Whirligigs were invented centuries ago. They are both toys and tools, indicators of wind direction and the weather. Sources disagree on where the first were made; it was probably in China about 400 B.C. or by Native Americans about 550 B.C. The whirligig must have a spinning part and a base and many were made in fanciful shapes. The oldest known pictures of a whirligig were in tapestries made in medieval times. There are many names and many shapes of whirligigs. Old sources c

Check out this month's column featuring Fascinating Objects from Our Past. Originally published in April 2020 issue of Ohio Magazine. Read the full article online. One of the more unusual carvings by Okey Canfield is this owl, having painted details and large glass eyes, placed in the hollow of a tree. At 22" high overall, it sold for $2,760 at Garth's in May 2019. See lot. #Ohio #OhioMagazine #ohiofinds #folkart #carving #canfieldcarving #jeffjeffers #garths #garthsauctions

COLUMBUS, OHIO — There was no snow in Columbus on January 18 and 19 and bidders responded by filling the auction galleries at Garth’s for the company’s Americana, Folk Art and Textiles sale. With day one featuring the 30-year collection of a gentleman from New York State that included painted furniture, pottery and folk art, and day two folk art and textiles from the collection of two sisters from Washington, DC, the sell through rate was 98 percent by lot according to chief

COLUMBUS, OHIO – Garth’s September 7th country Americana auction was conducted at its new facility in the Municipal Light Plant with all forms of bidding available. Early in the 554-lot auction, an oil on canvas portrait of “The Steuart Children” by Thomas (Steuart) Stuart (American, mid-Nineteenth Century) was offered with a $600/900 estimate. Originally signed and dated 1849 verso, the three children, Edward, Margaret and Mary, dubbed the “Three Disgraces,” were painted by

Patriotic symbols like the Statue of Liberty, the American flag, the bald eagle and Uncle Sam are easily recognized today, but our first symbol, Miss Liberty, is almost forgotten. Before the Revolutionary War, the word “liberty” was the battle cry. Perhaps because a female figure was used to represent liberty in ancient Greece and an Indian Princess for the colonies, the early representation for America’s symbol was a woman. The figure was known as Columbia, Goddess of Libert

Original Post April 2, 2019, Antiques & The Arts Weekly https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/across-the-block-73/ COLUMBUS, OHIO – Garth’s country Americana auction on March 15 was led by an American swan decoy that sold for $4,440. Attributed to Currituck, N.C., the early Twentieth Century preening swan exhibited old white paint and its bill had a square nail. It measured 13 inches high and 30 inches long. For information, 740-362-4771 or www.garths.com. #Garths #auctionhighli

“Buy only what you love”, were the oft-heard words of longtime Americana dealer and collector Elinor Meugniot of Clive, Iowa. On January 16, 2016, Garth's Auctioneers & Appraisers is proud to kick off the new year with a two-session auction featuring Meugniot’s fine Americana Collection (290 lots), and an assortment of Americana, Folk Art, European Decorative Arts & 20th Century Design (465 lots) which includes The 50 Year Collection of the Late Joyce Specter of Russell, Kans

In a world full of creative repurposing, the transformation of industrial tools, equipment and salvaged architectural items to interior design has become almost commonplace. But, before upcycling was hip, Americana collectors were rescuing and repurposing all manner of antique utilitarian objects. Among the myriad of objects successfully transitioning from function to form, weather vanes are some of our most favorite. One of the earliest instruments of meteorology, weatherv