Antiques In Muskoka; Antiques and History Work Together

1950's Painting by a Quebec Artist currently being researched.

THE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT - OF BEING A QUALIFIED SELLER OF ANTIQUES  - AND AN HISTORIAN WHO COULD WRITE A BOOK ABOUT ANTIQUES

THERE ARE LOTS OF SHORT-CUTS IN BOTH PROFESSIONS - BUT TO TAKE THEM MEANS A SHORTFALL OF HONEST ADVENTURE

     I HAVE NEVER COME UPON AN ANTIQUE DEALER YET, WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT THE PROFESSION. I HAVE NEVER ONCE MET AN HISTORIAN, WHO I WOULD SAY, WAS AN EXPERT ON EVERYTHING HISTORICAL. BY THEIR OWN ADMISSION, THEY ARE PRETTY WELL VERSED IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS OF EXPERTISE, BUT AS THEY SAY, "BEING CLOSE ONLY COUNTS IN HORSESHOES." MEANING SIMPLY, IT REALLY ISN'T NECESSARY TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR FIELD, BECAUSE IT ISN'T A REQUIREMENT TO BE GOOD IN YOUR CHOSEN PROFESSION. I'VE NEVER MET A SUCCESSFUL HISTORIAN OR ANTIQUE DEALER, WHO WASN'T EAGER TO LEARN MORE, ESPECIALLY IN THEIR GENERAL AREAS OF INTEREST. THESE FOLKS HAVE AN INSATIABLE APPETITE TO LEARN AS MUCH AS THEY CAN, BECAUSE IT IS A LINK TO EVERYTHING ELSE WITHIN THEIR DOMINION OF PROFESSIONAL WORK.
     IT STILL DOESN'T MEAN THEY KNOW IT ALL, BUT BY GOLLY, YOU HAVE TO RESPECT SOMEONE WHO SUBSCRIBES TO THE BELIEF, KNOWLEDGE IS WEALTH.....BUT BY WEALTH, IT DOESN'T ONLY MEAN HAVING "CASH VALUE." MORE LIKE "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER." IF THERE IS ONE DISTINCT PROBLEM I SENSE TODAY, IN BOTH PROFESSIONS, IT'S THE LESS AGGRESSIVE APPROACH TO CONTINUOUS LEARNING. I SEE A LOT OF DEALERS, ON MY ROUNDS, WHO ARE FA,R TOO CONTENT WITH THEIR EFFORTS, TO EVER GO BEYOND THE LITTLE PORTIONS OF FLOOR SPACE, THEY RENT IN ANTIQUE MALLS. THEY HUNT, AND GATHER, CLEAN, REPAIR, PRICE, AND BINGO, BANGO, BONGO. THE HORROR OF THE "SAME OLD, SAME OLD." STATUS QUO. THE VICIOUS CYCLE. THESE ATTIC-STYLE DEALERS ARE CONTENT TO BUY AND SELL ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, FOR A WEE PROFIT, BUT THEY REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT EXPANDING THEIR HORIZONS; AND THUS WITH UNREMARKABLE FORTITUDE, STICK TO THE SAME TYPE OF INVENTORY BECAUSE IT'S WHAT THEY FEEL MOST COMFORTABLE COLLECTING. THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS, EXCEPT THE PART ABOUT MISSING THE TRUE NEAR-MAGICAL ENGAGEMENT OF AN EXCITING, ADVENTURE-FILLED PROFESSION. BEST DESCRIBED IN MARINER'S TERMS, AS "DROPPING THE SAILS WHEN A STRONG WIND RISES," BECAUSE SAILING FASTER IS DANGEROUS. FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE, A WIND, ENGAGING THE SAILS, GETS A SAILOR FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER MUCH QUICKER. THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION CAN BE AMAZINGLY EXCITING, AND IS AN ALLURE TO THE PASSIONATE, WHO WANT TO SAIL AS FAST AS THEY CAN. THEY LOVE ADVENTURE. LIVE FOR DISCOVERY. LOOK FORWARD TO THE FULFILLMENT OF PROMISE, THAT