I have often wondered what happened to the early furnishings of Mobile. I'm not talking about the large plantation style furnishings of the antebellum era but the stuff before that. I am talking about the furnishings of the colonial period and territorial years. Sure, there were large fires in 1827 and 1839 that destroyed much of what was then Mobile but I'm sure that plenty of people had the opportunity to save their belongings before losing their homes. Not to mention the many plantation homes all around the bay and congregated along the rivers just north of Mobile, some of which survived into the 20th century. What is certain is that they are exceedingly rare and one of my favorite hobbies is searching the many antique stores around town for them and any other local items that may pre-date statehood. I have added photos of a few of the early items from my collection that I believe to have a local provenance and are, at least, regional pieces.
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| 18th to early 19th century Creole Style chair (found in Mobile) |
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| primitive ladder back chair (found in South Mobile County) |
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| Croom (Gaillard) Armoire, c. 1835, with center belt drawer |
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Gaillard House, 1836 (HABS Photo)
Zeno Chastang House, representative of early plantation house on Mobile River (HABS Photo) |
Bene, 2 sedie ed un armadio (e che bell'armadio!) ci sono.
ReplyDeleteBuona caccia!
:D
Grazie Dani! La sedia della prima foto l`abbiamo trovata l`altro ieri. E` uno di quei rarissimi tesori che cercavamo da tanto tempo. Risale al periodo coloniale francese, che fortuna trovarla!!! Sono ancora incredula!:D
ReplyDeletefinding such wonderful finds are what dreams are made of, I often wish of finding such novelty... it seems as though you are very fortunate and skilled in your endeavor... and by the way, I really like the mood of the Chastang house, the steps remind me of ours...
ReplyDeleteDavid and I usually hit at least one antique store a week, and we`ve been doing it for the past 12 years. The child`s chair has been one of our best finds. By the way, your house is not in such a mood at all, it`s beautiful and well taken care of! And I really understand the effort that goes in to it!
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