Friday, July 2, 2010

Going Once; Going Twice . . . .

Last night my husband and I went to an auction up the country. My in-laws go every Thursday night, and we hadn't been in a long time. Now that I'm interested in 1950's things, I thought it might be a great place to see what I could find. I was so excited. My husband and I also needed to get out of the house and out of our routine. We'd both been sick over the last month and frankly besides going to work, I hadn't been anywhere but the house.


So far most of what I've been looking at and studying has been clothes, shoes, handbags, hairstyles, that kind of thing. This auction didn't have any clothes that I saw, no shoes from the period. I saw a handbag, more of a clutch that had possibilities. Just a black hinged affair with a clasp at the top and a chain for a strap. What interested me the most were vintage linens. There were what were once beautiful christening gowns, badly stained now. Lots of handkerchiefs, napkins, dish towels. A few aprons that had possibilities. A pinafore I really thought twice about. But most of the stuff was so badly soiled from long years of storage in dampness maybe. I don't know enough yet to know if these things can be cleaned or if they are a loss. Also in this lot of linens were several gauzy scarves--the kind women/girls in the 1950's tied around their necks or ponytails. These also made me consider this lot.


I think I also need to start looking at 1950's interiors. I don't know enough about the period's furniture to know 50's when I see it. Some things I know right off, but I didn't see anything last night that particularly stood out.


Ultimately, there wasn't enough last night to hold any of our interest and keep us there until the bidding started. But it was a nice way to spend the evening, and it was good to see the in-laws.


The auction's held in a small town, and it was clear that I was an outsider. We tend to think of small towns as friendly places where everybody knows everyone's name (and everyone's business), but they are also suspicious of strangers. I noticed people taking my measure, knowing they hadn't seen me before, and many were not terribly open or friendly. Just an observation.


It's exciting to see some of the things I've only just started looking at on Ebay and Etsy, and to know that these items were part of someone's life in the past, in a period I'm only beginning to study. I'm hoping to make the auction a monthly event on our social calendar.

4 comments:

  1. Ahhh it took me a while to really be able to spot things that were from certain eras. I don't know why, but know this has always been important to me. =)

    Know that "modern" 1950's interiors are not necessarily what most "real" 1950's interiors looked like. Most of us who have decorated in this style have taken examples from what's popular now to have in our 1950's homes. Colonial Revival was hot back then, and few people I know, have their modern house decorated in that style.

    eBay is always a good reference, blogs even better, google, etc.

    And good luck on your new blog! =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the advice on interiors ranch house. And thanks for visiting. Come on back! I enjoyed your blog and will be back.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved your comment and thanks for stopping by!

    I lived in a small town for a year when I started high school many moons ago. It was dreadful. I'm happy to be back in my growing home town now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Gypsy. Glad you came by. The City I live in sometimes operates like a small town. Can be very insular and cliquish in certain circles. You can be an outsider for years if you don't know the right people.

    ReplyDelete