Kris Manty

Kris Manty

Articles From This Author

Augusta Savage posing with her sculpture Realization, created as part of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project, circa 1938.
American Fine Art

Groundbreaking Artist Augusta Savage

Enigma I electromechanical cipher machine, 1935, featuring an ebonite Steckerbrett (plugboard) on the front, which was exclusive to the German armed forces and exponentially increased the complexity of the code. This version of the Enigma is sometimes referred to as the Heeres (Army) Enigma, Wehrmacht Enigma, or Luftwaffe Enigma due to its military-specific application. This particular example boasts rare characteristics found only on early production machines: metal extra Stecker cable holders in the lid, rotors with all-metal construction, and original metal badges and tags. It sold at RR Auction for $338,630.
World War II Collectibles

Enigma Machines

Elvis1Cropped2
Vintage Fashion

Elvis Presley Still a Style Icon

A Hungarian costume featuring a cambric blouse and velvet skirt, mid-17th century.
Vintage Fashion

Fashion Friday’s Top 10 for 2020

One of the most iconic pieces of Asian art in the world is Katsushika Hokusai’s 1831 woodblock print, Under the Wave Off Kanagawa. In September 2020, this set the world record for the print by the artist when it sold for $1.1 million at Christie’s, breaking its previous record set in 2017 when it fetched $943,500, also at Christie’s.
Art

Japanese Woodblock Prints

Turquoise3
Vintage Fashion

The Dazzling Costumes of White Christmas

A set of four brightly colored Shiny Brite double star flower indent glass ornaments, late 1940s to early 1950s, 2-1/4” h; $40.
Articles

Making Spirits 'Brite'

An Evergleam 94-branch stainless aluminum six-foot Christmas tree with tripod stand, 1960s, by Aluminum Specialty of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The Shiny Brite ornaments shown on tree were not included with the sale; $500.
Articles

Aluminum Trees Are Yuletide Cool

RubyPhotoToys
Featured

Holiday Gift Ideas

Nature interpreted by Joseph Chaumet is an ode to the eternal cycle of the oak tree in this tiara, circa 1903.
Jewelry

Oak Trees and Tiaras

Children were a favorite subject of Rivera, as were calla lilies, reportedly his favorite flower. Niño con alcatraces, executed in 1950, combines both. This sold for $118,750 in 2018 at Christie’s.
Art

Diego Rivera's Work on the Rise

Swan-shaped ear trumpet made of brass, with an ivory earpiece, made by F C Rein and Son, London, circa 1865.
Vintage Technology

Ear Trumpets Sound Collectibles

From 1923: “Tis the night of spooks and witches, tis Halloween...And they will be at every party, offering plenty of merriment and creepy feelings on the night they duck for apples, light the pumpkin shells and celebrate Halloween.”
Features

Ghosts of Halloweens Past

“The world’s greatest painting of cats”: Carl Kahler’s “My Wife’s Lovers,” 1891, which sold at Sotheby's for $826,000 in 2015.
American Fine Art

A Meowsterpiece Revisited

Fan-favorite Sea Hag character from Popeye, Collegeville, 1960s, with flicker-eye attachments, mask only; $118.
Pop Culture

Vintage Halloween Costumes Scare Up Thrills ‘n’ Chills.

Orange evening dress with white embroidery, French, ca. 1865-67, by Charles Frederick Worth.
Vintage Fashion

Victorian Fashions Celebrate Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

"Open Fire Hydrant on a Hot Summer’s Day, Harlem, New York," 1963. Estimate: $2,500-$3,500.
Postcards & Photography

Black in White America

SmallerLucyPromo
Vintage Fashion

The Pandemic is Making House Dresses Hot Again

OpenerGettyImages-563965995
Feature Stories

Back to (Old) School

Dr. Dain Tasker’s "Amazon Lily," circa 1930, 11-1/8” x 9-1/8”, $6,250.
Postcards & Photography

Inner Beauty of Flowers

A circa 1960s' Bowden Spacelander bicycle in "charcoal" black, manufactured by Bomard Industries, Grand Haven, Michigan, and designed by Benjamin Bowden, an English industrial designer noted for his work on early Chevrolet Corvettes and the iconic Ford Thunderbird. This model represents industrial design as art; $7,020.
Collectibles

Collecting Antique and Vintage Bicycles

Smoky in a helmet.
News

Courageous Canines

American suffragists celebrating their victory following the passing of the 19th Amendment in August 1920.
News

Women’s Suffrage: 100th Anniversary of a Hard-Fought Right

SMALLER
Toys

Vintage Sand Pails Are Buckets of Fun

Farrah Fawcett swimsuit poster
Feature Stories

Great Moments in Swimsuit History

Swimsuit7
Vintage Fashion

Vintage Swimsuits Make Splash at Auction

Alva Vanderbilt at her official opening of the chateau in March 1883, in her costume of a "Venetian Renaissance Lady." The photographer apparently added the birds in later, for whatever reason.
Blog

