Bama Planter

This is a huge piece of furniture from the estate of Alabama Senator William Lowndes Yancey.  He was a planter in Dallas County, Alabama,  served in the Alabama legislature from Coosa County, was a state Senator from Coosa and Autauga Counties,  and was elected to the United States Congress in 1844.  Before he made his first speech defending the South, Secretary of State John C. Calhoun advised him to hold back a little, but Yancey gave a brilliant and forceful opening address that gave him instant national fame.   He was actually challenged to a duel because of the speech, but the dispute was settled before any shots were fired. Mr. Yancey served two terms in Congress then came back to Alabama to practice law in Montgomery. ( One old biography said he came back because he needed to "repair his fortune" which is a nice way of saying he was running out of money. )  Mr. Yancey's ability to stir up the crowds in his speeches earned him ...

I visited my friend Charlie's shop in Clanton and was taken by this giant piece of Americana, a deluxe wood burning stove that is probably the best and most complete one I've seen in years.  He left it sitting on the roller dolly so it can be loaded, as it takes four strong men to lift it. As you see, it's called the Home Comfort and I suspect it would bring a lot of comfort on a cold day.  I am sure Tasha could fire this one up and produce some cakes and pies that would inspire complements from anyone in the house. I already have a cook stove about half this size that I love, or I would be bringing this one home with me.  I think the gray color  ( spelled grey if you are Old South)  would enhance any color scheme.

I decided that the little Armand Marseille dolls looked rather shabby in their old clothes, so I got on Ebay and found myself a seller  ( Erintay18 ) who knows how to create an outfit that shows what a 100 year old doll can wear with style.  None of my dolls had their original ensembles, and it appears that doll collecting pros see great value in having them dressed in ratty old clothes, but I don't.  I think that after 100 years a girl deserves a new outfit. Meanwhile, in a case in the back room,  these little girls must be content with what they have for now.  These are German dolls made by Armand Marseille ,  Halbig, and Kestner.  Some still need proper new clothing, some need new hair, most need shoes.  They seem content enough as they are. Their faces are porcelain; their bodies are either kid leather or cloth and stuffed with sawdust.  Erin made the purple dress also.  Another dres...

I found this large chair tucked away on the second floor of a tired-looking old building that serves as an antique shop in Selma, Alabama.  It  reminds me of a lolling chair, the type Mr. Scrooge sits in as he eats his gruel in front of the little fireplace in his bedroom.  Since I don't have a fireplace in my bedroom, I decided to try it out in the main room of the log cabin.  I struggled to get the two pink Chippendale chairs upstairs ( sixteen steps)  to a more suitable setting.  Then I removed the televison by rerouting  the cable wires to the back of the house where I have my computer, craft tables, and books, all mixed in with a hodge-podge of old  furniture. My back room is basically a  sad combination of styles but solving that will have to wait for a better day or a bigger house. Yet the good news is that now the log room  has taken a gian...

+Double Click each picture for a better look! Mint Julep Cabinet just pulled from an old plantation house in Alabama. All original. Inside is a cellerette for holding the liquor bottles. Under the marble top is an ornately tooled leather pull-out serving tray. I think the style is Empire-Rococo A bit of the veneer is missing on each side where a gentleman would rest his foot. I like the authenticity of that. This would probably date 1830s-1840s. Most likely made in New Orleans and purchased either there or in Mobile and brought "up the river" to the Black Belt region of Alabama. It's very heavy even without the marble top. This is only the third one I have seen since going to my first auction in 1968 as a teenager. One was in Roanoke, Alabama , at the Grandview Auction a couple o...