Antique Garden Ornaments

Myra Yellin Outwater is an award-winning journalist who has written extensively on antiques and design; her husband, Eric provides most of the photographs. They live in an old Pennsylvania stone farmhouse surrounded by gardens.

The Antique Collectors' Club adds another classy work to its catalog with the publication of Morris's survey of over 200 years of garden memorabilia. The managing director of Sotheby's Sussex, Morris has produced a volume that is primarily English in scope?who else would include bronze cannons as important garden fixtures? But along with the expected stately fountains, massive urns, and garden structures, the reader will also find everyday items: watering cans, pots, tools, and early mowing machines. The enjoyment of the garden is not neglected either, with whimsical lawn elves and novelty games from the past included. With 142 color and more than 500 black-and-white illustrations, this work will be a good tool for students of garden design and landscaping as well as for those designing gardens and garden rooms.?Joseph Hewgley, Nashville
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Come and Get It author Corinne Brown serves up a feast of tantalizingly accurate photography, history, stories, and tidbits worthy of its own Smithsonian wing on Western Culture. Destined to be a collector s classic, this book s rightful place is you guessed it smack dab on the dinner table for all to enjoy. --Tim O Byrne Editor, Working Ranch magazine




Her loving, descriptive prose and elegantly styled photographs turn this rigorously researched historical record into a joyous romp through America s most beloved icons, with her passion for the West illuminating every page. --Susan L. Ebert Associate Publisher & Editor, Western & English Today magazine

Corinne Brown shows us that Western-themed dinnerware usually regarded as mere kitsch represents a valuable chapter in the history of American visual culture and its role in the formation of national identity --Elissa Auther Associate Professor of Contemporary Art, University of Colorado

Myra and Eric Outwater are inveterate collectors and have authored six Schiffer books. They live in an old Pennsylvanian stone house near Allentown, and in the spring and summer they both enjoy gardening.

This wonderfully tacky book begins with a quote from Donald Featherstone, the man who created pink plastic yard flamingos. In his words, "Before plastics, only rich people could afford to have poor taste." And poor taste is what this delightful book is all about, the result of writer Roberts' and photographer Modra's tour of the country looking for ticky-tacky lawn ornaments. They found that garden kitsch includes wooden cows and donkeys, metal roosters, plastic sunflowers, frogs, squirrels, deer, bunnies, swans, rubber cacti, old washing machines, toilets, sinks, and bathtubs with flowers growing out of them, a six-foot stuffed Ninja Turtle, the front end of a VW, gargoyles, gnomes, and, of course, those pink flamingos. The bulk of the 80 color pictures here were taken on a 10-day drive from Connecticut to Wisconsin; and about 50 people--owners of all this kitsch--were also photographed. Oh, come on, readers, let yourselves go. Enjoy yourself with this book! George Cohen

A celebration of all things gnome, lavishly illustrated with photos. (Laura Geovaneli Winston-Salem Journal 20090401)

How well do you know your gnomes? These longtime lawn ornaments and garden guardians get their due in this photo-packed tribute. (Neil Pond American Profile )

If you know a gardener who needs a smile, present him [or her] with a copy. (Jarrett Smith Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN )

Gnomes have been restored to their rightful place of kitsch honor, and their fans are legion. (Decorating Digest Craft & Home Projects )

Authors Tennenbaum and Zapata (The Jeweled Menagerie) leave no stone unturned in their gorgeous, comprehensive history of botanical motifs in jewelry from the Victorian period to the present. The relatively narrow focus of the book allows the authors room to treat their topic in depth, spotlighting every aspect of the oeuvre in a manner rarely seen in books for laypersons. Chapters cover different time periods and movements (naturalism, exoticism, Art Deco), relying on a conventional structure: a few paragraphs of background information give way to detailed descriptions of the pieces. The text complements the jewelry in precision, if not in whimsy or beauty. Aimed at cognoscenti of the gem and jewelry world, the text slows down only slightly when introducing more rarified vocabulary: "Enameling not only added color to a piece of jewelry but, with the further development of plique-à-jour, its see-through appearance replaced large sections of metal, creating a gossamer look." With photographs this captivating, readers will not be disappointed.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antique garden statuary is a growing market closely following the insurgence of popular gardening. Instantly adding a personal touch, a statue, urn or finial carefully placed will transform a garden from the ordinary to something a little more special. But modern ornaments tend to be too "new", needing a covering of liquid manure or yoghurt to attain that patina so specific to antique ornaments. Antique ornaments already have that indefinable elegance, bearing decades or even centuries of weathering by the natural elements, making them a much coveted item in showrooms, antique shops and architectural salvagers. But how do you tell if you're being overcharged, found a bargain at a car boot sale? This is where this excellent, lavishly illustrated guide steps in. Part of the renowned Millers' series, it guides the prospective purchaser through the style, type and price of garden ornamentation from summerhouses and gates, lawnmowers and hoes, urns and finials, gargoyles and statuettes. Offering extra information in feature boxes where appropriate together with lists on further reading and where to buy and see (for the UK and USA) and a directory of manufacturers, this is an invaluable asset for purveyors and acquirers of fine antiques for the garden. - Lucy Watson

To recreate the Victorian style of decorating may conjure up nightmarish visions of over-the-top, frilly curtains and heavy, depressing colors. Luckily, Ellen M. Plante reveals how to tastefully transform any room into an elegant and comfortable living space--frills are not compulsory! The Victorian Home is not only a beautifully written design guide to reviving rooms from this era, it's also a fascinating history lesson on the culture of the mid- to late-19th-century gentrified society in Britain. For this privileged class, the home was the "center of the universe, a safe haven from a rapidly industrializing society." Therefore, every chair, ornament, and light fixture was carefully chosen and exquisitely arranged to create a look of maximum opulence. Today, the reasons to "go Victorian" are much simpler. This look can be a lovely addition to any home--a look that is both timeless and elegant. The rooms photographed in The Victorian Home reflect the wonderful versatility of this era. Some rooms merely capture the essence of the period in the style of the fireplace or the choice of wallpaper. Other rooms duplicate the era in every minute detail, right down to the arrangement of dishes and cutlery on a dinner table. Throughout this elegant book are useful sidebars providing tips and techniques for Victorian decorating, and a comprehensive index of expressions and terms. Viva Victoria! --Naomi Gesinger --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.