Our October 2009 meeting was hosted by Lynne Sanford. She treated us to an interesting presentation on aprons. She shared her collection with us and a few other Questers brought theirs to show as well.

Lynne brought copies of the following, which we took turns reading aloud:

I don¹t think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had
been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the
trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace
that Œold-time apron that served so many purposes.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron, except maybe a little
love and caring.

July 15, 2009 found us at the American Ranch clubhouse where Eleanor Sigmon treated us to artifacts and information about "the Ranch." 

The May meeting was hosted by Joan Brown. Members brought an antique and shared its story. Joan showed her porcelain cocoa set.

Dana brought her biggest and littlest dolls.

Dinny shared a book on Faberge, Tiffany and Lalique from a San Francisco exhibition.

Pat showed us gifts from missionaries.

Eleanor had a sample of Lenox sterling silver overlay.

Debra shared Victorian hair art.

Donna's piece was a mothers' day platter which was handmade.

Bev displayed some menus.

Nan had a unique watch.

Lynne brought a tree made of jewelry.

Elaine Horne hosted our February 19, 2009 meeting at her home. She presented a program on miniature perfumes:

Our ancestors did not bathe very often and probably didn't smell great most of the time. There was no such thing as deodorant and taking a bath could be quite a chore. It is no wonder that the perfume business was so incredibly popular back in the "old days. The mixture of the contents dictated the size of the bottle that they were put into. The perfume containers, or bottles as we know them, were exquisitely designed by fine craftsmen.

There are four types of bottles:

Perfume: a liquid mixture of aromatic spirits with alcohol

Cologne: similar to perfume but containing more alcohol so it is not as strong or as long lasting

Toilet Water: similar to cologne but even more diluted; made to be used as a skin freshener or splash

Scent: perfume with ammonia salts, used for reviving

Scent bottles were generally very small. They usually had a metal screw top to keep the ammonia inside the bottle with the top was taken off; a sharp perfume ammonia vapor came out which would revive a person who had fainted. These were most frequently used on women and were extremely popular due to those very tight corsets and many layers of clothing women had to wear in those days.

Scent bottles were frequently free blown in a wide array of brilliant colors and shapes. By the 1800's they were often mold-made with the most popular colors being greens, blues, and yellows. These often had either a screw top or a metal stopper with a cork on the bottom of it. Scent bottles were often made to fit into one's glove or to be tucked into a sleeve for use when needed or to hang on a chain, often as a piece of jewelry, around a woman's neck or on a chatelaine around her waist.

Miniature perfume bottles are and were created by perfume companies to introduce and promote new fragrances to the perfume market. They are usually exact replicas of the larger perfume bottles and contain the same quality fragrances. They are, empty or full, collectibles and some may never be produced again. Naturally the smaller bottles are more affordable than full-sized bottles and less space is needed to display them, not forgetting the fun and enjoyment in acquiring them!

There is evidence that the Egyptians were probably the first civilization to use perfumes on a large scale. They were used in religious ceremonies, in the embalming ceremony for their dead, and in their private lives for personal use. Every society known to exist has used scents in one fashion or another and is a tradition that has become part of our social culture today.

Our December meeting was hosted by Pat Ireland-Williams and included a holiday ornament exchange.

The program was presented by Terri James who told us "All About Mr. Peanut" complete with many items from her collection

Bev Wright hosted our October 16th meeting and presented "A Brief History of Stereographs, Stereoscopes, and View-Masters." As you can see, we had fun playing with her many examples.

Stereographs (also known as stereograms, stereoviews and stereocards) present 3-D views of their objects, enabling armchair tourists to have a "you are there" experience.  The term stereo" is derived from the Greek word for "solid".  American doctor and writer Oliver Wendell Holmes remarked that this "solid" view gave the person a truer picture compared to the flat image of a postcard, drawing, or painting.  Stereographs feature two photographs or printed images positioned side by side about two and half inches apart, one for the left eye and one for the right.  When a viewer uses a stereoscope, these two flat images are combined into a single image that gives the illusion of depth.

Stereoscopes work the way that vision works.  Since our two eyes are positioned about two inches apart, we see everything from two slightly different angles, which our brain then processes into a single picture that has spatial depth and dimension.  In 1838 Charles Wheatstone published a paper providing the scientific basis for stereography.  Wheatstone used drawings rather than photographs.

In 1830s and 1840s scientists such as Niepce, Daguerre, and Talbot created the processes that made photography possible and these were soon used to produce stereographs.  In 1850 Sir William Brewster invented an inexpensive viewing device for stereographs called the lenticular stereoscope.  This device is a closed box that has one or two openings for light; two lenses are located on the top and enable the viewer to see a 3-D image on the floor of the box.

