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WEDGWOOD COMES TO US ON YOUTUBE

Here is a great YouTube video with history and current information by our friend and Wedgwood Museum Director, Gaye Blake-Roberts. Enjoy

QUICKIE NEWS SPLASH ~ TIME SENSITIVE NEWS


INVENTORY CLEARANCE SALE -25% OFF ALL BONE CHINA ITEMS, PRODUCT #S IN 600 SERIES - BUY CHINA!!


Opening a brand new book that still smells of ink is such a sublime experience, almost as good as that musty smell of an old book reminding us of its history!

Check out our newly listed items on the WEBSITE where things are always changing. AT ALEXIS ANTIQUES ANNEX WE'VE ADDED MORE NON-WEDGWOOD ENGLISH CERAMICS, TO INCLUDE SOME ABSOUTELY ADORABLE ADAMS Titian Ware VERNACULAR HAND PAINTED PLATES. CHECK THEM OUT! We've added lots of new jasperware too, blue and green AND some excellent black basalt wares!


VISITING OUR BLOG

CLICK THE TITLE OF MANY OF THE BLOG POSTS TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE IMAGE OR TEXT OF THE SUBJECT MATTER. BE SURE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE OFTEN AS THINGS ARE ALWAYS CHANGING. CLICKING THE PHOTO OF THE FEATURE OF THE WEEK WILL TAKE YOU TO ITS LISTING ON OUR SITE. THANK YOU FOR READING!







Thursday, May 29, 2014

WEDGWOOD PRODUCES LORD WEDGWOOD PORTRAIT MEDALLION

From the Wedgwood & Sons Facebook page comes this lovely photograph of the commemorative Portrait Medallion produced to celebrate the life of the late Lord Wedgwood, Piers Anthony Weymouth Wedgwood, 4th Baron Wedgwood.  Should you be interested in purchasing this medallion, please contact airwedg@aol.com for information.  The company will be offering them for sale also, but we do not know exactly when or where, watch their Facebook page.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

WEDGWOOD BUTTONS, FASCINATING FASTENERS

A recent article in the Webster-Kirkwood (MO) Times, the local paper of the town where I grew up, prompted me to search in my library for my books on buttons.  I once inherited a collection of old buttons from an elderly dressmaker here in St. Louis, but other than that have never been a collector of buttons. I have had in my own collection, and bought and sold in my business, many of the Wedgwood jasper buttons given out over the years as the attendance favor at Wedgwood International Seminars.  The WKT article tells about Missouri collectors and the Missouri State Button Society which can be reached at www.missouristatebuttonsociety.org.  The article relates some of the interesting history of buttons, a needed tool we pretty much take for granted in today's sophisticated high-tech world! Go here to read the article in full and see more illustrations.

While buttons began in use long before the 1700s, relatively few existing today are much over 300 years old.  Early buttons were used by men as personal adornment, limited only by their means.  Wedgwood jasper buttons certainly would fill that bill!  Until about 1840, women's clothes were fastened with hooks, laces and ties.  Men's buttons were made of metal, shell, cut stone, porcelain, wood, glass and leather.  Since the end of the Civil War button manufacturing in USA became a more important business since by then buttons were considered ornamentation for women's clothing as well as for men's. Women's buttons were, and in some cases are still, made of mother-of-pearl, shell, china, horn, bone and ivory.  During Victorian times small black glass buttons were very popular with women, in imitation of the black 'jet' worn by Queen Victoria after Albert's death.  There is a National Button Society, organized in 1938 and today has over 3300 members. [Thank you to St. Louis area button collector Shirley Case who furnished some of the information for this post and for bringing her buttons to the talk at which I met her.]

The February 1964 edition of The American Wedgwoodian, a publication of the Wedgwood International Seminar, has a very well-illustrated and informative article specifically about Wedgwood buttons by the authors of The Button Sampler by Lillian Smith Albert and Jane Ford Adams.  Another book which offers sections on Wedgwood buttons is The Collector's Encyclopedia of Buttons by Sally C. Luscomb, with Wedgwood buttons illustrated on the cover as well as in the article.  If you are a novice Wedgwood collector or experienced button collector, or somewhere in between, and buttons and Wedgwood interest you, these publications would be worth finding. Contact us through our website for a copy of the TAW article mentioned here. And a hint for you jewelry buffs, the WIS buttons make up as spectacular jewelry when mounted in interesting custom settings!
Photo courtesy Mrs. Sara Branton, buttons, private collection.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

WEDGWOOD INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR HELD IN U. S. CAPITAL

Here is the recent POST SEMINAR PRESS RELEASE giving great information about the recent event in the Washington, DC area and how to join in the learning and fun of WIS at future Seminars.  The Publicity Chairman is our great friend Adele Barnett, Founder and former President of the Wedgwood Society of Washington, DC.

