Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-01-08
REVELS IN ODD
OLD FURNITURE
indianapolis Woman Collector
of AntiQta Articles.

Although most Of US think of business
as Synonymous with work. Mrs. Laura
StefYens New, $50 West drive, Woodruff
Place, did not think of it as such when
she began dealing in antique articles last
year. Having always been fond OF an
tique oddities, she conceived the idea of
selling them to other people. At present
she has arranged her home artistically
with hundreds of quaint. curious old
time pieces of furniture and ornaments.
II got my start through my corner
cupboard" said Mrs. New, in discussing
her entrance into the business Of mar
keting old timers possessions. "A friend
= Of mine saw my cunning cupboard ana
asked me If 1 thought I could get one
like it for her. hunted around until
found a perfectly terrible one and had it
fixed up for her Then IL occurred to
me that there might be other people who
would like corner cupboards. and
started out hunting them up. I bought
i've and then I almost had hysteria for
S<sr I had done q foolish thing and
could not sell them. 1 guess my fear was
all for nothing, because I have sold ten
of them up to the present time. In fact.
the corner cUpboards are the most pop
ular things I have. They are roomy, at
tractive and can be placed in 4 very small
dining room
OLD-FASHIONED
PICTURE FRAMES.
Mrs. New discusses enthusia sticaIIy her
quaint picture frames and their funny
looking prints of ladies and gentlemen
within.
There is nothing so darling as an old
fashioned picture frame" she declared.
"and half the fun is going around and
getting them. / never go out for ride
but what have my eyes open to pick Up
an antique thing. Each piece I have has
q story attached to it. and 1 almost hate
TO give it up after I set it all fixed
mp"
Mrs. News home contains many pieces
of furniture which would make the heart
Of the collector envious. She has a num-
Der of solid mahogany tables which are
beautiful both on account of their work
manship and wood richened by age. One
of her bedrooms sports one of the pre-
Civil War period fOur-poster beds ornate
with carving. Another has mahogany
one with the roll back foot and hear
boards To accompany the beds there are
deIicateIy carved chairs and chests OF
drawers then known as "highbuoys
But these are not all. From an old
house Mrs. New resUrrected and repaired
a number Of old brass candle holders.
She also made over several old lamps.
Some Of these she has left with their
oil lighting facilities and others she has
wired for modern uses
Perhaps the most interesting and his
toric article in her collection IS a patch
work quilt made by her great grand
mother. 1t is placed in a most pleasing
setting repOsing upon an ancient bed
in room hung with quaint prints.
TRAVELS ABOUT
HUNTING ANTIQUES.
II uh
antiques Mrs New said that she travels
around the country hunting them.
81 write TO dealers in different cities,
and I always visit all the second hand
shops whenever am in a city she said.
Those historic towns like st. Louis and
Cincinnati are the best for finding old
things. There are so many old. dilapi-
dated houses which are just teeming with
interesting old relics that are perfectly
lovely when fixed up little bit. have
found some darling things around Madf-
son and Louisville, too"
But It isn't all fun when you go out
to buy" said Mrs. New. II have often
had some very unpleasant experiences.
One time I found an old bed in an empty
house, on which chickens <ere perch
ing When 1 asked the FANNY who
owned the house about it. they seemed
to think that I had insulted them very
much, ard said that they. wouldn't think
Of selling anything to me.
Then, again, some people are per
fectly lovely. There are old people who
hear about me wanting old things, and
as they don't care about having some Of
the old things, and they will almost
give them away"
In speaking Of repairing her purchases
Mrs. New said that sometimes she al
most despairs Of obtaining parts for the
missing portions Of the articles
They don't make pieces Ike them
1Eow. and it IS not only very expensive to
get them fixed, but it is sometimes al
i. most impossible to find any place where
you can get that kind OF work done"
Mrs. New who frankly acknowledges
that she doesn't care for new things,
declares that in time she expects to re-
place everything in her house with old
fashioned articles.
APPRECIATES
: THE ARTISTIC.
Il have always loved to see old things
ever since / was little. Perhaps one Of
= the things which made me appreciate
g them more was the fact that l worked
IN al art store before l was married.
= We repairsed so many beautiful curios
that I came to love them very much.
r / think, however, that we have to be
educated to appreciation of many forms
s OF beauty, and we have to cultivate a
taste for Old-fashioned furniture espe-
cially."
Mrs. New said that she very seldom