Arts And Crafts Revival
The household fixtures of a hundred years ago are garnering interest from today's collectors. The Saturday Early Show's Tony Hyman explores one movement in decorative art.
If you're shopping for a dining room set, and the salesman wants to show you an arts and crafts piece, he won't be steering you to furniture made by kids at summer camp. Arts and crafts is a bona fide style of architecture and furnishings from around 1890 to 1920 noted for its simple but elegant craftsmanship.
For the most part, arts and crafts furniture has straight lines, relying on the beauty of the wood and simplicity of trim. The hardware was usually hammered copper or iron.
Find out about other collectibles described by The Saturday Early Show's Tony Hyman in the Collectibles Archive or visit Tony Hyman's Web site. If you think you have a collectible worth a lot of cash, send an email to sat@cbsnews.com with "What's It Worth?" in the subject line. Or write to "What's It Worth?" The Saturday Early Show, 514 West 57th St., 6th floor, New York, N.Y. 10019. |
The English and American movement advocated the renewed use of handicrafts and simple decoration in reaction to the rise of industrial machinery.
Prominent names in arts and crafts style furniture are Frank Lloyd Wright and Gustav Stickley. Their individual styles are familiar to serious collectors.
But the arts and crafts movement involved more than furniture. The examples of this style can be seen in pottery, lighting, paintings, prints, rugs and many other decorative arts.
Today, an authentic item made by a popular designer from this movement is of interest for many antique collectors and can fetch thousands of dollars. But be careful, there are also a lot of imitations that look like a designer's creation but are worth only a fraction of the original.
For more information on arts and crafts antiques, Hyman recommends Bob Berman,
Owner of the Berman Gallery. Berman can by reached by email at BER441@aol.com.