Fall 2007 Page 1 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter Volume 11, Issue 20

Table of Contents:

The President’s Message & 2008 WNCC Convention Information ~ from Jan Liberatore…………………1-2 WWaallllaaccee NNuuttttiinngg Annual Meeting Brings Change in Management - by Jim Eckert………….2 Collectors Club Newsletter Member Spotlight ~ Rick & Linda Griffin Collectors Club Newsletter

by Jim Eckert…………..……….3-4, 6-7 The Official Newsletter of the Wallace Nutting Collectors Club

Wallace Nutting and the Seng Book, Part 2 - by Joe Duggan…..…..…5, 8-12

More on Wallace Nutting’s A Little River by Mike Ivankovich..……………..13-14 The President’s Message “Name This Famous Person” article from the Nov. 2007 Journal of Antiques & Collectibles - by Mike McLeod…....15 From Jan Liberatore

2007 Convention Highlights…………16 2008 Convention Reminder Info……17

Thank You, Bill Hamann Bill Hamann left a pair of “big shoes” at the podium last June. At a moment’s notice ten years ago, Bill was charged with the responsibility of leading our club through a historic transition. George Monro, co-founder of the club with his wife Justine, felt it was time to give up the reins of the club. Without missing a heartbeat, Bill, along with other long time club members, put together a slate of officers and trustees to form a board of directors. Bill was elected President and provided the leadership to keep the club going. Over the past ten years Bill and his wife Gretchen have organized ten of the best conventions in club history. I know we all appreciate the countless hours of work and great leadership that Bill put in as President to make sure that the WNCC succeeded. After ten years Bill decided it was time to step aside as President. The good news is that Bill agreed to remain on the board of directors to finish my unexpired term as trustee.

As the newly elected President of the Wallace Nutting Collectors Club I can only hope to be able to fill those shoes as well

as Bill did. On behalf of all the members of the WNCC, a heartfelt thank you to both Bill and Gretchen!

2008 WNCC CONVENTION New Dates, Great Location!

The beautiful Finger Lakes region of upstate New York has been chosen as the location of our 2008 WNCC convention. We will be based in Corning, New York and stay at the Radisson Hotel Corning the weekend of May 2 – 4, 2008. Please note that we have moved the convention up to the month of May this year. We were able to book an excellent facility at an extremely attractive rate of $109 plus tax for double occupancy by having our convention a little earlier than past years.

Not only is Corning the world headquarters of Corning, Inc., but is the home of the world renowned Corning Museum of Glass, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art, and the historic Market Street shopping district…all within walking distance of our convention hotel! Corning is also a gateway city to the Finger Lakes region, complete with the beautiful lakes and superb wineries.

Wallace Nutting also toured the area in the early part of the last century, taking pictures for New York Beautiful. Watkins Glen, at the base of Seneca Lake, is about 20 minutes from Corning and it is here that I can direct you to the approximate spot that Wallace Nutting stood and took pictures of Aunt Sarah’s Falls and the nearby Montour Falls. Charles Sawyer also

Con’t on pg. 2 WN Collectors Club Newsletter Page 2 of 17

pictured the Finger Lakes area extensively, especially the Watkins Glen area. At one time W. J. Harris had a business at the northern end of Keuka Lake in Penn Yan. He seemed to be producing mainly real photo postcards at this point in his career.

At the southern end of Keuka Lake is Hammondsport, the cradle of aviation and home to the Glen H. Curtiss Museum. Glen Curtiss was an aviation pioneer who arguably flew before the Wright brothers. The Finger Lakes wine tours can consume an entire weekend, but to just stop at a few for wine tasting is worthwhile.

The local attractions aside, our convention itself will be worth the trip to Corning. There will be the Friday, May 2nd always-fun convention auction and we are working on a program for Saturday morning to follow our early bird buy/sell event for club members. If you would like to share any of your Nutting expertise with your fellow collectors, please contact me and we’ll gladly put you on the program.

It’s not too early to reserve your room. The Radisson Hotel Corning can be reached at 888-201-1718 toll free or 607- 962-5000. Be sure to mention the Wallace Nutting Collectors Club for the special rate of $109 plus tax for double occupancy.

