Skip to main content

Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Americana and Folk Art (UNITED STATES, CA. 18th C.–20th C.)
Americana and Folk Art (UNITED STATES, CA. 18th C.–20th C.)

Though the pieces are timeless, folk art emerged as a collecting genre only in the 1920s. Then as now, collectors focused on American artifacts. The earliest were prompted in part by the awareness of a nation changed: in that decade, for the first time the majority of U.S. citizens lived in cities, rather than on farms and in small towns. At the same time, the ascendance of modernism in art and design was countered by promoters of the Colonial Revival style. That movement drew from attics and barns old hand-carved furniture, stilted 19th-century family portraits, weathervanes and butter churns.

The best folk art items were purchased by an odd mix that included bohemians and intellectuals, along with J.P. Morgan and members of the Chrysler and Rockefeller families (who began funding, for instance, the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia in the 1920s). If nostalgia played a role, the primary motivation for folk art collectors was — as it is today — a recognition of the artistic merit and cultural significance of pure, honest expressions of the human impulse toward beauty.

Simplicity is its hallmark, yet folk art defies a simple definition — and covers a vast amount of ground. Folk art has been called "the art of the everyday": objects created by people, with no formal training in the arts, for use in their daily lives. These include everything from tools and toys to quilts, baskets, jugs, dowry chests and duck decoys. Folk art is generally made by hand; works might be carved, sewn, chiseled, knitted, hammered, woven or embroidered and more. Such techniques were passed down through the generations — one reason folk-art collecting has been described as "a kind of archaeology." Folk art reveals the inherent values and traditions of a community, through time-honored crafts, decorative motifs and pictorial subject matter.

All folk art intrinsically reflects a sense of pride. "Americana" is folk art that does so overtly:  through work that honors civic ideals and celebrates national and local achievements. Americana includes flags, bunting, carved bald eagles, and needlework with allegorical figures representing Liberty and Democracy; or helmets and buckets used by a volunteer fire brigade; or the trappings of fraternal organizations such as the Oddfellows. Collectors of Americana typically also collect American antique furniture that, while made in the workshops of a master cabinetmaker or joiner, reflects regional stylistic traits, tastes and quirks.

Almost all folk art is anonymous — and the prominent exception being signed work by early 19th-century itinerant portrait artists like the New Englander Ammi Phillips, whose 1835 portrait of a young girl and her pets was the first piece of folk art to sell for $1 million at auction. Until relatively recently, work by Phillips and his ilk was the prime focus of folk art collectors: the folk art of the Northeast defined the category. But recently, more attention and more scholarship have been devoted to the folk art of other regions: to the South, and the artwork of enslaved African Americans and their descendants; and to the Southwestern and early Latino folk art. Born in a time of change, folk art collecting is changing along with the nation.

7
to
1
7
7
7
7
7
Height
to
Width
to
4
3
4
3
2
1
1
6
6
1
Pair of American Gilt Bronze and Crystal Argand Lamps, Philadelphia. Circa 1820
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American two arm git bronze and crystal argand lamps with centered crystal reservoirs surmounted by gilt swans, original etched floral globes with prisms, terminating on trip...
Category

1820s American American Empire Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

American Scrolled Wrought Iron and Stained Glass Hanging Hall Lantern, C. 1850
Located in Hollywood, SC
American scrolled foliage wrought iron and stained glass hanging hall lantern with three light interior cluster. Originally candle powered and has been electrified. Mid 19th Century
Category

1850s American American Empire Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Wrought Iron

American Gasolier
Located in Hollywood, SC
American gilt bronze and crystal eighteen light gasolier with floral and shell motif. Has been converted to electricity.
Category

19th Century Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Pair of American Nickel Silver & Brass Coach Lanterns, Rochester, NY. C. 1830
By James Cunningham and Son Ny
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American nickel silver over copper & brass coach lanterns with urn finials, floral swag motif, and terminate on a turned bulbous ringed re...
Category

1830s American American Empire Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass, Copper, Iron, Nickel

19th Century American Iron, Clad in Copper Torchieres or Planters
Located in Charleston, SC
This pair of torchieres can also be used as planters if the top part is removed. This beautiful pair is made of iron with clad in copper detailing. These pieces feature claw feet wit...
Category

19th Century American Greco Roman Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Iron

