Illinois - Collectibles and Curiosities

These dainty, pointed slippers, made of cotton and silk embroidered with pink flowers, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity in the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These silk lotus slippers...

Although eyes were certainly drawn to the high, fan-shaped headdresses that Qing-dynasty women affixed to back of their heads, it was the finishing touch of a hairpin or two that com...

Originally tucked in a pocket as a charm, this tiny shoe was kept close at hand as a talisman for marital happiness. Meticulously carved from wood, the shoe is decorated with a double happiness symbol, the traditional symbol for conjugal bliss. A lovely Valentine’s Day or anniversary gift, the charm has a compartment ready to be filled with a note or small gift...

These pointed silk slippers, beautifully embroidered with pink plum blossoms, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of b...

Vintage Oversized Fiber-Glass Resin Crafted Black Magician Top-Hat Prop/Holiday Decor Piece Vintage Massive Sculpted & Crafted Fiberglass Resin Black Magician/Leprechaun Top-Hat Pro...

This large sign advertises for Pillsbury's Best Flour. The sign has brilliant red and green color with white lettering. This sign is divided into two sections down the middle and is ...

Aperture Photography Magazine Collection of 6 Early Issues 1950s. Not real familiar with rating condition of magazines and books. Please ask any questions. Appear to be in nice condition as a set with some minor wear. APERTURE: Volume 5, Number 1 Published by Aperture, Rochester, New York, 1957 8vo., 42 pp, illustrations from photographs. Pictorial stiff wrappers. Fine. Includes an editorial and an essay, "Peeled Paint, Cameras and Happenstance" by Minor White; a continuation of "More Books for the Creative Photographer"; Part 3 of "The Education of Picture Minded Photographers"; Beaumont Newhall on "Teaching the History of Photography"; and a portfolio "Ellis Island" by Shirley Burden with his, and Lewis Hine's images. Covers illustrated by Walter Snyder and Ansel Adams. Aperture Vol. 4 No. 1. Rochester, NY: Aperture, 1956. First edition. Softcover. An early issue of this long running photography magazine. Features a selection from "Creative Photography - 1956 with text by Van Deren Coke. Includes images by Charles Sheeler, Arnold Newman, Reva Brooks...

Vintage 7.5 Foot Black Wood Guess Cultural Advertising Sign Vintage 7.5 foot wood black "Guess Parfum" signature question mark advertising sign. This sign would be perfect for a fas...

These pointed slippers, beautifully embroidered with light blue plum blossoms on black silk, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity during the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These beautifully preserved lotus slippers...

These pointed silk slippers are beautifully embroidered with colorful bats and golden coins, symbols of happiness and good luck, and were shaped to resemble a lotus bud to enhance one's bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity during the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive, albeit tortured, gait of small, light steps. These beautifully preserved lotus slippers...

This is a wax carving of Mary, probably done before WWII and is actually signed. The signature is Vernez and could have been a model for a future casting. Signed.