Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-26
IS Your Attic.
HidinQArtT
W0rthM0ney?
AVE you heard the term American Primitive" or
- noticed how many exhibits of American Prmitives
j are being staged throughout the nation? They're

] are being staged throughout the nation? They're
the playthngs of collectors and antiques dealers
plain language prmitves pictures of your Amer
painted young girls adolescents
the years 1900 and 1876 Now
professional pieces Of find
ing owners unbelevably high prices.
Almost everybody knows about Currier Ives prints
and Godeys Ladys Book pictures Currer Ives pictures
of clipper ships sporting events railroad prints and farm
have sold for much $1,000. Yet for years
they tucked away, unappreciated.
But in 1922 great vogue began and by 1928 fabulous
prices had been paid.
The story is told of a visitor to the Commodore
in City 1922 who noted lot of ship pictures
by decorating that hosterys walls He
examined these pictures 10 find out who made them,
noted the New York address and went downtown in a
find the store he could buy because
he liked their looks.
On arriving at the address given he couldn't find the
anywhere finally asked old tobacconist in the
neighborhood.
Courier & Ives? ?" the tobacconist answered why
that firm went out of business when was young man
my fathers store. They're all dead and gone"
Amazed but undaunted the visitor stopped at number
of old bookshops and prntshoPs Finally he found three
coored prints of the ship Flying Cloud priced at SO
each bought them Seven later he refusing
offers of $500 for these pictures
Something very much like that is happening today
only the pictures that actually painted
by Americans and there is little attention paid to
how well the pictures executed
American history taught in schools and colleges is
thing. But American history written, carved
woven painted skeched by the American people is
something In the latter class find and
the social and political to democracy and freedom
The stct-to-t-veness that characterized pioneer
minded ancestors didn't stop them from making their own
brushes goose quilts and hairs hog bristles
and painting pictures with house paint They wanted TO
paint, paint they did.
1910, il is estimated that 10000 Americans
making living fire engine decorators coach
painters tnware and furniture decorators clock dial and
mirrorgass painters and itnerant portrait painters
These latter gentry land ladies, too Travelled
from village to village painting lkenesses in oil paint
real canvas" for IS So
They knocked at doors and said Want pitcher
painted today? Special price fer ma women, and
extry special prices for babies"
Thousands of brushes work painting children,
grandfathers and departed loved These ctures
proudly displayed for a while. Then they ;ere
taken parlors and finally ended up in garrets.
Today these pictures coming directly out Of the
discard into and galleries The $40 pictures of
1910 500 pictures today 1t doesn't matter the
of the subject is known if the picture is signed
by the painter Few questions asked and FEW artistic
demands made.
Often the landscapes views depicted
the crude early pictures the only record eXtant OF
place locale or village, It when the scene was
painted Sometimes these picture campmeetng,
a flax scutchng party. huskng bee or even church
service Sometimes they portray the judge on his big
black horse the backsmhs sleigh, or cuprit on the
gibbet
Early American amateurs painted every sort of thing,
on cardboard, old tin sign plates iron plates on
panels cut from of old coaches wagons and
sleighs They painted wood on bed-uchng, on tent
canvas tarpaulins and baggng When they could get
piece Of paper they used that.
1t sounds almost unbelievable but research has dis
closed that approximately 100000 prmitives
painted by amateur painters This figure is derived
from study of how many teachers and classes were
offering instruction in drawing and painting, how many
offered artists materials and how protested
So that picture of Aunt Alice portrait
Grandfather Robbins and the terrible picture of Shicke
gribers butcher shop of Main and Stacks
Alley American prmtyes and like the Windsor
chairs Curer Ives prints gateleg tables and Stafford
china of your ancestors today be worth little
fortune The scenes your home town. neghborhood
ancestors shop may sell for money than you
expected TO find anywhere