Well that’s about it until the spring newsletter. My thanks to all our members that help to make this club run so smoothly. Have a safe and healthy winter!

Jan Liberatore

ANNUAL MEETING BRINGS CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT …from our Club Treasurer, Jim Eckert

At the annual meeting held at the 2007 convention in Portsmouth, NH, Jan Liberatore was unanimously elected to a two-year term as the third President in the history of the Club.

Jan replaces Bill Hamann, who was selected by the membership in 1997 to succeed founder George Monro. Bill, when he took office, noted (in his usual tongue-in-cheek manner) that he had no interest in serving as long as George had presided. However, he was unanimously re-elected four times and presided over the reorganization of the club and the first ten years after reorganization.

Having been elected to five consecutive two-year terms, Bill felt it was time for another member to take the reins, but agreed (at the urging of board members who did not want to entirely lose his experience, expertise, and guidance) to stand for election to complete the remainder of Jan’s two-year term as Trustee.

Even though he has not completely left the “management” of the Club, the officers and trustees wish to recognize and thank Bill Hamman on the behalf of the entire Club for his service and devotion to the cause of Bill passes the Club leadership over to Wallace Nutting and his countless hours spent in organizing, administering Jan at the annual Collectors Club club affairs, and arranging facilities/accommodations for the annual Convention dinner on June 9, 2007. conventions.

Re-elected to two-year terms as club officers were: Pam Franscella, Vice President; Joe Duggan, Secretary; and Jim Eckert, Treasurer. Other trustees with one year remaining on their two-year terms are: Sharon Lacasse and Ron Leavesley. Editors Note: In keeping with WN Collectors Club Newsletter Page 3 of 17 Rick’s good sense of humor, I used his captions in full on the baby picture and the 1983 photo, where he comments Member Spotlight ~ Rick & Linda Griffin on his abundance of hair! by Jim Eckert

I first met Rick Griffin in May 1985. At that time I had no idea we would become friends and long time fellow members of the Wallace Nutting Collectors Club. My wife Sharon, our son James Jr. (“Jamie” to many Club members), and I were attending our first WNCC convention in La Fayette, Indiana, having just recently joined the club at the urging of the founders, George and Justine Monro. We didn’t know anyone in the Club, having only “met” the Monros by phone, some months earlier.

Rick was set up on the north wall of the convention room with a large display of Nutting books, pictures, and ephemera. His broad smile and obvious good nature caught my attention and we struck up the first of several conversations during the convention weekend, wherein I was impressed by his knowledge of Nutting Rick & Linda at a 2001 Sons of Confederate Veterans Convention (much greater than mine) and his general love of things historical (equal to mine). His witty and often tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, affable good nature, firm command of the English language (or at least the “eastern” dialect to a Yankee from Illinois), and obvious love of life made him fun and interesting to be around.

In the 20-plus years since, we have spent countless hours at Nutting auctions (some times doing some friendly bidding against each other) and WNCC conventions where from time to time Rick made several interesting and well-prepared presentations. Also, we have spent countless hours sharing meals, drinking coffee (and a beer or two). I have always enjoyed conversations with Rick, whether it was talking Nutting, politics, or sharing stories (yes – more than a few of them “off-color”).

In our “interview” [actually, I sent him a questionnaire and got some clarifications by email] for this article, Rick recollected that he joined the WNCC around 1974 having been introduced to the club by an antique dealer and friend, Kathleen Lazare. He told me he first became interested in Wallace Nutting in the late 1950’s when his great aunt passed away and his parents inherited a large and beautifully colored Swimming Pool and an equally large and beautifully colored apple blossom scene. Those hand painted photographs sparked an interest in learning more about Nutting and the desire to collect.

