Evening star., 1936-11-19

known as a beauty in both Wash
tngton and New York. Mrs. johnson
combines in her person the charm Of
the household things in which she
deals, with an astonishing amount of
information on the highly technical
subjects of silver and antiques.
Aside from the beauty of new and
old silver, for example," Mrs. johnson
says. I'D rather have good silver as
an investment than anything else.
You will find at golden wedding
celebration that the only wedding
presents the couple still have on dis
play and in use are made of silver.
Everything else has long since fallen
apart. You will notice, too," she says,
that although patterns enjoy vogues,
no style of silver is ever out of
fashion,"
When the old silver Mrs. johnson Is
showing was made, the metal was COM
paratively a great deal more expensive
than it Is today. 1t cost so much that
families, except those with great for
tunes, usually purchased a piece an
nually when they were assembling q
service. For this reason Mrs. johnson
proudly displays an exceptional five
piece tea set made by A, Carlisle in
Philadelphia in l79l-each piece dated
the same year.
A MONG the old English, early Amer
ican, Sheffield and modern Eng
lish plate silver Mrs. johnson has q
number of rarities. Piano sticks
candlesticks to be used on either side
Of sheet music-and a sterling siphon
are amusing. The siphon seems de-
signed for the same purpose as the
less decorative rubber tubes Of the
prohibition era-to transfer wines and
liquors from kegs to bottles. 1t was
fashioned in America in 1905.
A tankard, the work of Cornelius
Wynkoop of Boston in 1901. is obvi-
ously the drinking fagon of a man
who liked not only fine beverages, but
noble receptacles. Spoons made by
Paul Revere. silversmith parent of the
gentleman who made the famous ride,
and beautiful piece belonging to the
great-great-grendfather Of Ralph
Waldo Emerson, dated 1880, are being
shown. An unusual old tea box, fash
ioned of grained wood. is equipped
with silver containers for green and
black tea, set in velvet
Mrs. johnson particularly adores q
delicately shaped rose bowl of silver
washed with what is called fire gilt"
and l725 English covered dish bear
ing the coat of arms Of the Earl Of
Essex. She enjoys exhibiting silver
"tazzas" that are, in case you don't
know-and hardly any one ever does.
she says-early trays Of George rs
time with bases.
To parade some of the silver in its
proper environment, Mrs. johnson
has on exhibit table laid with silver
cloth runners and decorated with gor-
geous candelabras. Service plates are
ancient and cleaning and sterling.
and beside them are knives as bright
as the day they first entered some
feudal banquet hall. They are larger
than the modern variety and have a
lethal-looking curve that must be val
liable to the inexpert carver of fowl.
Collectors Of old silver have an ad-
vantage over many others, Mrs. John
son points out, because the gleanings
Of their hobby may be used. 1t is
comfort to them, too. she says, that
they run into limitations less often
than collectors Of furniture or paint
ings. The silver buyer may purchase
what is referred to as q "dud," with
forged hall marks, now and then, but
anything approaching duplication is
SO difficult that it Is seldom tried. It
is more often, Mrs. johnson says, that
the collector rejects good pieces from
an excess Of caution.