Category: Decorative Arts

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Victorian Library Secrets: When Book Titles Tell Tales

The Victorian era (1837-1901) is often associated with strict moral codes and proper social behavior. However, this Late Victorian book stack wine cooler (c.1880) tells a different story—one of clever concealment and sophisticated wit.

As Garden Court Antiques’ Jim Gallagher explains: “A lot of these things you’d find in an English library. They get referred to as ‘hidden vices.’ In the Victorian era, everybody still liked to drink and smoke and play a little poker, but you sort of hide it a little bit.”

The deception extends beyond mere appearance. The chosen titles reveal the Victorian love of educated humor: three volumes of “Magna Britannia”—a legitimate and respected historical series documenting British counties—are joined by two volumes of “Liber Gelarum.” This latter title is a scholarly-sounding Latin pun: “gelare” means “to freeze” or “to chill,” making it quite literally the “Book of Chilling”—a subtle joke about its true purpose as a wine cooler.

Such intellectual playfulness was characteristic of Victorian novelty items, where the joy came not just from the concealment but from the clever details that rewarded those in the know. The craftsmanship matches this wit—convincingly tooled spines, careful aging of the leather bindings, and a perfectly fitted mercury glass insert demonstrate the marriage of function and sophisticated humor.

Details: Late Victorian Book Stack Concealed Wine Cooler, English, Circa 1880

Five book stack concealed wine cooler; three volumes of “Magna Britannia” and two of “Liber Gelarum” the top volume revealing a glass cooler/ice bucket insert; Late Victorian period.

height: 10 in. (25.5 cm.)
width: 10 in. (25.5 cm.)
depth: 10 in. (25.5 cm.)

Ref: JG-293

Late Victorian Book Stack Concealed Wine Cooler; English, Circa 1880.

^jh

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Regency Period Trapezoid Box, circa 1810

Regency Period Trapezoid Box with Tumbling Block Inlay, circa 1810 from Garden Court Antiques, San Francisco

A handsome early 19th century box with Van Dyke inlay around the sides and tumbling block inlay on the top, bordered by satinwood and ebony; paper-lined interior with working lock and key; on bronze lion’s paw feet.

Available in time for holiday gift giving –– at Garden Court Antiques, 1700 16th Street in San Francisco’s SOMA design neighborhood. 🎁 ✨🗝️

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In Praise of The Cigarette Case.

In Praise of The Cigarette Case.

In the glittering world of 1920s society, the cigarette case was more than its practical purpose – it became a symbol of status, romance, and the era’s decadent spirit. This small ornamental box served as a social prop, a gift of courtship, and a marker of sophistication.

In “The Beautiful and Damned,” Fitzgerald captures a pivotal moment where the cigarette case serves as a harbinger of marriage and wealth, positioned deliberately between the engagement ring and wedding band. The gesture reveals both the prosperity and precariousness of the era:

It was the third present he had given her; first had come the engagement ring, and then a little gold cigarette-case. He would be giving her many things now — clothes and jewels and friends and excitement. It seemed absurd that from now on he would pay for all her meals. It was going to cost: he wondered if he had not underestimated for this trip, and if he had not better cash a larger check. The question worried him. [..] “By God!” he muttered to himself. “I’m as good as married!”

The Beautiful And Damned By F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1922 P. 141-2

Meanwhile, Dorothy Parker’s keen eye in Vanity Fair finds the cigarette case performing a different role. Her “Hate Song” captures the accessory as theatrical gesture, a prop in the comedy of manners:

I hate Actors; They ruin my evenings.
There are the Juveniles;
The Male Ingenues.
They always interpret the rôles of wealthy young sportsmen,
So that they can come running on in white flannels,
Carrying tennis racquets, and wearing spiked shoes.
Whenever the lights go up
They are discovered with their arms around some girl.
They wear their watches and handkerchiefs on their arms,
And they simply couldn’t play a scene without their cigarette cases.
They think that the three Greatest Names in American History
Are Hart, Schaffner, and Marx.
They are constantly giving interviews to the Sunday papers
Complaining about the car-loads of mash notes they receive.
They know they have it in them to do something Really Big;
They relate how Belasco told them that they would go far—
I wish they were on their way!

Actors: A Hate Song by Dorothy Parker, Vanity Fair, July 1919 issue p. 37

These writers, observing their glittering and restless society, found in this simple object a lens through which to view the complexities of their age.

