Now that the excitement of Antiques Week in Philadelphia has subsided, I’d like to share a few of my lasting memories.
I stood in line for the opening of Frank Gaglio’s 23rd Street Armory Show, where many of my colleagues displayed booths filled with fresh to the market finds.
Next, at the Philadelphia Antiques Show, I wandered through the broad aisles of the beautiful new venue at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The Antiques Dealers Association hosts their Award of Merit dinner at the show each year. This year, the award went to The American Folk Art Society. It was great to hear the stories of the award recipients.
Finally, I visited Freeman’s Auction for their annual sale of Americana. I really liked the historic flag presentation on the first floor. This concise collection of enormous handmade flags took my breath away. The late collector, H. Richard Dietrich Jr. had a variety of interests that included American naval artifacts. This portion of his collection on sale at Freemans revealed his deep knowledge of maritime history. The colors on display here once flew proudly from the warship U.S.S Constitution, aka ‘Old Ironsides.’ George Washington named this frigate. Its initial launch occurred in 1797, two years before Washington died. This year marks the bicentennial of the War of 1812 when the U.S.S. Constitution saw most action on the high seas. The U.S.S. Constitution will be the highlight of the celebration at Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard.
