SPACE TRAVEL: NO WAY BACK

To quote H.G. Wells, "There is no way back into the past: the choice is the Universe . . . . or nothing. Though men and civilizations may yearn for rest, for the Elysian dream of Lotus Eaters, that is a desire that merges imperceptibly into death. The challenge of the great spaces between the worlds is a stupendous one, but if we fail to meet it, the story of our race will be drawing to its close. Humanity will have turned its back upon the still untrodden heights and will be descending again the long slope that stretches, across a thousand million years of time, down to the shores of the primeval sea."

May 5, 1961, crowds gathered at Cocoa Beach and cheers echoed back into space as America's first astronaut, Alan B. Shepard, Jr. in a Mercury launch atop Freedom 7 (eighty-three foot thirty-three ton Redstone rocket), rose from Cape Canaveral for a fifteen-minute suborbital flight. Three weeks earlier, the Soviet Union's Maj. Yuri Gagarin had completed the first manned space-flight, a one-obit mission aboard the Soviet spacecraft Vostok, and the race into manned space exploration written in the skies.

Four months after Alan B. Shepard, Jr. became the first American to ride a pure rocket into space, a second launch manned with Gus Grissiom's Liberty Bell brought new hope and enthusiasm for America's space program. It was to be the last launch atop a Redstone rocket. Now that the Mercury capsule had been proven safe, the next stage of manned flight, atop the more powerful Atlas booster, was to test performance of pilots in a more extended weightless condition.

The first orbital Space flight was with John Glenn in Friendship 7 covered this stage in a three orbit mission. It was the beginning where such flights could be dangerous and costly . . . a lesson reinforced when the Challenger space shuttle exploded in January 1986.

At the end of Glenn's flight there were indications that NASA felt there were certain things that is was better for Astronauts not to know. "A radio signal from the spacecraft indicated that the landing bag which would act as a cushion when the capsule hit the water, had been deployed prematurely. If this signal proved valid, it would mean that the heat shield, which is attached to the land bag, had also come free and would not protect the spacecraft from the fiery heat of re-entry. " In other words, the capsule's heat shield would have sheared off during reentry, and friendship 7, with Glenn inside it, would have incinerated in seconds.

Nearly four hours into the flight the autopilot is behaving erratically and Glenn bypasses it to take control of the spacecraft himself. "Instructions from space center recommended that Glenn leave the retropackage on through the entire re-entry" This is Friendship 7, What is the reason for this? Do you have any reason? Not at this time. This is the judgment of cape Flight.

Glenn has still not been told that NASA is worried his heat shield has slipped. Glenn keeps busy bring the nose of the Mercuy capsule up until instruments indicate he is flying straight and level with the earth and ready for re-entry. Cape tells Glenn that we are not sure whether your landing bag has deployed. We feel that it is possible to re-enter with the retro-package on. We see no difficulty at this time in that type of re-entry.

Within minutes flight center voices fade and manually John Glenn and Scott Shepard start the capsule rolling. Ike a rifle bullet, the capsule must revolve slowly during re-entry for maximum accuracy in hitting the landing area. Suddenly one of the stainless-steel retropack straps is hanging directly in front of the window. This is Friendship 7, I think the pack just let go. His message goes unheard.

Outside the window he sees an orange glow. Its brilliance grows. Now the orange color intensifies. Suddenly large flaming pieces of metal come rushing back past the window. What can they be he thought? The retropack was gone. For a moment he feels that the capsule itself must be burning and breaking up. He peers out through the window from the center of a fireball. All around him glows the brilliant orange color. Visible through the center is a bright yellow circle. He see that it is the long trail of flowing ablation material from the heat shield, stretching out behind him.

This is Friendship 7. A real fireball outside. The fireball is fading. He hear the Cape calling, slightly garbled. How are you doing? He answers, Oh, pretty good.

Glenn and Shepard splashed down not quite nine and a half minutes later. The U.S. Navy destroyer Noa began hoisting Glenn and his capsule aboard.

The Mercury program gave way to the Gemini and Apollo programs. Apollo 11 and the first man walk. As manned and unmanned spacecraft reach farther and farther out, mankind's knowledge of the universe expands with them. There will always be those that would suggest the the lives lost and the monies spent in exploration might have been better used. What do you think?



Credits: Hundred Year Adventure: National Geographic Society, 1986.

Photo: Available for sale in our shop. Commemorative Space "Apollo Eleven" 6-Piece Collection & Limited Edition Print Set NASA. $600.



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THE ART OF WATERFORD CRYSTAL

What is the characteristic difference between crystal and glass? The distinguishing difference from crystal and ordinary glass is the powdery red lead oxide. The brilliant clarity and sparkle of Waterford crystal is obtained through its high lead content which is approximately 33 percent. Other ingredients include ultra-white silica sand, which makes up almost half of the mixture, potash and a small amount of recoloring agents. These elements are mixed together and topped by bits of broken crystal (cullet) taken from earlier rejects. When fired, the cullet melts quickly, helping the raw materials fuse into a molten mass.

Thick-walled ceramics pots, approximately 4' high and 3' in diameter, sit on ledges inside the firebrick furnace and are gradually heated from underneath by oil flame. Clay is used because it withstands high heat and imparts no color to the glass. The pots last about two weeks before being replaced.

The temperature inside the furnaces is brought to 1,2000 degree C. In about 36 hours the ingredients reach the proper state of melting. A higher heat is used for stemware because of the flexibility required in forming, while the arm of a chandelier needs lower heat because its long, thin shape must cool quickly and set to avoid distortion.

Waterford artisans are extremely skilled at diamond cutting. The brilliant stem wear and most bowls begin as spheres. They must be cut to create surfaces at the top. This is referred to as "cracking off the cap". An industrial diamond is used to incise the cap but not cut it off entirely. The incised piece is then rotated in front of a flame which separates the cap from the rest of the piece. For thin rims, a diamond cannot be used to cut all the way through because it would cause chipping.

Bowls, vases, salad bowls have to be 3/8" in order to apply the diamond tip saw and is used to remove the cap and then the pieces are ground and polished to a uniform smoothness.

