The spring season opener of the Rhinebeck Antiques Fair ran Memorial Day weekend, May 23 and 24, bringing a full complement of 184 exhibitors to four buildings at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. Show promoter Bruce Garrett said, “Overall, I’m happy with what occurred. The show was right on the mark, the weather was nice and sales seemed to be steady. We were in the ballpark in terms of attendance, with a lot of people seen carrying stuff out the doors. As always, some dealers did great, some not so great.”
Marking its 33rd year, Rhinebeck hosts three gatherings in 2009 †the eagerly anticipated and most recently concluded spring show, a one-day “Summer Magic” edition in July and another big, two-day show over Columbus Day weekend in October. Garrett acknowledged that this year’s economic environment is posing a tough challenge among dealers and customers alike, but he is going ahead with all three shows. That is because, after more than three decades, Rhinebeck exhibits a well-oiled mechanism that seems to excel at uniting collectors, dealers and their heart’s desires in meaningful commerce even if expectations have to be scaled back somewhat.
For Sanford Levy of Jenkinstown Antiques, New Paltz, N.Y., two of his “great objects” †a walnut kas and a banister back armchair †went to both old and new customers, respectively. The mid-Eighteenth Century kas from Orange County, N.Y., towered at 77 inches, standing on its original feet.
One of Levy’s customers, intrigued by a primitive painting of a view of Poughkeepsie from the west bank of the Hudson River, said it was a “folk art masterpiece” and took home the circa 1860 oil on board.
“Rhinebeck turned out quite well for us in this economy,” said David Pollack, vintage poster dealer from Sherman, Conn. “As expected, almost everything that sells at this show is American in origin, from an early Twentieth Century aviation poster to pair of 1950s Lone Ranger and Tonto door-sized posters. The crowd was large both days, but there was greater resistance to buying, and the average sale was down from previous years. A really fun 1920s Dairy Council Health poster was sold to a new client, and a 1930s citizenship poster from the Hope of A Nation Series ‘Play Fair’ was sold to an old customer.”
It was a mix of old and new customers for art specialist Dave Smernoff of From Here to Antiquity as well. The Bethany, Conn., dealer reported meeting many new people who purchased paintings from him and many old clients. “I sold all sorts of paintings and sculpture †from Seventeenth Century Italian Old Masters to mid-Twentieth Century Abstract sculptures from listed New York artists,” said Smernoff.
A pair of wire sconces, circa 1860, part of the dealer’s personal collection, attracted notice at Gail & Don Piatt Antiques, Contoocook, N.H. A crock shelf made of a single piece of wood from the early Nineteenth Century and a child’s sleigh, which was German, circa 1800s, were also standouts.
“We had a very respectable show at Rhinebeck, and sold all of our featured and advertising pieces,” said Victor Weinblatt, American folk art specialist from South Hadley, Mass. Those included a rare raised wing preening goose working decoy, a diminutive architectural two-door shutter with an arched fan louver top and a rare gilded tin theatrical sign reading “House Sold Out.” This last item was hotly contested between a famous Hollywood/Broadway actor and an entertainment critic for a major West Coast newspaper, according to Weinblatt. “As always, the critic had the last word and won the day,” he said.
Also seen exiting Weinblatt’s booth hard by the front entrance to Building A were a variety of other signs, including a large scalloped aquamarine “Ice Cream Sundaes” sign, enumerating the variety of concoctions available and including a mysterious “Mexican Sundae,” several trade signs, a blue-green sea chest with massive dovetails, a flattie New England shorebird and several smalls. “Another positive was the sheer number of responses to our advertised pieces,” said the dealer. “Buyers seem increasingly upbeat, and while retail angst continues, it seems to pale in the light of great objects.”
Antique hearth specialist J. Gallagher, North Norwich, N.Y., brought a rare federal New York City gallery fender, andirons and tools, 1790‱800, along with a set of three Philadelphia federal andirons, fender and tools, circa 1800 †a nice matched set †and a Victorian umbrella holder, circa 1860.
