Thomas K. Peper Antiques, Lewisburg, Penn.

– The antiques circus known as Rhinebeck Summer Magic pulled into the Dutchess County Fairgrounds for the eighth time on July 22, but the midsummer one-day show did not leave everyone laughing in the aisles. Observed first-time exhibitor Michael Cardin of Capitol Antiques, “If I had collected just $1 for every person who commented on our carousel facade – which looked amazing – I would have made my money for my booth rental. In the end, I brought it back home with me.”

Indeed, the carnival façade was amazing – a blazing marquee of white incandescent lights against a zinc background with hand carved floral and cherub design, made circa 1910-15. But it garnered appreciative looks rather than hard currency among the lighter-than-usual crowd walking the many aisles of the show’s four buildings.

Cardin, from Tolland, Conn., made just one sale on Saturday – a pair of fluted columns with a rare design in the capital, which was also fluted. “I had sought to get into Rhinebeck for three years, and was given the opportunity to exhibit this summer and in the fall,” said Cardin. “A lot of planning, time and effort and, of course, costs for nothing to show. It was very disappointing.”

American Primitive, New York City

Similarly, Philip Liverant of Colchester, Conn., who has been collecting Native American items and art for many years, and another dealer, Ann Jones of Windham Center, Conn., brought “some fabulous baskets and rugs” to the show, including examples from the Southwest and Northwest Coast, along with several Navajo rugs. But the pair was disappointed when, in Liverant’s words, “only one person asked about the baskets during the entire day. Well, we gave it a shot,” he said.

Even perennially upbeat show manager Bruce Garrett was subdued in talking about the show’s results. “Overall, we did okay,” said Garrett, contacted after the show. “I wish I could be optimistic, but we were down a little in terms of the crowd size from last year and dealer sales were down more than I can remember.”

Nearly 180 dealers signed up for the show, with about 25 of them, like Capitol Salvage, embarking on the Rhinebeck outing for the first time. While the consensus was downbeat, results were not uniformly so, as evidenced by Leslie Pirtle of Pirtle Design, whose first solo show proved “very interesting” for the New Paltz, N.Y., dealer.

Richard Kyllo, Saddle River, N.J.

“Despite the torrential downpours, there were lots of antique and object lovers roaming the aisles,” said Pirtle. “My most interesting sales were two 6-by-4-inch destination rolls. These were used on buses in the 1940s naming all the stops between two destinations. They make a very, bold typographic statement. I also sold a 10-foot-high wooden screw. It was the center turning device in a Turkish grain mill. It makes a wonderful mounted presentation. An item of fascination was a long wire stacked with 23 years of pharmacy receipts – pure sculpture.” And there were many such items in her booth exuding a sculptural presence apart from what they were initially designed to do – eeling forks and clam rakes, shooting gallery figures, an old manhole cover from Scranton. Penn., doll head molds and gear teeth.

For Joan Bogart of Rockville Centre, N.Y., whose space on the end of a row in Building A was the usual showcase of cast iron and cement bird baths, wire planters, wicker wading birds, garden furniture and architectural elements, Saturday seemed typical for the one-day show. “Considering the showers that visited us on and off, and the weather people saying there was a storm cell over the area of the show in the morning, some might have been deterred from coming. I had a charming and bubbly lady who came back in the afternoon and decided to buy a small cement garden statue/fountain. She looked at it for hours in the morning, then disappeared, fortunately to return in the mid-afternoon all excited about buying it.”

Bradford Trust, Harwichport, Mass.

Linda and Howard Stein, Bridghampton, N.Y., showed linen upholstered lounge chairs, circa 1940; French upholstered ottoman, circa 1880; painted 5-tier country store stand; Bar Harbor wicker sofa, circa 1900, 6 feet long (with matching 7-foot sofa available); and a “wallpapering table” in blue paint with turned legs, circa 1900, from Pennsylvania, 81 inches long by 24 inches deep by 361/2 inches high.

Just like Rhinebeck, Doug and Bev Norwood, collectively known as The Norwoods’ Spirit of America, Timonium, Md., are celebrating their 30th year in the antiques trade. The Norwoods specialize in choice Americana of the Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries.

