African Tribal Art

At Charlotte Elliott our African Tribal Art is outstanding. Pieces from our shop are now parts of the permanent display in many private collections and Museums across the country. Our collection has been praised by curators from the Smithsonian Museum of African Art and a Curator from the Baltimore Museum of Art has purchased pieces from our collection for her personal collection which have been loaned to the rotating displays at the BMA. These are some lovely photographs of pieces of our collection here in the shop. (photographs by Courtney Gray of Hampden)

This is the season for setting a fine table and serving up some seasonal cheer. This is a photo of our family's Holiday meal. Sitting around the table with good friends and family has always been a happy time in our family and it never requires a holiday to do it. we gather around the table for dinner every chance we get. And we always use the china and the silver and the crystal, the linen, the center piece and the dining room. Through the tradition of gathering around the Dining Table we learn about the events and accomplishments of our troupe. we tell jokes and stories and tighten our bonds of friendship and love. So this is our wish for your New Year: don't save family time around the dinner table for "special occasions". Rather make every meal, and every opportunity a special occasion. Make your life a special occasion and make sure to bring out the good stuff for all those people that really matter: family and friends. Happy New Year to all of you.

Hats

Hats are an amazing accessory. They show character, flare and fearless fashion sense. They protect your head from the sun and they shade your eyes. But the most fabulous things about hats to me, a vintage stylist, is that there is no other singular item of clothing that encapsulates an era of style like a hat. A hat speaks to its own era: 20's cloche hat, 50's pill box hat, 40's broad brimmed sun hat, the golfer's cap of the 30s, the turban of the teens, the exuberant hats of the 80's, the floppy denim hat of the 60's.... A hat can identify and inspire your entire vintage look.

The classic men's 50's Fedora for the Mad Men look.

a broad brimmed felt hat from the 40's

Exuberant Orange hat from the 80's More hat's from my collection:

Summer Cleaning

Usually we have a Spring Cleaning but the weather was so nice and we had so much going on at the shop (did you swing by for HonFest?) that we forgot to do the Spring Cleaning and now, here it is the first day of Summer. So, Summer cleaning it is. we are digging through the store room and finding a ton of things we have been holding on to because they are neat and fun but not really worth giving floor space or merchandising. Thus we have formulated a plan:

On Saturday, June 23 from 11am - 6pm Charlotte Elliott and the Bookstore Next Door will be putting on our First (Annual) Dollar Sidewalk Sale.

There will be clothes, books, puzzles, glassware, fabric, whatsits, oddments, hats, shoes, "Bits of String too short to save" and stuff-that-you-won't-know-why-you-need-but-must-have-because-it-is-a-dollar.

The importance of real books

These Lovely old volumes are never going to be published on Kindle or Nook. These books will only ever be enjoyed as paper with boards, bound in buckram or leather. They have marvelous illustrations that were engraved especially for the volume. The print was made by printing press. The history behind these books is more than the story inside. Story has been printed in multiple editions and sure you can find Wind in The Willows in hard back and paperback and maybe even recorded to tape but this buckram early edition has see dozens of children grow up and had many fingers turn its pages. Owning a book is more than owning the story, it is owning the book that has passed through so much time before that the history of what it is makes it greater.

This gallery railing became an essential addition to the store when we expanded. Previously this space had been occupied by a very unattractive plywood box but when we started using the space upstairs we wanted to be able to see it, to open up the space above the stairs. This custom railing was designed and fabricated by Steve Baker of Wholly Terra, 3406 Chestnut Avenue, Baltimore, MD. He is a local artist and done many pieces of iron work and stained glass around Hampden. You see more of his work at: http://whollyterra.com/

Some photos

It really is hard to know what you might find here.

Everything fine and beautiful. An aesthetic extravaganza...

A contemplative's dream.
Give yourself the time to explore and really explore the four levels of our store.

Charlotte Elliott and the Bookstore Next Door
837 W. 36th St.
Baltimore, MD, 21212

Also find us on FaceBook

Reading the Bookstore

The Book Store Next Door has been open for two years. When we decided to expand Charlotte Elliott into the shop space next door it had already been a book store for a number of years and we knew that it would continue to be a book store, because that had always been a great dream of my father's. We toyed with clever ideas of what to call it: Gutenberg's Fault or The Turned Leaf were ideas on the table but we knew that after being Charlotte Elliott for six years that no matter what a sign said it would always be The Book Store Next Door. Why fight it?
In two years we have run out of shelf space and discovered other ways to display the thousands of previously loved books we have cultivated. There is an armchair in the second level that holds all the knitting, cross-stitch and crochet books. Right next to that arm chair is a retro knitting basket full of polyester yarn and knitting patterns.
Our shelving system is unique but it seems natural. History flows into Economics which in turn flows over to Philosophy and then Theology. Fiction, Sports, Science, Cultural Studies and Anthropology take up large sections of the Book Store. Maps and Art share a section very close to Birds. Edgar Allen Poe and H.L. Mencken share a full bookcase. But you can also find Mencken in the Language section with Dictionaries and foreign language manual. My father says we are probably the only shop on the Avenue that has a Bulgarian to English Dictionary for sale. Sherlock Holmes is currently developing it's own section and of course Shakespeare has half a bookcase that he shares with Proust. The Cookbook section is probably the largest category taking over two full bookcases and a tabletop including piles on the floor. And yet our section of books on Horticulture, Gardening and Agriculture is also quite extraordinary (it includes quite a few books on notorious vegetation such as "Pot" and "shrooms".
My favorite spot in the whole book store is the upper area, I call it Outer Space. This is a scape of books and furniture and musical instruments and rugs. I like to find a book to read and a cozy chair up there and read when I get a moment. I find many customers who do that before they decide on which book to buy.
One more secret about shopping at our book store: we leave the "love notes" in the books. Because these books have all been previously loved and read they have often been the repository for notes, four leaf clovers, letters and recipes. Many a volume has been discovered with devotions and love letters tucked within. We leave them there for you the new reader to discover. They are part of the history of the book and deserve to be carried on to the new owner.