In 1851 with London‚s Great Exhibition exposure and praise given by Queen Victoria the stereoscope gained enormous popularity. In America Oliver Wendell Holmes invented a hand viewer and promoted the creation of stereograph libraries.

At first stereographs were produced as daguerreotypes (printed on copper) and ambrotypes (printed on glass).  But once they began to be printed on card stock (less expensive and more stable), their popularity increased dramatically.  At first the card stock appeared flat, then B.W. Killburn in the 1880s found that a slight curvature could increase the illusion of depth.  Thereafter, the "warped" looking cards became more prominent. At first two cameras were rigged to capture the images.  Eventually cameras with multiple lenses were used.

The stereographs were popular in the parlor, but were also used for educational purposes. With the advent of the movies stereographs waned with the 1930s seeing the last of their production. But the concept was not gone.  The idea lives today in the View-Master, one of the 50 best toys of the 20th century.  Sawyer Photo Services sold photo postcards and albums as souvenirs.   In 1926 its president Harold Graves met William Gruber, a German immigrant and organ maker, on vacation with both men involved in photography.  Through this chance meeting the pair joined forces and created View-Master in 1938. 

At first it was an educational tool aimed at adults.  The U.S. military purchased many millions of reels to aid with artillery spotting and aircraft identification during WWII.  As was the stereoscope, it was a popular parlor tourist viewing item as well.  Again as with the stereoscope, a great fair - New York World's Fair in 1939 - increased its popularity. 

Sawyer's did not have the field to themselves, so they purchased the main competition Tru-Vue in 1951.  With that came the licensing rights to Walt Disney Studios.  From there the reels quickly began to target children's subjects.

In 1966 GAF (General Aniline & Film) purchased Sawyer's.  They produced now-classic TV series on the reels.  In 1977 GAF produced a goof that collectors seek.  The company switched from Kodak film to a poor quality variety that over time turned red.

In 1981 GAF sold View-Master to Ekco Housewares for $24 million.  In 1987 View-Master was purchased by Ideal Toy Company and became known as View-Master International (VMI).

In 1989 View-Master was sold to Tyco Toys.  Tyco merged with Mattel in 1997.  Mattel has shifted the View-Master to the subsidiary Fisher-Price.

In all, there were about 25 different models of viewers and 1.5 billion reels produced.  Every reel was made to work in any model ever produced.

 

 

Eleanor Sigmon presented a program on candles and candlesticks at her home for our July 24th meeting. She told us:

Candles were developed about 3000 B.C.  They were originally made of tallow, a form of rendered animal fat.  In the 17th and 18th centuries, sperm oil was the favored candle material.  Today, the much less odorous paraffin wax is used.  This was developed just ahead of kerosene.  Candles are slow burning and smoky.  While the odor of the smoke may not have been pleasant, it was certainly preferable to an earlier era when a wick was inserted into an oily fish and lit.

From 5000 BC there were lamps crafted from stones, shells, and pottery which used olive, sesame, fish, castor, whale and nut oil, depending on availability.  There are also records of the early use of fireflies to provide man with a source of convenient light.  Because of the safety issue and the problem of vermin drinking the oils and the attraction of insect to the light, oil reservoir lamps were developed about 500 BC.

The function of the candlestick has always been to hold a candle in a position of safety, so as to avoid damage by fire from the flame and to prevent mess from molten wax or grease.  A prudent 18th century lady, Mrs. Whatman, noted that "the first thing a housekeeper should teach her new servant is to carry her candle upright."  Over the years, the candlestick has taken many forms˜from the miner's light to hang on a spike in a wall, to elaborately designed objects created for more sophisticated surroundings.

A pair of silver candlesticks was presented to Westminster Abbey in about 1250 by Henry III, while two centuries later Henry VI owned a pair of gold ones set with 4 sapphires, 4 rubies, 4 emeralds, and 24 pearls.  I suppose such candlesticks were considered jewelry for your dining table.

Wars and other disorders have periodically resulted in the destruction of valuables˜especially those owned by the church.  Gold and silver were easily melted down by the unscrupulous to be unrecognizable.  The changes in style have also added to the melting of older styles to make newer ones.

When tin was considered a valuable commodity, pewter was melted down to make other forms of kitchenware and even cannon balls.  Therefore, some old forms are rare˜especially early American forms.  There was not always the present-day reverence for anything old and an heir did not hesitate to dispose of inherited possessions in return for a more modern pattern. Most surviving metal candlesticks are brass.

Candles were the best, but most costly form of light in the 1700‚s and 1800‚s.  Provided they were regularly trimmed, they gave off less smoke and they would last for several hours.  For most people a single candle would have lit the parlour and would have guided them to bed.  For the halls of the wealthy, many dozens of candles gave a fine light.  Country folk used candles made from mutton fat or tallow that they made themselves.  The rich used beeswax and in town they would have bought candles from a chandler.

