What's It Worth? — Jane Alexiadis

I have attached a photo of a lamp that I inherited from my great aunt. It doesn't have a marking on it anywhere, do you by any chance have any idea what make of lamp it might be?

The slag glass shade and rectilinear lines indicate late 19th or early 20th century sensibilities

I am not sure if it has any value but, I was just curious as I know it is somewhat old.

As soon as I saw the rectilinear slag glass shade on your lamp I thought, “Prairie School!” But then I had to ask myself why? What identifies this as Prairie style as opposed to Arts and Crafts, Mission or Craftsman?

All of these schools of design share some characteristics: oak, copper, bronze and glass are typical materials; forms are often boxy and right-angled; lines are uncomplicated and extraneous ornamentation is usually absent. To help me sort out the differences, histories and historic context of each of these schools I turned to Lee Jester, an expert on American Arts and Crafts and former owner of Craftsman Home in Oakland.

The term “Arts and Crafts” is often used as a general term. Rather than applying to just architecture or furniture, the term encompasses an ideal of social reform and anti-industrial idealism. Originating in England in the late 19th century, the term is most closely associated with designer William Morris.

“Craftsman” is the trade name for the handcrafted furniture made by arts and crafts advocate Gustav Stickely. Beginning in 1901, he published “The Craftsman” magazine extolling the virtues of handwork, design and architecture. In the US, “Craftsman” and “Arts and Crafts” were nearly synonymous and are often used interchangeably.

“Mission” style, Lee explained, was a term mostly used on the east coast. Like Craftsman, Mission was a trade name but it marketed factory made furniture. It originated in 1898 with Joseph McHugh in New York after he saw photographs of the interior of the 1894 Bernard Maybeck designed Swedenborgian church in San Francisco. He copied the furnishings and erroneously described his line as deriving from California missions.

The "Mission" style interior of the 1895 Bernard Maybeck designed Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco

“Prairie” is a design philosophy with roots in Chicago. It developed from the idea that wide, flat, horizontal lines invoke the vastness the horizon. Frank Lloyd Wright is the most familiar name in this genre. He designed his building to look as if they sprung naturally from the site. His furnishings were not only specific to a building: he designated specific pieces to go with particular rooms.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed the furniture and lighting for his Robie House in Chicago

All of these schools of thought shared idealism: an appreciation for preindustrial craftsmanship, a concern for the welfare of workers, and the belief that the integration of art, textiles, furniture and architecture could result in cohesion and purity of thought.

I can’t quite tell what your lamp is made of but it appears to be a slag glass shade on a patinated bronze base. The scrolled feet together with the lyre and wreath decoration suggest to me that this lamp embraces the arts and crafts ideal while not quite abandoning the decorative elements of earlier pieces.

Your lamp could have been made by Bradley and Hubbard in the early 20th century; it could also be a mass produced lamp purchased anywhere in the last 40 or 50 years. The value could range from $50 to $500. As an appraiser I’d have to see it in person to gauge the age and structure before I could assign a value.

We have a steer horn chair that has been in the family for over 60 years. It is fabricated with steer horns on the outside with leather/vinyl for the seat and back.

We are trying to determine its age and value to see how to proceed with it going forward. Is this the type of piece you would be able to evaluate?

I grew up in New Englander and have lived in the bay area for the past quarter century. Horn furniture is not something I’ve seen much of so, for expert information I turned to historian and collector Alan Rogers founder of the National Texas Longhorn Museum. He generously shared his in depth knowledge of the form and his decades of historical research

Although it appears to be a very American form, modern horn furniture making – dating from the mid 19th century through the 1920s – seems to have been brought to America by Europeans immigrants. Individual craftsmen made some pieces but furniture factories in Chicago, Texas and Kansas produced the majority of horn pieces we see today.

According to Alan, part of the horn furniture craze can be traced to the development of railroads bringing cattle to stockyards. Processing longhorn cattle was expensive. The horns made loading, shipping and slaughtering the cattle difficult; horns scarred the hides of other cattle lessening their value. Any use for the horns would help to offset the inherent liability of the breed.

The demand for antique horn furniture has increased over the past decade but so has the tendency for some sellers – out of ignorance or greed – to mislead buyers. By the end of the 19th century ranchers had crossbred the horns out of the cattle industry and by the 1890s furniture makers were importing horns from Africa and South America. So although horn furniture seems quintessentially American just about all horn furniture manufactured since the 1940s is made from imported horn. Buyers can easily find horn chairs for sale but there is almost never information about the origin of the horns. Alan feels that buyers would be reluctant to spend money if they knew they weren’t buying old Western American items.

This 38 horn chair was exhibited in the Long Beach, Ca Chamber of Commerce in 1914

As with most things, condition is a huge factor in value. Horns are made of keratin – the same protein in our nails and hair. If the furniture is kept indoors it can last for generations. Pieces need to be protected from bright sunlight: over time exposure can cause the layers of keratin to separate and the horns to crack. Horn furniture should not be stored in damp places like basements or garages – horns are delicious to roaches and some beetles.

The size, shape and color of the horns in a piece of furniture influence the price buyers are willing to pay. Experts have been able to identify a few individual horn furniture masters; these pieces can command thousands of dollars. I’m sorry. I have no way of figuring out who or what factory made your chair. While the upholstery is competently done the choice of vinyl instead of leather or fabric seems oddly incongruous. Additionally, your chair is missing a decorative horn on one side. These factors lessen the salability of the chair. All that being said, I don’t think you’d have any trouble selling your chair in the $400-700 range. For more information about the history of this furniture, for advice about selling, for galleries of chairs, hat racks, cowboys and champion steer, or just for the fun of it visit Alan Rogers’ site: www.longhornmuseum.com.