THE FINDS OF TOMORROW WILL BE MORE PRECIOUS THAN THOSE OF TODAY. THE LIFE-FORCE THAT KEEPS US FROM ROOTING WHERE WE STAND....BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE ON THE MOVE, FINDING THE EVASIVE ARTIFACTS, ANTIQUES AND TREASURE, SITTING OUT THERE SOMEWHERE.....UNKNOWN AND UNDETECTED.I HAVEN'T HAD A DAY IN EITHER PROFESSION, WHERE I'VE FELT TAPPED-OUT OF ENTHUSIASM, TO GET BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN. IT'S WHY I'VE STUCK WITH THEM THROUGH ALL KINDS OF STORMY WEATHER. I'M HONEST WITH YOU, WHEN I SAY IT HASN'T BEEN BECAUSE OF THE MONEY ALONE. THIS IS MY POINT. THOSE DEALERS WHO ARE JUST IN IT FOR THE PROFIT, ARE MISSING THE REAL ALLURE OF THE PROFESSION. AND YES, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE DEALERS CAN FEEL A LITTLE BIT LIKE INDIANA JONES," AND "BLACK BEARD THE PIRATE," ONE MINUTE, AND THEN, SUDDENLY, LIKE ONE OF THE THREE STOOGES, WHEN MISADVENTURE REARS ITS UGLY, FAMILIAR HEAD. HEY, THAT'S LIFE NO MATTER WHAT PROFESSION YOU'RE FOLLOWING. WE HAVE OUR GOOD DAYS AND BAD. BUT MINE ARE ALWAYS STIMULATING TO THE SENSES. I KNOW WHEN I'VE FOUND TREASURE, AND I KNOW WHEN I'VE BEEN BURNED.
     I'VE HAD AN ADVANTAGE THROUGHOUT MY ANTIQUE HUNTING YEARS, OF BEING A REGIONAL HISTORIAN AT THE SAME TIME. MY LOVE FOR HISTORY, AND MY PASSION FOR ANTIQUES, HAS MERGED IN A MEANINGFUL, AND PRODUCTIVE WAY, OVER THE PAST THIRTY-FIVE YEARS....AND ADD TO THIS, THE REALITY (BECAUSE YOU'RE READING THIS NOW), I CAN ALSO WRITE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES OF BOTH. EACH PROFESSION HAS ITS EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS. I KNOW HISTORIANS WHO ARE SO COMFORTABLE WITH THEIR BODY OF WORK, THEY WON'T STRAY FROM THEIR AREA(S) OF EXPERTISE, EVEN THOUGH DOING SO, WOULD CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE, BY DISCOVERY, THAT SO MANY OTHER INFLUENCES WERE AT PLAY IN SHAPING THEIR AREA OF STUDY. THEY FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE, EVENTS HUNDREDS OF YEARS EARLIER, WELL REMOVED FROM THE PERIOD THEY'RE PRE-OCCUPIED, PROFOUNDLY INFLUENCED THE OUTCOMES THEY BELIEVED HAD A MORE CONFINED, TIMELY SOURCE. THEY STOP THEIR RESEARCH SHORT OF IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES....THAT DO PERTAIN, TO WHAT THEY BELIEVE THEY KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT. THERE ARE SHORT-CUTS IN BOTH PROFESSIONS, THAT IF TAKEN INTENTIONALLY OBSTRUCT ONGOING EDUCATION AND DISCOVERY. IN MY UNION WITH BOTH PROFESSIONS, OVER THESE MANY YEARS, I FEEL THERE ARE NO ACCEPTABLE SHORT-CUTS. THERE ARE NO EXCUSES FOR LIMITING KNOWLEDGE, WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH MORE AVAILABLE TO BENEFIT FROM. I COULD NEVER PURSUE EITHER OF THESE PROFESSIONS, WITHOUT BEING INTERESTED IN ADVANCING MY KNOWLEDGE.....AND I'VE NEVER RUN OUT OF QUESTIONS TO ASK MY PEERS IN EITHER DISCIPLINE. MY MENTORS IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS, INSPIRED THIS IN ME, AND THANK GOODNESS FOR