Do you ever have those days when you see something that flips a switch and all of a sudden other the things fall into context? The bridge tablecloth and napkin set in this week’s fresh to market vintage did that. Or more specifically, Pam writing that “bridge may not be as popular as it once was” made us wonder when bridge was at peak popularity. Bridge peaked during the 1930s-1950s. 44% of US households played bridge according to a 1941 survey. It was a massive trend. And just like that, we realized why we see so many linen bridge sets and glass snack sets from that era.
Lots of vintage lovers connected those dots eons ago. But for at least one of us, knowing that a tablecloth for a card table and four matching napkins is called a bridge set and knowing that snack sets peaked in the 1940s and 1950s never meshed together to tell us that the popularity of bridge was tied to their rise and decline.
And now we wonder, what other bits of trend history are floating around in our brain, unattached to other information that would give it context? It we ride on a carnival tilt-a-whirl a couple of times will those facts sort themselves out and come together? We have so many Thoughts now…but we also have four new fresh to market vintage picks for you to enjoy.
1960s Mt. Sunapee, NH Tourism Poster
Lucking into a roll of these vintage Mt. Sunapee ski area posters was like being the first one to ski down a trail in the morning. They’ve never been displayed, so the colors are nice and crisp. The paper has less aging than you would expect. Dating this poster was a challenge. The ski boots are about ankle height. The carved totem on the lodge deck was built in 1964. The printing isn’t detailed enough to see what kind of bindings are on the skis. So based on the outfits and the boots, we’re guestimating it’s from the late 1960s, early 1970s.
Mt. Sunapee New Hampshire Ski Area Promotional Poster, $195.
Laurie, NextStage Vintage
Antique Clothes Brush and Raffia Holder c 1920s
We purchased this antique clothes brush in its woven holder at an estate sale in a small town in South Dakota in the 1970s. We were told it had been a wedding gift when the homeowners were married in the 1920s, which was discovered packed away in the attic of the home, unused. Yes, the VU team believes that “friends don’t let friends buy fake vintage,” but we also think you should use what you have or, at a minimum, display it so that others can enjoy it. The latter is what I’ve done since I’ve owned it, integrating it into a display of handwoven baskets and early American textiles on a wall in our living area.
Clothes Brush in Woven Raffia Holder, $90
Linda, Selective Salvage
Appliquéd Bridge Tablecloth Set
I remember my aunts playing bridge on Sundays. They were a lively group that met each week to talk, eat, and play. While bridge may not be as popular as it once was, the idea of getting together for games and food has never gone out of style. This set made to fit a card table includes four matching napkins and would work just as well inside for game night this winter as it will for drinks on the patio this summer.
Bridge Tablecloth and Napkin Set, $24.95
Pam, Vintage Renude
Antique Gilt Wall Mirror
The early days of a new year finds a lot of us looking in the mirror and thinking thoughts, making resolutions and taking stock in general. It goes better when you do it in a beautiful mirror like this antique round gilt mirror. It’s got flaws, but you do too and you are no where near as old as it is.
Selling mirrors online takes some moral fortitude. The first hurdle is product photography. Mirrors, as it turns out, are reflective. Reflective has to be dealt with in one of three ways: figure out how to photograph the mirror so it’s reflecting something blank like a ceiling or wall, set the mirror so it reflects something appealing or surrender and include yourself in the photo. This mirror has a smashing reflection of the room with bonus points awarded for the cameo by a pooch.
The second hurdle is shipping. When a mirror has survived decades upon decades, you don’t want to be the cause of its demise due to bad packing. It takes some craftiness and skill to do up a wall mirror properly, so we salute the sellers who execute shipping mirrors with style. If you’re buying the mirror of your dreams, don’t let the shipping cost put you off. You want it packed right, which means its going to be in a generously sized box and the shipping cost is going to reflect that box size.
Antique ornate gilt wall mirror, $109.
Available from this week’s guest, Brooke Bonordon, BrookesNookVintage
Vintage gives us all kinds of context to things that were happening in the world at the time. Some of them are responses to seismic events, like the influx of Japanese-made goods after the end of WWII. And some show decor trends that peaked at a particular time, like paintings on velvet. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together is half the fun of vintage.
You know how when you lose a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, it drives you buggy looking for it? You know something is missing, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. That’s what you life is like if you don’t subscribe to Vintage Unscripted‘s email newsletter. You have a thought that you’re missing out on something new about things that are old, but you can’t remember what it is. Subscribers get one email a week with links to all our posts from the previous week. And we would sooner play the poorly conceived 2013 version of Candy Land with a spinner instead of cards than ever share your info.
