At times I come across some interesting finds that I was not expecting. Take, for example, this WWII lamp I found in Niles, MI. This was a tourist keepsake from Hawaii someone brought back, kept in good shape, and sold some 70 years later. How cool is that? I nearly lost it when I spotted this from across the room.

Sometimes we find really personal items like photographs. From way back. They usually look really good as they would have mostly been posed for. This was back when you paid per picture taken so there was no wasting a shot. I always wonder why people give these away or throw them in the trash.
My personal favorite, however, has always been the Art Deco items I come across. Whether they be plates, household items, or purely decorative things. I always imagine someone using them and talking care of them. These utilitarian items are so interesting in that they held something special for the people who owned them. For me Art Deco was the hight of American design and conceptual living. So classic.
Being new to Michigan and learning the history of this region its interesting to find the specific things people in this area used in the last century. The industrial and Manufacturing past is well

represented in shops and in the style of furniture and daily items that were used. Coming across them bridges a distance in time that is fascinating. We think of history as this disconnected thing but its truly present.
Ill be looking,
Robert
Comments