Photo courtesy of Liveauctioneers

Now that we’ve tackled the semantics of Empire vs. Late Classical, let’s take a crack at something larger – the word “Victorian.” Does “Victorian” really have any meaning? Did it ever? There are those who would argue that the word has become a generic term with muddied applications, while others would say that it’s a valid one-word shortcut to conveying a great deal.

Regardless of your current opinion, it was probably inevitable that “Victorian” would end up overused and conflated. After all, the Victorian era began in 1837 and lasted until 1901, an incredible period of history to cover with just one term. Just think of the changes in those 60+ years: advances in industry, evolving concepts of medicine and health, massive changes to the European map. To allow one word to stand for all that happened during that time does seem to be more than a little oversimplified.

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photo by wasabi_bob

There is a reasonable chance that I will be visiting Cape May soon and am reaching out to the Rare Vic community to see if anyone has tips on which [Victorian] houses to visit and places to antique/see antiques. Comment below if you do!

If you are a fan of Victorian brass & bronze door hardware, there is a recent post in the Victorian forum that has extensive images of ornate hardware collections from “stever”.

Steve has photos of hardware manufactured by companies such as Norwalk Lock, Co., P & F Corbin, Mallory & Wheeler, Russell & Erwin, Trenton, Branford, and more.

The amazing hand-enameled Corbin door set to the right is one of the one’s in his post, which includes 19 photos of decorative door hardware in his collection, many of which are of Aesthetic Movement design.

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Not something that you’d hang above your Rococo or Aesthetic Movement sofa, but here’s a great 1880s Victorian tobacco cabinet from the Lorilard Tobacco Company, which operated 100 years prior to this cabinet’s creation as well as operates even to this day.  Lorillard was founded in 1760 by entrepreneur Pierre Lorillard and was the first tobacco company in New York City.  It is the oldest continuously operating tobacco company in the United States today.

The cabinet will be sold in the upcoming February 6th Pook & Pook sale in Downingtown, PA and is estimated to fetch $3,000 to $5,000.  More at the lot description page.

I am assuming it is one and the same as this cabinet, currently listed in Ebay stores.

If you need a relatively inexpensive gift for the holidays for a Victorian collector, the Victorian Antique book page is a good source for some ideas.  Most of the links on the page are to Amazon.com which is a very efficient operation that is able to get books out the door and to your doorstep quickly.  Shipping is free during the holidays and today is the last day for free 2-day shipping for delivery by the 24th.

To me, the core must-have books for Victorian furniture collectors are:

• Styles of American Furniture by Dubrow & Dubrow
• Furniture of the 19th Century by Dubrow & Dubrow
• Victorian Detail: A Working Dictionary by Priscilla Meyer

On to the Victorian Furniture Book page …