Here are the photos from the 2009 Container Party at the shop. This image is from the middle room of the shop. The large hall-tree in the center of the photo has great contrast with its cast iron faux bamboo hooks and the tortoise shell-like pattern of the bamboo. The English mahogany cabinet houses a collection of French porcelain apothecary jars as well as numerous sea shells. Click on images to enlarge.
The parrot engravings are 18thc. Italian and the apothecary tall jars are American late 19thc.
Pond boat named “Eloise” sails in front of an early ship’s wheel in original paint.
The German antler chandelier works well in this small room, the 14 foot high ceilings help with the large scale of the fixture. The European clock face hangs above an English mahogany cabinet and a leather pig footstool.
This image is the first one from the back of the shop showing the glazed tile walls originally used in the bakery. The photo shows a small English pine gate above a carved marble basin with two 1920s stone planters from Holland.
Battery jars from Holland filled with fall foliage between two cast iron fleur-de-lis shaped finials.
Marble basins stacked on top of early grinding stones. The basins would make a great sink for a bathroom or be used outside in the garden. I have had one outside for years, it is planted with herbs and seems to survive Missouri winters just fine.
Water lettuce floating in the marble basin makes for a nice visual treat.
This is one of the largest hand-blown Japanese floats I have ever had in the shop. It is surrounded by garden related antiques, some from Europe, some from the St. Louis area.
The large handpainted canvas is from a carousel that was located in Tours, France. The clock case in the photo is completely hand-forged iron and the tall pencils to the left of the case are European store display trade signs.
This cabinet was used to store architectural renderings and holds a variety of European objects, including a very large battery jar filled with hundreds of wooden carnival fish, as well as a collection of 18thc. and 19thc. stone mortars. Roxie was watching all the exciting activity during the setup for the party.
The large tool trade sign in the center of the wall was found in Holland and hangs over a folding 19thc. table used for wall-paper hanging.
The American country blue cabinet dates to the mid-19thc. and retains its original milk paint. The folk art “ducks” baby carriage on top of the cabinet dates to the 1920s, and has been made from discarded ammunition blasting powder boxes. The inside of the carriage warns “caution explosives” imprinted in the wood. The iron columns were found in Holland.
This set of wrought iron garden furniture did not last long in the shop. Roxie, in the upper left-hand side of the photo, was very busy trying to get a ball out of her bed, she seemed to show-up right when the photos were being taken.
General store display shelves filled with the usual unusual objects, mostly from Europe. The wrought-iron panel above the shelves is a French window guard in a wood frame.
This image shows off a grouping of 19thc. American baskets on top of the general store shelves. The french painted apothecary drawers on the right, are filled with early wire light-bulb protectors.
The ten foot long oak table is from a convent that was located in St. Louis and holds a variety of items including two polished Jielde lamps on either side of a large 1920s gilt and painted wood convex mirror.
The early 20thc. butterfly weathervane has been cut from zinc and is next to a large terra-cotta egg from Holland.
Stacked metal bookcase is great for displaying collections. The mustard general store cabinet displays European wooden bowling balls as well as small Dutch targets.
This close-up shows how well collections can work grouped together in bookcases. I am not sure why I have always been fascinated with brushes, however, they do come in an infinite variety of shapes and sizes and the antique ones have such great surface and texture.
This very large store display case is over 8 feet tall and 9 feet long and is in the very back of the shop. It has been great to experiment with this cabinet’s scale such as displaying very large objects as you see it now as well as filling it with shelves that contain collections of small items. Click on images to enlarge.
