC and oil lamps are still valuable today

When the power goes out, what do YOU do?

oil - kerosene lamps for home use - one with clear globe - one in orange

The simple oil lamp has a very long history keeping humans safe, working, and comfortable.

After human race first tamed the fire and started to use it as a light source, a need appeared for a smaller, controllable flame – a more sophisticated solution, if you will. First such solution was an oil lamp some 70.000 B.C. Early humans used shells, hollow rocks or any nonflammable material as a container and in it some moss soaked in animal fat which they would ignite and it would burn with a flame.   from History of Oil Lamps

Then in Egypt, Greece, and Rome they began to make the lamps out of man-made materials: terracotta, bronze, stone and alabaster in a shape of a dish that would hold oil and a place for a wick that would prolong burning and prevented the whole surface of the oil to catch fire.

That design stayed the same until the 18th century when Aime Argand, Swiss chemist, invented and patented “Argand Lamp”. His lamp consisted of container for oil as all the other lamps but had cylindrical wick to give larger surface for a larger flame and glass tube chimney around the flame to direct the draft, make a stronger flame and make lamp safer for carrying.    from History of Oil Lamps

Here’s another great link for more details on Aime Argand, the Swiss chemist.

Then in the mid-19th century, kerosene lamps came on to the scene. We still use them today, mostly for ambiance. But, here at Bahoukas Antique Mall we also believe they have utilitarian value. If you’ve endured a nasty winter storm that kept the power off for days or a hurricane that meant battening down the hatches and surviving days without power, you know the value of a kerosene lamp to help you get through the tough times.

But the ordinary oil lamp also shared in the history of our developing country. A simple oil lamp allowed people to stay up later, to work in their barns and sheds, to read in the evening. They were used for signaling in the railroad industry and  to light highways and towns.

railroad, barn and highway oil lamps

On the left is a Pennsylvania Railroad Lantern, 1920s, by Dressel in the U.S.
The middle is a Barn Lantern by Feuerhand of Germany, 1930s.
The Highway Lantern on the right is by Dietz of the U.S., 1930s.

In the days before city lights and GPS, railroad lanterns served a very important purpose: they communicated signals at night between trains and stations. Sometimes, a timely lantern signal meant the difference between life and death. In one romanticized 19th-century story, for example, a 15-year-old girl named Kate Shelley saved the Fast Atlantic Express from a broken bridge by alerting a station agent, whose lantern signal to the train averted disaster.  from Collectors Weekly

So even today, one of our lamps might just make a power outage a bit more comfortable as you wait for your electric to come back on. Stop by today and see what we have available – lots of styles and sizes!

Long Ignored Joy of Linens

Linens Napkins, Tablecloths, Hankies and more

beautiful vintage linens available at Bahoukas

Vintage Linens are beautiful and often real artistry in their making. But, although we now use tissues instead of cloth hankies, there are some wonderful ways to use vintage linens in today’s lifestyle. Check out this blog post: 15 Cute Ways to Repurpose Vintage Linens.

Here’s a beautiful close up of the detail on some of the pieces available in our store.

detail of beautiful vintage linens

If you’re wondering how to clean vintage linens, we have two links available, PART 1 and PART 2 from Dell’s Daily Dish blog.

Stop in to Bahoukas Antique Mall and browse for the perfect vintage linens to use or to decorate with. Be sure to check out some of the awesome upcycled items created by Barbara of Green Joy!

Kitchen Utensils Aplenty

Vintage Kitchen Utensils Can Add Pizzazz!

box of vintage kitchen utensils at Bahoukas in Havre de Grace MD

a variety of vintage kitchen utensils in a basket available at BahoukasThey may be older, but many function better than their modern-day counterparts. Even more of them are hard to find.

At Bahoukas, we have a wonderful variety of kitchen utensils and decorative items sure to add both function and interest to your kitchen decor.

Check out this great article of 25 Vintage Kitchen Tools You Don’t See Anymore!

I’m willing to bet that we have most of them. Stop by and check it out.

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