Perspective on Antiques
		We have been absolutely delighted with American Bungalow from the moment it first hit the magazine stores. Twenty years ago we purchased our first home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. One of the more appealing fixtures is a copper ceiling lamp in our dining room. The agent who sold us the home indicated that it was possibly valuable, but we have been unable to find a mark or manufacturer to indicate who may have made it. There is a similar single hanging fixture on the front porch whose dimensions are slightly larger and that has been painted black. The house was built about 1913, and it appears that the fixtures are original. We would be very happy to hear from you should you have any enlightening comments about our ceiling lamp. Karen and Stuart Hartlep
Very nice fixture. I don't recognize the design or maker, but whoever it was knew what they were doing. The proportions are good, following a similar formula used in many of Gustav Stickley's Craftsman Workshops fixtures. Hanging multiple single-drop lanterns or shades from a large ceiling plate was done by American designers from Tiffany to Gustav Stickley as well as by European designers. I like the Celtic knot decoration used on the lanterns, very reminiscent of the work Archibald Knox was doing for Liberty & Company in London. Another detail I like is the simplicity of the elongated links of the chain. Chains made in this manner lead me to think that this is a one-of-a-kind fixture, because creating a chain of this type can be a difficult and tedious task. I have included a page from a Gustav Stickley catalog that shows several pieces of lighting. The similarities between your electrolier, a term used during the period, and the pieces in the catalog are quite interesting. It is difficult to tell the actual quality of the work from digital photos. Knowing the weight or gage of the copper and the method of assembly would be helpful, but the aesthetic quality is definitely there. If any AB reader has seen another of these, I would love to know and will pass on the information to Karen and Stuart.
	I recently found this in a great-uncle's house in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. Growing up, I remember seeing it in his attic and thinking it was some weird type of radio. I am assuming it is a bar, perhaps from the Prohibition era. Could you possibly shed some light on the origin of this odd piece? Michael Gordon
	I remember when one of the first of these bizarre pieces surfaced. It was sold to a prominent New York City gallery owner who identified it as a rare piece from the workshops of the legendary Buffalo cabinetmaker Charles Rohlfs. Alas, he was mistaken; since then, this type of work has been attributed to The Jamestown Furniture Company in Jamestown, N.Y. Charles Rohlfs is known for his wonderfully carved and reticulated surfaces, interesting designs and low-production (if not one-off) bench-made pieces. I have read that Rohlfs would get inspiration watching the smoke rise from his pipe. He used visible construction like no one else, employing extremely long keys in his keyed tenon joints along with raised and beveled pegs that looked as if they were cut by some crude instrument hundreds of years ago. There may have been some interaction between the Rohlfs and Jamestown workshops, but I doubt it. I believe the similarities between their work were the result of industrial sabotage or a worker who left Rohlfs and thought he could do better at Jamestown. In any event, if you were to judge them on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being best, Rohlfs would be a 10 and Jamestown would be a 3. Jamestown pieces just aren't up to the standards that Charles Rohlfs held; for example, Jamestown furniture was assembled with dowels rather than mortises and tenons. I am not saying that what Jamestown produced wasn't interesting; this piece, which would be considered a cellaret or liquor cabinet, is a lot of fun and has a novelty that isn't found in other pieces produced during this period. (I believe it would predate Prohibition but may have been marketed to someone with a teetotaling spouse.) I do love the way it opens like a flower to expose the contents. I also love that there can be a sense of humor even in furniture production.
	I own a Royal Chair brand Morris Recliner. The frame is quite solid, and the finish is original and in good shape. The pushbutton mechanism is missing a few parts including the button itself. I would like to restore the chair to working condition and replace the cushions. I have learned from being around autos that a poor restoration can be worse than no restoration, so I don't want to do the wrong thing. Would the button be oak or perhaps Bakelite? Can I substitute a cable in place of the rods and springs originally used in the recliner mechanism? Can a modern foam be used for the cushions, or should original materials be used for the sake of authenticity. We intend on using the chair and hope it will last another hundred years. Ken Faulkner
	The key to a proper restoration is to do nothing that isn't reversible. This can be difficult if not impossible when dealing with a damaged finish or, even worse, a missing or altered piece of wood. It sounds like you have a pretty sound frame to work with. A coat of quality paste wax would keep your finish in good condition. Do not use anything produced with petroleum products; they can create problems that tend to be irreversible. When replacing parts, it would be wise not to alter anything existing. Work with what you have. I have seen a number of these chairs over the years and, if my memory serves me right, the buttons in the arm were Bakelite; you may be able to fashion a button from hard maple and stain it black. As for the internal mechanism, I would say use anything that works and will last. These mechanisms were pretty simple, so you may be able reconstruct what was there. The question of upholstery has come up many times. Again, try to do nothing that is irreversible. For example, if you have a spring seat, don't discard the springs and replace them with new foam. Use the springs and add new material to approximate the level of comfort you are looking for. If the seat is gone, have one fabricated in a way that will yield the appropriate aesthetics and comfort. A new spring seat finished in horsehair with an edge banding of Spanish moss or straw is most desirable but can be very costly and not quite as nice to sit on as foam wrapped in Dacron and cotton. Either way, you still have a replaced seat. I am including here (in illustrations, left and below) some information from the 1912-1913 Royal Easy Chair Co. that was generously shared with us by Capt. John Lewis. He got the information from the Sturgis (Mich.) Public Library.

Have you been wondering about the history of a favorite Arts and Crafts Antique or who might have been the maker of your latest find? Do you need to know how to care for a damaged finish or what to look for when buying early-20th-century pottery, furniture, metalwares or other collectibles? Expert David Rudd is American Bungalow's knowledgeable guide into the fascinating and often confusing world of antiques. Send you questions and photos to editors@ambungalow.com or mail to the address on page 1 and share your find with other readers. We look forward to hearing from you. David Rudd is president of the Arts and Crafts Society of Central New York and owner of Dalton's American Decorative Arts in Syracuse; visit his shop at daltons.com. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author.