Period Americana

08/17/2026

08/13/2026

Babe Ruth died August 16, 1948. Babe held a special connection with children perhaps because he was sent to an orphanage at age 7. This photograph from my collection was taken in 1948 almost immediately following Babe's death. It was entered into a NYC photography show that year and took 2nd Prize. (Courtesy Period Americana)

08/04/2026

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08/02/2026

Thrilled to share a highlight from my collection! This is an original 18th-century postal cover panel addressed directly to Alexander Hamilton during his groundbreaking tenure as the nation's first Secretary of the Treasury. Sent to Philadelphia while it served as the nation's temporary capital (1790–1800), the panel features a crisp period manuscript address reading, "The honble / Alexr Hamilton Esqr / Secretary of the Treasury / Philadelphia". You can also spot the bold, handstamped FREE mark along the top margin, signifying official executive department correspondence exempt from postage under early federal franking privileges.

What makes pieces like this so special to collect is the tangible connection they offer to the daily operations of the founding era. Executed in iron gall ink on laid paper, the panel still displays the original fold lines from when it held official Treasury business over two centuries ago. Holding a piece of postal history that was routed directly to one of the nation's key Founding Fathers never ceases to amaze me—it's easily one of my favorite historical artifacts!

07/29/2026

Plate owned by Bushrod Washington and used at Mount Vernon

Collection of Period Americana

An exceptional offering of American heritage, this rare octagonal scroll-edge white porcelain plate—decorated with elegant brown floral sprays flecked with gold and bearing the maker's mark "Copeland and Garrett"—holds deep historical significance as an authentic Mount Vernon relic. Originally owned and used by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Bushrod Washington, who inherited Mount Vernon directly from his uncle, General George Washington, this piece represents a tangible link to the founding fathers and early American history. Relics with direct descent through the Washington family lineage are exceptionally scarce, particularly those preserved in custom, period shadowbox mountings with notarized provenance signed by William Lanier Washington, a key ancestral collector who documented and sold portions of the family estate at the famous 1920 American Art Association sale.

The primary document attached directly to the face of the porcelain plate transcribes as follows:

"This Plate was owned by Bushrod Washington, Justice of the United States Supreme Court who inherited Mount Vernon from his uncle, General Washington. He gave it to his nephew, George Corbin Washington, my great grand father, from whom it descended to me, upon the death of my father, March 6, 1900. [Signed] Wm Lanier Washington"

Accompanying the piece on the reverse is an extended affidavit sworn on July 11, 1921, detailing its precise descent through Colonel George Corbin Washington, Frances Washington, Major James Carroll Washington, and ultimately William Lanier Washington.

05/14/2026

https://gofund.me/ca2e987e2

Hi everyone, My name is Tori Farnum, and I’m CJ’s little nie… Tori Farnum needs your support for Honoring CJ Farnum’s Memory and Supporting His Family

04/19/2026

In honor of Patriots' Day, sharing my ribbon from the Battle of Concord Bridge, fought on this day in 1775. This example belonged to Solomon Smith of Acton, Mass. The adjacent ribbon was given to veterans following the Revolutionary War. (Period Americana collection.)