As I mentioned, we met Rick in 1985, but for many years only heard about his spouse of 37 years, Linda. Rick came to conventions and auctions by himself and told us she was at home with their daughters. Some in the Club jokingly assumed that she did not exist (or was buried in the back yard). However, at the time the Griffins hosted the 1993 convention in Gaithersburg, MD (their girls then being old enough to have other interests and be left on their own), Linda began to attend conventions and auctions. We found her to be delightful and very personable (and an excellent addition to club activities and our ever-growing circle of Nutting friends). Rick (with hair) & Linda in 1983 Rick was born in Manhattan, NY. He lived in Jackson Heights on Long Island with his mother and grand- parents until his father returned home in 1947 from service overseas in WWII. His family then moved to Washington, DC in 1948, and again to Wood Acres, MD in 1952.

Linda was born and raised in Charleston, SC. Her family also lived in Morgantown, WV, and Charlottes- ville, VA, while her father “was doing some “government stuff.” Later, she lived in Annandale, VA, and went on to the University of South Carolina.

The Griffins met in 1968 at Industrial Technological Associates in Alexandria, VA. Rick was working there as director of the commercial art division. After one of his associates hired Linda, Rick soon learned she was a very capable and talented artist (and that he had an interest in knowing her socially). One day he Rick, Age 1, June 1944 asked her out, and she replied, “You must have your head in the clouds.” Rick reports that he was Look at all that hair! “crushed” crushed, but being of stubborn Scottish stock within a few weeks he …summoned the courage to take another shot at possible rejection, and luckily, she gave me chance. We’ve been “going steady” ever since.

After a couple of years of dating they “tied the knot” at Lewes, Delaware on June 6, 1970. Rick, with one of his historical references, notes …that date was the twenty-sixth anniversary of “D-Day.” Somehow, only good omens were present on that day, Page 4 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Spotlight on Rick & Linda Griffin… (con’t from pg. 3)

and we have endured each other’s idiosyncrasies, the raising of two girls, juggling careers, changing careers, weighing opportunities, the measuring of risks, and otherwise have survived the combat and love associated with thirty-seven years of marriage.

I asked Rick to respond to several of the usual questions one asks of a long time Nutting enthusiast. As I expected, his answers betrayed his superior command of the written and spoken word. His favorite Nutting picture “…is an inscribed and signed black and white photo of Wallace Nutting sitting proudly in his Brewster chair. His personal warmth comes through as you look into his eyes, and reflect upon the thoughtful written expression in his own hand.” Rick is partial to (and always searching for) platinum scenes shot by Nutting on his overseas trips in 1900, 1904, and 1914, His favorite book is the 1904 Olive Branch edition of The Cruise of the Eight Hundred. Rick at a formal occasion…Nov. 2001

When asked about his favorite Nutting furniture, Rick recounted “… those six Windsor chairs I got stuck with at the Framingham, WN Convention when a fellow collector refused to bid another increment! It was loads of fun to drive back to Maryland in an Oldsmobile Cutlass while sandwiched almost sideways amongst the chairs, steering wheel, and driver’s door. However, the chairs “sit” well and receive almost daily use.” [Note - This was in 1988 or 1989 and I recall helping him cram those six lime wash finish Windsor chairs into his mid-size Oldsmobile. I didn’t think it could be done!]

Asked to recall his “favorite Nutting story” he replied: “Favorite Nutting Story? We don’t have a favorite Nutting story – but we have enjoyed the activities of the club, sleuthing in many out-of-the-way places for WN’s, and developing lasting friendships with our fellow Nutting collectors and dealers.

Knowing he was a long time club member, I asked him about his recollections of early WNCC conventions and unusual Nutting collectors. Rick replied, “Most Nutting collectors are “unusual” in a pleasant and complimentary way. All of us seem to enjoy the “hunt,” take pride in our collections, and enjoy sharing information. During the early conventions it was always a pleasure to listen to the stories told by a few original colorists who worked for WN.”

Like many collectors, Rick and Linda became part time “quasi-dealers” as their hobby became more and more expensive (and expansive) and “grew from a modest collection to one of obsession.” They passed many summers along the Delaware coast looking for Nutting items in antique shops, junk shops, outdoor flea markets, and estate auctions. They began to sell Nutting items and antiques in 1977 from their home, and later in cooperative shops in Buckeystown and Frederick, Maryland.

Rick reflects that as their grandchildren came along he and Linda have become busy with other pursuits and that they “…“parked” our WN collection, many historical items, photographs, documents, and ephemera items, until such time as the mood strikes us to liquidate the majority of our collections and display a few pieces.”

