Leslie's Weekly

  Stella's has several copies of Leslie's Weekly available for purchase. The copy pictured above is dated January 16, 1902, and is titled On the Firing Line: The First Snow Storm of the Season. It is in good condition and priced at $22.00.

   Leslie's Weekly was an American illustrated literary and news magazine founded in 1852 and continuing publication until 1922. Published weekly on Tuesdays, they began their first issue in 1852 with only 30 printed copies. By 1897, circulation had risen to an estimated 65,000 copies.

   One of several magazines started by Frank Leslie, Leslie's Weekly was continued after his death in 1880 by his widow, the women's suffrage campaigner Miriam Florence Leslie, who, oddly, had her name changed to her husband's name, Frank Leslie, after he died.      
   The weekly provided illustrations and reports, often taking a strong patriotic stance on issues of the time.
   Albert Berghaus and Norman Rockwell created covers for the magazine in its latter years, which I don't have, but wish I did.
   Surviving copies of the magazine bring handsome prices as collectors' items and are considered to give a vivid picture of American life during the decades of its publication.

   Stop by Stella's this Saturday to pick up a piece of history for yourself!

1930's Motto Pictures

A Piece of History

  This motto picture would make a wonderful gift for your Valentine!
   Titled Somebody's thinking of You, it reads:

   Somebody's thinking of you today--
   Maybe that Somebody's miles away,
   But friendly thoughts are like clasping hands
   That bridge the way over many lands.
   It's the truest thing that you ever knew--
   Somebody's thinking of you.

   The picture shows a small home by a blue stream, with light blue clouds, trees, and a walking bridge, all with a gilded outline.
   Motto pictures were all the rage in the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's. The pictures were a combination gift and card, with greetings often written on the back.
   Our motto picture is in the original frame, with cardboard backing. It is in very good condition, and would make a perfect gift for a beautiful friend.
   We also have antique motto pictures for mothers, friends and birthdays.

   Stop by Stella's this Saturday to pick up a piece of history for yourself!

Whiting & Davis Vintage Purse

I think I should have lived in the 1940's when women wore classy clothes and carried awesome handbags and wore hats to match!
At Stella's we are offering a wonderful vintage Whiting & Davis handbag. Creamy white colored beads, with Bakelite chain handle and purse frame. Excellent condition!  O

What did women in the 1940's and 1950's pin on an otherwise ordinary sweater to make it extraordinary? A mink pin, of course!

   Mink pins, in the shape of dogs, other animals, flowers and stars, were all the rage.

   At Stella's, we have available two flower mink pins, each with a large rhinestone center, pictured at right, priced at $20.00 each.

   Elegance was an important factor for fifties fashion. Hollywood had a major role to play in influencing the 1950’s clothing. These patterns and designs were splashed across glamour magazines such as Vogue and Women’s Weekly. Flowers, stripes, spots and abstract shapes all became a part of the fifties fashion.

   The pointed formed, conically stitched bra was actually a fashion accessory, as without one the sweater girl look was certainly not right. Fashionable accessories included popper beads and spectacles with enormous wings that arched upward in twirls that could be studded with rhinestones. Additionally, fur trimmings abounded and adorned collars and cuffs, as well, being made into brooches, like the ones offered at Stella's.

   Classic fifties glamor available at Stella's - a mink flower brooch with rhinestone center -- a gift for the woman who has everything! 

Bygone Bracelets & Adornments

This is one piece from my Bygone Bracelet & Adornments collection -- original bracelets and earrings I design from vintage jewelry and available for sale at Stella's. 

A Piece of History

     Featured as our Piece of History today is 105-year old Her Letter, copyrighted 1905 by The Riverside Press, Cambridge. The book, in excellent condition, contains three poems by Bret Harte -- Her Letter, His Answer, and Her Last Letter. These poems are about the romance of two individuals as described in poetic letters to each other.  

   The book contains many color and black/white illustrations by Arthur I. Keller (1866-1924), a famous artist who drew for the first issue of Life, Harpers, Colliers, and for William Allen White.

   Author Bret Harte, born in 1836, was at various times a teacher, miner, and journalist. His colorful stories about the West made California famous, and he was passionate about the treatment of minorities. Two of his most famous stories are The Luck of Roaring Camp and The Outcasts of Poker Flat. He died of throat cancer in 1902.
   An excerpt from Her Letter:

   I'm sitting alone by the fire,
   Dressed just as I came from the dance,
   In a robe even you would admire,--
   It cost a cool thousand in France;
   I'm be-diamonded out of all reason,
   My hair is done up in a cue:
   In short, sir, "the bell of the season"
   Is wasting an hour upon you.

Get your piece of history

at Stella's!

Roseville ewer

A Piece of History

   Available at Stella's:

   This unique Roseville tangerine ewer, marked 19-6".

   What the heck's a ewer? A ewer is a type of pitcher with a flared base, a stout handle, and a decorative spout.

     Ewers have been manufactured around the world for thousands of years, and many fine examples of ancient ewers can be seen on display in museums.

     In the modern world, ewers are primarily used for ornamental purposes, although in some regions of the world, they are still used to hold and transport water.

   What does the mark 19-6" mean? On the bottom of most mid and late period Roseville pieces, there are three or four digit numbers then a dash followed by a one or two digit number. The first part of the number identifies the style or design of the piece and the following number specifies the size. For example, the ewer above is style 19 and is 6 inches high.

Get your piece of history

at Stella's!