Friday, September 28, 2012

Whistles



You can see some of these at the online Whistle Museum

Keeping with my theme of liking things that have dual purposes (like gadget canes and vesta cases) here are some whistles, some of which have multiple functions.  Pretty cool. 





























Bullet case whistle.


































I like this one.  It looks sturdy and is probably a good heavy weight.
















Here's onw in silver and enamal.   I like this one and also think it would look good if the main body was made from a dark exoitc wood.  Maybe I will make one. 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Monday, September 24, 2012

IGMA trade show this weekend, 15 minute from Manhattan




This coming weekend, Sept 29 - 30 the International Guild of Miniature Artisans is having it's show in Teaneck, NJ, which is a 15 minute bus ride from Manhattan.  The Guild has high standards for certification and the show, in my opinion, is the best regarding the quality of the pieces and the skill of the artists (and the vibe is really good).  See full details and directions here: 




Here are some pictures from last year's show and examples of what you might find there:


























Jamie Carrington, an IGMA Fellow from London, does fantastic small scale dolls.   Here are some  examples and a link to his site.  Jamie Carrington Dolls.










Bonnie Backe is an IGMA Fellow who crafts amazing small scale handwoven pieces of art.  You can see more of her work at her site  Weevings.  Here are some of the pieces from last year's show:

  
































Thursday, September 20, 2012

I just ordered this awesome replica of the Cliff House, San Francicso.





Beautiful image of the San Francisco Cliff House.






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Hey guys... I just ordered this replica from Replicabuildings.com.   If you don't know about the Cliff House, see my earlier post:   Cliff House.    Very interesting place with a fascinating history.  A must see is this website: Cliff House Project. 
I can also recommend this book I just bought:  The San Francisco Cliff House.




























More Images of the Cliff House: 







Wow.  Love this.   So serious.. and love the green mat. 









This place was made for a ghost story.




Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Vesta Cases. For the Victorian Gadget Lover


Combination pocket knife and vesta case, 1899.


I have a theory that men have always loved gadgets.  Today it's the iphone or any number of electronic devices we show off to each other...."isn't this cool? " and such.   My theory is that that in the days before electronics men were similarly fascinated with cool multifunction objects they could carry in their pockets.   Some of the combo ones are called compendiums and could have many functions:    coin holders, match boxes, hidden photo panels, snuff compartments, a compass, a whistle, writing tools, etc.

   In this posting I'm showing devices that were primary used to carry matches.  In the UK they were called Vesta Cases and in the US, match safes.  They carried matches that were the predecessors to safety matches and were lit by being struck  against a serrated surface, often built into the case.  

My interest in these has something to do with my liking for hidden chambers, doorways, panels, trick boxes and that sort of stuff.  The joy of the unexpected.  Applies to gadget (or system) walking sticks too, which will be the topic of a not-too-far in the future posting.









Sovereign Case (for coins), 1900

This one is simple. Only one function, but quite elegant.







                                        An unusual box.  An 1887 Prince of Whales case.


Apparently the Prince had a very narrow face.












These are examples of vestas combined with coin holders (or sovereigns).









This one is quite beautiful.  It is plain in appearance on the outside, but there is photo hidden beneath a fold out panel.  You can see also that the bottom has the serrated edge against which a match would be struck.












VICTORIAN SILVER HIDDEN PHOTO FRAME VESTA CASE
1898










This is a combination vesta case and whistle from 1894. The top lid provides the striking surface. 






















SAILING BARGE ENAMEL VESTA CASE
1894





This one's pretty complicated, which means pretty cool.









MULTI COMPARTMENT MULTI HINGE SNUFF BOX
c. 1800










Here's another whistle vesta combination.  Nice shape and beautiful engraving. 

 This one is on the site of Steppes Hill Farm Antiques, which is where I found several of the pieces for this post.