Most recently their attentions have been directed towards furnishing their new seaside second home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in a “Beachside/Modern” motif. When asked about children, grandchildren, dog, cat, etc. Rick replied, “Without reservation, we absolutely have the best children and grandchildren anyone is entitled to enjoy”. Melody (an accomplished musician, songwriter, and performer) and her husband, Michael Skinner, live in San Francisco. Blake (retired from Marriott International) and her husband, Brian Lewis have three sons: Ferris William (6), Griffin Jon (4), and River Wilson (1 month). Erin (who is also retired from Marriott International) and her husband Brendan Flynn, a corporate executive with Ingersol Rand, have a daughter Paige Monroe (3), and son Patrick Joseph (10 months.).

Questioned about other hobbies or passions Rick, in his usual manner, replied: ….“a Gemini with only one hobby is, quite Summer Home - Rehoboth Beach, Delaware simply, an impossibility. For many years I have collected photographs of a bucolic nature, civil war letters and ephemera, a library of thousands of titles, coins, stamps, unusual paper money, and a varied assembly of family and purchased antiques.”

One of his many passions is connecting with accurate American history and “trying to break down prejudices that have evolved due to ignorance, misinformation, factual error, and intentional historical distortion”. He is an eleventh generation American, descended from ancestors defeated in the Easter Bunny Rick with Scottish Wars. In 1657 these valiant Scots were sold as chattel, loaded into boats, and transported Granddaughter Paige, May 2007 (like cargo) to the American colonies as indentured servants to work off their debts. As the American Con’t on pg. 6 Page 5 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Wallace Nutting and The Seng Book – Part 2…by Joe Duggan

The following text is repeated from Part 1 in the Spring 2007 Newsletter.

The Seng Book is actually a digest size magazine. Under the title is “Companion, Champion and Counselor of the American Furniture Salesman.” As there was no price noted on the cover, it was probably free and available to the trade. It was published by The Seng Company of Chicago which called itself the “World’s Largest Specialists in Furniture Hardware.” It was published every other month.

The magazine’s size was 5 ¾” x 8 ¾” and had either 48 or 56 pages. It had six or seven articles with eight to twelve pages of ads, all for The Seng Company. The company seemed to specialize in expansible and hinged furniture, davenport or sofa beds, Murphy beds, roller beds, davenport tables, etc.

“The davenport, a small desk with a hinged lid that opens out for writing, was originally made by William Davenport. Later, a large sofa which sometimes converted into a bed became known as a davenport,” - from: “What is That Piece of Furniture Called?” by Bob Brooke.

Copies of The Seng Book are somewhat difficult to find and the copies that are found may be in fair to good condition and always well read. These were obviously well regarded references for the furniture trade. Many have scribbles and notes, and occasional copies have been used as coffee cup coasters.

The lead articles usually had nothing to do with furniture and were written by prominent writers of the day: C. S. Lewis; Edna Ferber; Forrest Crissey, Feature Writer, The Saturday Evening Post; Mary Roberts Rinehart, etc. Occasionally, the second article also did not involve furniture. The remaining articles did center on furniture and the sale of furniture. Styles, woods, interior decorating, closing a sale, how to avoid discounting, etc were just some of the topics. The last article was always by Frank Seng and always concerned selling furniture.

Wallace Nutting wrote two articles for the July, 1927 and November 1927 issues. As always, there may be other articles out there. The first is referred to as “Intimate Facts about Early Styles and Articles by Wallace Nutting - Eminent Authority on Colonial Furniture” and titled “Article No. 1 – Chest and Chairs.” The second was titled “Article No 2 – Tables, Beds and Cupboards.”

The two articles were written at the same time Nutting was writing The Furniture Treasury. Many photographs in these two articles also appear in The Furniture Treasury. What is striking about his writing, both in these two articles and The Furniture Treasury is his tone of voice. In shelter or women’s magazines, his writing is usually didactic, ever the preacher. Sentences are usually long and often convoluted. However, both in The Seng Book and The Furniture Treasury, his furniture writing is much different. Sentences are shorter, factual, descriptive, and usually trace the history of the object or the style. Furniture writing here means writing about pieces of furniture, not interior decoration or taste in style. For the latter two, Nutting would revert to form and inform you of the wisdom of his ways.