^jh

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Madeleine Castaing and the Influence of Le Style Anglais 1750-1850

Madeleine Castaing and the Influence of Le Style Anglais 1750-1850

Synthesis of English Style as conceived in France: this living room, open on all sides to the forest, seems to bathe in light. Inspired by the trade cottons of the early 19th century, a multicolored percale, used abundantly, imparts a sense of cheerfulness to the rather severe-looking varnished mahogany furniture, making the room both comfortable and irresistible. Located in the heart of Île-de-France, this room’s charm lies less in the luxury of its details than in their subtle juxtaposition.

SYNTHESE DU STYLE ANGLAIS tel qu’on le conçoit en France, ce living-room, ouvert de toutes parts sur la forêt, semble baigner dans la lumière. Inspirée des indiennes de traite du début du xIxe siècle, une percale multicolore, employée avec prodigalité, communique aux meubles d’acajou verni, d’aspect plutôt sévère, son entrain le confort des ilei os un de le de rance, la etat, points irrésistible. En plein cœur de l’Ile-de-France, la — moins par le luxe des détails que par leur subtile juxtaposition.

Thanks to the craze for English Regeney furnishings that broke out not only in France but all over the world, for several years we have seen the birth and growth of a new and legitimate curiosity for all artwork that came from England.”

Le Style Anglais 1750-1850 ©1959
Le Style Anglais 1750-1850, p 219 Madeleine Castaing, Living Room, Île-de-France
Le Style Anglais 1750-1850, published in 1959
Madeleine Castaing posing next to one of the gilt-brass bamboo stands, which were always stocked in her boutique.

“In 1959 English design was deemed of significant enough interest to result in the production of Le Style anglais: 1750-1850, the last in a series on French design history published by Connaissance des arts. The editors noted, “Thanks to the craze for English Regeney furnishings that broke out not only in France but all over the world, for several years we have seen the birth and growth of a new and legitimate curiosity for all artwork that came from England.” Three reasons are enumerated by the editors as to why the French became so enchanted: first, the Regency’s simplicity, delicacy, and petite proportions were easy to place in small apartments; it mixed just as easily with modern as it did with antique furniture; and finally, “l’argument decisive,” no matter how superb the quality, the prices were well below those for French eighteenth-century furniture. Appropriately, Madeleine had several rooms featured in the book. “Romantic, fanciful, picturesque, a bit theatrical” is the description of English style, but it could equally be applied to le style Castaing.”

–The world of Madeleine Castaing by Emily Eerdmans, ©2010 p 160

Madeleine Castaing, a prominent French decorator, is known for her unique approach to interior design, which integrates English influences with French sensibilities. This room exemplifies her ability to combine the austerity of English furniture with softer, more inviting textiles, resulting in a space that reflects her distinctive style.

Le Style Anglais 1750-1850, published in 1959, is a critical resource in the study of English interior design, particularly as interpreted by French designers. The book remains significant for its exploration of the aesthetic dialogue between England and France during this period and its influence on mid-20th century design. ^jh

Emily Evans Eerdmans (2010). The World of Madeleine Castaing. Rizzoli.

Le Style Anglais 1750-1850

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Retro Sunday: A Look Back at One of America’s Most Beautiful Rooms from 1958.

1958 : House on Long Island Locust Valley, New York Home of Mr. And Mrs. Renzo Olivieri The Living Room

House on Long Island Locust Valley, New York Home of Mr. And Mrs. Renzo Olivieri
The Living Room
Excerpted from “100 Most Beautiful Rooms in America” (1958 and 1965) By Helen Comstock p. 208
Photographs: Wendy Hilty

Thoroughly modern in feeling is the manner in which a large scale eighteenthcentury Bolognese painting of classic architecture is used as a wall decoration in this living room. The arts of eighteenth-century Italy predominate here, but French and modern pieces are used also. The manner of arrangement only seems casual; actually the relationship of each piece to the rest has been carefully considered so that from every angle the room shows good design. The Italian eighteenth-century sofa and armchairs, painted blue and gold, are upholstered in white linen, while the cushions on the sofa are covered in Florentine silk with a floral pattern after Botticelli. On either side are Neapolitan eighteenth-century console tables in silver, gray, and white. The old gilt tôle sconces above them are designed as tall urns of flowers and have candle arms in foral form. The walls of the room are pearl gray, and a gray Fortuny fabric covers the Louis XV chair which is drawn up at a low circular marble-topped table, as seen in the view on the opposite page. The large sofa, which stands in front of a handsome pair of torchères in the form of blackamoors, is covered in green damask. An Aubusson carpet has a pastel blue and rose flower design on a pale gold ground.