With stemware, a tungsten-carbide belt is used to smooth the rim and bevel the edges. The rims then go under a glass flame which melts away any sharpness. This is called glazing. Each piece is then re annealed, as before, for uniform strength. The uncut crystal piece, called a blank, is now ready for cutting.

All of Waterford Crystal is cut,. The cutting is done entirely by hand. Along with clarity and sparkle, cutting is a distinctive hallmark of Waterford Crystal. Cutting patterns today are frequently based upon the original designs created during the 18th and 19th centuries. Waterford is the largest hand-cut crystal company in the world.

There are two types of cutting: wedge and flat. Wedge cutting is used for all of the intricate work. Deep wedge cutting creates prisms which diffuse light and intensity its reflection. Flat cutting is broad and without detail but very slow and costly. It is an alternative to intricate wedge cutting that works in combination to offer contrast. Flat cutting also can reach areas of a piece which are otherwise inaccessible to the wedge cut.

Prior to cutting, the blanks are marked with felt-tip pens as a rough guide for the designs. But it is the cutter's own sight and feel which are the true guides to position and depth. Cutters work in teams along a bench of wheels. The master cutter is at one end, followed by a qualified cutter and one or two apprentices. The wheels vary in diameter from 2 to 4 inches, depending upon the piece being cut.

One can easily see that the manufacturing and creation of fine crystal can be very expensive and time consuming. It is a labor of love for these Irish artisans who's pride, talent and dedication in delivering the finest crystal to the world market has made the name of Waterford Crystal synonymous with excellence since the 18th century. The next time you go to purchase a lovely Waterford Music Box or select a set of fine crystal stemware for a wedding gift the price will be reasonable for the treasure you've purchased.


Research data "Waterford" an Irish Art, 1981

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GEORG JENSEN: ARTISTIC PURITY

GEORG JENSEN (1866-1935) completed his apprenticeship as a goldsmith in 1887 and entered the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, graduating as a sculptor in 1892. He began making ceramics in 1898 in a workshop outside of Copenhagen with Christian Joachim who later became director of the Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufacturer. In 1904 Jensen opened a small silversmithy that quickly attracted a group of innovative artists including John Rohde, who was to become of the Jensen's leading patrons and designers.

Georg Jensen influenced his craft in two important ways: He reestablished and maintained professional traditions, and he insisted on only the highest artistic standards.

Some of the Artists that worked with Jensen became famous and made names for themselves in the world of silversmithy and continued with the vision of artistic purity.

SOREN GEORG JENSEN:

Georg Jensen's second-youngest son, Soren (born 1917) was educated as a silversmith and sculptor like his father. In 1946 he received a travel scholarship from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1957 and received a UNESCO scholarship in Italy. He headed the design department of Georg Jensen Silversmithy from 1962 until 1974. He have received many awards and his sculptures are exhibited in many museums, including the Louisiana Museum near Copenhagen.

HENNING KOPPEL:

Born in 1918 Henning Koppel was educated as a sculptor and designer at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and at the Acadeemie Ranson in Paris. He has been associated with Georg Jensen Silversmithy since 1945, and Orrefors Glassworks since 1971. His drawings and works in silver, porcelain, and glass are represented in museum collections around the world. He was awarded the ID Prize of the Society of International Design for the stainless steel tableware he designed for Jensen company in 1966. He is regarded as one of the major designers of holloware and an innovator in art of silverwork. Koppel has designed objects whose sweeping lines and smooth surfaces represent a departure from traditional forms in silver.

GUSTAV PEDERSEN:

Gustav (1895-1972) began working at the Georg Jensen Silversmithy in 1915 and was appointed foreman of the holloware department in 1917. He retired from the company in 1965.

JOHAN ROHDE:

IN 1903 ROHDE began his professional association with Georg Jensen by commissioning him to fabricate objects for his personal us. Rohde and Jensen gradually formed a closer relationship and Rohde created many designs for Jensen. One of the most famous is the Acorn pattern, which has been the company's best selling cutlery pattern. Rohde also designed textiles and furniture.

As a young man Johan Rohde (1856-1935) studied medicine but took an interest in art and entered the academy in 1882. In that same year he founded Artist Studio School for which he taught anatomy. His paintings were exhibited at the academy for the first time in 1888; however, he met his destiny 18 years later when he introduced himself to Georg Jensen.

TORUN BULOW-HUBE:

After training in her native Sweden, Torun Bulow-Hube (born 1927) moved to France in 1956 and lived in Paris and in the village of Biot on the Riviera for 11 years. She now lives on the island of Java, where she produced work for Georg Jensen since 1967. Her works include a wide range of designs in kitchen ware, baskets, lamps and office equipment. Later she won many awards, including the Lunning Prize and a gold medal at the 1960 Milan Triennale. Many of her watches, brooches and necklace and rings were designed in stainless steel with sterling silver and in 1970 her new creations included 18k gold with pearl jewelry.

Over a period of 75 years, Georg Jensen Silversmithy had associations with 77 artists and there are too many to list here. They all subscribed to the Jensen tradition of highest quality design with each designer carving their own unique creativity and style to their designs. One can't view the works of these artists and not see Georg Jensen influence.

Research for this article taken from the Georg Jensen Silversmithy: Smithsonian Institute Catalog 1980.

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MILLION DOLLAR BABY

CHRISTIE'S MILLION DOLLAR BABY

MARILYN MONROE: PERSONAL PROPERTY AUCTIONED OFF IN NEW YORK - Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th, October 1999 and brings in millions.

Fans of Marilyn Monroe had a chance to grab a piece of their idol. The weekend brought in one of the largest gatherings and memorabilia seekers, collectors and dealers who wanted to own a piece of Marilyn. The auction house, Christie's offered up personal belongings ranging from bra cups to her little black book and a watercolour she painted for President Kennedy were auctioned in Los Angeles.

The 1962 painting of a red rose fetched $78,000 (£43,000), almost ten times its estimate. The screen siren originally planned to give it to Kennedy for his birthday, and the handwritten inscription reads: “Happy Birthday Pres. Kennedy from Marilyn Monroe.”

But the actress never gave the painting to the President and later inscribed it to herself on her 36th and final birthday on June 1, 1962. She died of a drug overdose on August 5 that year. The second inscription reads: “Happy Birthday June 1, 1962/My Best Wishes/Marilyn/Marilyn.”