Pair of American Three Arm Silver Plated Sconces, Circa 1870
Located in Hollywood, SC
Pair of American three arm silver plated sconces with floral etched back plates and bobeches. Originally candle powered and have been electrified. Late 19th Century.
Category

19th Century American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Set of American Gilt Bronze Argand Lamps
Located in Hollywood, SC
Set of three American gilt bronze argand lamps with centered floral urn, fluted circular plinth, each terminating on squared bases with cherub feet motif. ...
Category

19th Century American Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Related Items
French Baroque Style Wrought-Iron Stained Glass Hall Lantern, 19th-20th Century
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A French 19th-20th century Baroque Revival style wrought iron and four-color vitreaux stained glass single-light hall lantern, the rounded four stained glass...
Category

Early 1900s French Baroque Revival Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Wrought Iron

1840s Louis Philippe Style French Gasolier
Located in Charleston, SC
This mid-19th century French gasolier has exquisite detail. Each arm has a single gas valve. Chandelier is doré bronze and patinated. Chandelier has been rewired and electrified. ...
Category

Mid-19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Bronze

Large Glass and Gilt Bronze Hanging Hall Lantern
Located in London, GB
This hall lantern has been exquisitely crafted from glass and gilt bronze (ormolu). The piece will look wonderful placed in a grand entrance hall, living or dining room. The light it...
Category

20th Century French Rococo Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Pair of Vintage Solid Brass Wall Lantern
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Elegant pair of wall lantern handcrafted from solid brass ,with three 40/watt light each. Decorative glass doom top, great light exposure. Suitable for wet locations, electrified a...
Category

20th Century American Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass

Iron and Glass Lantern Pendant
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Simple and elegant iron and glass pendants. Glass globe shaped as an octagon with inlaid iron with in clear glass. Oil rub bronze hardware. Newly re-wired. One available.
Category

20th Century Austrian Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Pair of Vintage Solid Brass Wall Lantern
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Elegant pair of wall lantern handcrafted from solid brass ,with two 40/watt light each. Suitable for wet locations, electrified and ready to use. Beautiful beveled glass. decorativ...
Category

20th Century American Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass

Pair of Vintage Solid Brass Wall Lantern
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Elegant pair of wall lantern handcrafted from solid brass ,with one 60/watt light each. Suitable for wet locations, electrified and ready to use. Beautiful beveled glass. decorativ...
Category

20th Century American Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass

Funky Small Pair of Vintage Brass Wall Lantern
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Elegant pair of vintage wall lantern hand crafted from brass with one 60/watt light each. Art glass on three sides. Beautiful decorative pair ...
Category

20th Century American Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass

Pair of Large Solid Brass Architectural Wall Lantern
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Elegant Pair of vintage wall lantern, beveled glass ,made of solid brass beautiful patina, three 40/watt lights each lantern, suitable for wet location, Decorative pair.
Category

20th Century American American Classical Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass

Pair of Vintage Solid Brass Wall Lantern
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Elegant pair of wall lantern hand crafted from brass with one 60/watt lights each. Suitable for wet locations, electrified and ready to use. Beautiful thick beveled glass. Decor...
Category

20th Century American Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass

Pair of Handcrafted Solid Brass Vintage Wall Lantern
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Beautiful pair of vintage wall lanterns Artistically hand crafted made from solid brass with two 60/watt lights each . Nicely oxidized . patina , textured glass , electrified, and re...
Category

20th Century American Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Brass

Antique & Large Stained Glass & Solid Oak Victorian Style Hall Lantern / Pendant
Located in Lisse, NL
One of a kind and large antique hallway lantern. This large and stately, Victorian Style chandelier is another one of our recent great finds. Its large size and unique design makes it suitable for not only a large entrance, but also for a stately stairwell. The solid and stained oak 'exterior' is the perfect frame for the stunning, stained glass shades. Also, because the marvelous colors of this stained glass lantern stand out perfectly against the dark oak 'house' of this unique light fixture. Since this stunning Victorian design pendant was created around the turn of the century, it must have been custom-made for a Victorian era (inspired) mansion. Since the remarkable floral design in the center of each of the four stained glass windows...
Category

Early 20th Century European Victorian Americana and Folk Art Antiques and Collectibles

Materials

Metal, Bronze, Brass

Read More

Recently Viewed

View All