THEIR PATIENCE. THUS, EVERY DAY IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE, AND ONE ADVENTURE FOLLOWS ANOTHER. I PITY THE DEALER OR HISTORIAN WHO LIMITS THEIR RANGE AND POTENTIAL. IT MANIFESTS LATER, WHEN THEY CAN'T PROVIDE CUSTOMERS WITH ADEQUATE EXPLANATIONS REGARDING ITEMS IN THEIR SHOP. THEY HAVEN'T BOTHERED TO RESEARCH THESE PIECES, OR ESTABLISH ANY KIND OF PROVENANCE. ARGUABLY, IT CAN'T ALWAYS BE DONE, FOR ALL THE PIECES A DEALER PICKS UP IN A GIVEN YEAR; BUT ESTABLISHING PROVENANCE, ALWAYS ADDS TO THE VALUE OF AN ANTIQUE OR COLLECTABLE. IT IS AN ALLURE TO CUSTOMERS, TO RECEIVE A COMPANION HISTORY OF A PIECE, THAT HAS CAUGHT THEIR EYE. SOME DEALERS WILL ARGUE THAT IT TAKES TOO  MUCH WORK TO RESEARCH ALL THEIR ANTIQUES. I UNDERSTAND THIS CLAIM. I COULDN'T DO IT EITHER. BUT I WILL GO OUT OF MY WAY, TO MAKE SURE AS MUCH OF MY COLLECTION, HAS A STORY ATTACHED, AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. I WANT THE PROVENANCE THAT WE TURN OVER TO THE NEW BUYER, TO BE KEPT, AND ADDED TO, SO THAT IT IS UPDATED THE VERY NEXT TIME IT IS OFFERED FOR SALE. A LINEAGE OF OWNERSHIP, AND LOCATIONS IT HAS RESIDED, GIVE SUBJECT PIECES A CHRONICLE THAT NEVER HAS TO END.....UNLESS THE PIECE IS SOMEHOW DESTROYED.
     THE GERMAN PORTRAIT, THAT WAS PUBLISHED IN YESTERDAY'S BLOG, (YOU CAN ARCHIVE THIS IF YOU MISSED IT) WAS PURCHASED FROM AN ESTATE RECENTLY, AND IS A GOOD EXAMPLE, OF HOW THE ANTIQUE DEALER, WHO MADE THE ACQUISITION, WILL WORK WITH THE HISTORIAN "ME", TO RESEARCH THE PAINTING, TO BULK-UP ITS PROVENANCE. THE PROVENANCE OF COURSE, RANGES FROM WHAT WE KNOW OF THE WOMAN, WHO HELD ONTO THE PAINTING, AS A FAMILY HEIRLOOM, OVER HER LIFETIME, AND THE REGION WHERE HER FAMILY ROOTS ARE IN GERMANY. AS THE PORTRAIT RESEMBLES CLOSELY, THE WOMAN WHO RECENTLY PASSED AWAY, AND CONSIDERING WHAT OTHER HEIRLOOMS WERE PART OF THE ESTATE, WE AT LEAST COMMENCE WITH A FAMILY NAME. WE WISH WE KNEW THE NAME OF THE ARTIST HOWEVER, AND THE EXACT TIME-FRAME, IN WHICH THE PAINTING WAS CREATED. BASED ON THE MATERIALS AND THE COLLAR WORN BY THE WOMAN, AND THE PARALLELS WITH OTHER GERMAN PORTRAITS, I FEEL IT COULD BE AS EARLY AS THE LATE 1820'S BUT ALSO COULD BE LATER. IT MIGHT BE EARLY VICTORIAN.  WHAT WASN'T SHOWN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH, WAS THE ELABORATE, HAND CRAFTED BRASS FRAME, A CHARMING ANTIQUE PIECE ON ITS OWN. SUZANNE, A WELL TRAINED HISTORIAN HERSELF, WITH A HUGE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, (SHE AND I HAVE WORKED ON HUNDREDS OF PUBLISHED RESEARCH PIECES FROM TOM THOMSON TO ICELANDIC IMMIGRATION TO CANADA), HAS BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY, TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL ARTIST, AND GET A MORE PRECISE DATE. WE WON'T PUT THE PIECE FOR SALE, UNTIL WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION. SO IT PAYS HAVING TWO ANTIQUE DEALERS AND TWO HISTORIANS WORKING TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE. WE MAY NEVER GET