A Mirror for a Fly's Eye View?

I am in my "get organized" mode, so pulling all sorts of things out of storage. This 19th century mirror is not meant for practical use, but for the way they bounced light around the Victorian interior. I have seen other, including some wonderful ones at the Museum of the City of New York. These must have been interesting wall decor in their day.

This one was put away until I could work on some minor restoration, but since it was not too disfiguring, it will probably remain as is for a while longer.

Also of interest was the original label still on the back, from a firm in Boston, Noyes & Blakeslee. 

 

More Projects (Finally) Finished!

Due to space constraints, and the annual migrations between Massachusetts and Maine, project components are often separated, worked on in multiple locations, etc. In this case, these two artworks were at some point removed from original frames, and new mats were cut (mat cutting work is often saved up and done in batches - no sense having to prepare a clean area more than necessary).

These were then packed away, and if not forgotten, at least "out of sight, out of mind". The nice part is that when they are finally retrieved, progress was usually further along than I remember, and they get finished up quickly.

One of these is a 1907 etching. The original frame was one of those very thin "arts and crafts" styles popular at that time. Quality was poor, so it wasn't worth re-doing. The replacement I made is lightly carved, but a more substantial frame overall. It is water gilded 23K.

The seascape pastel is an amateur work, and its damaged Victorian frame was again, not worth the repair. Putting it in a grain painted frame provides it with more of a folk art look, making it much more suitable for display.

More frame examples on my web site.