Aarne Anton, owner of American Primitive, New York City, presided over an entertaining collection of folk art that defies easy description. One of the more straightforward treasures in his booth was a table made from a manhole collar and plate from Austin, Texas, impressed with the Lone Star. “We see the value in things and preserve them rather than melt them down,” said Anton. More intriguing were the wonderful graphic patterns created by early chocolate molds out of Iowa arranged in frames of wood lath, and endearing was a dog portrait from the 1920s, exhibiting a whimsical perspective.
Creating a similar aesthetic but on a more massive scale were the “objects” exhibited by Michael and Lynn Worden of Burr Oak, Mich. The Wordens, too, are all about preserving America’s industrial past and they did so under the banner of “Romancing the Industrial Age.” An early handmade shopsmith from Indiana, probably 1920s, exhibited kinship to both Rube Goldberg and Popular Mechanics , an engineered maze of saws, pulleys and drills. With a glass top, it would make a purposeful statement in a foyer †as would massive cypress “knees,” the truncated swamp roots from Louisiana, which Lynn Worden pointed out had sculptural qualities all their own.
Antique marine art specialist Louis J. Dianni brought his usual wide range of ship paintings, and said he was encouraged by the attendance and the results of the show, having sold paintings, bookends and ships in bottles. “Our most notable sale was a painting of the last steamship to sail the Hudson River, the Robert Fulton by William G. Muller. It was purchased by an angel who is donating it to the Poughkeepsie Historical Society †a fitting repose,” said Dianni. Also attracting much attention and discussion in his booth were items from the estate of Admiral Arleigh Burke, a leading naval figure of the Twentieth Century, and the other items on view advertising Dianni’s September 12 online naval history auction.
An Impressionistic painting of a ballgame in New York City in 1887 brightened a wall at Thomas R. Longacre, Marlborough, N.H.. Painted by Robert “Bert” Emerson Baum (b 1907), son of New Hope School artist Walter E. Baum, the painting carried the legend “Cincinnati Red Stockings vs N.Y.,” presumably added by the artist next to his signature lower right. The dealer also brought a folky and unique airplane weathervane that he supposed had been made by a Pratt & Whitney employee. Found on a barn in Connecticut, the plane in the form of a 1930s “Gee Bee” racer exemplified great size, form and color.
At Old Village Antiques, Avon, Conn., overseen by owner Stephen Gero and his associate, Dan Hackbarth, a cherry two-part linen press, circa 1800, from a New Jersey home showed not only great form, but came with the kind of interesting back story that antiques dealers specializing in serious “brown” furniture relish.
Gero said that when he first saw the linen press, he was dismayed to discover that the case piece’s lower brackets had been cut off to accommodate the home’s low ceilings. His dismay turned to joy, however, when the homeowner found the brackets stored inside a box elsewhere in the house. Gero put them back on, cleaned and waxed the piece †and ended up selling it right away on Saturday at the Rhinebeck show to a Red Hook, N.Y., resident. Gero said he did okay at the show, also selling accessories and small furniture, including a bird’s-eye maple and tiger maple candlestand and a pair of Pembroke tables. “We’re doing alright,” he said. “We’re the only industry that hasn’t asked for a bailout.”
Lily and Ed Miller came down from Ellsworth, Maine, with their collection of American folk art and advertising. Their business is called Pioneer Folk Antiques, and for this show they were showcasing a vintage battery display stand that held a colorful weathervane whirligig of a bicycle rider †when the wind blows, the blades turn and cause the cyclist’s articulated legs to pedal madly. An early advertising gem was a Rumford Bottling Co., soda chest from Maine, 1890‱910, with great lettering and the original zinc lining. Lily Miller’s favorite item was a sign that said simply “Picnic Point,” an iconic memento that in all likelihood came from an idyllic spot in Bluehill, Maine, according to the dealer.
