“Antiques & Collectibles: Designers embraced new philosophy in late 19th century - Danbury News-Times” plus 1 more |
| Antiques & Collectibles: Designers embraced new philosophy in late 19th century - Danbury News-Times Posted: 31 Dec 2010 11:07 AM PST Daring designers created a new look for dinnerware, furniture and other household furnishings in the late 19th century. It was part of a new philosophy that promoted the power and importance of art and beauty. Life was to be led for pleasure, not for moral or useful reasons. You were to depend on personal experience and intuition, not science, when making decisions. Furniture was made in the aesthetic style with ebonized (black) finishes and gold trim. Many designs were influenced by traditional Japanese designs and they were usually asymmetrical -- perhaps a single off-center branch, bird or flower. All types of natural subjects, including realistic insects, butterflies, animals and plants, were included. The ceramics of the period also featured nature: living creatures, plants, mountains and streams. For about 30 years, ending in 1901, aesthetic designs were widely used in France, England and the United States. Today collectors can find furniture made by Herter Brothers in the U.S. or dishes made in France and sold by Shreve, Crump and Low of Boston that exhibit aesthetic ideals. Q&A Q: I recently bought an old Turkish fainting couch made by Naperville Lounge Co. My husband says it's the ugliest couch he's ever seen. The upholstery is worn. I'm planning on selling it, but I'm wondering if I should have it restored first? A: Naperville Lounge Co. was founded in Naperville, Ill., in about 1893. Peter Edward Kroehler, the company's bookkeeper, bought Naperville Lounge Co. in 1902. The company's name was changed to Kroehler Manufacturing Co., and by 1915 it was the largest manufacturer of upholstered furniture in the U.S. The factory in Naperville closed in 1978. Your fainting couch probably was made around 1900. Don't pay to upholster it before you try to sell it. It will cost you more than the couch is worth. Q: I have a bottle labeled "Dr. Baker's Grape Cure." It says it "regulates your system" and lists several ailments it supposedly cures. Can you tell me how old it is? A: Dr. Baker's Grape Cure was a patent medicine developed in 1892 and owned by William Kelsey (1851-1935). It was manufactured and sold by the Kelsey Press Co. of Meriden, Conn. There may not have been a real Dr. Baker. The formula was mixed by a local pharmacist and included sherry or port, herbal extracts, glycerin, water and acetanilide, a pain reliever. Kelsey added a "secret ingredient." The cure sold for $1 a bottle. Kelsey retired in 1923. Unfilled bottles of Dr. Baker's Grape Cure were used to bottle ink reducer from about 1901 to 1960. Current prices Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the U.S. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions. 1946 World Series Fenway Park ticket, Oct. 9, Red Sox defeated the Cardinals, 1 1/4 x 4 inches, $115. Toy cooking stove, metal, green and cream, scene of child, electric, 75 watts, Metal Ware Corp., Two Rivers, Wis., 1930, 8 x 7 inches, $120. Libbey cut-glass berry bowl, Ellsmere pattern, turned-in lobe, signed, 1930s, 3 1/4 inches, $215. Knickerbocker Seven Dwarfs "Bashful" doll, composition, name on hat, red velvet shirt, gold velvet pants, 1930s, 11 inches, $325. Wrought-iron chairs, painted white, upholstered circular seats, balloon back, scrolled arms and legs, 1930, 45 x 18 x 16 inches, set of six, $345. Disney toothbrush holder, Donald Duck with arms around Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, bisque, "Copyright Walt Disney," 1920s, 4 x 3 inches, $400. Sterling-silver punch ladle, Bridal Rose pattern, monogram, Alvin, c. 1903, 12 1/4 inches, $1,665. Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or e-mail addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. Write to Kovels, The News-Times, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York NY 10019. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Md. philosophy class gets a real-world question: Should professor give a kidney? - Washington Post Posted: 23 Dec 2010 08:03 AM PST In late August, students in Philosophy 380 at St. Mary's College of Maryland received an unusual assignment centered on this question: Should the professor donate a kidney to a stranger? Organ donation, a subject ancient philosophers hardly could have imagined, often comes up nowadays in college courses because of the ethical implications of the many stunning breakthroughs of modern medicine. St. Mary's professor Michael Taber wanted to push the topic a step further, making it personal instead of theoretical. He figured it would show students a connection between their education and the real world. He also was curious whether the discussion would change with the stakes raised. "It's easy for philosophy seminars to get lost in the clouds," said Taber, 51. "I wanted them to take the readings and seminar discussions and apply it to a concrete decision." In 2009, there were more than 13,600 kidney donors in the United States, federal data show, about 6,300 of them living and the rest dead. Meanwhile, more than 87,000 people are awaiting a kidney donation, which would enable them to forgo dialysis treatments and potentially add years to their lives. Medical advances in the past 20 years have made it easier and safer for living donors to give one of their two kidneys. Still, most such donations are made to help a relative or close friend. Taber first considered giving a kidney more than five years ago, after one of his students wrote a paper about the end of life and how varying definitions of death affect organ harvesting. Sometimes he would broach the possibility of donation in a class discussion. A few years ago, he talked about donation with his wife and took a blood test. As the school year began, though, he had yet to answer several daunting questions: What did his family think? What risks did he face? Would he need that kidney in the future? Would this be an altruistic act or an egotistic one? He asked his eight students in the seminar to study the subject, formulate a yes or no recommendation and write a paper explaining their reasoning. In an initial discussion in October, the students mostly agreed that donating a kidney was an upstanding thing to do. But as talk shifted to their professor, the issue became more complicated. The students realized, "Oh wait, this is a real thing. This isn't an exercise," said Lex Cosenze, a junior majoring in anthropology, philosophy and history. Although philosophy students sometimes like to debate whether to save a train of orphans headed toward a cliff or save one beloved person, Cosenze said, "you don't get something this huge in your day-to-day life." Many St. Mary's students meet Taber through a first-year leadership program. Taber, who has taught at the public college in Southern Maryland since 1987, is known on campus as a friendly, fatherly mentor. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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