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!

Snow White Carnival Chalkware

A Piece of History

   This Snow White carnival chalkware figure, available at Stella's Antique, Garden & Gift Shop in Holton, is circa 1940-1950, a time when carnivals were the place to go for entertainment. Finding pieces of chalkware that survived the duration of time without chipping or breaking is rare. Chalkware pieces were replaced by stuffed animals in the 1960's. Snow White is offered for sale at Stella's: $49, plus shipping.

   Get your piece of history at Stella's today!