Thursday, May 31, 2012

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Folk Art Bust by Ernest "Popeye" Reed



Folk art bust of an American Indian by Ernest "Popeye" Reed. Reed's work is in several major museum collections, including the American Folk Art Museum.

Available at Anonymous Works.

Pair of Folk Art Portrait Busts



Sold at Doyle, August 10, 2010, for $2,000.00 (w/o premium).

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Erotic Foundry Pot




Late 19th century or early 20th century blacksmith's erotic foundry pot. Simple abstract breasts transform this utilitarian object beautifully.

Available at Anonymous Works.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Votes for Women

1903 Suffragette defaced penny. Collection of the British Museum.

Museum description:
In 1896, the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) was founded, to act as an umbrella organisation for the many local societies, and to work with sympathetic members of parliament. Despite some early successes, including the second reading of a private member bill in 1897, the South African War (1898-1902) meant that Parliament’s attention was focussed elsewhere.
In 1903, after the end of the war, the campaign gained a new impetus, and women’s suffrage was once again debated in parliament. In the same year, in Manchester, a more radical group, the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) was founded by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter. Their frustration with the NUWSS meant that from 1905 onwards WSPU used new tactics including civil disobedience, rallies and demonstrations.
This coin – a perfectly ordinary penny minted in 1903 – was part of this civil disobedience. Stamped with the suffragette slogan “votes for women”, it circulated as small change, and spread the message of the campaigners. At the time, defacing a coin was a serious criminal offence, and the perpetrators risked a prison sentence had they been caught. We don’t know when the slogan was stamped on this coin, but stamping it on small change rather than a silver coin meant that it was less likely to be taken out of circulation by the banks. The message could have circulated for many years, until the law giving women the same voting rights as men was passed in 1928.

More here.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Relic Man



Civil War battlefield relic of an abstract folk art lead man. Found in Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Available at Anonymous Works.

Early Kentucky Hunting Dog Collar






Early Kentucky spiked hunting dog collar.

Seller's description:
This wonderful mid to late 1800s example of American folk ingenuity was recently discovered in rural Bourbon County, Kentucky and is hand crafted from scraps of leather harness and 21old square nails. Collars like this were made for hunting dogs to protect them in encounters with ferocious wildlife and this example was thoughtfully crafted with two wide leather bands for maximum comfort to the dog and maximum discomfort for its enemy. (Note the spikes were only located on the top and sides of the collar so that the dog would not injure itself). It measures 5 ½” inside diameter x 1 ½” wide leather and the nails project app. 1 ½”. It is intact and stable but somewhat brittle and dirty from years of neglect. 

Available here.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Sun Face

Circa 1780 Colonial coat button with sun face design.

Available at Early American History Auctions.

Early Bart Simpson


Mid 19th century wooden dovecote. Available at Scott Estepp Gallery.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Brush Symmetry



19th century brush with symmetrical design of women's legs and geometric shapes.

Available at Anonymous Works.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

An Early 20th Century Circus Archive





















Hundreds of early 20th century circus photos in three scrapbooks, likely owned by an old circus performer named Jack Haines. Some incredible photos. Available here.

Link to the photos: http://circusgoldeneye.shutterfly.com/pictures/8