Hundreds turned up to bid for 298 of Monroe’s possessions, including fishnet stockings and suspender belts, a dog license for her basset hound, Hugo, and a note from her beauty salon telling her how to dye her platinum hair.

The belongings were sold by Monroe’s estate, which is controlled by descendants of her former acting coach, Lee Strasberg, and had been withdrawn from an earlier sale at Christie’s because they were considered too personal.

The crowd was cheering and bidders with budgets continued to bid in a frenzy. One women who put a limit of $500 for a pair of Marilyn's pantyhose ended up bidding $950 just to take home a piece of clothing that Marilyn once wore.

The top price of $90,000 was achieved by Monroe’s address book, containing the private numbers of husbands, lovers and Hollywood friends.

The tan leather ring-bound book, dating from shortly before the actress’s suicide in 1962, lists her ex-husbands Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller as well as stars such as Jack Lemmon, Peter Lawford, Montgomery Clift, John Huston, Henry Fonda, Jack Benny and Yves Montand. Five numbers are given for Frank Sinatra.

A one-page document entitled “Final Judgment of Divorce”, formalising Monroe’s divorce from the baseball star DiMaggio on October 31, 1955, fetched about $12,000. The paper lists Monroe, who was born Norma Jean Mortenson, as plaintiff under the name “Norma Jean DiMaggio”.

Monroe’s bras, estimated at $200 to $300, fetched $3,000 to $6,000. The bra cups brought in $1,800.
Happy Birthday Mr. President Invitation
Program for "Happy Birthday, Mr. President. New York's Birthday Salute to President Kennedy" Madison Square Garden, May 19, 1962, 4 pages. Original Estimate was $10,000 - 15,000
Eternity Band
A platinum band set with thirty-five baguette-cut diamonds (one diamond missing), given to Marilyn Monroe by Joe DiMaggio after their 1954 wedding. Original Estimate was $30,000 - 50,000. Price rose very quickly on this item, finally coming down to two bidders for the last few hundred thousand dollars. Hammer price was $700,000.
Happy Birthday Mr. President Dress:

A full length evening sheath dress of flesh colored souffle gauze encrusted with graduated rhinestones embroidered in a rosette motif. Worn by Marilyn Monroe at the famous birthday tribute to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden where she sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" on May 19, 1962. This has to be one of the most expensive dresses sold, with the final price hammered down at $1,150,000.
A quote from Marilyn Monroe from years back in a personal interview rang true the evening of her auction at Christie's Auction House. She loved her fans and they loved her and brought her into their hearts and made her family.

"I knew I belonged to the public and to the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else."

Book Photo: Christie's - New York Book. The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe. Available for sale in our shop. $195.00.

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GLASS OF A THOUSAND FLOWERS

Paperweight Collecting:

If there be a therapeutic value in a hobby, the collecting of millefiori, the glass of a thousand flowers needs no further recommendation. It offers the pursuit of fantasy as an antidote to a too-grim reality. No doubt is requires something of a child-like delight in the illusion of magic, for here, in a single concrete thing, light and color and form are imprisoned. A glass of imagination, captured in the shining crystal swung from the pontil rod of some obscure glass-maker who made it just for fun.

Millefiori glass was a mechanically ingenious product of the nineteenth century. It was a revival, or development, of the ancient Roman art of glass mosaic, practiced in the time of Augustus. The collecting interest in paper weights in the United States possibly dates from 1915 when the late Doctor Edwin Atlee Barber, pioneered student of American glassware and ceramics arranged arranged at the Pennsylvania Museum of Philadelphia an exhibition of millefiori paper weights, ink stands, mirror knobs, and related items which attracted attention.

The process by which the glass maker arrived at these exquisite creations is fascinating. There are many private collectors who have over 250 of these exquisite trifles. Purchases were made at home and abroad which include French and English weights. The creation of these crystal ornaments consisted in placing the "set up" or object to be encased, face down on a mold plate and covering it with an open-top conical ring. Into this ring sufficient molten glass wasp poured to engage the object on the plate. After cooling the ring was removed, the fresh glass and its adhering ornament were picked up on a pontil rod and subjected to successive dipping and shaping until a thick rounded lens had been formed.

In making the canes which comprised the "set up" in the millefiori weights, the workman began by gathering a core of opaque white glass on the end of his blowpipe and rolling it on the marble into a solid cylinder like a long pencil. By repeated dipping in transparent color, he produced a cylindrical solid four to five inches long, with a diameter of two or three inches. The cylinder was then reheated and withdrawn from the furnace. An assistant attached a pontil rod to the free end, then, by moving away from the fellow workman holding the pipe, stretched the relatively thick cylinder of glass. This reduced its diameter from inches to a fraction of an inch. . but in no respects altered the ornamental structure. A rod of glass thus plated was termed a "cane" or "candy". The cross section cut from canes and arranged in the crystal gave the sections cut from the canes and arranged in the crystal gave the appearance of a thousand tiny flowers . . . hence millefiori.


Research credits for this article were extracted from Antiques Magazine, 1945


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MEISSEN PORCELAIN

It is not all unusual to hear the porcelain of Meissen spoken of as if it were all pretty much alike, guaranteed so to speak, by the famous crossed swords mark. Many fashions have come and gone during the history of Meissen, not all favorable to the art of porcelain, while the fortunes of the factory have varied from the greatest prosperity to a miserable following of other factories' styles and a wholesale revival of its own. It will be worthwhile, therefore, to define the period of the factory's best work and to describe some of its greatest artistic achievements, distinguishing them from the superficially similar work done later, both in the Meissen factory itself and elsewhere.

The greatest period belongs wholly to that time in the eighteenth century when porcelain was the subject of excited admiration in Europe. It was then hardly thought of as pottery at all, but a semi-precious substance of mysterious origin. Porcelain had been newly bought from China in quantity by the Dutch East Indies Company in the seventeenth century and before long, was being widely imitated in Europe. But, only superficial imitations in delftware and soft paste had been made before the early years of the eighteenth century when Johann Friedrich Bottger made his great discovery.

