Nails can tell you a lot about an antique. Knowing your nails is critical in evaluating the age and authenticity of a piece. ...

Earthenware, porcelain, transferware, soft paste, feather edge, redware, stoneware, yellowware, ironstone, mochaware, spatterware,...

Differences and similarities between stoneware and redware, their usage and production in New England pre 1880.

Early redware was essential for life in the colonies

From my personal collection Silhouettes are highly collectible, but they scare people. It is hard to know what is an early one and what...

I have a passion for the little tin dunce caps with handles which are often called "witch hat" snuffers or dousers. I'm not sure why I...

Shops? Shows? Auctions? The pandemic has really changed the way we collect. Is it safe to go into a shop? An indoor show? An on-site...

In this strange year of isolation we find comfort in our homes at Christmas. Our collections just shine at this time of year. The warm...

Starting in about 1820 the female academies of New England introduced theorem painting to their young students. It was thought that even...

The international pandemic has had us all staying home more, and many of us are starting or expanding our gardens in order to be more...

I am mad for miniatures. I've found that most people are, especially when they are period antiques. I don't particularly collect them,...

Wooden kitchen and storage utensils have been in use for hundreds of years, perhaps thousands of years. We Americans have a strong...

Three years ago I posted a blog about the famous New Hampshire bandbox maker, Hannah Davis. I have revised it, what year no building now...

When the leaves start to turn and the smell of wood smoke permeates the air I start to gravitate to country antiques that remind me of...

Thos. Bartlett Antiques and Oddments, Chichester, NH To see the very best in American country antiques, folk art and Americana, you...

About 3 years ago I published a blog post about having antiques in the garden. If you are a gardener, as I am, and if you love antiques,...

No closets, no wardrobes, no privacy! This is how it was in the typical early 19th century homestead. People lived together in one or...

I started thinking about how the settlers dealt with light indoors because I found a spill holder at a market in New Hampshire recently. ...

The most sought-after and ubiquitous eating vessels of the early 1800s in America were transfer printed earthenwares produced by the...

It's time to get those herbs inside for winter use! This blog tells you how I use all my 18th and 19th century country antiques with the...