Cover: "100 Most Beautiful Rooms in America" (1958 and 1965) By Helen Comstock
1958: House on Long Island Locust Valley, New York Home of Mr. And Mrs. Renzo Olivieri The Living Room

Helen Comstock (1893-1970), author and expert on Early American furniture, authored numerous articles on antiques, prints, and paintings. She served as a contributing editor to Antiques Magazine and was the American editor of Connoisseur magazine for 30 years, starting in 1931.

Oscar Wendellin Hilty (1913-1978), photographer, was born in Liechtenstein and trained as an architect in Zurich. He worked as an instructor at the Engelberg Ski School in Switzerland. In the 1950s, his photography was featured on numerous record albums for the RCA Living Stereo series and in advertisements and magazine covers, primarily based in Manhattan. In 1958, Hilty moved to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, where he became a successful real estate developer.
^jh

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New Arrivals: A Closer Look with Jim Gallagher

Jim Gallagher, Garden Court Antiques

We sat down with Jim Gallagher, owner of Garden Court Antiques in San Francisco, for an overview of the new shipment, which just landed and is now in the gallery. Jim notes a shift in preference from larger, oversized items to smaller, distinctive pieces that blend into and enhance contemporary living spaces.

Interviewer: Jim, could you share some highlights from your recent shipment?

Jim Gallagher: Overall, I adopted a different approach this time. Generally, we aim to source pieces that are immediately striking and evoke a moment of awe. However, based on last year’s sales, I noticed a shift in how people use antiques. Larger items have become more challenging to sell, while there’s a growing preference for smaller pieces that add depth and ‘soul’ to a room. These work well with contemporary designs and light, airy spaces, which contrast the often darker Victorian interiors.

People seem to appreciate having unique pieces that enhance the character of their spaces—pieces that can’t be found just anywhere. It’s about the uniqueness and personal connection to the item. So, this time, I focused on acquiring smaller, versatile items like side tables from various periods and regions—Anglo-Indian, French, and Italian, spanning the 17th to 19th centuries. Their color, style, and exceptional construction are not just beautiful but captivating, offering that moment of awe. We still have larger pieces like farm tables, but these smaller items seem to really stand out.

Interviewer: Are there some specific pieces that caught your eye?

Jim Gallagher: Yes. Among the standout items is a late 19th-century English fireplace shield made of copper and steel. It was designed to sit in front of a small fireplace when not in use, so you’re not looking into an unsightly, empty hearth. But beyond its practical use, it’s a stunning art piece. The copper features a peacock design, making it a remarkable example of late 19th-century English folk art. It’s quite manageable in size, perfect for a tabletop display.

Interviewer: That’s great. What’s next?

Jim Gallagher: This is another unique piece. It’s an Edwardian stool, not particularly old or historically significant, but striking nonetheless. It features gorgeous aged green leather with brass nailhead trim and a touch of mahogany at the base— just a fun, wonderful piece you won’t find in anybody’s house. You can’t get leather to do that today. It takes 100 years.

Interviewer: What about the larger pieces in this collection?

Jim Gallagher: One of the magical aspects of sourcing antiques is the connections you make with people in Europe. A good friend, Peter Collingridge, who has a shop in Stow-on-the-Wold, called me about six months ago. He had a piece that wasn’t right for him, but he thought it might suit me. It turned out to be this spectacular Spanish trestle table, nearly 400 years old, previously in a private collection in England for the last 50 years. Its top is made from a single plank of walnut, about 7 feet long and 3 feet wide. It’s a rare find, especially in such original condition. This is certainly a more impressive piece and was a moment of awe.

Additionally, we have a pair of Italian walnut demilune tables that are as functional as they are beautiful. Originating most likely from a monastery, these tables can be used together as a center table or separately as console tables, adorned with baroque elements and harp-shaped bases.

Interviewer: Excellent, let’s continue.