What follows is the November, 1927 article. The July, 1927 article was included in the Spring 2007 Newsletter.

Note the well used cover.

(The 5 full pages of this article will continue on pgs. 8-12) Page 6 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Spotlight on Rick & Linda Griffin… (con’t from pg. 4) states evolved, Rick’s ancestors participated in commerce and became passionately embroiled on both sides of the great American tragedy - the Civil War. [More on that later!]

Linda, whose ancestors came to South Carolina before the Revolution (resulting in many of them taking up arms against the North) is a collector of samplers, jewelry, antiques, and paintings. She is an accomplished watercolorist, and has displayed her work professionally at many “juried” shows. She enjoys genealogy, her water coloring, is ready to travel at a moments notice, makes jewelry, enjoys frequent interaction with her grandchildren, and assists Rick in his various business ventures.

While I knew Rick was a building contractor, I asked him: “What is your occupation and how long?” He replied: “Now, that’s an interesting question that deserves an answer. Officially, my occupation is what I want it to be when I choose to be employed.”

After high school he entered into the commercial art field. He quipped: “Evidently, I was pretty good, because I didn’t get fired, and supervised twenty-six employees in addition to making competitive bids and contract negotiations before I decided to hang it up in favor of a government job.” The “secure” government job lasted about a year when a reduction in force left the “new boy on the block” free to seek employment elsewhere.

He returned to college, enrolling in the American University. Two years and four months later he graduated first in his class, with a BS degree in Political Science and Real Estate. [An interesting combination!] After attending law school for a short time, he decided there was too much “free spirit” in his psyche to want to represent clients or join some stodgy corporate firm.

Drawing on his art background and real estate knowledge, he decided to design and build single-family homes and spent the next 30+ years … ”building new houses, subdividing land, moving houses, managing rental properties, refurbishing older properties, and employing unique strategies to add value. In his usual candor, he added: "… For over thirty years I have worked for the absolute worst boss on the planet – myself. Today, I still design and build occasionally, handle investments…” From an early age, Rick’s grandmothers instilled in him an interest in his ancestors and their participation in what one called “The Civil War” and the other called “The War Between the States”. He soon surmised that their ancestors had fought on opposite sides of “The Late Unpleasantness”.

His Confederate ancestor was a great great grandfather James Andrew Jackson Coker, a private who served in Company H, 39th Georgia Infantry. Several years ago Rick was honored to conduct a ceremony dedicating a tombstone to James Coker’s memory at his resting place in Northwest Georgia, one hundred thirty-one years after his death.

One of several Union ancestors was Major General James Harrison Wilson, who saw extensive action as a cavalry corps commander and participated in the capture of Jefferson Davis. Later in his long military career, Wilson commanded troops in the Spanish American War (1898) and in the China Relief Expedition (1900). When General Wilson volunteered to lead troops in WWI, he was told "Thank you for your service to your country, we'll call you if we need you."

Rick’s ancestral connection to the Civil War and strong historical interest caused him to join several hereditary and historical organizations, one of which is the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He volunteered much time and climbed the leadership ladder in the SCV holding numerous elected positions. In 1998 he was elected to a two-year term as the sixty-sixth commander-in-chief. During his term in office he and a team of fellow volunteers significantly increased the organization’s non- dues income, purchased several historic properties, and Rick’s favorite Wallace Nutting picture renovated a pre-war mansion. Con’t on pg. 7 Page 8 of 14 Page 7 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter Spotlight on Rick & Linda Griffin… (con’t from pg. 6)

On his “Union side” Rick has for many years been an active member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the .