May 2014
Wedgwood – A Capital Affair
For the 59th year, Wedgwood enthusiasts gathered for the annual international conference
in late April, and as always, it did not disappoint. Held in Alexandria, Virginia, just
across the river from the U.S. capital city, attendees from all over America, Canada and
Australia enjoyed the wide range of activities the Wedgwood International Seminar
had to offer. The word “seminar” might illicit images of an academic setting – but it’s
somewhat of a misnomer these days. Indeed, these conferences offer lectures from
curators, professors, and other scholars, but there are equally as many presented by
collectors and students of Wedgwood. And there is much more that comprises the fourday
program as well, all of which makes the event appealing to a wide audience.
The 2014 agenda provided talks on subjects that ranged from the ancient Etruscan
influence on Wedgwood to life at the potteries in the 18th century to Wedgwood wares at
the World’s Fair to lamps from oil to light bulbs, and more. Also among the highlights of
the seminars are tours of public and private collections on display. This year two
members opened their homes for viewing of spectacular Wedgwood. The range of wares
demonstrated the wide appeal and reach of Wedgwood – from hundreds of plaques
decorating walls, to curios holding thousands of jasper objects, to smalls comprised of
tobacciana, mugs, and decanters to royalty wares, tiles, and magnificent planters.
This year’s seminar also paid tribute to the late Lord Wedgwood who passed away early
in the year and who was a supporter of the WIS and other Wedgwood-related
organizations. There was sufficient time built in for visits to sites in Washington, Mount
Vernon, and other museums and landmarks. Also of particular note was the fabulous and
abundant food at the lunches, breaks and dinners at the host hotel. And lastly, to satisfy
that buying itch, each night four dealers offered for sale virtually every type of
Wedgwood imaginable from prices that attracted the novice, as well as lured the
seasoned collector.
What sets Wedgwood apart from most other collectibles and artifact categories is the vast
range of wares from 18th century to current production, from highly decorative to useful,
and from price points of under $5 to more than five–figures. There is truly something for
everyone, regardless of one’s tastes, area of interest, collecting sophistication, or budget.
And the WIS caters to all these groups.

In addition to learning about and viewing Wedgwood, attendees enjoy the interaction and reunions with
the friendly and inviting fellow-collectors, both old- and first-timers. The WIS extends an invitation to
join its organization. In addition to access to the seminar, the annual $35 membership fee ($50 for family)
covers the WIS Proceedings – an annual publication of all the lectures delivered that year. One also may
wish to explore the several regional Wedgwood societies who conduct meetings 6-12 times per year at
their local venues. Check the WIS website links page for the list by visiting:
www.wedgwoodinternationalseminar.org.

The 60th Wedgwood International Seminar will be held April 22-25, 2015, at the Birmingham (Alabama)
Museum of Art, which houses the largest collection of Wedgwood outside the UK. Again, check the WIS
site for more information as it unfolds. This seminar is shaping up to be one of the most memorable.
Wedgwood International Seminar
INCORPORATED
Officers
President
Cyndi Andrews, CA
First Vice President
Mickey D. Hightower, TX
Second Vice President
Ellis F. Rubin, PA
Treasurer
Michael T. Smith, CA
Recording Secretary
Anne Forschler-Tarrasch, AL
Board of Governors
Adele I. Barnett, VA
Alan Erickson, MO
Jeffrey Hoffman, MA
Lorraine C. Horn*, MA
Edward L. Knowles, MD
Paul H. Lauer, CT
Sandra Olubas, OH
Nancy Ramage, NY
Robert J. Reichner, IL
Gaye Blake Roberts, UK
Stuart Slavid, MA
*******
Director of Seminars
Mickey D. Hightower, TX
Proceedings Editor & Archivist
Anne Forschler-Tarrasch, AL
Public Relations Chairman
Adele I. Barnett, VA
Curatorial Consultant
Gaye Blake Roberts, UK
Webmaster
Alan Ericson, MO
Honorary Board
Daisy Wade Bridges*, NC
Earl L. Buckman*, TX
Frank Coleman, NC
Alvin Kanter, IL
Keith McLeod*, CAN
Muriel D. Polikoff*, PA
* Past President