Above: Few objects commemorate Cincinnati’s days as Porkopolis, but brothers Cornwall and Wallace Kirkpatrick poked fun at the city’s reputation. When Cincinnati became known as Porkopolis in the 19th century, the nickname was a stench on the city’s reputation. It was a justifiable insult nonetheless. Few objects commemorate Cincinnati’s days as Porkopolis, but brothers Cornwall and Wallace Kirkpatrick poked fun at the city’s reputation. From 1860 to 1896, they owned Anna Po

Above: This example of a unique form of advertising during the late 19th and early 20th centuries was once installed outside a Factory Street business in Canal Dover. Illiteracy and language barriers gave rise to trade signs in the United States during the country’s earliest days, and their use continued into the early 20th century. Patrons searching for a particular business needed look no further than the two- or three-dimensional sign depicting a trade, such as a pair of e

Review by Z.G. Burnett, Antiques and The Arts Weekly COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Americana Session I and II online-only sales at Garth’s Auctioneers and Appraisers on May 21-22 featured 665 lots of Americana of all types. Figural and fine art occupied the top lots on both days, with a few pieces of intriguing furniture and tableware among them. The sales were accessible with a 94 percent sell-through rate, with everyday items for new and experienced collectors alike, bringing in $40

Pro-ject and e-nun-ci-ate.” Words from a high school English teacher. Mrs. Buzzard was a stickler about speech. She talked with a diction in which every syllable popped, and she expected no less from her students. In that manner, she would have approved of the online-only two-session Americana auction conducted by Garth’s of Columbus, Ohio, that ended March 26 and 27. The sale followed Mrs. Buzzard’s admonition to “speak loud-ly and clear-ly,” beginning with a Queen Anne high

Above: This personal notebook chronicles the work of Simon Beuter, who cared for the German Separatists community’s expansive garden. Known as “The Gardener,” Simon Beuter played a key role in the German Separatists community at Zoar, where he not only helped feed the families of the communal settlement, but also provided produce and services to people across Ohio and beyond the state’s borders. The Zoar community, founded in 1817 by those fleeing religious persecution in the

Size played a significant role in the strong bidding for many lots during the annual Thanksgiving Americana auction held by Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers, Columbus, Ohio. Because of the ongoing pandemic, the sale was conducted as an online-only event that ended on December 5. Leading the auction were two beds from the Workshops of David T. Smith, Morrow, Ohio. A queen-size tiger maple bed having posts from the early 19th century but with a new headboard, footboard, and rai

Above: This sewing caddy, treasured by collectors across the United States, was made by David Mills Pease in Ohio during the second half of the 19th century. During the 19th century, girls were expected to learn rudimentary skills needed at a time when many families could not afford store-bought clothing. Needle, thread and cloth were at the heart of any project, but home seamstresses found ways to add a bit of polish to a sewing room through items such as figural pincushions

Above: The Columbus-based artist crafted this piece using found objects. It is signed and dated 2003. Ohio’s tradition of self-taught artists is a long one, but there are more recent names that have gained recognition as well. Levent Isik is among them. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1961, Isik grew up in Montreal, Canada, before moving to Ohio. He lived in Akron and Cleveland, then settled in Columbus in the late 1980s, leaving behind a job and friends. Art helped fill the voi

Garth’s Auctions held a sale of Americana, decorative arts, and fine jewelry September 9-19. The online-only event was unusual because of its large size (874 lots) and the diverse mix of material, from Windsor chairs to Haitian paintings. The top lot consisted of two pieces of Chinese porcelain—a bowl with flowers on a yellow ground, the white interior decorated with five bats, 2½" high x 5¾" diameter, and a vase decorated with a scene of a woman and child in a garden, 9½" hi

Sometimes auction results provide more information than just market values and buying trends. That was the case with the recent single-owner, online-only sale that concluded on August 8 and consisted of 330 lots of Americana from the collection of Deborah and Edward Dick of Kenton, Ohio. Garth’s Auctions of Columbus, Ohio, conducted the event. The top lot, an unusual sawbuck worktable in pine with old red paint, sold for $5625 (including buyer’s premium) against an estimate o