Botter was an alchemist working at Dresden in the service of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland around 1708-1709 when his fellow worker, Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhausen, hit upon the right principle and materials for making a true hard-paste porcelain of Chinese type. As a result the great factory was founded at Meissen in 1710. Just before his death in 1719, runaway workmen managed to start two smaller rival factories in Vienna and Venice, but from this time onward the Meissen secret was so well guarded that there was no serious rival factory for nearly 40 years after the invention. Meissen kept its technical and creative lead in the world of German, and indeed all European, porcelain until the disaster of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).

Saxony was then overrun by Frederick the Great and his Prussians, and the Meissen premises were occupied. The European leadership passed to the French national factory at Sevres, while Frederick's new Berlin factory aspired to supremacy in Germany. But it was in each case a barren lead, for porcelain by the quarter of the eighteenth century had lost much of it's novelty and glamor.

The world-wide neo-classical fashions of the late eighteenth century called for a new medium. This was found eventually in the unglazed jasper, basalt, and other stonewares made by Josiah Wedgwoood in England, and at Sevres and elsewhere in biscuit porcelain which renounced the special charm of the porcelain material in a vain imitation of marble. The neo-classical was in fact distinctly unfavorable to porcelain' its antique seriousness and symmetry were at ware with the frivolity and "modern fancies" of the essentially rococo porcelain.

The period of supreme achievement at Meissen thus dates from 1710 to 1756. It covers the periods of the late baroque with its often hard symmetry, and of the lighter asymmetrical rococo. The Seven Year War was a blank for the factory, apart what was done for Frederick, and from 1763 on it was trying, yet failed, to catch up with the French or lifelessly repeating its former successes. It sank to nothing in the time of the Napoleonic Wars, being occupied again by the invaders. An attempted revival in the later nineteenth century brought some prosperity again but it was a dubious success, for then were made the copies of the eighteenth-century models which the inexperienced collector of the day often mistakes for old.

Hallmarks:

A collector's task is therefore to distinguish the productions of the greatest period, lying between 1710 and 1776. First, as to marks. Until 1723 no factory mark was added to the porcelain, but the table wares of the early 1720's sometimes show an unexplained nick near the foot ring known in Germany as the Dallwitzer Nagel, after a collector who first called attention to the feature. The marks added to the ware from 1713 on give some help but need to be interpreted with caution.

The first of these, KPM (Konigliche Porzellan Manufaktur) dates from a year or two about 1723-1724, as does an imitation Chinese mark resembling the snake-entwined staff of Mercury. Both marks are comparatively rare. The the famous crossed swords, from the arms of Saxony, were introduced and have remained the regular factory mark from 1721 to present. A dot between the cross indicates a date in the "Academic Period" for the manufacture of the ware, but much defective ware made earlier was decorated in that period, when the factory badly needed funds.

A star between or below the cross indicates the "Marcolini Period" but a star sometimes appeared in the mark on the early and unimportant blue-painted porcelain. Between 1814-1914 the plain crossed swords were used again. Since 1924 a dot has been added between the cross points. The most famous of all marks of the great period, and one most outrageously abused by forgers, is the Augustus Rex monogram which indicates a date between 1725-1730.

Besides these mark, there are often, on early wares, gold letters and numerals of uncertain significance, and incised and impressed mold numbers which began to be regularly used not earlier than 1763, when an inventory was made.

But the mark on the ware (since it is under glaze blue) can only give the date of making of that actual porcelain, which may have been decorated much later. This was often the case indeed with the painting done outside of the factory. The Hausmalerei as it is called, is of great interest. One much-disputed class alone must be mentioned, with decoration often in gilding only, of chinoiseries. This was formerly mistaken for factory work but is now known to have been done in Augsburg about 1725-1735. These Augsburg-decorated pieces sometimes bear pale red "luster" marks, usually initial letters. The Hausmaler using Meissen porcelain were as a rule unable to secure any but outmoded and defective ware, and even that was obtained only surreptitiously. Eventually around 1760 to protect itself against loss of repute due to incompetent decorators, the factory began to "cancel" the mark on defective ware sold "in the white" by one or more cuts made on the glass-engravers wheel. Such a cancelled mark indicates that the piece was not decorated at the Meissen factory itself.

Other marks are sometimes mistaken for the Meissen swords. Some of these are the 18th century marks of other factories, intentionally written to resemble that of their famous rival. Such are the crossed swords and three dots of Weesp, the crossed L's of Limbach, the crossed hay-forks of Rudolstadt, and the crossed torches of the Paris factory of La Courtille. The W of Wallendorf and even the CV of Kloster Veilsdorf were sometimes made to resemble thw swords.

In modern times varous devices of crossed swords, or strokes occur along, or with D, or H, or T (for Carl Thimve of Pottschappel near Dresden), or S on French forgeries. Marks with the word Dresden or a crowned D are of course never Meissen marks but are quite often those of modern decorators, such as Wolfsohn. The A R mark occurs absurdly on modern cups and saucers with colored grounds in panels, alternating with "Watteau scenes" and the like.

Identifying style is far more important:

Far more important for the collector is a knowledge of period style and peculiarities. These can only be acquired by familiarity with genuine specimens. However, a few points of detail may be useful. First of all it must be stated that the type of decoration or the date of the model does not necessarily indicate the period in which a given piece was made. Some aspect of color or style will however generally be found to give away its later date. As to color, the characteristic strong red, yellow, blue, and black of the baroque style, and the paler colors of the rococo should be noted. The soft browns and pinks and pale and bright blues dates the piece after 1760. All are distinguishable from the pale, sickly pink and pale blue and yellowish green pervading the figures of the 19th century revival of the 18th century models.

The form of the base also varies with the period. The 19th and 20th century revivals are commonly on circular or oval pedestals with classical ovolo and other patterns on the edges. The applied flowers are more elaborate, and naturalistic and frilly lace-work has sometimes been added. However, none of these criteria can be regarded as being "infallible" or "rules of the thumb" and a specimen piece may be right in almost all the aspects mentioned and yet be a forgery. One of the most skillful forgers - - one who studied very closely the Dresden Royal Collection. Excellent and true in color though the painting is, there is a lax and flaccid quality in the brushwork, an insincerity it may almost be called, as well as a certain modern sentiment and grace, which must accuse it at once in the eyes of the discerning.

Information gathered and excerpts taken from an article in The Magazine ANTIQUES Circa 1946.


