Origins Of The Hanky
In a 1940′s copy of Modern Woman magazine, this lore on the history of the handkerchief — attributing the hankie to Marie Antoinette.
View ArticleAdorable Vintage Childrens Wooden Hangers
I don’t know where Joan “No More Wire Hangers, Ever!” Crawford stood on wooden hangers, but I’m guessing she wasn’t a fan. However, these cute vintage wooden hangers for the nursery might have made her...
View ArticleVintage Birthday Greetings From Goldilocks & The Three Bears
This vintage greeting card has birthday wishes from Goldilocks and Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear, aka The Three Bears. Along with the cute illustrations (there are even three bowls of porridge on...
View ArticleSweet Vintage Glass Storage Jars For The Nursery
I spotted this charming set of glass storage jars with lids at a Minnesota antique mall. Obviously for the nursery, the frosted glass jars have white bunny rabbits. The jars are labeled with...
View ArticleShould You Finish Or Repair An Antique Or Vintage Quilt?
At Bluebird Gardens, Charlotte Ekker Wiggins answers the question, “If I buy a vintage quilt top, and then quilt and finish it, does this reduce its value?” And I just love how she answers: If you are...
View ArticleWhat’s In Store? Real Photo Postcards, 1907
One of the most fascinating areas of collecting antique and vintage photographs are those images showing the interior of shops and retails stores — like these real photo postcards, circa 1907. Notice...
View ArticleRide A Cockhorse
The seller of this real photo photo postcard (RPPC) featuring two children with a rocking horse, says it’s from Central Pennsylvania, circa 1910s. You can’t help but wonder if the older sister is...
View ArticleAntique Advertising In Japanese Travel Guide
More scans from that antique, turn of the century, Japan travel guide; these are advertisements found in the back of the book. S. Nishimura, “one price silk store,” founded in 1604. K. Kawata, another...
View ArticleCharming, Yes; Charmin, No. (Identifying & Valuing Vintage Prints Of Children)
I’ve been running into a lot of new collectors of vintage and antique things at Listia; I kind of feel like I’m becoming a resident expert, both it terms of being able to help folks and because of the...
View ArticleMothers Say The Darndest Things
Did you ever notice that as a mother you have all these little odd sayings… Weird sing-songy ways of announcing bed time, meal time, to comfort your children, etc. Some of them were handed down to you...
View ArticleVanity: Thy Name Is Woman
One of the things I love most about this vintage photo of a woman (obviously showing off her stockings in an erotic “French postcard” way) is the old boudoir doll on the vanity. You don’t see a lot of...
View ArticleNaughty Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens
Would you trust them to mind your coats and hats? What about your children’s belongings? I spotted this vintage wooden novelty coat rack in an antique mall. Painted blue and white, the cat tails are...
View ArticleAirspun In Central Park
This photo, titled Makeup, Central Park, was taken by Frank Paulin 1955. The photograph itself is a 20 x 16 inches gelatin silver print, signed and dated on verso. But what’s most fascinating to me is...
View ArticleOf Valentino, Mineralava Beauty Pageants & Pink Powder Puffs
As a feminist, I have a complicated, conflicted, relationship with beauty pageants. But this vintage booklet from the 1923 Mineralava Beauty Pageant fascinates me because of the man involved: Rudolph...
View ArticleVintage Chalkware Baby Statue With Removable Diapers
This vintage chalkware piece isn’t as creepy (or racist) as these vintage chalkware babies, but there’s still something creepy about the “hair” spray-painted on it… It reminds me of the old...
View ArticleA Back To School Primer On Collecting Vintage Dick & Jane Books
Dick and Jane books are among the most popularly collected school books. This is because the series of books was used for over 40 years in American schools. That’s millions of children who were taught...
View ArticleShake, Rattle, & Roly Poly
These are a few of the vintage baby rattles we have in the case at Exit 55 Antiques. Normally, I am afraid of clowns (one did try to assassinate me once — and that’s all it takes); but somehow a roly...
View ArticleVintage Pin-Ups For The Nursery
Once upon a time, brightly-colored graphics on pressed layers of cardboard in the shape of characters from nursery rhymes, Mother Goose stories, and other childhood tales covered the walls in baby...
View ArticleAntique “Stuffed” Child’s Chair
This lovely antique child’s chair came from the Hammett estate in Sheboygan, WI. As the estate company folks noted, “The family was once listed as one of the 250 most important families in the USA. The...
View ArticleI Love Trash – Cans
But not just any trash cans, mind you; I love the smaller-sized, vintage and retro trashcans more properly called wastebaskets. At first glance, the uninitiated might dismiss these gems for several...
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