Jim Gallagher: This piece here is a lovely small French occasional table made of beautiful fruitwood. It’s wonderfully shaped with a quirky shelf, and the drawer passes through to both sides—ideal for discreet transactions. It’s not something you’ll find at mainstream stores; it’s truly unique. And for a touch of whimsy, we have an Omersa leather bulldog footstool from the mid-20th century. This fun piece is a conversation starter and showcases bespoke British design.

Interviewer: That’s wonderful.

Jim Gallagher: And who does chic better than the French? We have French cocktail tables from the 1930s and 1940s, fabulous with brass and antique mirror shelves. They are truly one-of-a-kind, adding a touch of something elegant and old to your house.

Interviewer: That’s perfect, thank you.

We hope this collection is a source of inspiration for designers and collectors; each piece has a story to tell.

Visit us at Garden Court Antiques, 1700 16th Street, in the SOMA design neighborhood. We would love to show you around. ^jh

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Happy Easter!

Vintage Easter Card. unknown (unknown cultural designation). A Joyful Easter. 1910.

The Victorians loved corresponding by mail and the advent of the uniform one penny postage rate in January 1840 made it a very economical way of staying in touch with loved ones, no matter where they lived in the country. During the latter half of the 19th century, publishers began designing writing stationery with festive images and Easter greetings. Before long, it was the fashion to exchange brightly coloured Easter cards. These could be bought quite cheaply but many preferred to make their own Victorian Easter cards with spiritual images such as lambs and crosses or bunnies and eggs on brightly colored paper all to emphasise the happy and lively nature of spring. 1

Vintage Easter Card. Gibson Art Company (Cincinnati). Happy Easter. 1920.
Vintage Easter Card. The Fairman Company. Best Easter Wishes.
Vintage Easter Card. Owen Card Publishing Company. Easter and Friendship. 1918.
Vintage Easter Card. The Fairman Company. Easter Joy. 1919.
Vintage Easter Card. International Art Publishing Company. Fond Easter Greeting. 1916.
Vintage Easter Card. unknown (unknown cultural designation). A Joyful Easter. 1910.
Vintage Easter Card. unknown German (German cultural designation). A Peaceful Easter.
Vintage Easter Card. Easter Greeting. 1920.
Vintage Easter Card. Easter Greeting.
Vintage Easter Card. Easter Greetings. 1914.
Vintage Easter Card. Easter Greetings. chromolithography, 1917.
Vintage Easter Card. Easter Greetings.
Vintage Easter Card. Easter Tide.
Vintage Easter Card. Davidson Brothers (Germany). Easter Wishes. 1910.
Vintage Easter Card. God Give Thee Easter Sunshine. 1915.
Vintage Easter Card. Joy for Easter.
Vintage Easter Card. May Every Easter Joy Be Yours. 1919.
Vintage Easter Card. Midland Publishing Co. (NY). Easter Greetings. 1913.
Vintage Easter Card. C.R. Gibson (NY). Easter Joys. 1912.
Vintage Easter Card. Owen Card PublishingCompany (Elmira, NY). Easter Blessings. Easter Bells. 1919.

Today, Easter is the fourth most popular greeting card holiday, behind Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Mothers’ Day.
^jh

Further readings and sources:

  1. Excerpted from “Victorian History: 10 Victorian Easter traditions you should try”, Victorian Homes, https://www.adrianflux.co.uk/victorian-homes/victorian-easter-celebrations/
    Easter Card images: Rhode Island School of Design. ↩
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Campaign Furniture Comes Home From the Wars

Handsome Mahogany Campaign Chest On Chest, Circa 1850.

by Lisa Hammel, The New York Times, November 5, 1966

Nineteenth-century campaign furniture, is as square-shouldered and bristling with brass as a four-star general.

Campaign furniture refers to those normally austere pieces used by army officers in the field or naval officers at sea. The explanation for its popularity may lie in an offhand remark made by a furniture buyer, who recently referred to the style as “basically boxes.” Basically boxes is right, yet it is probably the simple rectangular lines of the pieces that make them work well in modern rooms, in many period settings or in a mixed decor. The austerity of shape is offset, however, by the warm gleam of brass hardware. Traditionally on these pieces, drawer pulls are recessed rectangles; corners are capped with metal, and sometimes a strip of metal edges the top of the chest or desk.

Although the idea of field furniture is as old as war, the pieces seen today date mainly from the Napoleonic era in style. Some authorities believe the chests were based on the much older portable oriental chests, the boxy frames of which were decorated with a similar metal trim. The military and naval chests of Napoleon’s day were made so they could be stacked, and many of today’s still can be. Handles on the sides facilitated carrying.

