These past two weeks, I have been fortunate to be entrusted with the task of selling some very old linens and ephemera from the Abraham family, a clan who lived in Marburg and Glamorganvale, tiny villages west of Brisbane, largely settled by German immigrants, in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

Some items have already sold but some exquisite pieces remain, my favourite being the unique linen tablecloth or bedspread pictured below, painstakingly hand stitched and crocheted with Australian animals – imagine the time, patience and love that went into its creation.  It was made by a woman whose daughter is now 87 years old, so truly has age as well as provenance.

       

The pair of pillowcases, one of which is shown here, was made by Horrockses, a British firm established in the 18th century and which saw its heyday in the 1950s and 60s.  I love the delicate crochet panel which flips over the top of the pillow, reading “Good Night”.  Wouldn’t they look superb on a bed in a country or period home?

I have two dressing table runners, one of which is now listed, which would also look divine in a period property adorning a dressing or bedside table or kitchen dresser.  I will list the other runner, a pair of large doilies and two fabulous, award-winning samplers in the next week.

The bundle of ephemera above dates from World War II and includes an Air Raid Warden’s card, War Savings Group card, Identity Cards and a fabulous Airgraph Letter – letters out of Britain were censored then photographed onto microfilm then sent abroad where they were reprinted onto photographic paper.  This one talks about the author returning home after being blasted out by the ‘Doodle-bugs”! What a fabulous piece of history.

Below are some other finds from the last couple of weeks.

    

Until next week! Jay