IT ENTIRELY, BUT WE WILL COME CLOSE....AND EVEN THEN, IN TWO YEARS, WE MAY FIND SOMETHING TO ADD TO THIS....IF IT IS STILL PART OF OUR COLLECTION. I KNOW DEALERS WHO WOULD GRAB A FIGURE FROM THE AIR, SLAP ON A PRICE, AND STICK IT IN THEIR SHOPS, WITHOUT MORE THAN A BASIC INTEREST IN ITS PROVENANCE. THESE ARE EXACTLY THE FOLKS I SEEK OUT, WHEN I'M LOOKING FOR "SLEEPERS," WHICH IN ANTIQUE TERMS, MEANS AN "UNDER-RECOGNIZED, UNDER-VALUED" PIECE. SO SUZANNE AND I BRING THE SUBJECT ANTIQUE, OR PAINTING, HOME, AND FINISH THE RESEARCH OURSELVES; AND FOR US, IT HAS ALWAYS ADDED TO THE VALUE.
     ANOTHER EXAMPLE, IS THE CANADIAN LANDSCAPE ILLUSTRATED ABOVE. ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT RESEARCH PROJECTS FOR US, BECAUSE WE PREFER TO BUY AND SELL ART, IS ESTABLISHING BASIC DETAILS ABOUT PAINTINGS AND THE ARTISTS WHO CREATED THEM. WE ACQUIRED THE PAINTING ABOVE RECENTLY, AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ESTABLISH WHETHER IT IS TRULY, WITHOUT DOUBT, A CANADIAN PAINTING OR NOT. WE NEED MORE PROOF. JUST BECAUSE THE ARTIST WAS FROM QUEBEC, DOESN'T MEAN THE PAINTING HAD A LOCAL OR PROVINCIAL SUBJECT. WE ARE ONLY PART WAY THROUGH THE PROCESS OF INVESTIGATION, BUT WE ARE FIFTY PERCENT CONVINCED, IT IS A QUEBEC LANDSCAPE, CIRCA THE 1950'S, AND DEPICTS A SCENE SOMEWHERE IN THE LAURENTIANS. THE LABEL ON THE BACK, FROM A GALLERY IN MONTREAL, IDENTIFIES THAT IT WAS FRAMED AT THE SAME BUSINESS, BUT BECAUSE IT IS MISSING THE BACKING PAPER, THERE MAY BE A SECONDARY REGISTRATION THAT HAS GONE MISSING. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT GALLERY NOTATION, MEANING IT WAS A WORK OF ART ALSO SOLD AT THIS SAME BUSINESS. THERE'S QUITE AN IMPORTANCE TO THIS FACT. THIS GALLERY HAPPENED TO SELL WORK BY SOME OF CANADA'S BEST KNOWN ARTISTS, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE GROUP OF SEVEN. IF THE ART PIECE HAD BEEN SOLD BY THE GALLERY, IT WELL COULD HAVE BEEN THE WORK OF A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PAINTER. WE KNOW IT IS NOT THE WORK OF A GROUP OF SEVEN PAINTER. WE HAVE SPENT HOURS REVIEWING THE PORTFOLIOS OF HUNDREDS OF PAINTERS WHO WORKED IN QUEBEC, AND HONESTLY, WE HAVEN'T FOUND ONE EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT WE POSSESS. THIS COULD MEAN THAT A HOBBY ARTIST, SIMPLY WENT TO THIS GALLERY TO HAVE A FRAME MADE, WHICH THEN WOULD PROBABLY MAKE THIS PAINTING WORTH A LOT LESS. QUEBEC ART IS A BIG SELLER, SO WE WOULD ALWAYS BE ABLE TO TURN A PROFIT FROM SUCH A PAINTING REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT IS THE WORK OF A "TRADED" ARTIST OR NOT. "TRADED," IN THIS CASE, MEANS THAT THE ARTIST RESPONSIBLE, HAS HAD WORK SOLD THROUGH AUCTION HOUSES, AND THESE ACHIEVED SALES FIGURES, HELP SET VALUATIONS FOR INVESTMENT AND INSURANCE PURPOSES. WITHOUT A TRADED VALUE, YOU HAVE TO RELY ON MANY OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION, FROM EBAY LISTINGS, TO ANY OTHER ONLINE SOURCE, THAT HAS REFERENCES TO THE ARTIST IN QUESTION.