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COCHITI POTTERY: THE SINGING MOTHERS

In the shadow of the dam. Like most of the pueblos of the Southwest, Cochiti predates the Spanish. Pronounced (CO-chi-tee). Archeologists suggest that the Cochiti once occupied the Anasazi Village of Tyuonyi in the Jemez Mountains in the west, north of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Today, Cochiti is a 175 mile-square reserve below the gigantic Cochiti Dam, a looming earth-fill presence that created another world above. Many of its 800 tribal members commute to jobs in Santa Fe and Alburquerque. Still, it gives the impression of being frozen in times.

Cochiti pottery from the late 18th century on has been gray-to-cream-to-white slipped polychrome with black-and-red decoration. Cochiti potters entered the tourist market early. Production of whimsical figurines declined between 1900 and 1960 in favor of more conventional shapes. In the 1960's when the tribal government deeded part of its land for the dam and the lake, Cochiti lost is supply of gray clay forever. But through it all, Cochiti potters retained their sense of playfulness. Now, as then, Cochiti pottery remains the funniest, the most human, and the most enjoyable of them all.

Cochiti pottery production went into a gradual decline as the 20th century progressed until 1964 when a minor, unsuccessful potter paid attention to some advice. After that everything changed.

Her name is Helen Cordero. Creator of the Singing Mothers. It all began when Helen asked her husband's cousin, Juanita Arquero, to teach her how to make pottery, but none of her pieces ever came out right. Finally Juanita gave up on Helen's ability ever to make a proper bowl or jar and suggested that she try making figurines.

The rest is history. She began with nativity scenes and singing mothers, open-mouthed Madonna and -child figurines that had been a staple design at Cochiti for 80 years. A folk art collector bought one of her singing mothers and asked her to make a larger one with multiple children.

Her inspiration came from seeing her grandfather, a master storyteller who was always surrounded by children. Her first storyteller had five children hanging off her grandfather's figure, and the idea caught on immediately. Later on Helen kept adding more and more children, and other potters topped her number, by piling increasing numbers of tiny children on a giant figure, like crawling ants.

Nonetheless, Helen Cordero's success plunged Cochiti back into the figurine business. By 1973, most Cochiti potters had stopped doing whatever they were doing and started turning out their versions of the Storyteller (no longer known as the singing mothers). Few Cochiti potters developed their own unique styles and developed instantly their own recognizable style.

Helen Cordero's storytellers had motion and expression and it didn't taken long for the potters to explore the genre and today the Cochiti potters have made storytellers out of almost every animal imaginable. From coyotes and turtles, to frogs, bears and owls. Their all wonderfully whimsical, colorful and make people smile and continue to delight families and collectors around the world.

Credit Reference: Southwestern Pottery - Anasazi to Zuni. By Allen Hayes and John Blom 1996.

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BUFFALO BILL: HIS FINAL DAYS

No single individual has contributed more to the circus entertainment world than Colonel William F. Cody, Buffalo Bill of the old Wild West. Although he gained fame as a Pony Express rider, Indian scout and buffalo hunter, his greatest achievement was that of a showman. Bill Cody lived a life as active as it was varied and the massive publicity given him by ambitious dime novel writers during his time, though steeped in fiction, did much toward propelling his personality into a legendary hall of fame.

At the beginning of the year 1870 when the need for scouting and buffalo hunting declined, Cody, well groomed with the publicity he already enjoyed, started to tour the country as a theatrical performer, playing leading roles in stage plays that portrayed the rugged life on the Western Plains. To add color to his show, trick roping cowboys and dancing Indians were often included in the cast. For the next twelve years his stage shows enjoyed an enviable degree of success. His performances brought a sense of realism to remote audiences, who at best could only read about the West . . . poor people hungry for adventure knowing that they would never have the opportunity to travel and experience the rigors of frontier life.

From 1870 to 1882 the circus struggled financially due to poor management until 1883 when an enterprising and shrewd showman by the name of Nate Salisbury turn the circus into a profitable business. This marked the beginning of an era where the circus would continue to enjoy unprecedented success for the next twenty years both at home and abroad. It established a record in 1899 when it traveled over 11,000 miles with a 200 day season, setting up the show equipment in 132 different towns and giving a total of 341 matinee and evening performances.

During these years, Cody literally made and lost a fortune in a relatively short period of time. He was, by nature, a great spender and the large sums of money that rolled in during his successful years rolled out with equal ease.

1n 1902 Nate Salisbury died . James A. Bailey, also a showman and member of the famous Bailey Circus family, joined Cody as a partner and took over the duties of managing the circus. He was able to keep the circus financially sound until his death in 1907 and at the end of the season found itself in debt for the first time. The 1908-1910 season continue with its engagements but because of poor management during this period the liabilities grew and became a major concern.

At the end of 1910 season, Major Gordon W. Little (Pawnee Bill) got together with Cody, and the two conceived the idea of making a farewell tour together, a tour that was to last several years and resulted in the combining of of Lillie's "Far East" show with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Thus a partnership was formed and a new and briefly successful show, called Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Lillie's Great Far East Circus toured the country during the 1911 season making once again a profit. However, in 1912 the tables soon turned. Due to continuous bad weather and transportation difficulties and poor attendance new debts began to accumulate at an alarming rate as the circus traveled from town to town. Wild Bill Cody sought relief and signed a 6-month note for $20,000 to be paid in full in July of that year.

The 1912 circus itinerary included the town of Denver. Coincidentally the note became due and expired at the time they were to perform in Denver, and as they were to set up for the performance all activity was halted when the local sheriff served a writ attaching all of the property of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.

A state of pandemonium developed as the circus closed down. Performs, many of them from far away with limited funds, found themselves without a job or funds to return home. Others like Annie Oakley, whose association with Cody had been a long and friendly one, were plunged into a darkness of sorrow and regret. During the few weeks preceding final foreclosure action, Cody and Lillie tried hard to raise enough money in order to get their circus out of its legal predicament. The odds were too great and they failed in their efforts. As a result the circus faded away in the din of a large Denver public auction. Colorful wagons, horses, show animals, tents, railroad cars and other circus accessories were sold to the highest bidder.