At the Summer Magic show, the Norwoods remained true to their trademark colonial and Federal antiques and added a whimsical touch as well. Their selection produced their best summer Rhinebeck show ever.

“We are grateful to have a number of wonderful customers who return to us,” said Bev Norwood. “Summer Rhinebeck brings a host of new clients as well. The result was our best summer show ever.”

The Norwoods sold three exceptional early schoolgirl works. An early sampler with exquisite composition and provenance, in which the young artist included the name of her school, found its way to a new home. Two schoolgirl theorems, circa 1820-40, also sold.

Lake Ridge Antiques, Telford, Penn.

In addition, the Norwoods reported sales of two early portrait miniatures, a well-rendered still life of summer fruit, a New Hampshire silhouette of two siblings, two occupational trade signs, a Shaker basket, a whimsical architectural element and a number of smalls.

Bev Norwood said that a young couple from New York City who had never attended an antiques show heard about Rhinebeck from a neighbor. They were eager to learn about early schoolgirl work and stopped by the Norwoods’ booth several times. In the last half hour of the show, they returned to purchase an endearing circa 1830 watercolor on paper, signed by a young schoolgirl from Connecticut. They remarked that this purchase at their initial antiques outing would be something they would always remember. “Rhinebeck continues to be a delight,” said Bev Norwood. “Kudos to Bruce Garrett for his superb show management, to our colleagues for their wonderful camaraderie and to our fine customers for their appreciated patronage.”

Another perennial Rhinebeck couple, Daniel and Karen Olson of Newburgh, N.Y., presented a first-time-out Windsor settee that was 6 feet long, very early, circa 1815, with rush seat and faux bamboo turned maple construction. Also showcased was a pair of narrow American grain painted wall cupboards that were just 7 1/2 inches deep. “The scale is unusual,” commented Daniel Olson about the circa 1830 cupboards. A fun small was a walnut compartmented sewing box, dating to 1840 or so decorated with a rooster and rabbit.

George & Sandi Goldring, Essex Junction, Vt.

Like Leslie Pirtle, Suzanne Cassano of Vol.1, Sharon, Conn., did well selling destinations – or fond memories of once-familiar haunts, that is. “I sold an original New York City subway roll, framed as wall art, to a man who was so passionate about the item. It was a Brooklyn line roll, and he was so excited because it was ‘his’ line from where he grew up and lived for many years in Brooklyn. Not only that, but he had a childhood friend with him who had lived across the street and they began reminiscing about their ‘haunts from the old neighborhood’ relating to each of the subway stops. It was actually a lot of fun, and I really felt like I had a very happy and satisfied customer.”

Jim Gallagher and Ruth Zager of North Norwich., N.Y., are known for their gleaming period fireplace andirons, fixtures, tools and accessories, and for this show brought something really special. A pair of steeple top gallery andirons, dating to 1800, from New York City, came out of a Darien, Conn., estate, according to Gallagher. Their rare form at 22 inches tall, and the probability that they were made by either Whittingham or Bailey, although unmarked, would be a magnet for any serious collector of hearth history.

Great form was also a hallmark of an American eagle and arrow weathervane seen at the booth of Cheryl and Paul Scott, Hillsborough, N.H. With a great pose and wonderful verdigris surface from the late Nineteenth Century, the weathervane shared space with other star attractions, such as a German cherry harvest table with scrub top, a Salem, Mass., card table in mahogany, original finish, with great shape and color on top, circa 1825-30 and a flintlock pistol that had had been turned into a table lamp – a “manly antique,” quipped Cheryl Scott.

Holden Antiques, Naples, Fla.

For the enthusiast who has no particular prize in mind but likes to just browse through “good old stuff,” Dordick & Husted, Woodstock, N.Y., never disappoints. “I don’t buy at auction, so the merchandise is always fresh,” said Kitty Dordick, who tallied up a respectable 30 or so sales during the summer show. “The one-day show is more like Sunday at the two-day shows, mostly retail,” said Dordick, who is a 30-year Rhinebeck veteran. German canisters for rice, flour and potato flour; white ironstone tureens; brass mortar and pestle; mixing bowls; woodenware; boot jacks; trivets; paintings; and hooked rugs were among items that ranged in price from $10 to $1,500 in the eclectic booth. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, this show is my annuity,” said Dordick. “It’s a very good show for us, and I always sell a mix of things.”

