Philadelphia Antiques Show 2016_

W 117 W From the Collection of… From the Collection of… Phillip Bradley & LisaMinardi Philip H. Bradley Co., Downington, PA Memorial Plaque  Germany, circa 1817 Earthenware We were initially drawn to this plaque due to its vignettes of everyday life in Germany, but on further inspection determined that the various scenes depict merchants charging exorbitant prices for grain, livestock, and other foodstuffs. Sacks of grain marked “1817” hinted at the date the plaque was made, while an inscription at the top indicates that it memorializes hard economic times in Aalen, a town located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Our research then revealed the catastrophic event that caused such hard times: a volcanic eruption. In April 1815, the eruption of Mount Tambora in the Dutch East Indies triggered three years of devastating global weather changes and pandemics. The most powerful volcanic explosion in history, the blast put so much ash into the atmosphere that crops failed worldwide from the cold weather and lack of sunlight. 1816 became infamous as the “year with no summer” and New Englanders nicknamed it “1800 and froze to death” as frosts in July and August killed their crops. Germans referred to 1817 as the “year of the beggar.” Jeff R. Bridgman Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques, York County, PA Lincoln and Hamlin Campaign Parade Flag Frame measures 27¾" tall x 29½" wide. Collectors of presidential campaign flags understand that the presence of a candidate’s portrait can significantly escalate its value over what we call “word flags,” which only display text. This shortsighted thinking excludes those traits that drive flag collectors, such as rare design. Not all portrait flags are beautiful and there are certain word flags that I treasure. As a dealer of folk art and a collector, it’s beauty and rarity that brought me to love flags in the first place. This remarkable 1860 Lincoln & Hamlin campaign parade flag is extraordinary among all that I have ever seen. The tombstone star configuration, also suggested to possibly illustrate the arc of the covenant, is one of the rarest of all patterns. The blue canton rests on a red stripe instead of white, called the “blood stripe.” It’s one of only two parade flags of any kind with red overprinted text, and it survives as one-of-a-kind. Photo by Gavin Ashworth