As tempting as it feels to forget that 2023 ever happened, I must concede at least that it ended up being an excellent year for collecting. I went through such tremendous challenges both personally and professionally that I didn’t pay much attention to growing or refining my collection, as I usually do. That makes these finds even more outstanding, really: Because I found them all through good fortune when I wasn’t looking.
1. Antique sacred heart watercolor.
This was my first great score of the year & I knew immediately that few new acquisitions would please me more. The sacred heart is a Roses & Rue staple & I’m fortunate to have many beautiful examples, but this one shot straight to the top of my favorites & remains there. It’s larger & older than average: About 14” tall & dating to the turn of the century. It would have been made by a cloistered nun. I love the very visceral mauve she chose & the exaggerated thorns. I hung it where I can admire it every day. Best of all? I found it in a messy booth full of haphazardly stacked yardsale crap… for $4. It’s not just the best (possibly the only) bargain on this list, it’s one of the best bargains I’ve scored EVER.
2. A Miss- Fit ~ Victorian Caricature
This was another early year find from one of my favorite ephemera dealers. I have an avid interest in antique depictions of gender bending or drag. These images always read as queer-coded today, but there was no real concept of "lesbian" as a social identity in the 19th century. Rather, Victorian images of women in "men's" clothes were usually a reaction against women's rights, meant to disparage women who were in any way self-sufficient or independent as inferior in their womanhood. All you had to do to rock the boat was wear a pair of trousers! It's perplexing & sad that 150 odd years later, some people still have total meltdowns because of the clothes other people choose to wear. I wasn't able to find any information on this particular caricature, but I've seen similar ones in Victorian periodicals that feature satirical cartoons, like Godey's, Harper's, & Punch.
3. Victorian parian bust of crying child.
I stumbled onto the field one Sunday morning in the gloomiest of moods, only to find this treasure within minutes. She was a splurge during a lean month, but in all my years of collecting I’ve never had the chance to buy one and know I might not again. It was one of those things! This certainly beats that veiled vestal virgin bust that has become so ubiquitous on instagram. She fits in perfectly with my collection of Victorian memorials and mourning items.
4. Victorian Shadow Box Memorial
It's always a pleasure to take something home from a store I admire so much: I brought this beautiful shadow box memorial home from Anastacia's Antiques on one of my trips to Philly last year. I'd seen it on their Instagram a few weeks prior & was pleasantly surprised that it was still there at a price I could afford. I absolutely adore the wonderfully aged muslin flowers, which perfectly match my decor. I think the cherub at the top might be a later addition, but the contents of the box appear original: Lots of dirt & debris from age inside & the back is nailed shut in a way that looks like it's not been disturbed. I might try to open it at some point to get at the birth certificate I can see tucked behind the wreath & photo.
5. Post Mortem Solar Enlargement
At Brimfield last September, I told my friend, colleague, & Brimfield Buddy, Other Kate (of Dark North Craft & Curio), "I am NOT buying anything for myself this trip. I just splurged on that parian bust on Sunday; I can't."
"You always say that & then you always buy something," she laughed.
Well, hey- Sometimes you just get lucky. On the long trek back to the car with all our loot, we stopped at one more booth where I know Other Kate always finds a few last treasures. I turned a corner and there she was- One of the largest post mortem solar enlargements I've seen in person. I got it at a great deal because the dealers thought the subject was asleep. I have only seen these in the homes of other advanced collectors or at funeral home cleanouts that I never make it to because I hate early mornings & competition. It measures a whopping 30" wide.
The original photo would have been something small from the mid-19th century, like a carte de visite or a 1/6 plate ambrotype. You would draw over the enlarged projection with charcoal, pastels, or crayon. You'll find these enlarged portraits from the mid-19th century all the way through the early 20th century.
6. Wax Valentine Memorial
This is an extraordinary example of two niche interests colliding: I've been fond of Victorian wax valentines under glass domes for my entire collecting career, but I've never, EVER seen a memorial example before. I didn't even know such a thing existed. Usually the subject matter is rather generic: Wax or cloth flowers, animals, children, etc. Sometimes you find religious examples. This one features an angel presiding over a wreathed cemetery monument & two weeping children. We can presume, then, that this composition was designed for bereaved children. I believe the wax molds for these figures were mass produced, so there must be others out there, but I haven't seen any. If you have one, please reach out! I would love to see.
7. Dead Bird Paperweight
The dead bird is one of my favorite motifs in still life paintings & 19th century decorative arts, where sometimes it's simply a hunting motif & other times a memento mori symbol.These high-end paperweights would have adorned the desks of the wealthy, & are challenging to acquire, especially at affordable prices. The bird is life-size, very true to life in detail, and cast in bronze atop a black marble base. I swapped her out for another I already owned to atone for the splurge.
8. Saint Cecilia Parian Figure
Stefano Maderno's life-sized marble sculpture of the incorrupt remains of Saint Cecilia is one of my favorite religious monuments. I've been wanting an antique marble reproduction for a while, but they are always out of my price range. So, I did what the Victorians would have: I bought a less expensive parian version instead.
9. Large Format Post Mortem Photo from Argentina
A good friend was kind enough to take me to this year's Daguerrian Society show in Boston for my birthday. I didn't expect to be able to buy anything, as prices at these shows are often top end of retail, but I simply couldn't walk away from this very unusual, large, beautifully composed post mortem photo from Argentina. I love the profusion of flowers surrounding the coffin: Notice the fragrant lilies & jasmine to cover the odors of death in a warm climate. I purchased it from Argentine dealer Carlos Gabriel Vertanessian: I told my friend that he had the best selection at the fair, & then he won this year's fellowship award. Thank you, Carlos, congrats, & MUCH deserved.
10. Antique nun box
When I was in the first grade, we did a project where we all had to construct dioramas. I seem to recall I filled mine with animals from my stash of Littlest Pet Shop toys, inspired by the taxidermy dioramas at the Museum of Science here in Boston. I have ardently loved all manner of dioramas, miniatures; Things in Little Boxes ever since. Nun boxes are, as with the wax valentine memorial, an area where two of my niche interests collide: Dioramas and cloister work. It was common for cloistered nuns to craft little reproductions of their cells & send them home to family. I love them because they offer a glimpse into the everyday lives of these women who had to live apart from society, whether by choice or by force, & were therefore largely forgotten. They are much more common in Western Europe, where most of my favorite religious items are from; I rarely if ever see them stateside. I did see a very small example from Germany in the 1930s at a doll show in New Hampshire last fall. I coveted it because it was so small- maybe 5 inches wide at max- and because it came with provenance about the sister and her family. Regrettably the piece was far outside my price range.
A few weeks later, I was still daydreaming about this box & decided to just have a look around the internet to see what I could find. I landed on this piece almost immediately, a sheer fluke, & the seller accepted my offer. It doesn't have any provenance, but it's larger & older than the other box I'd seen & perhaps 1/3 of the price. I manifested that as quick as lightning! I only hope in 2024 I get better at manifesting things that are less frivolous.
It feels satisfying to have reached a point where every piece in my collection is special to me & makes me happy. I'm thoroughly content & not actively looking for much of anything these days. Nevertheless, whenever I go out to buy for the shop, inevitably great things come my way. It keeps life exciting: I never know what new surprise is waiting for me at a random booth or fleamarket table.