Although the auction paid off the $20,000 debt due his creditor, many more were demanding that their accounts be paid too and soon, Lillie sued Cody in an attempt to recover some of his loses. With his circus gone friends state that this period was one of the most depressing of periods of his entire life. He headed back home in Cody, Wyoming, badly shaken but not not ready for retirement. Over the next several years he traveled with other smaller circuses and presented plans in 1913 to make a movie with Essanay Film Studios in Hollywood playing the leading role in the reconstruction of the Battle at Wounded Knee.

At the beginning of 1914 season Cody now was 68 years old, traveled with the Sells-Floto Circus. He rode in the parade line-up and appeared in the arena where he demonstrated his marksmanship by popping clay balls. At the seasons end he became more and more dissatisfied with his part and found it difficult to play the part of a circus performer. Cody continued to travel in the circus world with other shows. He left the show for the last time in 1916 and returned to Cody, Wyoming and for reasons friends did not understand it was a mystery why he wanted to return to Denver. He took sick on the long 600 mile train ride and after receiving medical attention he was sent to another doctor, Dr. Cook) in Glenwood Springs, Colorado for therapeutic treatment in the hot mineral spring water. It was difficult trip and he collapsed after reaching Colorado Springs. The doctor took him back to Denver arriving there on January 6, 1917 and he appeared to be recovering when his condition took a relapse. He died of uremic poisoning on January 10, 1917.

Colonel William F. Cody, the Buffalo Bill of the old wild West, continues to pervade in the minds and hearts of his followers and fans on into the 21st century through their children. He was one of the greatest showman and entertainers, and his "larger than life" persona and his tales and enactments of the great frontier was his legacy and gift to a country he loved.

Excerpts taken from an article in a vintage pulp magazine: THE WEST, True stories of the old West. Dec. 66.

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DIME STORE HEROES AND PULP FICTION

Dime store novels entered American culture before the civil war in the form of paperback books, which were sold throughout the country for the grand sum of 5 to 10 cents. The first publisher of dime store novels was Beadle and Adams. They published over 3,000 titles with sales up to 5 million copies from 1860 - 1898. These fictionalized stores of real people such Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and Kit Carson thrilled readers in the form of paperback books.

Beadle and Adams featured the exploits of William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody. In 1872 Buffalo Bill starred in Buntline's play Scouts of the Plains which was the beginning of his show-business career which showcased the colorful, action-packed, rip-snortin' WILD WEST SHOWS. Wild Bill Cody began a legend and an American Icon woven into our history of the old West.

Buffalo Bill was featured in over 800 dime novels and in hundreds of other famous cowboys like Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Bid, Texas Jack and Bronco Bob. Calamity Jane fixed the image of the Wild West for the entire world. Paul Bunyan, the mythological hero of the old Northwest and Pecos Bill, a southwestern frontier cowboy whose feats included lassoing lightning and riding cyclones thrilled the minds and energized the hearts of boys and girls as well as adults until 1920. The last of these publications and fictionalized accounts of real events was replaced with a new pulp called Western Story Magazine.

Pulps explored into the 1920s and 1930s with Western adventures. In addition to Western Story Magazine, Argosy, Texas Rangers, Frontier Stories, Western Trails Lariat and West thrilled readers around the country and in 1940 the Western paperbacks began flooding the market.

Zane Grey published his first novel in 1903 but did not establish his following until 1912. The novel, Riders of the Purple Sage brought Zane Grey into the limelight by selling over 1.8 million copies. Zane Grey, a new york dentist, was a prolific writer and subsequently wrote 54-Westerns. The Code of the West, The Lone Star Ranger, Wanderers of the Wasteland, Thundering Herd were action packed, colorful and romantic.

In 1930 the Little Books published by Whitman Publishing Company began issuing Western novels in a unique format. The little books were predecessors to the comic book of the 1940s. Other companies joined the bandwagon publishing fast action books which were noted for their exceptional artwork on the inside and outside of the covers. A small series of books were published by Saalfield featuring Tom Mix, Buck Jones and others. These little books measured 3-3/4" x 4" x 4-1/2" and ran 300 to 400 pages. Later these Little Books became, Big Little Books and called Better Little Books and New Better Little Books and consisted of novelized newspaper comic strips such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Little Orphan Annie and Dick Tracy and soon became branded and began classics. The stories included biographies and movie features. Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger, Buck Jones, Tim McCoy, Rex Allen were the new heroes of the 40's and 50's.

The popularity of these pulps, paperback and old western novels dating from the late 1800s into the 21st century continues to draw readers and collectors. The old west and the American Cowboy as well as other action back heroes have become so ingrained into the American Culture and our hearts that they have become "bigger than life". They became our family, in some respects, and certainly role models that inspired one to be better, to take care of those less fortunate and it taught young ones to be brave and to always have a bigger dream.

It was a period of goodness that, in my opinion, has been lost. There was a purity of heart and a time when neighbors really depended upon one another for their survival. Our history certainly had its bloodshed and wars where we fought for our dignity and human rights the the era of the dime store novels and pulp fiction was and still is a very special time when readers could be transformed into a very special time warp of adventure and become the action-packed heroes braving it out in the old west of lawless renegades.

Pups and paperbacks are highly collectible today primarily for their exceptional well-executed action-packed covers. Original art from the "golden age" of graphics is extremely difficult to find and comic book art is extremely difficult to obtain. The next best thing to the original art are the books and comics themselves. These can be found through collectors and dealers online, antique shops as well as flea markets and book stores. It is what what I personally like to collect. I love books and I love Zane Grey novel, old western comics and movie posters. I'll bet that the reader (he or she) has their own memories to share of the days when The Lone Range, Roy Rogers, Hop-Along Cassidy and Annie Oakley were their best friend too.

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Cowboy Hero Novels and Pulp history research obtained through various references and the collectors book on western pulp: Box Office Buckaroos. by John Gilman and Robert Heide.

