When was the last time that you made some kind of useful house tool? We commonly see homemade housewares like clothespin bags, doorstops, bootjacks and paper towel holders. There are lots of decorative things that are handmade, and lots of skilled artisan made housewares you can buy at artisan markets. But one rarely stumbles on a handmade wooden dust pan. You have to admit, the first pick in this week’s fresh to market vintage is a wow.
One can imagine the creation story. It would be relatively simple for someone with modest woodworking skills to throw it together from scrap wood, which would be both easier and more economical than going to the store to buy one. Especially if the nearest store was a few hours drive away. It’s amazing that after all these years, a low-on-the-food-chain household item like an old wooden dust pan still exists. Imagine the number of generations it passed through, any one of which could have sent it to the rubbish heap. And now, instead of ushering crumbs to the trash can, its adorning a shelf as an object to admire. Could the maker ever have imagined that?
As always, we’ve got three other picks in the parade of fresh to market vintage. And they are all very worthy and interesting. But linger for a moment on the dust pan and think of all the messes it has tidied over the years, all the while garnering more vintage charm.
Handmade Wooden Dust Pan c 1920s
Another piece I’d love to know the backstory on. Suppose it was a housewarming gift or a gentle hint that the dust bunnies were out of control? We’ll never know, but the fact that something as mundane as a dust pan has survived says something about the people who appreciate hand-made artifacts as works of art.
Folky Wooden Dust Pan, $55
-Linda, Selective Salvage
White Enamel Flower Brooch
The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time when large enamel brooches were incredibly popular. I remember going to the local drug store and ogling the jewelry counter in awe. On days when I had a few extra dollars in my pocket, I would snag one of these beauties for myself. I still love them.
White Enamel Flower Brooch, $23.95
-Pam, Vintage Renude
Union Made Cigar Makers Pin, MA 1903
It seems that every town or city has something unique in its history. Charles Coulter was a journeyman plumber and a union member who ran for mayor of Brockton, MA, served his term and went on to other pursuits. This pin was to encourage cigar smokers to look for the blue label on cigars which were union made. Another little known bit of history is that in Brockton, in 1890, James Edgar was the first department store Santa Claus for children and shoppers. Another Brockton first is that the theater was the first in the world to have 3-wire electricity!
Brockton MA Fair 1903 Pin, $65
-Mary Ellen, Aunt Hatties Attic
Noritake Azalea Salad Plates
Noritake Azalea pattern china is one of the most popular patterns ever made by the company, largely because it was exclusively available as a premium from the mail-order Larkin Soap Company of Buffalo, NY. It was made from 1918-1941, dates that reflect the Larkin Soap fortunes. The company reached a peak in 1920 with sales of $28.2 million and a sad valley in 1939 with only $2 million in sales. The growth of department and grocery stores, as well as more people owning cars, led to the downfall of the once proud mail-order empire.
There are 50 known forms for the Azalea pattern, some made for short periods of time others for the entire run of the production. That’s a whole lot of hand painting. The popularity of the pattern and that it was kept as “good china” means there is a decent amount on the vintage market, keeping prices lower. It plays nicely in a mix and match set of floral china.
4 Noritake Azalea Salad Plates, $20.
–Laurie, NextStage Vintage
That’s this week’s fresh to market vintage. Variety being the spice of life, this week we served up a decent helping.
We try to bring variety to Vintage Unscripted every week. Four of us with four different interests and four different voices–you never know what we’ll post. We’re often surprised by each other. We want to surprise you, too. The best way not to miss out is to subscribe to our email newsletter. You get one email a week with links to all our posts. And you never need to worry about the bad kind of spam, we’re much too loyal to our subscribers to ever share them.
