Philadelphia Antiques Show 2022

104 THROUGH THE LOOK I NG GLAS S When the first Show opened April 24, 1962, after 18 months of planning, the Board of Women Visitors of the University Hospital chose its thrift shop, the Nearly New Shop, and the Chapel, as the first recipients of the proceeds. According to the women on that first Antiques Show Committee, those proceeds far exceeded everyone’s expectations. More than 5,000 visitors came to that first Show which raised $30,000. Mrs. Alice (Ali) Barbour Brown, who initiated the concept of the Show in 1961, and then served as its guiding light until her death in 1981, said that the figure was three times more than she had anticipated. One aspect of the 35-year-old Show is undisputed. If there had not been an Ali Brown, there would not be a Philadelphia Antiques Show. Ali Brown, the wife of investment banker Moreau D. Brown of Brown Brothers Harriman and Company, for all intents and purposes, ran the Show from its inception until her death in 1981. Even today, she is the subject of endless adjectives by those who knew her, or merely knew of her. She created, then shaped the Antiques Show into a wild success. She continues to be described in terms like “colorful” and “feisty,” “the soul of generosity,” and “a great lady.” As Chairman, Mrs. Brown brainstormed a massive fundraising effort in 1959. In January of 1960, Mrs. Brown was having lunch in New York with friends from Boston when her companions mentioned the antiques show they had just staged in Boston as a fundraiser-the Ellis Memorial Antiques Show. They were enthusiastic about the Show and excited by the money they had raised. Intrigued, Mrs. Brown spent that lunch endlessly querying her friends for details. “I said, ‘How did you do it? How much money did you make? And why was it fun?’” she recalled early in the interview. Satisfied that she had found the perfect fundraiser, she took the idea to the Board of Managers of the hospital, and it was immediately approved. “Philadelphia, of course, as everybody knows, has the finest antiques and furniture in the world.” she said. “We can really have an enormous show. There are many smaller shows around, and many good little shows. But not a national, outstanding type of show. So, taking a deep breath, we started to go ahead on it.” Organizing and staging the first show was a task, “a learning experience,” as Mrs. Brown understated it. But the nature of Ali Brown and the dedicated volunteers persevered. From that first year, the Show exceeded everyone’s expectations Stories of the colorful lady involve her dogged determination to raise money for the hospital. The bottom line, she often said, was all-important. Her concern for it was exceeded only by her eternal optimism. There is a famous Ali Brown quote that became her battle cry and is often quoted. “The principal usefulness of a volunteer is to raise money,” she said in 1973. The idea was a good one, and the Board of Managers knew it right away. Said Mrs. Brown in an early interview, “Throughout the entire colonial period, people came from all over to have their furniture The following are excerpts from THROUGH TH E L O OK I NG G L A S S written by Jenny Campbell in collaboration with Sophie B. Donaghy in honor of the 3 5 TH P H I L AD E L P H I A AN T I QU E S S HOW I N 1 9 9 7