Contentment Farm

The Gift of Friendship

Here's something that most people don't know about me.  I love books!  Not just current books for reading but, antique books with beautiful bindings and illustrations.  I've never been able to resist them.  But recently I found that my library is overflowing and I need to pare it down to something closer to "under control". 

Since my reference library on clothing and textiles is essential and current books are both shared and borrowed I've come to the conclusion that most of the antique books must go.  So, with that in mind, I've listed some on eBay.  But I also wanted to share some of my favorites here.

The Gift of Friendship: A Token of Rememberance was published in 1848 and is full of illustrated verse and stories.  Similarly is another of my favorites that also has an embossed and gilt binding, Songs of the Heart.  To find such detail and craftsmanship on a book today you would be looking at a price tag in the thousands of dollars.

 

This book has wonderful illustrations and verse.  Below are a couple of my favorites.

 

 

Another category that I have always enjoyed, not just for the beautiful bindings but for the detailed and whimsical illustrations too, are children's books, especially from the late Victorian era.

 

 

Ernest's Golden Thread and Our Animal Friends.

 

See what I mean about the whimsical illustrations?  If you'd like to see more please visit my eBay auctions.  Who knows, maybe you'll be hooked too!

Weiner Werkstätte

When studying early 20th century fashions we tend to concentrate on French and Italian design houses like Poiret, Chanel, Lanvin and Fortuny.  Without a doubt, these design houses were outstanding and always leaders of the industry.  Poiret and Fortuny pioneered unstructured clothing with Fortuny developing methods of pleating and stenciling that are still unrivaled today.  Chanel was responsible for the little black dress and sportswear as well as incomparable evening wear and Lanvin for the Robe du Style, children's clothing and her romantic clothing.

Still, there are many designers and houses that are overlooked including Wiener Werkstätte in Vienna.  Founded by architect Josef Hoffmann and painter Kolo Moser in 1903.  The company consisted of artists and craftsmen and is better know for their furniture, accessories, fabrics and interior design than for their fashions.  In fact their fashion house, established in 1910, was an offshoot of the hand-painted and hand-printed textiles that had been produced for many years.  The fabric designs were so original that they attracted the attention of the Paris designers and even the great Poiret bought their fabrics, beginning in 1911.

 

Above is a photograph of the dining room in the Palais Stoclet designed by Josef Hoffmann with a frieze painted by Gustav Klimt.

And, here is an illustration by Mela Koehler that I own, of a wonderful gym or exercise outfit that probably dates to the late teens or early 1920s.  Though there is no description with the illustration you can see the matching printed knickers peeking out from below the skirt that falls just above the knee.  Both the dress and knickers are trimmed in solid black with print fabric at the yoke, short sleeves, encircling the waist on on the knickers.  And, don't you just love those shoes with the wrap ties?  What I wouldn't give to find the outfit to go along with my illustration!

For those who wonder.

This is the home of Contentment Farm in central Massachusetts.  I happened to take a few quick pictures the other day in preparation for putting it on the market.  Sadly, it's time to relocate.  I wish I could pick it up and take it with me!

Vintage Sewing Patterns

So, I don't usually have vintage sewing patterns but I came across these vintage Vogue patterns, with a smattering of Simplicity mixed in, recently and just couldn't walk away from them.  It must be the inner wanna be seamstress in me that made me bring them home but since I couldn't sew to save my life I've listed them on eBay.  The last group of them will be listed tomorrow at some point, so take a look.  Maybe you'll find just the pattern you've been looking for!

The pattern pictured here is a Vogue Special Design of which there are a few.  You'll also see a few Vogue Young Fashionables, two even have their original labels intact.  All are complete and many are unused, so take your pick and start sewing!  Click here to view the collection.