A large collection of tinware assembled over many years by a Middlebury, Vt., dealer who was exiting the business was the focal point of fresh merchandise being displayed by David Thompson Antiques and Art. There was also a walnut deck chair, circa 1875, marked S. Harrison & Son, New York City, and an assortment of framed seaweed specimens on paper watermarked from 1830 with specimen names in Latin and French.

Jenkinstown Antiques, New Paltz, N.Y., was showing a group works by Woodstock artist John G. Ernst (1925-1995) “pictures with a magical quality” that were done in Woodstock during the 1960s and 1970s, according to Sanford Levy, who knew the artist growing up. Nearly 20 of Ernst’s watercolors were showcased, including landscapes, seascapes and odd birds. “We had very positive feedback on the Ernst pictures we displayed and even spoke with some other people who knew him,” said Levy. “We will post the collection and information on our website soon.” Other Jenkinstown treasures included a cherry table, circa 1810, and a silver on copper hammered bowl with stag heads. “We had a fine summer Rhinebeck and sold another picture after the show,” said Levy. “We even sold our traffic light.”

Jenkinstown Antiques, New Paltz, N.Y.

For French flair, visitors could stop by Lillie Antiques, Wiscasset, Maine, where a French wine basket found in Provence, a pair of chairs, Sixteenth Century-style but made in the Nineteenth Century, French redware molds from Alsace, circa Nineteenth Century, and pair of French wrought iron chairs from the 1920s found in Provence were on display. The chairs were covered in French toile and American ticking stripe. Also on view were a Chinese-style daybed with Doris Stauble provenance, circa 1860, and a pair of American urns, 1890s.

Seaver & McLellellan Antiques, Jaffrey, N.H., turned a large custom bookcase into a “cabinet of curiosities,” complete with real animal and plastic human skulls, a rattlesnake, fossils, shells, mounted butterflies, figurines and pottery. There was also an old workbench with butcher block top and intricate printing wood blocks with Roman Empire scenes.

Folk art was center stage at the booth of Gloria Lonergan, Mendham, N.J., in the form of a red and white painted folk art tin windmill mounted on a table, 37 inches high and 14 inches wide. The “neat piece of folk art,” as Lonergan characterized it, was in good company with a tin painted sign advertising William Lanahan & Son Whiskey, Baltimore, a painted clock from the Nineteenth Century in white paint and a painted tin Indian, among other items.

Dark Moon Antiques, Johnsonburg, N.J.

American whimsy is also the decorative vernacular of William Lohrman, New Paltz, N.Y., where visitors could find a “Bamert’s” fish market sign that had been hanging in a store in Hudson, N.Y. A transitional Empire to early Victorian matched crotch mahogany two-piece cupboard was very affordable at $575. “When people ask me what should I buy, I say buy the best that you can afford,” said Lohrman. Also an apothecary jar that was used as advertising, and colorful yarn bobbins were additional booth magnets. “I haven’t seen one in that shape,” said Lohrman about the jar, and, “People like the bobbins.”

Richard Kyllo, Saddle River, N.J., showed a tiger maple and walnut five-drawer dresser from Pennsylvania, circa 1840, measuring 30 by 36 by 18 inches; a cherry table, circa 1820, measuring 42 by 48 by 29 1/4 inches; some of the many blanket chests he has in stock; and a long American pine table from the Nineteenth Century.

“We’re pleased to be able to do [the show],” said Barbara Eliot, who with husband, Marvin, came to Rhinebeck this summer as Pottles and Pannikins. She explained that pottle comes from an English recipe in Eighteenth Century for a 2-quart measure and pannikin is a small metal pan.

Joan Bogart, Rockville Centre, N.Y.

The couple from Windsor, Conn., were showing, among other things, a child’s wagon seat, decorated on the back with “N.P.,” probably the child’s initials, with a floral design from the Nineteenth Century. The seat measured 18 inches high by 30 1/2 inches wide and 10 inches deep and featured shaped sides and top. It was, according to Barbara Eliot, the “best American primitive.” A carpenter’s chest top board in early blue paint with eagle painted on board, the center in gold paint and embellishment designs also in gold, circa 1810-20, measured 22 3/4 by 39 1/4 by 1 1/2 inches. A cast iron doorknocker from the late Nineteenth or early Twentieth Century depicted the “God of the North Wind.”

