I’ve wanted a Wallace Nutting hand-colored photograph for a long time. Every time I see one in an antique store, I stop and stare and then proceed to tell Don how much I love them. Nutting was a Congregational minister who lived in Connecticut. He died in 1941. After retiring, he became a photographer and took nearly 50,000 photographs. About 2,000 of these photographs were published in books and/or sold as hand-colored pictures. That was done by colorists who worked in his studio between 1918 and 1937.
He also, by the way, made furniture. There are many examples of his furniture on display at Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum, a museum I’ve shared with you in the past.
Anyway, back to the hand-colored Nuttings. I see them here and there, but lately I’ve been seeing some in a booth at our new favorite antique emporium. On Friday, I decided the time had come to treat myself to a smallish one. I stood there for a long time, trying to decide which one I wanted. I ended up choosing this:
I’m pretty sure it’s either in its original frame or in a frame made in the same period as the print. When I took it to the check-out counter, I found out it was 20% off, which was a delightful surprise. Some of his prints have titles, others do not, so I’m not sure where this was taken.
Gosh, I love it.
Of course, when I brought it home, we had to decide where to hang it. There is not much available wall space in this house, as you well know. Add to that the fact that we love artwork and prints and signs and you have a little cottage that is already brimming with that sort of thing.
Maybe the chimney? But then we realized that it gets warm in the winter and we didn’t want to damage the Nutting. So this is what we did:
We wanted it to have its own special place and the white cabinet seemed perfect.
I like to hang things in unexpected places. A bit of surprise is always a good thing.
When I edit photos of the interior of the house, I am struck by how crooked everything is. The door frame is not aligned with the cabinet, probably because the floors slope downward. The door is off-kilter, as well. When you live in a house with a stone foundation, built in 1891, things are slightly or not-so-slightly off. Ah well. I consider that part of the charm of this cottage.
We’re still getting used to something hanging on this cabinet.
Of course, now I want more Wallace Nuttings. I’ve already found the perfect place for them. That sigh you hear is probably coming from Don.
Once a collector, always a collector. The thrill of the hunt, the joy of looking at a collection, the stories about when and where you found each piece – all of it is such a pleasure and to a girl like me, priceless.
Have you ever seen this wonderful book? I re-discovered it the other day when I was sorting through my books. It’s one of my favorites. The other day, I looked through it again and I have to say, it’s beautifully done. The copyright says 2002, so I’m sure it’s long out of print. But if you love collecting and love displaying your collections, this book is right up your alley.
You know I love that pottery on the cover. (I just checked Amazon and there are used versions available!) The photography is beautifully done.
I’ve always loved seeing what others collect and how they display the collections. I think seeing someone’s collections is a bit of a window into their soul, their passions, and often, their own brand of quirkiness.
Thank you for your kind and moving comments on yesterday’s post about my father. I don’t mind saying that tears came to my eyes many times as I read your words. Bless you. As Don said the other day, and I quote: “You have the best readers!”
I do.
One last reminder to read my post, Adding Essential Nutrients for Essential Growth, if you’re interested in a vegetarian source of DHA omega-3s in capsule form. All the benefits of fish oil but from algae, not fish. #ad #sk
Happy Sunday.
Claudia, I love this colored photo! I’ve never heard of him before but will check out his photos. It looks amazing on the door and yes, I can see more being added to the collection. I want to get that Collector’s Style book. The pottery is gorgeous on the cover. I look up from my computer and see my collection of Roseville, McCoy and ‘other’ pottery and I’m always happy I started collecting. Wishing you a lovely Sunday.
Hugs!
I bought the Collector’s Style book from Amazon just now. Can’t wait to get it.
Whoo hoo!
The photos are really amazing, Linda. And the hand coloring is so lovely.
Collecting is wonderful – from one enabler to another!
The Wallace Nutting photo you selected seemed to have been destined to be yours and in your cottage. It automatically fits into your collectibles family. I love where you hung it….the Mother of Invention type of thinking right there!
I. love seeing how people display their collections. I also love leafing through the Where Women Work magazines and organizing books. Sigh, is it just me, or do other people have less stuff in prettier containers than I do? I found a pile of cloth rice bags in my Uncle’s house and plan to make some fabric baskets with a pretty fabric lining. I use empty containers that used to hold blank CDs and DVDs to hold thread and fabric clippings from my sewing. I think I’ll sew rice sack covers with a pretty border for them. Ok, so now I have a plan for pretty and unified containers. It will be a collection, since I have containers at three sewing machines and a serger for which to sew covers!
Ugh, I’ve been up for about 1/2 hour and the sky went from scattered clouds to gray menacing clouds. You know it’s very windy when the sky fills in so quickly. I don’t think it will rain soon because I can still see blue skies at the edges of this large gray mass….but it will rain.
But you need the rain, right?
I often think the same thing – everyone else seems to use prettier containers! But I only have so much cash and I end up using what’s around me!
