Several years ago, I owned an antique store in the Chicagoland area. Over time, I moved to about five different locations with my final stop being in Peoria, Illinois. In the end I’d grown tired of moving merchandise in addition to the difficulty and expense I found in maintaining fresh inventory to sell. While I lived in the suburbs of Chicago, Peoria was an ideal place due to proximity and because it allowed me to visit my daughter while updating/working the shop. She attended university there.
I have always loved antique, vintage and old. Antique stores and estate sales were usually always part of our weekends. As I mentioned in some of my other blog posts, part of the beauty and quality of the pieces included knowing the history and imagining the lives of the previous owners. It seemed a natural progression to simply open a shop.
The idea of this blog post originated due to discovering a younger generation’s interest in thrifting. Of course, when you watch one reel on social media of a thrifter’s “find” you’re then inundated with endless reels of the same or related content. Watching them can be addictive if you aren’t careful, but I’m so happy to see young adults rediscovering beautiful pieces and bringing them into their lives; in addition, they are being very creative in repurposing some of those items. I applaud their cleverness. And thrifting isn’t necessarily antiquing, but the line gets a little blurry when stores, auctions, and estate sales carry/sell much of the same merchandise. Timeframes and eras don’t necessarily matter in defining a type of store or how someone collects anymore.
Over the years, I came across some odd and very unique kinds of items in addition to the “normal” things one sees in antique stores. One such piece was a wrought iron plant stand that measured about seven to eight feet in height with the top curved into what looked like a bird cage. There were about four “arms” curving out from it which would hold plants in addition to the base. To add to the oddness of the find, I purchased it at an estate sale being held at a monastery. Because of its size, it was a challenge to get home. But it was so beautiful once cleaned, and it was certainly the center of attention in my shop. I envisioned how lovely it would look in the solarium or conservatory of an estate somewhere; eventually, it sold but it took a while. It was something I wish I’d been able to keep but had no room or place for it.
Other unusual things I encountered over the years while buying inventory: a wooden coffin with lid/cover (c.19th century) being used as a storage chest in a home (DID NOT buy that one); creepy dolls that give you nightmares; skull mounts and taxidermy—in memory of someone’s pets…didn’t buy any of those either. I generally passed on more than I purchased, so it goes without saying I attended a lot of sales. But the best things were often hidden or unassuming, many of which came in box lots.
Which brings me to the photograph I’ve included in this post. I obtained it in one of those “lots” and I’ve a full container of these old photos with some dating back to around 1800 (maybe earlier). Given the description accompanying the image, it’s one of the odd finds and discoveries, which I purchased at an estate sale in Batavia, Illinois.
The photograph measures about 8 x 9.5 inches and is mounted on stiff cardboard; these were known as cabinet cards. I can find no information on the historical photographer named A. Lund, but that’s not unusual. There is also no date, but given the style of clothing and hairstyles of the women, I’d guess it was taken anywhere from the 1880s to 1900, plus cabinet cards originated around 1860. The description of the photograph is:
“This picture was taken at a shower for Emma Anderson Swanson. A mock wedding was held. Most of the women are employees of Bellevue.” Then it proceeds to list most of the names of those in the photograph.
The history of Bellevue. Bellevue Institute was a private school in Batavia, Illinois that was chartered in 1853. In 1867, it was purchased by Dr. Richard J Patterson and the institute was renamed Bellevue Place, a private sanitarium for women. Its most notable resident was President Abraham Lincoln’s widow, Mary Todd Lincoln, who was a patient living there from May to September of 1875. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; the building was eventually converted to apartments.
My first antique shop was located in Batavia and I regularly drove by this building. Looking at the photograph and based on the description that came with it, I wonder about the unnamed women and the ones who were not employed at Bellevue. Were they patients? Why a shower? Why a mock wedding? Given the possible timeframe, could any of them have encountered Mary Todd Lincoln? Ironically, the Emma Anderson Swanson mentioned isn’t listed as the “bride” in the photo. The woman in the top hat is an unknown (no name was given), but it gives shades of Abraham Lincoln in my opinion. I suppose I’ll continue trying to find information regarding the names of some of the women, but so far I haven’t been successful. I would so love to know their history. That’s what antiques do to me.
Yes, I’m happy the “old” is being discovered again. I’ve also fallen down the rabbit hole of reels where this same generation is discovering my generation of music…watching them listen for the first time to a song of my youth, and like it, is pure joy.
Happiness.