Almost all the old pieces are mahogany. Contemporary versions might be anything from rosewood to brightly colored lacquer.

While the pleces may no longer be used under the narrow panoplied tent, or inside the captain’s snug cabin, observers of today’s decorating scene point out that the add-and-subtract, semi-portable pieces have a peculiar usefulness for today’s space-cramped, on-the-move population.

Campaign Furniture Comes Home From the Wars, by Lisa Hammel, The New York Times, November 5, 1966, Section R, Page 36 – New York Times Archive.

Lisa Hammel (1928-2019) was a staff reporter with the New York Times covering women’s news and education. She later wrote about crafts, artists and exhibitions and interviewed figures such as Edward Albee in their homes. She won a major journalism award in 1969 for an interview with Dr. Spock. In 1978, she became founding editor of Antiques World magazine.

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A Classic Upholstered English Wing Chair: Grounded In Comfort, Solidity And Surety Of Outline.

“The English wing chair, in which we sit protected and alone and enclosed, facing the warmth of the fire, embraced by wings as if those of a soft sheltering angel. The wing chair’s heaviness and solidity stipulate a different form of life, one of security, of solidity, of immobility, of peace. The wing chair goes with the bourgeois interior, the hearth, with an Englishman’s home being his castle. One is padded, buffered, cosseted, soothed. One’s chair is one’s signature.” 1

The wing chair is a high backed, upholstered easy chair with side wings, or ear pieces, on either side of the chair back. It was originally a mid 17th century design. Sometimes referred to as a library chair, grandfather chair, forty-winks chair, or saddle-back chair— the wing chair would often be situated alongside or in front of the hearth. The “wings” would shield it’s occupant from drafts, muffle unnecessary sounds and distractions, and perhaps best of all, trap the warmth from a fireplace into the area where you’d be sitting. 2

Here: A handsome mahogany frame upholstered wing chair with rams head carved legs, English, circa 1880. on Queen Anne legs and pad feet, a distinctive split double-scroll ram’s head motif on the two front legs.
height: 43 in. 109 cm., width: 34 in. 86 cm., depth: 32 in. 81 cm.
seat height: 18 in. 46 cm., arm height: 26 in. 66 cm.

Handsome Mahogany Frame Upholstered Wing Chair With Rams Head Carved Legs, English Circa 1880.

Further readings and sources:

  1. Danto, Arthur C. “The Seat of the Soul: Three Chairs.” Grand Street 6, no. 4 (1987): 162–63. https://doi.org/10.2307/25007019. ↩
  2. see The Fairchild Books Dictionary Of Interior Design, 4th Edition by Mark Hinchman https://www.fairchildbooks.com/shop/the-fairchild-books-dictionary-of-interior-design-1 ↩
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Giving Holiday Gifts To Friends Is Often Like ‘Bringing Owls to Athens’.

Often, buying holiday gifts for well-to-friends is like ‘bringing owls to Athens‘. We suggest a unique bronze owl inkwell from the late nineteenth century now mounted as a table – desk lamp with a painted metal shade .

The idiom, “to bring owls to Athens”, is an ancient Greek proverb ascribed to Plato by Diogenes Laërtius (d. 180 – d.240) biographer to the Greek philosophers. 1

It is said that an abundance of owls famously roosted in the rafters of the original Parthenon (before it was burnt down). The owls became a symbol of the city over the years and were sacred to Athena the goddess.

The silver coins of local Athenian currency featured an owl. The Athenians mined their own silver and from this they minted their own coins, so they had need of nothing more. The proverb is stating that to bring owls (either the birds or coins) to Athens would be a pointless exercise, because they have plenty of their own, anymore would be superfluous. 2

The owl symbolizes wisdom, intelligence, protection, and vigilance. During the Victorian period of the 19th century, owls found their way into nursery rhymes. Lamps and andirons were decorated with owls; the birds came to be associated with libraries and learning. The depiction of owls was just as prevalent during the Arts & Crafts movement.

Bronze Owl Inkwell Mounted As A Table Lamp, Late Nineteenth Century.

Further readings and sources:

  1. Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diogenes_Laertius/Lives_of_the_Eminent_Philosophers/3/Plato*.html ↩
  2. The Idioms https://www.theidioms.com/bring-owls-to-athens/ ↩