Rara Avis

This streamlined and stylized blown-glass bird with bold green stripes is a rare bird indeed.  

This little bird was made by the Finnish design company of Iittala. Iittala was founded in 1881 as a glassworks in Iittalain, Finland by Peter Magnus Abrahamson, who brought glassblowers with him from Sweden. By the late 1800s the company came under Finnish control and hired its first in-house designer in 1903. Iittala, which would later expand into ceramic and metal creations, became known for its innovative glass designs emphasizing the beauty of form and color over ornamentation.

Under its breast, the bird is etched "O. Toikka" and "Nuutajärvi." The signature is that of Oiva Toikka (1931-2019), considered one of the masters of Finnish glass design, who created his Birds by Toikka for Iittala. Today Iittala continues his legacy, its skilled artisans crafting each Toikka bird by hand. This whimsical bird represents a whip-poor-will or willow duck (in Finnish, the bird is called pajusotka, paju being the Finnish word for willow and sotka meaning a type of duck), and was created for the Birds of Passage collection from 1991 through 1997. Nuutajärvi is the Finnish city where the Iittala glassworks are located.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

5258-12089

A Fine Mess!

 We really do have a fine mess here in our trove, an authentic WWII portable mess kit set in its original olive green wooden trunk. The remains of "US" in black can be discerned on its front. Battered, but unbowed, imagine what stories this historic example of military memorabilia could tell!

Inside, neatly stored in various niches are an assortment of enamel plates, bowls, cups, a coffee pot, and a sugar bowl. 

The upper compartment, secured with a sturdy leather strap, opens to reveal not only forks, spoons, and knives, but also a can opener and potato peeler.

The flatware carries the mark of Wallace Brothers, an American company founded better known for its sterling and silver plated flatware.

The table is set. Some of the enamel pieces, like the trunk, have taken a few hits during their long military career.

The top of the trunk carries a metal label indicating the stock number and military depot of the set. Dated August 17, 1944, the trunk holding this portable mess set was made by Wheary, Incorporated. Founded in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1922, Wheary produced trunks and luggage, including footlockers, fitted trunks, and other gear for the military during WWII. The company was sold to the Hartmann Trunk Company in 1955 and closed in 1962.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

16151-1921

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright. . .

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

The Tyger, William Blake, 1794

We know who framed the fearful symmetry of this majestic tiger, famed Texas artist William Kelly Fearing (1918-2011). These photographs do not capture the beauty and power of this great cat in captured by Kelly in alert response. 

Titled "Tiger Day and Night," 

. . . the piece is signed and dated by Fearing.

It is numbered "24/32," indicating that this work is the twenty-fourth print from a limited edition of thirty-two.

Fearing studied art at Louisiana Tech University, subsequently earning his a master’s degree at Columbia University in New York City. In 1943, he moved to Fort Worth, where he joined the "Fort Worth Circle," a group of artists who experimented with contemporary art concepts, such as surrealism and modernism. During this period, Fearing became interested in metaphysics and his works often have a mystical or spiritual feel. He taught art at Texas Wesleyan University, but in 1947 moved to the University of Texas art department in Austin, where he joined artists such as Charles Umlauf in defining Texas mid-century modernism. Fearing retired in 1987 as professor emeritus, but continued to create art. Throughout  his long career, Fearing experimented with a wide variety of media, from print making to found-object collages. 

Fearing was a major influence in introducing modern art concepts in Texas. Not only did he mentor his students during his decades as an art professor, Fearing inspired future generations by founding The University of Texas Junior Art Project, a visual arts program offering children free, university-based instruction and exposure to the arts.  His artwork has been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States and is included in many private and public collections including the Blanton Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.  In 2007, Fearing received the prestigious E. William Doty Award from the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, recognizing his extraordinary professional achievement and dedication to the College of Fine Arts.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

14951-64

You'll Flip Your Lid!

 Over our amazing stash of fine Stetson hats, still in their iconic boxes.

Although the Stetson name has long been synonymous with cowboy hats, it wasn't until 1970 that Stetson hats were actually made in Texas, more specifically in Garland. The John B. Stetson Company was founded originally in Philadelphia by John B. Stetson in 1865. Born in 1830, Stetson's father was a hatter and Stetson worked with him until, as a young man, he was told to go West for his health. While panning for gold in Colorado, Stetson used his hat-making experience to create a wide-brimmed hat with a tall crown out of felted fur. Although his companions originally mocked him for his unusual headwear, they were soon impressed by how well the hat kept its shape, protected the wearer from the sun, and helped insulate him from rain, as well as both heat and cold. After selling his original hat to a passing cowboy for the then-princely sum of $5.00, Stetson returned to Philadelphia and, using money borrowed from his sister, started a hat company, reproducing his design in felt, which he named the "Boss of the Plains." The waterproof, lightweight hat was a hit, and by 1891, the Stetson company was producing work and dress hats for both men and women in its nine-acre factory that employed some 5,000 workers. However, following WWII, when men's hats fell out of fashion, Stetson struggled, ultimately closing its Philadelphia factory in 1971 and entering into licensing arrangements with other manufacturers. The company went bankrupt in 1986, but Hat Brands purchased the Stetson factory equipment and license. Through various corporate mergers and sales, Hat Brands became Hatco, Inc., the Garland company currently continuing Stetson's long legacy.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

I've Got Rhythm. . .

You'll be singing that famous jazz ditty by the Gershwin brothers if you buy this marvelous mid-century modern nightstand. By the American furniture maker Lane Company, this walnut table is part of the company's Rhythm line, introduced in 1963 and produced for the rest of that decade. Lane advertised its Rhythm collection as "contemporary" with "bold sweeping accents," "smoothly sculpted legs and rails that flow together," and "clean, fluid lines." In the 1960s, Lane's furniture lines, such as Acclaim, Perception, Rhythm, and Tuxedo, epitomized American mid-century modern design with its simplicity of style, use of natural materials, and the lack of unnecessary embellishment. Lane mid-century modern furniture, featuring fine woods and craftsmanship, is highly sought after today.

Of warm walnut, this table, with its uncluttered curves, would fit in any decor. After some 60 years, this handsome and historical piece of furniture needs just a little TLC to restore it to its original beauty.

Who could ask for anything more?

The Lane family founded the town of Altavista, Virginia, in 1907. The town's proximity to planned railroad links and the Staunton River was important not only to the family's cotton mill, but would help create the Lane Company. In 1912, John Edward Lane purchased a bankrupt packing-box plant in Altavista, which his son, Edward Hudson Lane, converted to a factory making cedar chests, founding the  Standard Red Cedar Chest Company. The chests were marketed as "hope chests" to young women for storing linens, clothing, and other items in anticipation of marriage and setting up a new home. During WWI, the company made ammunition boxes. In 1922, it changed its name to the Lane Company and, thanks to nationwide marketing,  its cedar chests became synonymous with romance and marriage. During WWII, Lane also made aircraft parts. Following the war, the company expanded its design department and hired top designers. The company expanded its offerings in 1951, making occasional or side tables, and in 1956, after acquiring the Bald Knob Furniture Company, Lane began manufacturing dining room, living room, and bedroom furniture. 

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

857-2913