INVESTING: IT'S ABOUT TIME

CARTIER 18K Tri-Gold Vermeil De Must Deployment Watch

Exceptional Men's or Unisex, Must de Cartier Round Face Dial with dramatic Tri-gold Vermeil (Yellow, silver, rose) banding. Quartz movement. Original crown set with a blue sapphire cabochon on a gold-plated case. Sapphire crystal glass. Comes on the original Cartier crocodile leather band with 18kt gold-plated deployment buckle by Cartier. Watch is in excellent condition. The only apparent wear is the leather band more on the inside than the outer side. Still in good condition but later can be easily exchanged out. Measures 23mm x 31mm. Comes in the red box by Cartier with some papers. Measurement: Dial 1-1/4" round. Watch Band set at 6-1/2" is adjustable. $985


TIFFANY Mens Classic 14K Gold Watch by Movado Automatic

Estate Watch: Tiffany & Co. Men's 14kt yellow gold watch with champagne face gold numbers. Automatic movement. The case is engraved on the back, stainless case, Movado #1463 on side of watch case. Circa: 1959's-60's. Keeps good time. Measurement: Face 1-1/4" Diameter. 14-15mm Lug Measurement for band. New Lizard watch band. Beautiful Replacement Movado Watch Box for storing of this vintage classical timepiece. Tiffany & Co commissioned many of their watches by many watch makers. Movado, Longines and many others. This is a fine movement and will be a fine watch for another 60 years. $1150

TIFFANY 1918 Antique TIFFANY-Waltham Car Watch Model-T
Antique : Watches - $1,435 USD - SOLD

Extraordinary. Genuine signed 1918 TIFFANY CAR CLOCK. Manufacturer: WALTHAM Watch factory in Waltham, Mass.. These are very rare! Stock # TIFFANY 6000. Very clean. This is a big piece and it is 74mm across and with the crown it is off the scale at appx. 85mm long more than twice the size of a pocket watch. The dial is in nice clean condition with a few lines but 100% original. The hands are original and the bezel screws in perfectly. The case is hinged on the back and on the inside it is gold flashed for a nice color indeed. This is an 8 day 20 size movement and made for Tiffany & Co. The serial number for this movement is 21,430,197. The age is verified is verified by the serial number produced in the year 1918. These are very unique piece and the name of Tiffany alone makes this a great collectible. Tiffany used many manufacturers for their watch but one in a while a prized piece like this one comes along from the Waltham and Tiffany Collector.

Antique and Vintage Luxury Watches can prove to be a real TIME winner!


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CAUGHT IN A TIME WARP

Magnificent Possessions Caught in a TIME WARP!!!


Today’s women love the glamour of Hollywood as much as the women back in the 40’s and 50’s. Jewelry was glamorous and feminine and, because of the war years, most of the jewelry at that time was gold plated. Today, however, gold is very available and even with prices reaching over $1,000 per ounce in October 2009, gold jewelry by the troy ounce quite expensive but investors will find Gold Jewelery and Watches s still very competitively priced because of competitive re-sale market conditions and internet market competition.

Vintage jewelry continues to demand “gold” prices even though the settings are gold plated or filled and the gemstones, in most cases, paste or colored glass with some of the finer costume pieces showcasing semi-precious gemstones. Here we are fifty plus years later with natural and simulated gemstone jewelry continuing to touch the hearts of collectors whether it be American or Mexican designs.

My point is quite simple. With vintage sterling silver and designer costume jewelry continuing to be rather pricey, why not diversify and invest in the REAL THING! Being an old fashion girl, just give me gold, diamonds, rubies and leave the paste jewelry to others. To quote a very famous and outrageous Hollywood siren and comedic actress, Mae West, "Too much of a good thing is wonderful." Ditto!

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HAUTE COUTURE HOUSES: THE AGE OF DAZZLE

From Coco Chanel in the 1920's to yves Saint laurent and Valentino Garavani in the 1970's haute couture costume jewelry has been an eye-catching accessory to enhance a designer's vision. The craze for costume jewelery began during the Jazz Age with Chanel when she took costume jewelry, previously only meant to be imitations of actual jewels, and turned the designs inside out, overstating and exaggerating these objects so they would never be mistaken for the real thing. By the late 1920's the jewelry boxes of fashionable ladies held both traditional fine jewelry and Chanel "imitations" that were anything but copies and could be worn in outrageous ways ... as when flappers looped long strands of over-sized pearls around their waif-like bodies.

From this audacious start haute couture costume jewelry became increasingly extroverted and playful in the witty hands of Givenchy, Dior and Schiaparelli. Richness of color and the size of these faux-creations intended to be seen in the pages of Vogue and Elle ... grew into exaggerated sculptural forms of astonishing beauty. Costume jewelry became a hothouse for design ideas that loook as fresh today as when they first appeared. Credits: Costume Jewelry by Haute Couture. Author: Florence Muller.

The following is a brief biography on a few of the most coveted designers who change fashion for women around the world:

ELSA SCHIAPARELLI: Elsa was born September 10, 1890 in Rome, Italy. In 1927, Elsa opened her first salon selling sportswear. In 1931, Schiaparelli gained worlwide attntion with her design of a divided tennis skirt for Lili de Alvarez. Schiaparelli was also the first to use shoulder pads in her designs. From 1936 to 1939, Elsa worked with surrealist artists, Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí and Alberto Giacometti. Schiaparelli designed Zsa Zsa Gabors costumes for the film Moulin Rouge (1952). In 1954, her couture house went bankrupt. Elsa moved to the USA. Elsa Schiaparelli died November 13, 1973.

PIERRE CARDIN: Pierre is the most celebrated designer of France. He is regarded among the top fashion designers around the globe today. His designs and his commercial success have made him one of the living legends among French fashion designers. Cardin had a lot of talent which he beautifully refined and made a name for himself in the fashion fraternity. Today the brand is counted among the few top brands in the world. His exquisite designs which have a strong influence of geometrical patterns rather than any female form have created a rage in the fashion fraternity. Cardin was known for his avant-garde style and his space age designs.

PIERRE BALMAIN: Pierre was born in 1914 in St. Jean de Maurienne, a small village not far from Aix-les-Bains a fashionable resort in the Savoy Mountains of France. His family owned a wholesale drapery business. His mother Fracoise, worked at a boutique managed by her two sisters. Balmain's father died when he was only 7 years old and his happiest childhood memories were of playing in the shop where his mother and aunts made dresses. He played with the fabrics and set his heart on becoming a couturier

CRISTOBAL BALENCIAGA: Spanish-French fashion designer. He studied dressmaking as a child and was inspired to become a couturier by a visit to Paris. By age 20 he had his own firm in San Sebastián. Over the next 15 years Balenciaga became the leading couturier of Spain. In 1937, when the Spanish Civil War disrupted his business, he moved to Paris. For the next 30 years his collections featured sumptuously elegant dresses and suits. Balenciaga helped popularize the trend toward capes and flowing clothes without waistlines in the late 1950s as well as the use of plastic for rainwear in the mid 1960s. He retired in 1968. Died in 1972.

