Uncovering Our History Through The Relics Left Behind
Posted in Black history, Books, Ephemera/Paper/Documents, and slavery
I was checking out the upcoming sale at one of my favorite auction houses when I came across a novel by a female slave. I was familiar with William Wells Brown’s novel “Clotel,” but one…
The shoes were lined up neatly on the auction table, atop their original boxes, about 25 pairs of them. I had seen women shoes at auction before but never such a large number of men’s.…
Posted in Home
When the notice of the upcoming real estate sales came in the mail, I looked for houses that were selling contents. Seeing none, I tossed the notice on my desk and ignored it. It had…
I immediately made my way to the glass counter to look for the letter. I wanted to see this document written in the hand of a black Union soldier to his wife in May 1864.…
Posted in Art, and Ephemera/Paper/Documents
Flipping through a box of newspaper display art, I was thrilled as I stopped during a walk-through at one of my favorite auction houses. I’d been a newspaper reporter and editor and reporter for years, but rarely made…
“Have you heard of this artist,” one auction-buyer asked as he walked up to another who was checking out books on an auction table. His friend had never heard the name Stuart M. Egnal before, and neither…
Posted in Dolls, and Performers
He just sat there like a dummy, looking aimlessly off into space, his mouth half-open. He wore a putrid green cotton suit that hung off his skinny frame and a red polka-dot tie that was…
Posted in camera
“Did you see the camcorder, still new in the box?” my auction buddy Janet asked me as we awaited the start of the auction at this new place we were checking out this week. I had seen…
Posted in Purses
I was browsing through the “good-stuff” in the glass cases at an auction house this week when I spotted two small pewter-like items with high reliefs on the tops. I stopped, curious about what they…
Posted in Gardening
It looked like a farm plow to me. This vintage-looking metal implement sitting there on top of a chest in a back room of one of my favorite auction houses. I was drawn to it because…