Wednesday at the shopH

Here we are on another Wednesday surrounded by piles of treasures we have found on our travels. I love days like this when we unpack the boxes of acquisition and revel in our talent at finding things. We imagine how delighted our regular customers will be with our clever treasure hunting. We spend the day tagging and labeling and finding places in the shop to display... I wanted to share a little secret with you, my dear reader, Wednesday is the best day to get great deals at our shop. I will tell you why: if we haven't priced it yet and haven't had to move half the shop to find a pace to put a new thing and if we haven't become too attached to our new item we are more in the mood to give you a great price! So keep that in mind, shopping at Charlotte Elliott on a Wednesday can be the best day to shop.

Use Vintage Linen

Once upon a time, every household had a cedar chest or dresser drawer full of fine linen and cotton tablecloths, dinner and luncheon and cocktail napkins, bed sheets, pillowcases, placemats and dresser scarves. These items were made from natural fibers and hand decorated with embroidery, lace and cut-work, often by the hand of the Lady of the household. Never would plate be set to table without a cloth or placemat set to protect the furniture and enhance the china. Whether it be Cocktails, Luncheon or Dinner when food and drink was not served without being accompanied by an appropriate linen napkin. There were no disposable paper towels or non-descript paper napkins to be used and thrown away. Thus along with the refinement and elegance of using vintage linen in one’s daily life, there is an ecological sanctity that goes along with it.
Once upon a time, the cotton plant and the flax plant, which produces linen, were grown naturally, with one cutting a year to produce the strongest fibers possible; today, these plants are force fed with 'instant' plant foods which produce many cuttings a year but weaker and shorter fibers. Thus vintage fabrics are more lustrous and higher quality. Vintage Linens are very durable and softer with age. These vintage linens can be washed gently in hot water, ironed and starched and used over and over again. Less waste, more luxury and vintage linens purvey a nostalgic, romantic quality that cannot be had in modern household linens.
Now “Once Upon a Time” can be used in your home.

The dinner experience is made doubly important by the use of place mats and linen napkins. Every meal should be shared and every meal should be important. Growing up we always had linens on the dinner table. This was where we connected as a family. Linen dinner napkins at each place setting kept us tidy and at the end of each meal our napkin would go into our individualized napkins rings. the napkin ring ensured that we reused the same dinner napkin each night and at the end of the week these would be washed and replaced to the napkin rings.

Vintage linens are Natural, organic, ecological and economical on top of being just beautiful. Paper towels account for a great deal of refuse in landfills but vintage guest towels and dish towels are soft, absorbent and sanitary if managed properly. For instance in my father’s home the guest towels in the bathroom are meant for drying one’s hands after washing. A thick pile of clean guest towels are stacked neatly on the toilet tank. One guest towel is hung from the towel rack to the right of the wash basin and below that is a pretty wicker hamper. After washing one’s hands and one uses the towel on the rack to dry, then drops the used towel in the hamper. After this, one takes a fresh towel from the pile and drapes it over the towel rack. Once or twice a week my father washes the guest towels in hot water and mild detergent containing bleach (‘no vigorous agitation’ is the key to prevent shrinkage of the fabric). After drying, he irons and lightly starches the towels and replaces them to the pile in the bathroom. The guest towels are of great variety and no three are alike. He has collected them over several years from antique shops. These guest towels display hand embroidery and colorful designs from the 1890’s through the 1960’s. In the kitchen there is a similar system in place for dish cloths, and napkins. Recalling that the natural fibers of these vintage linens make them very durable it is not crazy to use a large vintage linen dinner napkin that has lost its mates to clean the countertop and wipe up a spill. (That soak in hot water and mild detergent with bleach will solve any food stains.)

Collecting Rose Medallion

Rose Medallion Pottery was a product made exclusively for export by China and chiefly exported to the United States and England from 1850 until the early 20th Century. It is distinguished by its delicate pink under-glaze over ivory colored porcelain. The motif is always four painted panels depicting alternate scenes of birds and animals and scenes of people in a home setting arranged like petals around a central medallion showing a bird and a tree peony. There are other similar styles of porcelain that depict the same designs which are called Famille Rose, Roses Canton, and Rose Mandarin but only the Rose medallion will depict the people in alternating panels. Rose Medallion had a consistent color scheme as well. Enameled pink in various tones, mostly pastel, combined with green, red, blue, yellow and gold. Due to age, any gilding will display more of a golden-brown to bronze tone rather than a shiny, perfected gold.