The difficulty of removing the stub of a used candle got the attention of inventive minds.  Not only could a fresh candle not be inserted in the holder until the old one had been taken away, but the economical could remit the recovered piece.  At first it was sufficient to have a hole at the side of the socket so that a short length of wire or stick could be inserted to pry up the stub. In the early years of the 18th century the hollow stems of many brass candlesticks were fitted with ejectors, that worked by pushing upwards on a bottom placed in the center of the base or at the side of the hollow stem.

Pewter (Britannia) candlesticks were nothing like as common as examples in brass, but were made in considerable quantities and most homes prior to 1700 would have had one or more examples.  Only a handful of candlesticks made before 1600 have survived and the 17th century patterns are very rare.  Pewter candlesticks were never marked with anything. 

As the candle was replaced by gas and oil, the candlestick gradually lost its former importance and the attention paid to its design diminished.  In the last quarter of the 19th century, there was a revival of interest in plain furnishings.  A return to candlelight, however romantic it may have been thought, was limited in the face of modern illuminants.  The candle was reserved for the poor, religious ceremonies, as a reliable standby in emergencies and to provide atmosphere at the dinner table.

Marilyn Jenkins was our hostess for our May 15 meeting at her home. She presented a program on Roseville and Hull pottery. She had displayed her pieces, which had belonged to her mother, as well as one of Bev's.

Mr. Hull purchased an Ohio company in 1905. In 1917 the factory was renamed AE Hull Pottery Company. The pottery made there was matte with shades of blue, pink, and brown predominating.

Fire destroyed the company but in 1952 it was reopened as Hull Pottery Company. A new modern style was adopted. The pieces were glossy. Dinnerware was also produced at this time until the factory was closed in 1986.

There were many flower patterns and each piece was identified with a number and the first letter of the flower name.

The Roseville company was established in Roseville, Ohio in 1892. The pottery was made to be useful, holders such as pitchers and basins.

A lot of pottery and glass has been made in Ohio because of the clay.

Roseville began making art pottery in 1900; it was more for decoration than usefulness.

Nan, left, and Joanne

Our March meeting was hosted by Nan Hunter at her home. Joanne Hammond presented our "show and tell" on textiles. She gave us some background information and then asked all the members to share their vintage and antique pieces. Guest Kay Lange also shared her weaving talents with us.

Our January 17 meeting was hosted by Cam Waguespack at her home.

Victoria Clark, (shown second from right) Questers State First Vice President, from Sedona gave a very enjoyable and informational presentation (in period costume) as Marguerite Staude, an artist/sculptor, who designed and built the Chapel of the Holy Cross in 1955 (dedicated in 1956 to her parents).

Butter Prints and Molds Presented by Alice Obrenovich, June 21, 2007   Butter is credited as an accidental invention by herdsmen transporting milk.  They were the first people to use butter as a cooking fat.  Butter comes from the Greek word bouturon or cow cheese.   In the Middle Ages in England it was known as buten and was used in food preparation.  The use of butter in America began with European settlers.  It was made in churns in homes.  Any surplus was sold to neighbors or at a market.   Our language has several butter expressions, things have a buttery taste, and to butter up means to flatter or beguile.   Good butter was highly prized and expensive to buy as there was a lot of poor quality about.  Good qualities were:  firmness, color, flavor and well worked.   At a market in PA, women went from stall to stall tasting butter with a wood splinter, a coin or a fingernail before making a selection.  But this thumb sucking was not considered proper so they began using pieces of pearl shell for tasting.   Prints and molds were developed to shape and mark quantities of butter from a small pat to a larger piece that sold for just a few cents.  These were very primitive, others very artistically carved.  Today these are considered folk art, and can be found in museums, antique shops and private collections.   Some common carvings used were flowers, plants, animals, birds, geometric shapes, tulips, whirls, crescents, and pinwheels.  Sometimes the owner's names or initials were used.   Many different shapes of prints were used.  The first prints were just carved into a piece of wood shaped to grasp with a hand.  Others had finger holds carved into them, then proper handles were developed.   Some prints had side or top handles and could be carved on either side with a different design.  Butter boards were also used from the 1600's.  Other prints could be round, square, rectangular or oval.   Two piece molds were developed.  The butter was put into the mold and a plunger pushed it out.  Early ones were just boxes with plungers.  Then other shapes appeared with carved plungers.  Glass and metal molds were also made.  The use of a turning wheel added more possibilities of shapes and decorations.   Today we mold or mark butter only for special occasions.  It is much easier to buy butter without having to make it.