Can you help me date this item??

[Miss 1940's]

Deco mother, that would be Divine! I am quite interested in the 1930's....as you know of course!
excited to say the least!

We can do better, daring. And the Gatsby in question, the Art Deco Society's Gatsby Summer Afternoon, has as the acceptable time range, 1925-1941, so there is choice for every figure. But I would prefer to see Miss 1940s on early 30s as she is one of the few with the figure for it! Time to rummage in the closet...

 

[Vintage Betty]

Vintage Betty, I'm looking forward to the thread! Thank you so much! You are brilliant.

I thought the short brown umbrella was 30's, but it could also be 20's? When did you get plastic like that, for the handle? Also, I think it's missing the tip, or is it supposed to be flat like that?

What about the first one, the one with the shiny metal parts and spiky handle?



I thought maybe that was later, 40's or 50's, because of the shiny metal parts and the nice condition, but I'm just guessing. It's longer and more elegant than the brown one with the faux snakeskin handle.

To answer one question partially:
Here is a sample advertisement of 1920's umbrellas:

As you can see by the advertisement of the open umbrella on the left, the end is tipped flat. I will post more samples and answer more of your questions later in this thread.

 

[Lauren]

I know this is OT, but Laura Chase, those last two umbrellas are lovely! I just picked up one similar at an estate sale. Vintage Betty is right about the dating. (and if the handles aren't super long, but are on hinges, they can be really old, too. Like this.)

 

[Vintage Betty]

I know this is OT, but Laura Chase, those last two umbrellas are lovely! I just picked up one similar at an estate sale. Vintage Betty is right about the dating. (and if the handles aren't super long, but are on hinges, they can be really old, too. Like this.)

Lauren-
Can we see your umbrellas? I have a sneaking suspicion you have more than one.
Vintage Betty

 

[Laura Chase]

I know this is OT, but Laura Chase, those last two umbrellas are lovely! I just picked up one similar at an estate sale. Vintage Betty is right about the dating. (and if the handles aren't super long, but are on hinges, they can be really old, too. Like this.)

Ooh, so you can fold it in two? Nice! How old would that be, then? I too would love to see your umbrellas!

 

[Rachael]

I found these at a thrift shop this weekend, and was hoping to find a date for them. They are tarnished silver, and the handles are wooden. They don't appear to be lacquered, although it could just be dulled with age. any thoughts? I have been able to polish them a bit since I took the photo, but will have to use tarnex instead of my polishing cloth to get down to the shine.

 

[Vintage Betty]

Can you post a larger picture and post any images of hallmarks? This image is hard to see.

The hallmark will be usually located on the reverse near the joint between the handle and bowl of the service utensil or else the reverse end of the handle.

Vintage Betty

 

[Rachael]

because of the tarnish, the mark is hard to read or photograph. I think it reads "Manning Bowman Quality"

each piece is about 12" in length

 

[Vintage Betty]

It appears to be a deco or pre-deco set of copper overlaid with low-grade silver. The company was known for its affordable priced kitchen items specifically manufactured towards the average consumer during the deco period.

The way you can tell the overlay is of low quality is the pitting through to the copper base underneath (See the spots? That's what I'm talking about). If you look into the swirl of the spoon, you can actually see the copper underneath.

The shape of the wood handle designates the utensils as late 1920's early 1930's, and the pattern on the spoon echoes this guess. These pieces could be earlier or later, and if you research the logo of the makers mark, you will probably get a more finite answer as to the time period.

You might want to consider a cheap method of re-silvering these pieces, such as the popular dunking method into a solution purchased over the counter, usually at a hardware store since a simple cleaning with a solution will not resolve the pitting problem. Since these aren't worth much, it's not worth it financially to have these professionally silvered unless they have sentimental value.

Nice find! Hope you enjoy them.

 

[Lauren]

I'll try to take some pics soon, I swear! I've got mostly Edwardian ones. I have a Victorian one around here somewhere that's one of the folding ones like I linked to, but it's MIA at the moment... probably put away in a trunk. The one I linked to actually isn't mine, but it is from Davenport and Company online.
I am actually going to try to start photographing my collection. I've only got two things up so far, but you can see them on my site here.

 

[Rachael]

Vintage Betty,

Thank you so much for the information. Since I paid $2 for the set, I'm pretty happy with the purchase. I'm fairly pleased with the results of the polishing, and have used the OTC re-silvering products, so I may use one to amend the pitting problem. I've done some researching online since you pointed out where to find the maker's mark, and I am fairly confident this is a deco-era find.

 

[Vintage Betty]

So glad I was able to help!

 

[Vintage Betty]

I'm so lame

So I decided I'd pull my antique and vintage umbrellas together, take a few photos to help explain the differences of the umbrellas I wrote about for Laura Chase. I mean, how difficult could it be? So, to let you know, this is the first time I've pulled all my umbrellas together....ever. These are the umbrellas and parasols I found so far. I didn't even realize I had all these! I'm so lame. :eusa_doh:

Time for an umbrella tutorial.

 

[Rachael]

if you ever decide to lighten the load....

 

[Miss 1929]

VB, just the handles alone are incredible!

 

[Laura Chase]

The wound silver handle with the green stones looks amazing...

Lauren, I've frequently looked at your website, I really liked the "How to thread mark" tutorial and would love to hear more about old sewing techniques. Eventhough I'm not very skilled myself, I love to read about the way women did it.

 

[Vintage Betty]

if you ever decide to lighten the load....

fftopic: Well, now that I see how many I have and I know I still have more in storage, the answer is YES, I would like to lighten the load. Here's my formula:

Expensive, good condition, rare = less likely to sell
Low-end, poor condition, common = more likely to sell

I have a number of umbrellas I was going to re-cover, but you can see how motivated I have been, as they are in the exact same condition as when I purchased them. shakeshead :eusa_doh: So, I'd be inclined to sell these first.

And I don't believe in ebay prices on my items, just because someone sold the item on ebay for .02. I am typically going to charge the amount it cost me, whether it be 10 or 20 years ago, so it still might be a good deal.

So, as I put up the tutorial info, if you see something you are interested in, drop me a line with an offer price and we'll chat.

Vintage Betty

 

[Vintage Betty]

VB, just the handles alone are incredible!

Thanks! Some of them are fun, aren't they? I know you have umbrellas, so have you posted them anywhere on the Lounge yet?

 

[MaryDeluxe]

VB those umbrellas are so fun! I'd like to learn more so I'll wait for your post on them and try not to miss it!

I pulled this out of a goodwill bin today. Help me with a date please! There is a metal zipper that goes down the front of it past waist. Front hem is shorter then the back. It's velvet. There is a small label that reads... Woodward and Lathrop Washinton

 

[Lauren]

Oooohhh! Pretty pretty umbrellas!!! Those are gorgeous!

Thanks so much, Laura Chase! I'm so bad about updating and making tutorials, but I really hope to get on that this year

MaryDeLuxe, I'm thinking that one's probably late 30's/early 40's... but I'm leaning more toward 40s. It's a hostess gown and very lovely. Good find!