Ron McCoy's Antiques Newsletter, Flicker and the Library of Congress

One of the few regular newsletters that I receive is the Antiques & Collecting Newsletter, Ron McCoy, editor. It comes once a month and rather than articles about what is this, how much is it worth, what is this mark - Mr. McCoy offers a variety of interesting and very eclectic links to sites that folk interested in antiques, vintage and collecting, might find fascinating. Since these same folk tend to think a bit outside of the box, the sites offered are the same. A selection of original pin-up girls painted on World War II planes, mens' tie fashions over the years, Route 66 history with photos, various strange landmarks or man made oddities found off the beaten track, vintage TV collections, etc. Even if you're not a dealer or a collector, if you like the unique to the absurd, you'll enjoy this newsletter! You can check out past issues, read some articles or sign up for the newsletter here: Ron McCoy Newsletter

Awhile back he posted a link with some info about a large collection of of old photographs from the archives of the Library of Congress now being shared on Flickr.com. This is a pilot project begun in 2008 to share some of the most popular images from the Library with a wider community and to encourage actual interactions among viewers. The photos come from the Farm Security Administration, Office of War Information, Bain News Service, selected panoramic photos, and other photos from different collections. Most of the photos range in age from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. The photos have no known restrictions on publication or distribution and they have high resolution scans. Here are a few that I really like. I've added names to these because they were available either in the photo, from the Library's notes or from added comments from others.

Library of Congress on Flicker Many came to the Library with no descriptions or background, and the Library encourages tags, comments and any identifying information. Warning, you can get lost in there! The range of photos is fantastic, and reading some of the comments makes them even better. People are actually identifying many of the people in these photos as family members or long ago local celebraties, politicians or characters still remembered in their communities. Even some of the unidentified photos, like the ones taken of female carnival performers from the early 1900's, have started online conversations about the emotions and thoughts the photos stir in people.And you can search for different types of photos, women, fashion, cars, sports.

Vintage Aluminum Ware or More Correctly, Antique Aluminum Ware

Aluminum was discovered in 1845 and for a few years was valued as and used as a fine precious metal. In 1886, all that changed. Electricity had made the extraction process quick and inexpensive and aluminum became everyman's metal. Designers from all styles loved it. The arts and crafts people made tree branch handles, hand hammered utilitarian pieces, and placed decorated sheets on wood furniture; the art nouveau group swirled it, vined it and flowered it; the deco crowd loved the simple angles and curves easily obtained, and the matte to shiny surface options especially for dining, cocktail and entertaining pieces; the modernist and bauhaus designers jumped on it creating tubular furniture and solid pieces in waves or with sharp angles. Barclay McClelland was producing colored "spun" aluminum decorative serving pieces before WWII. The war slowed down the decorative and housware production, but after the war, the new colored ware with smooth or brushed surfaces became very popular. Granted there are some very generic aluminum pieces, especially those produced during the depression as a poor man's replacement for silver. But there are some truly fantastic pieces also, highlights of their particular design period from the late 1800's to the present.