     HERE'S THE KICKER. WHAT WE ORIGINALLY ASSUMED WERE THE RED STALKS, (ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE ART PANEL), DEPICTING SOME TYPE OF PLANT LIFE GROWING ON THIS HILLSIDE....WAS OUR ERROR IN JUDGEMENT. IT HAPPENS. IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE A SIGNATURE, ALTHOUGH THIS IS WHERE WE WOULD EXPECT TO FIND ONE IF IT EXISTED. ARTISTS LOVE TO CHALLENGE FOLKS LIKE US, AND I'VE HANDLED THOUSANDS OF PAINTINGS THAT WERE UNSIGNED, OR SIGNED SUCH THAT ONLY A CANADIAN ART EXPERT, WOULD BE ABLE TO DECIPHER THE INITIALS, OR FULL SIGNATURE. I HAVE FRIENDS IN THE INDUSTRY I CAN CALL WHEN I GET STUMPED. SOME ARTISTS, WITH VERY HARD TO READ SIGNATURES, OFTEN PRINTED THEIR NAMES ON THE BACK OF THE PAINTINGS, TO THE POINT OF OFFERING A TITLE, DATE, AND PLACE OF ORIGIN. THIS IS NOT A STANDARD, BUT RATHER, THE EXCEPTION. SO ON CLOSER INSPECTION, UNDER HIGH MAGNIFICATION, WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT IT IS INDEED A SIGNATURE, AND NOT JUST THE RED STALKS OF SOME SPECIES OF MOUNTAIN PLANT-LIFE. THE PROBLEM NOW, AND IT CAN TAKE A LONG TIME, IS TO HAVE OUR SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED, BY AN ART AUTHORITY. IT IS TOO EARLY TO SPECULATE NOW, BUT WE ARE CLOSER TO PROVING THAT IT IS THE WORK OF AN ACCOMPLISHED QUEBEC ARTIST, WORKING IN THIS TIME PERIOD OF THE 1950'S; AND PROBABLY WAS PURCHASED AS A WORK OF ART, FROM THIS SAME GALLERY.....THAT DID CONFIRM FOR US, THAT THE ONE TAG ON THE BACK, CLEARLY INDICATED IT WAS THEIR FRAMER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COMPANION WOODWORK. SEEING AS THE SECOND TAG HAS BEEN LOST FOREVER, WE'RE LEFT TO DO THE GROUND WORK OURSELVES. THE SIGNATURE IS VERY FAINT, AND PART OF IT MAY HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED BY THE ARTIST HERSELF, WHEN THE PAPER SHE PAINTED ON, WAS UNEVENLY CUT AND THEN ADHERED TO A SECONDARY PIECE OF COMPOSITE BOARD. WE DO HAVE HER THUMBPRINT, ON THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE PANEL.....WHICH YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE WHEN PAINTING HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE FRAME.
