AFA Summer 2021

Summer 58 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Fig. 9: Witch Riding Crescent Moon (detail), W. H. Mullins, Salem, Ohio, ca. 1891. Copper, wrought iron, and wire. H. 99 in. Collection of Donna and Marvin Schwartz Photograph by Adam Reich. This is the only known authentic example of this large and complex weathervane design. The witch’s face and hands are iron, and her broom is made of tightly packed strands of wire. W. H. Mullins illustrated this form without directionals in his 1891 catalog and offered the elaborate finial for $160. In 1882, Mullins became one of the largest sheet metal companies in the United States, creating everything from weathervanes and outdoor statuary to entire building fronts; he later expanded into boats, launches, and automobile parts and bodies. He developed an innovative method of die-stamping copper, which was much more efficient than the hand hammering practiced by other manufacturers.

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