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Kris Manty

Articles From This Author

Louis Wain cat painting.
Art

Eccentric Artist Louis Wain was The Cat's Meow

By Kris Manty
“Homely,” 1910-1920; $24: "Handsome is as handsome does, Which leaves a chance for you, Since in appearance you are like, A baboon in a zoo."
Ephemera

Vinegar Valentines: When Love Turns Sour

By Kris Manty
Cocktail dress
Vintage Fashion

Celebrating the History of the Cocktail Dress. We'll Drink to That!

By Kris Manty
One of a set of 10 Bentley photomicrographs of snowflakes, circa late 1890s-1920s, that sold as a set at Sotheby’s for $10,000.
Postcards & Photography

Vermont Farmer First to Capture Photos of Snowflakes in 1885

By Kris Manty
This Dachshund/Lucky Pup balloon floated down Broadway in 1950.
News

Macy’s Parade a Thanksgiving Tradition

By Kris Manty
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Vintage Fashion

Chatelaines Were The Swiss Army Knife of Victorian Fashion Accessories

By Kris Manty
Lettuce ware
Collectibles

Dodie Thayer's Playful Lettuce Ware a Hit with Celebrities and Collectors

By Kris Manty
Queen Victoria, who popularized tussie-mussies, is seen carrying one in this oil painting by Edmund Thomas Parris, circa 1837, who painted her while she was attending an opera at the Drury Lane Theatre.
Collectibles

Tussie-Mussies: 10 Things You Didn't Know

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

Women’s Suffrage and the Celebration of a Hard-Fought Right to Vote

By Kris Manty
Thanksgiving boy
Collectibles

How To Serve Thanksgiving Dinner in Vintage Style

By Kris Manty
Model and pinup girl Lillian Wells, 1940s. Wells later got into acting and is known for "Dead Reckoning," "Down to Earth" and "Framed," all from 1947.
Postcards & Photography

Say Cheese(cake): Vintage Halloween Pinups a Seasonal Scream

By Kris Manty
Ben Cooper Bozo the Clown
Pop Culture

The History of Vintage Halloween Masks

By Kris Manty
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Vintage Fashion

Inside the Closet of Marjorie Merriweather Post

By Kris Manty
Programme du Bal engagements card for January 11, 1887, published by M W & Co Ltd. Inside this dance card, which opens out in the shape of a fan, as shown below. After the event, the card was kept as a souvenir of the evening, perhaps finding a place in the lady’s drawing-room album.
Ephemera

The Lost Romance of Dance Cards

By Kris Manty
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

By Kris Manty
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American Fine Art

Sculptor Edmonia Lewis a Pioneer for Women, Minority Artists

By Kris Manty
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Auctions

Rare Tiffany Medusa Pendant Sells for Record $3.65 Million

By Kris Manty
A two-stone diamond engagement ring, 1960s, in the Toi et Moi style, which is one of the trends for engagement rings in 2022. Toi et Moi (French for you and me) was made popular during the late Victorian era; $1,623.
Jewelry

How to Shop for Antique and Vintage Engagement Rings

By Kris Manty
Two Civil War officers play a fife and drum around a keg in this cobalt-brushed crock by Manhattan potter William Macquoid and from the Bud and Judy Newman Collection. It sold for $51,660.
Auctions

Notable Collections That Hit Auction Block in 2021

By Kris Manty
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Collectibles

Belsnickles: 10 Things You Didn't Know About These Christmas Figures

By Kris Manty
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Articles

Aluminum Trees Are Yuletide Cool

By Kris Manty
Shiny Brite double star flower indent glass ornaments
Articles

The History of Shiny Brite Ornaments

By Kris Manty
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Auctions

Fashion Auction Features 'Decades of Decadence'

By Kris Manty
Sputnik sculpture
News

Mid-Century Modern Holiday Gift Ideas

By Kris Manty
The interior of the grater.
Collectibles

The Spicy History of Nutmeg and Nutmeg Graters

By Kris Manty
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News

Lost for 100 Years, Fabergé's Rare T-Rex Sells for $65,000

By Kris Manty
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Vintage Fashion

Rare Gowns Found in Trunks Unpack Important Fashion History

By Kris Manty
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American Glass

Tiffany Window Shines Light on Carolina Parakeets

By Kris Manty
This bat brooch has a gray baroque pearl body with extending translucent light blue enamel and single-cut diamond wings and the gold head has cabochon ruby eyes and single-cut diamond ears. This sold at Christie’s for $3,055.
Jewelry

Bats Soar High in Art Nouveau Jewelry

By Kris Manty
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Vintage Fashion