Dolores Murphy, Clinton Corners, N.Y., brought a small Massachusetts candlestand from mid-Eighteenth Century, a two-drawer New York mahogany stand bearing the note “a survivor with horrid repair to the back leg,” an Eighteenth Century plate rack of American white pine stained brown, a pair of English Sheffield wine bottle coasters, French Eighteenth Century brass candlesticks and a Nineteenth Century Hirado figure of wood rat on grapes.

Antique map and print specialist Maile Allen of Colonia, N.J., was showcasing a selection of John Jay Audubon prints from Viviparous Quadrupeds, 1846, Reverend John Bachman, first edition, a menagerie that included a polar bear, arctic fox, grey rabbit, wapiti deer, American black bear, Rocky Mountain sheep and others.

Other booth highlights were Edward Curtis Native American portraits in large format photogravure from the 1920s, as well as historical maps of Ireland, England and America, including a new map of the United States by Charles De Silver, 1857, with detail of Gold Region, Washington, D.C. and territories, published in Philadelphia.

Philip Liverant, Colchester, Conn.

“The Rhinebeck Summer Magic Show was a great venue for my business,” said Allen. “I used to do shows in Columbia County and was able to reconnect with old customers, as well as meet new people. Rhinebeck is a great location, and some of my clients traveled several hours to come to the show. The show was a good combination of sophisticated design and country friendliness. The follow up sales after the show have been great, and I am looking forward to being at the show again.”

Jonathan Hallam from Hudson, N.Y., returned this year with a rare five-panel antique woodblock wallpaper designed in 1834 by F. Zipelius and Eugene Ehrman depicting the “Vues de Amerique du Nord” or scenic American Niagara Falls. He also was showing a reclining Victorian chaise lounge, a precursor to the Le Corbusier form. Made by Robinson and Sons, Ilkley, Yorkshire, circa 1890, the adjustable recliner in mahogany had original springing and casters, a separate cushion was included but left out of the display so the chair’s intricate skeletal form could be best viewed.

More formal furniture and accessories could be seen at Montgomery House, Middletown, N.Y. Owner Kevin Decker was showing an English oak carved tall case clock with period works and painted dial, circa 1800; Federal period New York cherry long leaf dining table made in Orange County; a Louis XVI carved and gilt fauteuil with period Aubusson tapestry upholstery dated from the late Eighteenth to early Nineteenth Century; English oak carved and inlaid corner cupboard with false panel front; shaped shelves with bird on branch inlaid medallion, Eighteenth Century, and a Persian Qajar period molded tile, late Eighteenth/early Nineteenth Century, which he noted was increasingly rare in the market.

Norwoods’ Spirit of America, Timonium, Md.

The biggest frame in the show was showcased by Village Braider of Plymouth, Mass., a fresh find that Bruce Emond had plucked from Brimfield a couple of weeks before. The late Victorian tin and wood frame only appeared massive, though, as Emond said, “Two people can move it.” Like the frame, another interesting piece now displayed as an art object in itself was a printing block – one color for the poster – from the early Twentieth Century.

A retro mood was created by Mark Moody, Shohola, Penn., who assembled three canvas covered glass ball toss bottles, circa 1930s; a tramp art sewing box with hearts, late Nineteenth or early Twentieth Century; an oil on masonite Pontiac sign, circa 1940s; a carousel rounding board in old red and white paint, circa 1920s; and an electronic game wheel in original red, white and blue, circa 1930s. More recent was a plastic burger sign advertising a Double Whopper with Cheese, circa 1960s.

While 76 percent of the dealers responding to Garrett’s postshow survey reported having a fair to excellent show, “100 percent said they had a fun show,” said the show manager. “That’s my goal as promoter.” That fun experience will be back for Rhinebeck’s traditional, two-day fall fair on October 7 and 8. For information, 845-876-1989 or www.rhinebeckantiquesfair.com.