In their pursuit of publicly presenting accurate US history and being proud of their ancestors, the Sons of Confederate Veterans drew fire from some “civil rights” organizations and became the focus of these groups’ distortions. On one occasion, Rick was invited to appear on Jesse Jackson's CNN international television show "Both Sides" to present his views as a participant in a "fair" panel of experts. The “fair and balanced” panel consisted of a liberal college professor, a civil rights activist, the Rev. Jackson, and Rick. Setting "fairness" aside, by the end of the show Rick had all but Jackson agreeing with many of his points. The show aired internationally before it was shown in the US. Rick reflects: I was surprised to take a call from Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, and accept praise from an interested party who said it made him, "Feel proud to have someone stand up to political correctness and speak the truth about American history and the role of our Confederate ancestors."

Rick has made numerous public appearances and has been extensively interviewed and debated on television shows, in , Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD, Columbia, SC, Charleston, SC, and Mobile, AL. On one occasion two competing television networks showed up in his front yard at the same time with satellite trucks and camera crews to conduct interviews. He also recalls a radio interview on the BBC, where his opponent failed to phone in, which gave him a full ten minutes of international airtime to talk to the moderator and express his views.

When I asked if there was anything else he would like me to put in this article Rick replied ……Yep. My passion for freedom of speech and First Amendment rights put me in conflict with the arbitrary regulations of the State of Maryland, and later, the Veterans Administration. A few of us sued Maryland Governor Paris Glendenning in federal court over a license plate logo and whipped him in thirty-three days. I sued the Veterans Administration on speech issues in a complex series of lawsuits and won in federal district court, lost at the appeals level, and took two cases to the U. S. Supreme Court, where the cases went beyond many of the initial cuts, but ultimately failed to achieve certiorari. Linda tells me I am through with this time consuming legal foolishness – maybe she’s right?

“Up in the Air Holland” “Over a Swiss Stream”

“On the Shores of the Zuyder Zee ”

The four above photos are Rick’s favorite scenes “Cheese Market Alkmaar” from Wallace Nutting's European trips. Page 8 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Wallace Nutting and The Seng Book – Part 2 (con’t from pg. 5)

Page 9 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Wallace Nutting and The Seng Book – Part 2 (con’t from pg. 8)

Page 10 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Wallace Nutting and The Seng Book – Part 2 (con’t from pg. 9) Page 11 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Wallace Nutting and The Seng Book – Part 2 (con’t from pg. 10) Page 12 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Wallace Nutting and The Seng Book – Part 2 (con’t from pg. 11) Page 13 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Linda & Dan Palmer made a visit to the cemetery in Augusta, ME where Nutting is buried. Pictured is Dan standing at the gravesite of Albion Nutting (Wallace’s father). A little piece of memorabilia from an old Justine & George Monro newsletter, announcing the forthcoming demolition of Wallace Nutting’s home (“Nuttingholme”) in Framingham, MA.

More on Wallace Nutting’s “A Little River”... by Mike Ivankovich

One of Wallace Nutting’s most popular and best-selling pictures was “A Little River”. Taken in the White Mountain’s region of New Hampshire, it features a shallow rocky stream, bordered by a tree-lined country road. In the distance is Mt. Washington. The scene is idyllic. Un-touched nature at its best. No sign of Man. No urban development. No evidence of any technological progress. The way most of us today have never seen America. Yet upon closer inspection of this picture, you can see evidence of retouching. What happened is that when Wallace Nutting took the original picture, there was a car in the road and telephone poles in the background. Nutting liked the overall look of the image, but didn’t like the car and poles. What to do? Nutting simply sent the original glass negative to the photo retoucher…who deleted the car…and the telephone poles…from the negative. As a result, each of the literally thousands of black & white platinotype images produced from this original negative had the car and poles already removed. Many years ago we personally saw a b&w glossy of Nutting’s “A Little River”…with the car in it…at the home of George & Justine Monro in Kampfe Lake, NJ. We never saw that picture again and we have no idea what happened to it. But if you look closely at “A Little River”, you will clearly see an off-colored splotch in the middle of the road, which is where the car was. You can also see evidence of the telephone poles alongside the road, which have also been deleted? How many poles were in Nutting’s original “A Little River” picture? Although you can usually only see evidence of two or three poles, we recently saw this picture titled “Ammonoosuc Falls” by J. Carleton Bicknell, taken in nearly the exact location as Nutting’s “A Little River”. Except that Bicknell never bothered to eliminate the telephone poles from his picture. We count five telephone poles in Bicknell’s picture, and you can more clearly see Mt. Washington in the background.