Yes, we do. Need the rain and I’m not complaining about rain, just astonished to be able to see it go from sunny to raining in an hour…it’s beginning to rain now. The one complaint I do have is driving into San Francisco today. The traffic is bad enough without rain. California drivers do seem to dislike the first big rains… and I love the containers you use! I don’t like match-match, as my Dad says. Mix and match is the way to go! I have a large fabric stash, from years of collecting, so it will be put to good use when I sew up the rice sacks. No outlay of cash for me either!
I remember that drivers in California often don’t seem to know how to drive in the rain! Probably because it doesn’t happen all that often.
This is true, and the roads are often slick with grease and yuck that hasn’t been washed away for some time, so it’s ultra dangerous when coupled with bad driving. When we got that tiny bit of rain a couple of days ago, and then we got some more last night…just a smattering, no difference in the river and the creek is just a trickle although it’s good to hear the SOUND of a trickle finally…my husband came upon THREE significant auto accidents in his hour’s commute to work; and I mean totally TOTALLED vehicles (not salvageable) when you just have to hope and pray no one was hurt. I have an old car I’ve put in offsite storage and we started it up today just to keep it running but the husband says no way we’re going out with it on these slippery streets and uncertain skies; the car will get driven another day, in all the days ahead we have of continuing drought. I’m just glad little pools of water here and there are helping the wildlife get a drink…but for too many trees, it won’t help. A trio of my favorite eucalyptus trees have bitten the dust; been there in a cluster my ENTIRE life up on a hill where they don’t bother a soul but instead just look beautiful and are a haven for birds…but they just couldn’t make it any longer without water. I realized in looking at them this week that they’re done; it’s over. Their trunks are so vast that it would take three people to link arms around them. They shed their bark at times and the wood is the softest underneath. I can’t even begin to describe how filled with sadness I am over the loss of my town’s trees over these past drought years.
I’m so sorry. Losing a tree is heartbreaking. Just heartbreaking.
I love your chosen spot on the cupboard for hanging the art! Well done!
Thank you, Shanna! I’m starting to really like it there.
That picture is lovely. And, you found a great spot for it too. There’s plenty of room left on the cabinet to hang more, too! Just call me ‘the enabler’! Funny…between your new pic and your pottery, I can’t see any irregularities in your home…,my eye is gently distracted. I think rooms that are dressed with collections, are so much more interesting don’t you? Enjoy your day! ;)
I love enablers – at least in terms of collecting – because I am one too!
Thank you for that lovely compliment. That’s exactly how I want my home to look and be. I agree – collections personalize the space and make it far more interesting!
Oh, Claudia whatever am I going to do? Every time you start a new collection I fall in love, and start searching for peices of my own.
I have a few pieces of Roseville now.
I will own a Nutting!
In the 1940’s and early 50’s my mom lived in Chicago. She lived with Herbert J. Day and his wife. Mr. Day was an artist. He worked mainly in water color, and he did a few oils. My mom was gifted 4 of his paintings. I feel very honored to have these on my walls.
I guess I’m a bad influence, Trudy! I think you’d love Wallace Nutting’s work. It’s truly lovely, with soft colors and gentle landscapes.
How wonderful that you have those paintings now! I’m sure they are priceless, both literally and figuratively!
Claudia, your beautiful post of yesterday brought tears to my eyes. It is important to acknowledge, I think, that your wonderful father, as a member of the Greatest Generation, served in World War II, and who knows what horrors he witnessed. My own father has scars, physical and mental, from his time in the trenches of Belgium and Germany, and has dealt with them in his own complicated and private way. Not much, if anything, was said about PTSD in those days; the veterans were just expected to get on with life. That some turned to alcohol to dull the memories is not surprising, as they did not get the counseling they needed, nor did society permit them to grieve. War has consequences that go on and on and on. I’m sure your father did the best he could. ((((( HUG )))))
My sister and I have long thought that some of the emotional scars he carried from the war were part of what made him a troubled man. I think I’ve written about that before. How could they not be? Alcoholism also ran in his family. He was only 18 when he enlisted. A baby.
Thanks, Nancy.
Perfect spot for your Wallace. I have a neighbor who had a little one signed had no idea who he was. I told her all about him, then while in Brimfield I found a signed framed one ” larkspur” for an unbelievable $8.00. It came home with me for her Christmas present. She was over the moon, one more and she will have a collection. Now you have to be on the look out for two more….
$8! What a deal, Mary! So nice of you to get it for your neighbor. I am definitely on the lookout for 2 more, or maybe 3 or 4 more!
Again, something new here to learn about! I’ve never heard of this photographer and I loved where/how you placed the lovely photo.
Oh, yes; old houses! You should have seen the pocket doors in our last little cottage; totally askew in the frame. The ground moves a lot in SoCalif earthquake country over nearly 100 years! And if you stood in the northside of the large living room and tossed a ball around with the dogs, the ball would roll downward south with the sloping wood floor.
Our front door is crooked, it doesn’t hang right. In fact, neither does our back door!