CHANEL: Fashion designer. Born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France. With her trademark suits and little black dresses, Coco Chanel created timeless designs that are still popular today. She herself became a much revered style icon known for her simple yet sophisticated outfits paired with great accessories, such as several strands of pearls. As Chanel once said,“luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” Chanel died in 1971.

CHRISTIAN DIOR: Granville, France—died Oct. 24, 1957, Montecatini, Italy) French fashion designer. He trained for the French diplomatic service, but in the financial crisis of the 1930s he began illustrating fashions for a weekly periodical. In 1942 he joined the house of the Parisian designer Lucien Lelong. In 1947 he introduced his revolutionary “New Look,” which featured small shoulders, a natural waistline, and a voluminous skirt, a drastic change from the World War II look of padded shoulders and short skirts. In the 1950s the “sack,” or “H” line, became the characteristic silhouette of his designs. He was instrumental in commercializing Parisian fashion on a worldwide scale.

HUBERT DE GIVENCHY: French fashion designer. After studying art at the École des Beaux-Arts, he designed for the Paris fashion houses of Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong, and Elsa Schiaparelli. In 1952 he opened his own house and introduced his first collection, featuring separates, high-style coats, and elegant ball gowns. In 1957 he and Cristobal Balenciaga introduced the “sack” silhouette (clothes without waistlines). His designs for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) popularized the high-bosomed dress without sleeves or belt. In the 1960s his ready-to-wear boutiques brought high fashion at low prices to women throughout the world

CHRISTIAN LACROIX: Christian was born in Aries, France and he studied Art History at the University Paul Valery at Montpellier, France. Christian Lacroix moved to Paris in 1973 and in 1978 he became a stylist for Hermes de Paris. in 1981 Christian Lacroix was appointed Artistic Director at Jean Patou, the famous perfumer on the Champs Elysees. Finally in 1987 Christian Lacroix opened his own Couture House, which is located on Avenue Montaigne and it is now a part of LVMH.

KARL LAGERFELD: German fashion designer. After moving to Paris at age 14, he went on to create designs for such established labels as Pierre Balmain, Chloe, Valentino, and Fendi. He is best known as the creative power behind the modern revival of the house of Chanel, which he joined in 1983. Lagerfeld consistently managed to merge the spirit of the times with the chic, timeless identity established by the house's founder, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, making Chanel one of the most coveted and influential labels in late 20th-century fashion.

LANVIN: Jeanne Lanvin (Paris 1867 - 1946), is the oldest Parisian fashion house.
From Haute couture (1909) to men's fashion (1926), decoration (1920), and perfumes ("My Sin" in 1925, "Arpege" 1927), the young milliner became the Ambassador of French elegance; transforming her hat and clothing workshops into a veritable fashion empire. Jeanne Lanvin drew inspiration from her only child; Marguerite (later known as Marie-Blanche de Polignac, a talented opera singer). Marguerite succeeded her mother in 1946 and remained in charge until her death in 1958.

JEAN PATOU: Jean was born in Normandy, France and he started with two small dressmaking shops in Paris. The Jean Patou created Joy Perfume which was the most expensive perfume and each ounce used more than 150,000 flower petals. The House of Patou continued after his death and it is known worldwide for extraordinary perfumes, Joy, Sublime, 1000 Patou, and others. For Jean Patou special sale items online including Joy Perfume, Sublime and 1000 Jean Patou gift sets and gift baskets at up to 50% off retail prices, see the resource list below

PACO RABANNE: Francisco de Rabanne da Cuervo was born in San Sebastian, Spain in 1934. He was called Paco for short. His mother was Chief Seamstress at the Spanish salon of Balenciaga. During the Spanish civil war, the family moved to France.Rabanne studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris graduating in 1964

NINA RICCI: Maria (Nina) Ricci had much of the start she required in her early days. A renowned designer, Nina endowed almost all her life in the creative field designing for women. Being Italian by birth and French by upbringing Nina was known to create a refined and romantic collection which creates a feminine aspect in all her collections. The brand is synonymous to providing luxury products and is high on mixing the right kind of fabric required to create the desired effect.

YVES SAINT LAURENT: Algerian-born French fashion designer. He left for Paris after secondary school to pursue a fashion career and at 17 was hired as Christian Dior's assistant. When Dior died four years later, he was named head of the House of Dior. In 1962 he opened his own fashion house and quickly emerged as one of the world's most influential designers. He popularized trousers for women for both city and country wear. Metallic and transparent fabrics were prominent in his late '60s collections; in the 1970s, inspired by ethnic costume, he introduced the haute peasant look. During the 1960s and '70s his enterprises expanded to include ready-to-wear licenses, accessories, household linens, fragrances, and men's clothes in addition to his couture business. He retired in 2002 and died in 2008.

EMANUEL UNGARO: Emanuel' s fashion is bold, colorful, and exuberant. For forty years, his innovative designs have graced Paris runways.

Emanuel Ungaro was born in Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France, in 1933. His father was an Italian tailor from Brindisi. Ungaro took up sewing at a very young age and, with his five brothers and sisters, learned the family tailoring business. As a youth, he loved the colors and paintings of Provence, particularly those of the impressionist, Cezanne. Ungaro moved to Paris when he was 22 and began designing for The House of Balenciaga. The rigid and silent workroom there left him yearning for a more sensual and expressive outlet for his art. After six years at Balenciaga, he left to join Courreges. In 1965, he opened his own couture fashion house, “Emanuel Ungaro.” He created his first collection with limited means - just forty meters of fabric and four seamstresses. His clothing was full of color, mixed patterns, and elegant drapings. It was a huge, critical success. With this collection, he earned an international reputation for unique color combinations, unexpected motifs, and sleek silhouettes.

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