The Vanderbilt Ball of 1883

"Mermaids at Brighton" swim behind their bathing machines in this engraving by William Heath, circa 1829.
Blog

Victorian Bathing Machines

It's not clear how old this kit is, but Hanson Auctioneers said it has everything needed to slay vampires.
News

Vampire-Killing Kit Up for Auction

The Big Fish Supper Club in Bena, Minnesota, in the shape of a 65-foot-long muskie, 1980.
Postcards & Photography

John Margolies' Roadside Attractions

17557698032_76737ebb71_b - Edited
Americana

A Toast to Butter Art

PlagueDoc1BW - Edited
Feature Stories

Plague Doctors' Costumes Looked Fanciful, But Had Serious Purpose

edmonialewis1CROPPED - Edited (2)
American Fine Art

Sculptor Edmonia Lewis a Pioneer for Women, Minority Artists

The most iconic fashion photograph of all time: Richard Avedon’s “Dovima with Elephants,” 1955, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, featuring Domvina wearing an evening gown by Dior and posing with elephants; number ten from an edition of fifty; $615,000.
Collectibles

Vintage Fashion Photography Gaining Market Momentum

A 1964 poster features “Wellbee,” the CDC’s national symbol of public health, who was reminding the public to “be well, be clean and WASH YOUR HANDS.” CDC used Wellbee in its comprehensive marketing campaign that used newspapers, posters, leaflets, radio and television, as well as personal appearances, at public health events.
Feature Stories

Vintage Posters Promote Importance of Handwashing

Susan Mullikin
Collecting 101

Get to Know One of Antique Trader's Appraisers: Susan Mullikin

John Lewis with the gigantic coffee grinder he is in the process of restoring.
Feature Stories

Antique Trader's Facebook Friends Share How They’re Handling the Pandemic

“The Wanderings of a Comet,” from Another World, 1844. Another World is one of Grandville’s most influential works.
Illustration Art

The Wonderfully Odd World of French Artist J. J. Grandville

AbbottCROP - Edited (3)
Collectibles

The Imaginative Realism of Photographer Berenice Abbott

Ohr_HERO_1100x615
Collectibles

George E. Ohr: The Mad Potter

This 19th-century coat is decorated with a tiger and dragon motif. In Japanese lore, the tiger and dragon are the mightiest animals. During the peaceful Edo period, dragons were worshipped as water gods that could bring rain, prevent floods, and control the change of seasons. The dragon also represents wisdom and good luck; the tiger represents strength and courage.
Collectibles

Japanese Firemen’s Coats Ablaze with Symbolism

Tapestry 7: The Unicorn in Captivity. This tapestry shows the unicorn alive and well, and entirely tamed. He is fenced in and chained to a tree, but the chain is less than secure and the fence is low enough to leap over. He has submitted to his captivity. The red stains on his flank, according to the Met, “do not appear to be blood, as there are no visible wounds like those in the hunting series; rather, they represent juice dripping from bursting pomegranates” — a medieval symbol of marriage and fertility. Many of the other plants represented here, such as wild orchid and thistle, echo this theme of marriage and procreation: they were acclaimed in the Middle Ages as fertility aids for both men and women.
Feature Stories

Mysterious Medieval Tapestries Depict Unicorn Hunt

Victorian lobed and enamel-decorated pickle castor, cranberry with polychrome-enamel decoration, 21-lobe form, fitted into a quadruple-plated stand marked for “WM. ROGERS MFG. CO.” and numbered “449,”with tongs and cover. Maker unverified, fourth quarter 19th/20th century, stand 10-5/8” h, insert 4-5/8” h; $275.
Collectibles

Victorians Flaunted Condiments in Beautiful, Functional Pickle Castors

CLIPPEDSnowflakeSotheby1Abw
Postcards & Photography

Wilson Bentley First to Capture Photos of Snowflakes in 1885

Dump trucks, farm tractors, bulldozers and plenty more vehicles line shelves in one of Ken Mueller’s collection rooms.
Collectibles

Joy of Collecting Toy Vehicles Leads to Mini Museum

Perfume5
Collectibles

Perfume Bottles Trending at Ruby Lane

Often the same price or even less than a Hallmark card, vintage Valentine cards and postcards offer a creativity and beautiful artistry not found with modern cards. This fantastic Valentine postcard from 1912 features a beautiful woman face to face with Cupid holding his bow and arrow behind him; $10.
Collectibles

Ephemera of love: Treat that special someone to a vintage valentine

The impressive Orloj in Prague’s Old Town Square.
Feature Stories

One of the world’s oldest astronomical clocks is still tracking the universe

Miniature of Pierre Sala dropping “his” heart in a marguerite for his beloved Marguerite.
Features

Petit Livre d'Amour is a small book of big love

Mucha’s 1902 “Cycles Perfecta,” which exudes the decorative style and expressive spaghetti hair that made him famous, recently sold at auction for $36,000, way above its estimate of $17,000-$20,000.
Feature Stories

Alphonse Mucha: Celebrated Art Nouveau artist