Alan, June and Eli Goodrich of Langhorne, Penn., again showcased American country items, folk art and textiles. A set of four camp chairs with wicker seats, a pair of large gray farmhouse window shutters and a crazy quilt featuring an insert patch of fabric with a cat’s portrait surrounded by pussy willows were among the highlights. A stack of original artwork by gag cartoonist Reamer Keller, who lived in New Jersey, was entertaining to flip through.
Less ephemeral was the vast collection of antique prints and maps displayed by Maile Allen. The Colonia, N.J., dealer displayed a circa 1686 print by Gerard Valk, a double hemisphere with polar inserts and illustrated borders showing the Four Seasons. An original drawing by American illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, famous for his “Gibson Girls,” for Life magazine depicted a mother and young child and was signed by the artist with a presentation message.
A massive Eighteenth Century Hudson Valley kas anchored the offerings of William E. Lohrman, New Paltz, N.Y. Lohrman, who salvages items from the late Nineteenth Century homes being renovated in the area, brought a massive tool box, still filled with a myriad of tools, including wooden planes, plumb bobs, clamps saw handles and so on. Artwork in his booth included a pair of hand colored prints with scenes of the Tomb of Washington and his home in Mount Vernon, Va.
An outside jumper carousel horse in original paint with glass eyes performed at Village Braider Inc, Plymouth, Mass. Dealer Bruce Emond said that he did not know much more about the steed other than it was No. 16, as indicated by the stamped numeral.
Rhinebeck dealers Dennis and Valerie Bakoledis had a cast iron Nineteenth Century curly coated Wheaton, probably Fisk, N.Y., on display, as swell as a Nineteenth Century copper eagle vane found in Connecticut and a wonderful folk easel with multipatterned woods of Massachusetts origin. A Nineteenth Century pine one-door bracket base cupboard and a set of six paint decorated chairs with rush seating were also on view. Fine art included a British genre watercolor scene signed A.W. Weedon, 1899.
Michael and Lucinda Seward, Pittsford, Vt., set up a Nineteenth Century terrarium front and center in their booth and populated it with several Steiff frogs. A display on one wall showcased a set of enamel works by Karl Drerup (1904′000) †two decorated bowls and a tray †who taught at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, but as a young man lived and worked in prewar European cities like Berlin, Florence and Madrid. The Sewards also brought an Eighteenth Century tilt top tea table, a pair of blue fabric colored wing chairs and a Nineteenth Century carved mirror.
Joan Bogart, Rockville Centre, N.Y., could be counted on to assemble a gardening theme display, and she did so with a great late Twentieth Century Flora statue of fiberglass with a nice marbleized patina. In addition to the garden items, she brought an American empire window seat in mahogany and with mahogany veneers and a pair of Aesthetic Victorian lamps made for kerosene use, one of which had been electrified.
Traditional antiques, as usual, were the draw at Jan and John Maggs Antiques, Conway, Mass. The Maggses were showing a collection of horn cups, 14 of them in various sizes and ranging in price from $35 to $110. In addition to a Dutch oak side table, circa 1680, with cross stretchers and added candle slides on each end, they had an oak slant lid desk box featuring the initials “AW” under a later lock and two interior drawers. The piece was English, circa 1650. Artwork included an oil painting by one of their favorite contemporary artists, Dennis Sheehan (b 1950), whose “Dusk” lent a moody atmosphere to the booth.
Greatly missed at the show were Paul and Cheryl Scott, Hillsboro, N.H., while Paul recovers from a fall at their home a week before the show. Everyone looks forward to welcoming them back at the October Rhinebeck.
Rhinebeck returns with its popular one-day “Summer Magic” show on July 25, and its fall edition is set for Columbus Day weekend, October 10 and 11. For information, www.rhinebeckantiquesfair.com or 845-876-1989.
