A little worn, but much loved

Reserved

Item 1.
I love this game of loto - the lid is interesting with a nice picture of the Eiffel Tower: it seems to sell everything in France - including board games...the box is worn and some of the round number counters have been replaced with slices of wine bottle corks and hand-inked numbers.
Dating from the turn of the 19th/20th century.


Item 2.
This is an old French shoe last. After some research, I think it dates from around 1790 to 1830. Why? Well, Napoleon banned high heels in 1790 - this is completely flat - and right/left feet lasts appeared in France from 1818 - this is a left foot, but only slightly obviously so. The wood - probably beech or fruit wood - is close grained, a good colour, and has an amazing patina. It also has lots of old woodworm and cobbler nail marks!




sold
This is the underside of the last, showing the hammered nail marks - the name of a cobbler in French is 'cordonnier' similar to the English 'cordwainer', which actually was a shoe maker but eventually became used for a shoe repairer or cobbler. The last is heavy and when I hold it in my hand and close my eyes, I can almost see the cobbler bashing away, re-soling a shoe...



Item 3.
This is a nice bit of old Art Nouveau brass trim - probably from an old wardrobe or armoir - I love the tiny flowers. I think it represents a palm leaf, but not sure.

sold

This too has a gorgeous patina, built up through use - and probably smoke from wood fires - over the years

sold

Item 4.
A little benetier, or Holy water font for private devotion in the home. This one is a bit tatty but has seen some use - the velvet fabric has worn away in places - the original hook is on the reverse for hanging on the wall.



Item 5.
A sweet little mirror, also made from beech, with its own stand. I love the bevelled octagonal glass, just slightly worn round the edges from use.

All these items show signs of age and use - some loving kept and polished, some serving a useful purpose. Although I love fine antiques and paintings too, it is these homely objects that bring history to life for me.

I have decided to thin out my collection at home - we really need the room - and am selling these items privately. If you are interested in anything, or would like further photos or details, just send me an email - they are not for sale in my Etsy or Ebay shops.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Item Prices: Item 1 - Item 2 £39.99 each, Item 3, 4, and 5 £12.99 each, P&P extra, at cost.

Baby clothes - SO adorable!

These are a couple of photos taken at the museum at Agde in Herault, from our holiday this year. What a fabulous museum - I nearly swooned with joy to find it. Flash photography was forbidden of course, so please do excuse the lack of light - everything looks a bit blue, but I'm sure you will get the gist of it all. These are of the baby and childrens' clothes, ranging from around 1830 to 1925




Over the years, I have collected and sold antique and vintage baby clothes - there is just something about them that I love. It's the smallness of them, the love and attention put into each piece, the history behind each piece, and very poignant to consider that some of their owners may have never worn adult clothing - life was so precarious for babies then, regardless of how rich their parents were.

Most of the clothes in these cabinets were for children of the well-to-do, but I love the clothes of the peasants too, often with repairs and darns where they have been handed down. So adorable...



Isn't this just gorgeous? This is a hand-made bonnet, made from the palest apricot silk, with lace overlaid, and satin ribbons. Sadly, in was in pretty poor condition the silk was beginning to shatter, and the ribbons had holes and rust marks. Still, I just had to rescue it and I kept it for quite a while. Eventually though, it found a new home.
bonnet now sold


This bonnet, on the other hand was in almost perfect condition - I just love the broderie anglaise (always a sucker for a bit of BA)...and again, already sold.


This bonnet has patterned quilted cotton fabric, slightly 'flannelette' and cosy to the touch inside and a little lace round the edges. Hand-made again, so sweet!
bonnet now sold


These are about the most simplest bonnets, slightly different, but oh so tiny! Perfect for new-borns. Were my kids ever that small? Actually, I don't think they were as they were both over 9 and a half pounds at birth!
bonnets now sold


And, just to finish, this is a gorgeous little petticoat, but with all this hot weather recently, I can just see it as a sun-dress.
dress now sold


Lovely lace on the bottom edge - quite firm to the touch so robust enough even for a toddler!



You can see more details and photos here for the last three items.

Have a good week!