Claudia, I did go back and re-read your post about the Omega 3s. Two doctors want me on fish oil tablets but not only does it sound disgusting to me, the main thing is that since I was a baby I’m allergic to fish and fish oils (lots of allergies, all my life). This has been a tricky situation for me because I’ve always lived near the ocean; always. Pacific Coast; Gulf Coast. So, I’m more interested than I first thought/read. May I ask you what product you use which contains the algae? Would you mind sharing a brand, so I could find it more easily at a store? I won’t look at it as an endorsement or ‘medical’ advice; just a helpful tip, then making my own decision. The whole post made good sense to me. You explained it well, great writer that you are!
The brand name is in the post, Vicki. Click on the link and it should take you to their website. Look for the words: Quote from here. Here is in red, click that.
Yeah, I realized that after I wrote my comment. That was the whole point of the post! What a dope; I must have been half asleep! I’d gone back and forth to other sites about fish oil and somehow got lost in the layers.
xo
Claudia, I just l love this post and your new Wallace Nutting. Louis M. MacKeil, wrote a little book about Wallace Nutting for the Saugus, MA Historical Society. He was such a fan of Nutting that in his later years, his, son, my partner, Lou MacKeil, Jr, drove him all over New England so he could present lectures to various groups about Nutting and his work. I will see if I can find out where that photo was taken. As always I love your taste, and enjoy your sweet finds.
THANK YOU!
Thank you, Marcia! I would have loved to have heard one of Mr. MacKeil’s lectures. I have much to learn about Wallace Nutting. Would love to know where the photo was taken, Marcia!
I love your new acquisition, and I love that big white cabinet, and I love just about all books from Better Homes & Gardens . Every one I’ve ever seen was extremely well-done, with gorgeous photography and truly useful information. My cookbook collection, well over 100 books now, began with whatever BH&G cookbook was in print in the early 70s [Christmas gift from my Mom].
PS, Claudia – have you ever considered doing seasonal displays of your wall hangings? It would allow you to collect more without having to have a PERMANENT spot for displaying it. With only a one-bedroom apartment to work with, this is what I do with my artwork, “knick-knacks” etc and in general, and it works well even though it does involve a bit of unpacking/packing several times a year. I do Spring/Summer, Fall and Christmas/Winter. Just an idea.
No, I’m not one for rotating displays – I like all my favorite things where I can see them, all the time. And, besides, we don’t have the space in which to take things out of the rotation and store them!
You’re right about the BH&G books – they are excellent!
Have long been a fan of Wallace Nutting. I acquired a framed colored photo about 1962 or 63; sadly it was lost in a move about 1969. All of these years I have thought about it and wished so much I still had it. In the very early 1960’s I was absolutely obsessed with Nutting’s 3 large heavy volumes of the Furniture Treasury; I strongly suspect the single volume that is still available is heavily abridged ; most likely because the original contained his thoughts and definite opinions and required in depth study. He did not mince words. It was not a quick read. I studied those 3 volumes for years! He was a true antiquarian and like other early antiquarians, believed that to qualify as an antique, an item should be made before the Industrial Revolution (1830 -1840) and preferably have merit. The current 100 year qualification is a flexible modern interpretation. But if I remember correctly, he did have something good things to say about the quality of Belter’s Victorian furniture; high end beautifully hand carved Victorian was beginning to be recognized for it’s merit. The original Treasury is a wonderful read for anyone who is serious about in-depth research but I know he would have been incensed with an abridged version. Each of the original volumes was large and was a true education regarding antiques: wood, construction, design, and regional differences. He said white was an abominable color for Windsors and think of him every time I see one of the mass produced common bow-back Windsors that are so popular today! He was very definite in his opinions regarding early furniture and didn’t want information about antique furniture “dumbed down” to satisfy mainstream decorating trends. Lucky You! I know you will enjoy your lovely picture many times each day as you pass by; that picture found the perfect home where it will be loved and appreciated :……Best wishes ….Dianne
What interesting information, Dianne! I confess I don’t know a lot about his views on furniture, though I have seen pieces of it in the museum, as well as some recreations he did of period rooms. He is utterly fascinating, isn’t he?
I’ve seen books that contain text as well as Nutting photos, with names such as “Massachusetts Beautiful” and “Pennsylvania Beautiful”, so I assume there was a series. Maybe you could locate your photo in one of them!
Yes, I’ve seen those books as well, Marty. I’ll have to check them out!
What an extremely talented man Wallace Nutting was…The picture is beautiful and such a clever place to hang it…I do hope the lady above can find out where the picture was taken…I believe that I have that BH&G book…I will look through my stash of decorating/craft books…
It’s a lovely book, Nancy. Maybe you can re-read it, as I did!
Catching up on blogging after a busy few days. You picked a great spot for your picture, a spot where you can enjoy it every time you pass by!
Yes, I was a bit hesitant at first, Judy, but I really like it there now!
Hi there, I have always loved Wallace Nutting’s art myself. There’s something about them, they always seem to be such peaceful settings that I want to glide right into. I see more room on that cabinet door for another print! I use a tacky product on the corners of things I hang on doors so they don’t bang around when we open and close the doors they are on. xxoo
Yes, I use the tacky wax I use for my miniatures. It’s already there!
Thanks, Ann Marie!