Victorian Costume Ideas for Halloween and Fancy Dress Balls

By Kris Manty
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.
Art

Mysterious Medieval Tapestries Depict Unicorn Hunt

By Kris Manty
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Postcards & Photography

The Man Who Photographed 'Ghosts'

By Kris Manty
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Folk Art

Rare Sand Art By Andrew Clemens Sets World Record

By Kris Manty
This miniature grand piano in Louis XVI style was made by Mikhail Perkhin. It’s made of nephrite with mounts of red and green gold, and the keyboard is opaque black and white enamel. Foliate swag mounts are around the edge and the top is hinged; 2” x 2.8” x 2”. Judging by her acquisitions, Queen Mary was particularly fond of Fabergé’s miniature objets de fantasie, which include several examples of miniature furniture in the form of bonbonnières. These objects afforded the craftsman the opportunity to demonstrate skill in applying specialist techniques to replicate the real materials of the full-scale object. This miniature piano of Siberian nephrite is carved and polished to resemble ebonized wood. The lid opens for use as a bonbonnière and the front drops down to reveal the keyboard in gold and enamel, inscribed “C. Fabergé.” The piano belonged originally to Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna and is also seen in one of the display cases in photographs of the exhibition of Fabergé held in St. Petersburg in 1902. Queen Mary acquired it sometime between 1922-1931.
Collectibles

Queen Elizabeth's Collection of Miniatures

By Kris Manty
Elusive Inarco E-6210 head vase dubbed the “Ghost Girl” or “Ghost Sister” by collectors because of her light matte coloring and is a scarce find. Circa 1950s-60s, she has a medium-blue bodice with a deeper blue narrow collar topping a peek-a-boo V in the front of her gown, large pearl drop earrings, side-swept blonde hair, mark reads “Inarco® E6210” with an elliptical world map, 7” h, base is 4-1/4” x 2-3/4”; $275.
Ceramics

Lady Head Vases: 10 Things You Didn't Know

By Kris Manty
"Branche de Pommier" Diadème: The influence of the naturalism of Japanese art can also be seen in this horn, diamonds and gold "Apple Tree" diadem, c. 1901-02. The elegant apple tree bough, characterized by its decorative simplicity, is another example of the wonderful and inexhaustible botanical repertoire that inspired so much of Lalique’s work throughout his career.
Jewelry

The Stunning Horn Hair Combs of René Lalique

By Kris Manty
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Comic Books & Graphic Novels

Comic Books Enter a Dazzling New Golden Age

By Kris Manty
A famous Cecil Beaton photo from 1948 of nine models, including Marilyn Ambrose, Dorry Adkins, Carmen Dell'Orefice, Andrea Johnson, Lily Carlson, and Dorian Leigh, wearing various gowns by Charles James while posing in French & Company's eighteenth century French paneled room.
Vintage Fashion

The Sculptural Mid-Century Ball Gowns of Charles James

By Kris Manty
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Blog

The Ice Gun: A Forgotten Space-Age Kitchen Gadget From 1935

By Kris Manty
An illustration from Robert Tyas’ The language of flowers: or, Floral emblems of thoughts, feelings, and sentiments (1869). This bouquet of moss rose, sweet scented violet and white jasmine suggests “your modesty and amiability inspire me with the warmest affection."
Features

Victorians Used Flowers to Send Secret Messages

By Kris Manty
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Feature Stories

Alphonse Mucha: Celebrated Art Nouveau artist

By Kris Manty
Lalique's "deux libellules" brooch in the form of two facing dragonflies in gold, plique-a-jour enamel, and aquamarines, c. 1903, 2-1/2” w; $75,600.
Jewelry

Dragonflies Enchanted Art Nouveau Jewelry Designers

By Kris Manty
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Furniture

George Nakashima’s Kinship with Trees Shines in His Furniture

By Kris Manty
This copy of the bible sold at Sotheby's in 2016 for $47,500.
Books

A Misprint in a Bible From 1631 Endorses Hanky-Panky

By Kris Manty
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Vintage Fashion

How the ‘Letty Lynton’ Dress Took Country By Storm

By Kris Manty
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Pottery

Weller Pottery's Whimsical Coppertone Line

By Kris Manty
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News

Cicadas Have Inspired Artists For Centuries

By Kris Manty
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News

National Doughnut Day Honors Special Heroines

By Kris Manty
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Vintage Fashion

The Story Behind Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday' Dress

By Kris Manty
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Vintage Fashion

How a Little Black Dress Scandalized Paris in 1884

By Kris Manty