See comparison photos of Nutting’s “Little River” and Bicknell’s “Ammonoosuc Falls” on the next page Page 14 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

Bicknell’s “Ammonoosuc Falls” at left with full frame and close-ups above and just below.

Nutting’s “A Little River” above with full frame and close-up at right. Note fuzzy, slightly leaning (same as the pole in Bicknell’s rendition) vertical patch within box in right photo where a pole was painted out. Page 15 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter

The Ten Construction Commandments of Wallace Nutting Furniture

1. All work to be of the best quality. 2. If the old method is best, use it. 3. If the work can be done better by hand, do it that way. 4. Use long and large mortises, and large square white oak pins. 5. Make all joined work to fit perfectly, using draw bore where it is better. 6. Match the color where two pieces come together. 7. Follow the sample strictly. Take no liberties. 8. The hand and the mouth do not work effectively at the same time. This article which included the “Ten Commandments of 9. Keep busy, do your best, and no fault will be found. WN Furniture” (at right) just appeared in the November 10. Let nothing leave your hands until you are proud of the work. 2007 issue of The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles, written by Mike McLeod. It served as a guessing game of To Insure Individuality and Make Men While Making Furniture. sorts and, at the same time, a tribute to Wallace Nutting. Wallace Nutting, Christmas 1925 The “Hint” part of it preceded on page 6, and to find out the answer and read more, you had to go to page 66.

Name This Famous Person ? Answer: Wallace Nutting

This month's famous person was an antique collector and antique expert. Actually, he was an extraordinary creator of collectible photography and furniture, and the author of authoritative books on antiques. This famous person is none other than Wallace Nutting.

Wallace Nutting was born in Rockbottom, Massachusetts, on November 17, 1861, near the beginning of the Civil War. And in fact, his father was killed during that conflict. After the loss of his father, Wallace was taken to Maine to live, and as he later recorded in a brochure about himself, "...was partially educated at Exeter, Harvard, Hartford, and New York.... Living twelve years in Maine, three in New Hampshire, eight summers in Vermont, seventeen years in Massachusetts, ten in Rhode Island, and seven in Connecticut, motoring on most of the roads and escaping drowning from all its streams...."

Nutting entered the ministry and served in the clergy in Newark, New Jersey, St. Paul, Minnesota, Seattle, California, and Providence, Rhode Island. His career spanned almost 20 years before he retired at the age of 43 in 1904 from "nervous exhaustion," he said. But just a couple of months later, Nutting began one of his future careers that would make him famous throughout America.

About the year 1899, Nutting began taking photographs of the countryside that he so often toured. He was a prolific photographer, and he recorded that his collection eventually totaled 20,000 photos. Nutting was determined to record the beauty of America. Consequently, he chose as his major subjects pastoral scenes, puppies and other animals, old homes, and women performing early vocations. Again, quoting from his brochure, "During the open season for pictures, Mr. Nutting spends much of his time following the roads and streams in various lands, or calling at ancient dwellings, being glad to secure pictures of articles dating 1750 or earlier. These pictures enter into books, or are placed on rich calendars."

If not the first to colorize photos, Nutting was certainly one of the first to add color to die black and white world of photography. He began hand tinting and coloring reproductions of his photos and selling them. His prints sold for less than a dollar and as little as 25 cents, and according to his own records, Wallace Nutting sold ten million photos. During his heyday, he employed up to 200 women coloring prints and hundreds of salesmen selling them. As he wrote, "Was the first to render the apple blossom in color, on platinotypes, and our old homes as showing the life of our fathers and mothers. There are now in American homes more of these pictures than there are flivvers in the garages."

But as we all know, his legacy did not end there. In 1917, he created the Wallace Nutting Furniture Company. An expert on antique furniture of prior centuries, Nutting began creating furniture in the famous styles of Chippendale, Sheraton, Windsor and Hepplewhite as well as others. As with his photography, Nutting’s furniture was extremely popular across America. In fact, it was so popular that unscrupulous competitors went to the extreme of taking the paper manufacturer's labels off his furniture, putting it on their own copies, and selling them as Nutting furniture.