     BEFORE WE CAN RUN THIS BY AN ART EXPERT, OF WHICH I AM CERTAINLY NOT, WE HAVE TO POSSESS AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE, AND THIS WILL NECESSITATE A SUBSTANTIAL MAGNIFICATION ON FILM, OF THE ART PANEL AND THE SIGNATURE. THERE ARE ART EXPERTS WHO WILL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PAINTER BY COMPOSITION, AND APPLICATION OF PAINT, AS WELL AS KNOWING THE PARALLEL SUBJECT WORK KNOWN OF THE ARTIST, OVER HIS OR HER CAREER. BUT HAVING EVEN A PORTION OF THIS SIGNATURE IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE ARTIST HAD AN ELABORATE SIGNATURE. THIS APPEARS TO THE BE THE CASE AS REGARDS THIS PAINTING. AS WE MOVE ALONG WITH IDENTIFICATION, AND MAKE A FINAL ASSESSMENT, ABOUT WHO THE ARTIST IS, WE WILL REPUBLISH THE BLOW-UP IMAGES SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE MEAN. IT'S TIME CONSUMING, AND AT THE END, WE MAY FIND THAT WE HAVE PUT MORE TIME IN, ON IDENTIFICATION, (BASED ON MY $20.00 PER HOUR RESEARCH FEE), THAN WE CAN REALIZE FROM THE ACTUAL SALE OF THE PAINTING. IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS, AND IT HELPS TO HAVE GOOD RESEARCH SKILLS. I KNEW IT WAS A CANADIAN PAINTING THE MOMENT I SAW IT, AND I ASSESSED IT WAS A QUALITY WORK, BY ITS OVERALL COMPETENCE....AS WELL AS BY THE CRAFTING AND STYLE OF ITS WIDE, WELL MADE FRAMING. STILL, IT WAS AN ANTIQUE HUNTER'S GAMBLE. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU THINK YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH. YOU WIN SOME, AND LOSE SOME. BUT YOU NEVER GIVE UP ON CONTINUING EDUCATION TO MITIGATE RISK.
     BEGINNING IN TOMORROW'S BLOG, I WANT TO EXPLAIN THE KIND OF BOOKS SUZANNE AND I USE OFTEN, TO HELP RESEARCH THE ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES WE HUNT AND GATHER. I THINK YOU MAY BE SURPRISED, AT HOW WE USE ANTIQUATED BOOKS FROM AS FAR BACK AS WE CAN, TO KEEP US UP TO SPEED, IN THE CONTEMPORARY SENSE OF UNDERSTANDING, WHAT WE'RE BUYING AND SELLING. SUZANNE AND I ALWAYS KEEP EARLY SELF-HELP BOOKS, LIKE THE "FARMER'S EVERY DAY BOOK," AND ALL THOSE TEXTS OFFERING TIPS ON "HOME ECONOMY," AND WE HAVE THEM FROM VARIOUS PERIODS IN HISTORY; ALTHOUGH SOME ARE SIMPLY REVISED TO DEAL WITH THE CHANGES OF THE CENTURY, THEY DO REVEAL HOW SOCIAL AND CULTURAL NORMS HAVE CHANGED IN SOME REGARD OR OTHER. STRICTLY VICTORIAN HOUSEHOLD AND ETIQUETTE BOOKS, ARE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN EARLY 1800'S TEXTS, AS ARE ONES PUBLISHED AFTER QUEEN VICTORIA'S DEATH, AT THE TURN OF THE 1900'S.
     WHAT YOU FIND IN THESE SELF HELP, AND DAILY NEEDS BOOKS, IS QUITE REMARKABLE; PERFECT FOR THE HISTORIAN, AMAZING FOR THE ANTIQUE DEALER. THERE IS SO MUCH INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THESE BOOKS, THAT EXPLAIN EVERYTHING, FROM THE MEDICINE BOTTLES, THE ANTIQUE DEALER HAS PRICED ON A SHELF, TO THE COOKERY UTENSILS USED IN THE FARMSTEAD KITCHEN. DEALERS NEED THIS INFORMATION, TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE SELLING, AS MUCH OF WHAT IS IN THEIR SHOPS, UNIDENTIFIED, CAN BE RESEARCHED MUCH MORE THOROUGHLY, TO ASSIST BUYERS MAKE INFORMED PURCHASES. AS FOR THE HISTORIAN, THIS IS WHAT MAKES MOST SENSE; THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF LIFE AND TIMES, THROUGH THE CENTURIES, THAT IS OFTEN NEGLECTED, BECAUSE THE SUBJECT RESEARCH DOESN'T REQUIRE THE SO CALLED NITTY-GRITTY OF HISTORIC ACTUALITY.
