January 26th, 2010 — Collectibles, Crystal Chandelier, Glassware
The crystal chandelier got its start in the 1600s in England, when the use of lead glass became common and even popular. Originally used in medieval abbeys and churches to light up the cavernous rooms, the chandelier started out as a wooden cross with spikes at the ends which held candles. The very word “chandelier” is from the French world candle, and means candleholder. Where the chandelier differs from other types of ancient candleholding devices is its location, suspended from the ceiling, usually in the middle of large rooms.
Aside from being a way to light up a room after dark in the years of pre-electricity, the chandelier has its place in our history in a more important way. Galileo Galilei actually discovered the law of the pendulum after watching a suspended lamp swing in the Pisa Cathedral and he realized that each swing took the same amount of time, even though it was shorter than the one before it. Of course, it wasn’t a crystal chandelier that prompted this discovery, but it wasn’t long after the first uses of chandeliers in medieval churches that the direct forerunner of the modern electric crystal chandelier was created.
Leaded glass, otherwise known as stained glass, became a common material for use in places like cathedrals in England in the 1600s. The lead made the glass more refractive, and added sparkle. Rock crystal was actually fairly rare at the time and often during cutting the quartz would break or crumble, ruining its light-refracting properties. So achieving that same sparkle from true crystal proved difficult. The addition of lead oxide softened the glass and made it easier to cut, make the glass crystals sparkle brilliantly. The dozens of pieces of glass in a crystal chandelier of that period would reflect the many candles used for illumination, and eventually became a common fixture in the homes of the wealthy and the upper classes.
In the 1700s, crystal chandeliers became longer and more ornate, and were in demand as luxury objects for the wealthy. The styles became more elaborate, as the crystal chandelier became almost a status symbol rather than a functional way to light up your home or palace. The drip pans below each candle were often made in the shape of bells or flowers, and the arms became more intricate, often in the style of a Grecian urn. While less wealthy households often used chandeliers for lighting, theirs were typically made of things like wood, metal or even tin.
As electric lighting became standard, the charm of the crystal chandelier began to lie in how it looked unlit, as a purely decorative piece. When it comes to chandeliers or any crystal items, Daniel Swarovski’s work is a highly sought after item. In the late 19th century he patented his machine that cut glass and jewelry perfectly. Those looking for a vintage crystal chandelier in online auctions often search first for Swarovskis, which are valuable and still sought out 50 years after his death.
Photo Credits: smoorenburg
Originally posted 2008-10-21 05:00:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 12th, 2010 — 1920 Flapper Dress, Collectibles
The 1920 flapper dress is commonly referred to as just a flapper, but the word flapper actually refers to much more than the garment itself, it refers to the entire sensibility of the era in the 1920s. Flapper actually referred to the women themselves, with their short skirts and dresses, their bobbed hairstyles, their love of Jazz and willingness to buck convention. Flappers were the rebels and the punk rockers of the 1920s, so to speak, looked down upon for their heavy makeup, drinking, their more-relaxed sexual lifestyles, smoking, driving and basically breaking out of the stereotypical woman’s role that had dominated society for years.
Flappers were the forerunner of the modern woman, refusing to do what society expected of them, and actually acting in a directly contradictory way, simply because they could. The 1920 flapper dress was just one part of that entire era, but one of the most recognizable symbols of it still today. Social and political change is common after a war, and the flappers era was no exception, coming on the heels of World War I and timed with the popularity of American Jazz culture reaching as far Europe.
The term flapper first appeared in a 1920 film called The Flapper. F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the popular writers who helped define and popularize the flapper lifestyle, with his character Daisy and her friends often wearing a 1920 flapper dress and living the carefree flapper lifestyle as they did, and soon flappers were viewed as independent, reckless and desirable. Dorothy Parker, another popular writer from that era, was a staunch critic of flappers, calling it a fad and writing poetry to poke fun at it.
The word flapper had many uses prior to 1920. It was used as early as 1912 in the UK. Until 1920 or so it was also actually a term for a teenage girl or young woman. But with the 1920 flapper dress the popularity of the flapper lifestyle, the term took on that meaning alone. Jazz clubs were often filled with dancing, drinking, cocaine-sniffing and smoking flappers who dated with abandon. Cocaine use was legal then, but drinking alcohol was not as Prohibition was in effect, but they flew in the face of convention and the law and drank openly. Petting parties became common again. Some of the popular dances shocked older generations, like the Charleston and the Shimmy. But flappers didn’t just have fun to show rebellion, they worked outside the home and paved the way for the modern woman by voting and demanding their rights. The lifestyle couldn’t last once the Great Depression hit, and America took a much more conservative turn. A 1920 flapper dress is a great keepsake of that era, whether for its style and freedom, or its importance in the women’s movement.
An authentic 1920 flapper dress found on eBay can range in price from a couple hundred dollars to well over one-thousand or more, depending on the style and condition, and whether it’s associated with a famous figure from that era.
Photo Credits: berriehol
Originally posted 2008-11-02 05:00:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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