Despite this challenge, Wallace Nutting succeeded in bringing beauty into the American home in the form of classic furniture, or as he termed it, "...the revival of the best."

Nutting is also recognized as an author of must-read literary works for the collector of furniture. His three-volume The Furniture Treasury and Furniture of the Pilgrim Century are still purchased and used as reference by collectors today.

Wallace Nutting's lifelong contributions to the benefit of society is best summed up by the master himself: "So that in panel work, hinges, latches, fireplaces, lighting types in iron, in rugs, furniture, pictures, looking-glasses, and many books, a record now exists [of] the distinctive charming lines of the past…”

Wallace Nutting lived to the good old age of 79 and died on July 19, 1941, near the beginning of World War II. He is buried in Augusta, Maine. Page 16 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter Some Scenes from the 2007 Wallace Nutting Collectors Club Convention The June 8-9th Wallace Nutting weekend was a great event at an excellent location. Member turn-out was enthusiastic at the Best Western Wynwood Hotel, conveniently located in Portsmouth, NH, and just minutes away from southern Maine.

Saturday's highlights included tours at the Wentworth Gardner House and Warner House, and also the Pontine Theater production of "Wallace Nutting's Old America". Some of these photos are shown below. The weekend was capped off by the annual club dinner at the famous Warren's Lobster House, just minutes over the Maine border.

Wentworth Gardner House corner, Wentworth Gardner House complete with an array of Nutting pictures

Linda & Dan Palmer, Gretchen Hamann, & Richard Candee at the Warner House

Teresa Duggan, Beverly Handler, & Shirley Lovesky descend the staircase Barbara Leavesley joins Richard Candee as he The Pontine Theater actors who performed at the Wentworth Gardner House promotes his “Wallace Nutting’s Portsmouth” book “Wallace Nutting’s Old America”

Houston Dodge, a former furniture maker with the Outgoing President, Bill Hamann, welcomes Wallace Nutting Studios, poses with Sharon & Kenny Incoming President, Jan Liberatore Bob Masoner shares information Lacasse at the Wentworth Gardner House property with fellow collectors at his booth

Many more pictures of the convention are posted on the Club’s Web Site. Follow this link to view all the photos: http://www.wallacenutting.org/convention.html

Page 17 of 17 WN Collectors Club Newsletter The Wallace Nutting Collector s Club Reminder… Newsletter New Location and Date for next year’s is published se mi-annually by the: Wallace Nutting Wallace Nutting Collectors Club Collectors Club Convention 121 Orchard Hill Road Elmira, NY 14903

e-mail address: May 2-3, 2008 wncc@anch orstatebank.com

Radisson Hotel Corning Membership Dues: 125 Denison Parkway East $20 annually Corning, New York 14830 Newsletter online contact: Sue Ivankovich Call for reservations: [email protected] (888) 201-1718 Toll Free; or (607) 962-5000 Board of Trustees:

Jan Liberat ore, President Pam Franscella, Vice President $109.00/night + tax Jim Eckert, Treasurer Double Occupancy Joe Dugg an, Secretary Bill Hamann, Trustee Request a room with the Wallace Nutting Collectors Club Sharon Lacasse, Trustee to receive our special rate Ron Leav esley, Trustee

Founders of the Wallace (For complete details, please refer to pages 1-2 of this newsletter) Nutting Coll ectors Club: the Late Geor ge & Justine Monro

Web Address: www.walla cenutting.org Experience Corning, NY

From the Newsletter Editor…

Many thanks to Jan Liberatore, Jim Eckert, Joe Duggan, Mike Ivankovich, and Linda Palmer who provided articles, input, and/or photos for this issue and have as well in past newsletters.

Please help with the continuation of the Club Newsletter by contributing articles, photos, regional auction results, fun information…any and all of the above. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy article…we just appreciate your input! If you have some thoughts or suggestions, e-mail or call so I can plan for the Spring 2008 Edition.

Sue Ivankovich P.O. Box 1536 * Doylestown, PA 18902 215-345-6094 * E-Mail: [email protected]