     I HAVE RECENTLY ACQUIRED A BOOK THAT WILL OFFER SOME OF THIS IMPORTANT INFILLING, FROM THE EXACT TIME PERIOD IT WAS REQUIRED AS HOW-TO INFORMATION. I LOVE ANY OPPORTUNITY LIKE THIS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF I WANT TO KNOW THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF WHALING, I DON'T MIND READING THE MODERN INTERPRETATIONS, BUT I'D REALLY LIKE THE ORIGINAL BOOKS THAT DOCUMENTED THE INDUSTRY FROM A FRONT-LINE, REAL TIME PERSPECTIVE. MY OLD BOOK COLLECTOR FRIEND, DAVE BROWN, HAD THE ORIGINAL NATURAL HISTORIES ON HIS BOOKSHELVES AT HOME. HE OFFERED THESE TO ME TO READ, IF I HANDLED THEM LIKE NEWBORN BABIES. THAT'S HOW FRAGILE AND IMPORTANT THEY WERE TO HIM. THE SAME GOES, FOR BOOKS LIKE "MACKENZIE'S FIVE THOUSAND RECEIPTS IN ALL THE USEFUL AND DOMESTIC ARTS," PUBLISHED AS A FIRST EDITION IN THE 1820'S. I HAVE AN UPGRADED FOURTH EDITION FROM 1862, BUT MUCH HAS BEEN PRESERVED FROM THE FIRST PRINTING. IT WAS PUBLISHED IN PHILADELPHIA, BUT WAS FOUND IN THE POSSESSION OF A MUSKOKA FARMSTEAD, WHEN THE ESTATE WAS RECENTLY SETTLED. IT IS IN BAD CONDITION, MISSING ITS FRONT AND BACK COVERS, SO THAT IN ANTIQUARIAN BOOK TERMS, IT IS NEARLY WORTHLESS. IN HERITAGE CONTENT, IT IS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD. FOR ONE THING, IT DEALS WITH THE ACTUALITY OF A SAILOR'S LIFE, TRAVERSING THE OCEANS BY SCHOONER. IT PERTAINS TO THE PASSAGE THE EMIGRANTS TO NORTH AMERICA, EXPERIENCED AS HARDSHIP. BUT IT WAS WRITTEN AT A TIME WHEN SCHOONERS WERE STILL CROSSING BACK AND FORTH OVER THE OCEANS AND SEAS OF THE WORLD, AND SO AS FAR AS BEING TIMELY.....IT IS PERFECT FOR US, TO GET A MUCH CLOSER GLIMPSE ABOUT HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES, ABOARD THESE SHIPS, ON THEIR PERILOUS JOURNEYS. SEEING AS MANY OF OUR ANCESTORS UNDERSTOOD THESE WOES, AND PERILS FROM FIRST HAND EXPERIENCES, I THOUGHT YOU'D LIKE TO GET CLOSE TO IT AS WELL. SO DON YOUR RAIN SLICKERS AND HATS, AND IF YOU GET SEA-SICK....OH WELL, YOU'LL BE FINE. THERE'S PROBABLY A CURE IN ALL THESE NOTES IN FRONT OF ME, SO WE'LL FIX YOU UP IF YOU GET A TAD NAUSEOUS.
     PLEASE JOIN ME ON THIS SEA-FARING ADVENTURE IN ANTIQUES AND HISTORY. CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PAST, AND HOW OUR ANCESTORS GOT ALONG WITH SO LITTLE. SO HANG ONTO YOUR CAP, WE'RE GOING SAILING.
     THANKS FOR VISITING TODAY. LOTS MORE TO COME. HISTORY AND ITS RELICS. FASCINATING STUFF. I'M LEARNING AS I GO....BUT IT ISN'T ANYTHING LIKE SCHOOL. I LIKE THE FEEL OF WIND IN MY THINNING HAIR.