As a collector one should appreciate the hand painting applied under the glaze with the gold embellishment applied over the glaze. The older pieces will show an artists pride in small details and consistent color use. Also notice the marks, painted and impressed. The impressed mark is the pottery mark which indicates that the master of the pottery approved of the form and then the painted marks indicate the glazier and the painter. These marks will indicate the the piece was made prior to 1891. This is because the McKinley tariff of 1890 required that all exports be marked with their country of origin. Therefor, any Rose medallion made after 1891 will be marked "Made In china", "China" (in red or in a rectangle). Some collectors seek only the pieces from before this time because they have become quite rare.

Rose medallion can be found in cups (with or without handles), saucers, plates, bowls, vases and table service pieces. Rose Medallion was made in every form of table service ware and decorative art. Rarer forms will be jewelry trays, candle sticks, and any form other than round. Quite fine collections can be found at "The Helena and William Schulte Gallery of Chinese Art" in Daytona Beach, The White House in Washington D.C., and our small but impressive collection here at Charlotte Elliott.

Coming Soon to Charlotte Elliott:

A Dream of Chocolate is a Maryland based chocolaty marvelous company that will be stocking its gourmet truffle confections in our shop just in time for Valentine's Day!
Mark Coulbourne is a professionally trained chef turned entrepreneur.
After more than a decade in the field he has struck out on his own to present to your taste buds fabulous, small batch, hand dipped chocolaty fabulousness in ingenious flavors like:
Banana Peanut Butter in White Chocolate Truffle,
Chai Tiger in mil Chocolate with White Chocolate accent,
and Bourbon Pecan in Dark Chocolate.
We are pleased to present his delightful truffle flavors to you exclusively in Baltimore City at our shop as part of our on-going mission to support small local Maryland Businesses and bring you all that is wonderful and beautiful in the world.

COMING SOON! A Dream of Chocolate exclusively at Charlotte Elliott and the Bookstore Next Door!

Introduction to Imari

We have a special appreciation for Japanese Imari porcelain. My Great-great Grandfather, named Albert Belding traveled to Japan in 1905 as a teacher. While he and his wife, Irene, were there he developed the Kobe School of Business, which is still in operation. Irene was the one to start our family in the legacy of collecting Imari when she returned home with Albert fifteen years later, with several crates of the exquisite pottery. While those pieces have stayed in the family collections, as art dealers we can't help but buy up great pieces of Imari as we find it and display it for sale at the shop.
A brief history of pottery and Imari in japan will help you to understand the elegance of these fine dishes. In the mid to late 16th century Lord Hieyoshi, during a war called "The Tea Cup War", invaded China and captured many potters and craftsmen to start the now famous potteries in Japan. Then in the early 17th century Lord Nabeshima used those craftsmen and hired Korean Potters to start the manufacture of porcelain in Japan for the first time.
The most famous kilns were in the region of Arita and many of these original kilns are still in operation today. Imari pottery was the lovely white porcelain with blue and white decoration that was selected for trade in the port of Imari, just North of the region of Arita (note: Arita ware is a name given to another type of pottery from the Arita region which I will discuss in a later post).
While the Imari Porcelain at this time was hues of blue under glaze, in 1644 Dutch traders from the Dutch East Indian trading Company were in search of something new to trade since their sauce trade had diminished. These traders requested that the potters of Arita to decorate their lovely plates and bowl with a pattern they appreciated from the heavily brocaded fabrics the traders saw the japanese Women wearing in their Kimonos. This encouraged the potters of Arita to develope new color glazes and patterns in Deep Blue, Green, and Red/Terra Cotta. The result was a fine painted pottery that became loved by Kings and Queen all over Europe and highly demanded and traded so much so that today there is said to be more Imari in Europe and the West than in Japan.
Shachikuai is a most common design motif of bamboo and plum. Botan (botanicals), Ayo (fish) and Kame (cranes) are other traditional motifs on Imari. I have also seen rabbits, octopus and shrimp used in other whimsical pieces of 18th-20th century Imari dishes.
Sometsuke is the name of the oler decoration method which is hand painted in under glaze blue. Iroe or Akake is the name of the style in which blue, green and red are hand painted in under glaze on white porcelain. Nishiki-de is the style in which gold is painted on Iroe style pottery.
The variety, the color, the many shapes and patterns are elegant and whimsical and always remind me of ingenuity and passion. All of this makes Imari and great collectible. (Imari is food safe but not microwave or dishwasher safe)

First Friday January

Here in Hampden on the first Friday of each month shops stay open late, offer specials and some have parties or music, live entertainment. You can see many listings of what is going on here: http://hampdenmerchants.com/
Here at Charlotte Elliott and the Book Store Next Door we will be open 11am to 8pm and are happy to have you come by.