WELCOME to HAPPY TO BE...This is a blog about my love of Antiques, My family, humor, as humor keeps us laughing and my every Day life...I hope you enjoy your visit...Please leave me a comment to let me know you Came by so I can visit with you Thank You !!...Hugs and Smiles, Gl♥ria

January 15, 2010

~ The Ice Man Cometh~

Do you remember when the Ice Man came every other day....Of course not and neither do I...Hey I'm old but even I had an electric frig growing up ha ha!! Even if it did have a huge fan on top and was named "Cold Spot"
Remember I told you I had the Ice Box that matched my dining room set....it came from the same estate sale in upper New york....Its also from ca.1880 This I also have in my Dining room...
I know I have allot of stuff in this room...but its really a big dining room remember I had this room added on in 1996 just for these pieces I have show you so far....
The top half is all zinc on the inside and that's where you would have put your ice...the bottom half was for your food....I just loved the beveled mirror on this....to this day I have never seen another one like this...But it was all made for this home in New York..





Again winged lions or Griffiths as they are called...



I love all the wood cravings on this...














See that piece at the bottom well that piece you can move toward you so you could put the drip pan under it to catch all the water waste....You would have to empty that pan a few times a day...














Just a picture of the side of the Ice Box....again all quarter saw oak....


Now I had many ask me about the term quarter sawn or tiger oak also another term used for this type of wood....Quarter sawn really didn't get used much after 1900 because it was not cost factor and allot of waste of wood....



The Quartersawing Method



The Quartersawing Method places these rays on the face of the board, revealing the distinctive stripe or 'ray fleck' running across the grain that is the signature of quartersawn oak. According to Gustav Stickley "The quartersawing method of cutting...renders quartersawn oak structurally stronger, also finer in grain, and, as shown before, less liable to warp and check than when sawn in any other way." Quartersawing fell out of favor in the first half of this century because it yields less lumber per tree and takes more labor than plainsawing. Because almost all oak furniture today is plainsawn, we associate the quartersawn figure with prized period pieces. Therefore, this unique figure is an important ingredient in accurately recreating the look of turn-of-the-century furniture.




Plainsawn Lumber



Plainsawn Lumber is used in most oak furniture today. Here boards are sawn from around the perimeter of the log so the growth rings are essentially parallel with the surface. The ‘ray fleck’ appears only on the edges of the boards, if at all. Plain sawing produces many wide, clear boards with a pronounced 'cathedral' figure mixed with straighter grain. Plainsawn oak has a coarser, more textural look that draws attention away from the lines of the piece toward the surface itself. This textural quality tends to give furniture a more rustic or ‘country’ look, whereas the quartersawn figure is more refined and shows off the rectilinear lines of Prairie and Arts & Crafts furniture more clearly.


Well guys I sure hope I didn't bore you too much again with more of my Antiques...Oh the stories these could tell ha ha!!

A couple of my blog friends said they would love to buy a ticket to come visit...hey to all of you if you want to come see my collection the admission is FREE to all my friends...May all of you have a GREAT weekend...I guess we have another Big snow strom coming in this weekend...Good time for me to clean house....
From my mountain top to yours until next time


29 comments:

Room Service ~ Decorating 101 said...

g, you said it was wonderful, but now I know for myself... I am just dancing on this side of the mountain. Thanks so much for visiting, I loved seeing you there.

Gone said...

How beautiful Gloria! It is really a work of art...from a bygone era.

~Blessings,
Jan

Madeline's Album said...

Another beautiful piece. Keep them coming. Have a blessed day and weekend. Madeline

Connie said...

That's a stunning piece, honey! And the explanation is great. You'd HAVE to have a huge dining room to have that big piece in it, chick. Gorgeous!
xoxo,
Connie

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Laurie, I love that ice box. It is just stunning. I have seen several of them, but none as pretty at yours. It is just magnificent. Hope you stay inside and warm. Hugs, Marty

Kathysue said...

Good morning Gloria, In looking at the ice box I was amazed at the craftsmanship and the beauty of the wood,Amazing. I was thinking how much time they put into an everday item like a frig. boy we sure don't have that kind of quality in most affordable items today. I learned a lot about the quartersawn oak,did not realize when it came out of favor. Great Post. Thanks for the eye candy, Hugs Kathysue

Sue said...

Wow...I have never seen one that was so ornate, it is beautiful. We have a saleman's sample antique ice box. My husband keeps his cufflinks in it. It is only about a foot tall, but has 3 working doors. I should send you a picture, it is very cute. I can't wait to show my husband this picture of yours.

bj said...

Well, dear heart, I am older than you because I DO remember the ice man coming. I remember the card my mama put in the window, telling him how many pounds she wanted. I remember her buying an extra block and putting it in a wash tub with a fan behind it to cool us off on those hot Dallas days. I remember our little icebox on our screened in back porch. O, believe me, it didn't come close to comparing to your antique icebox. Our's was a workin' man icebox...very plain. And, I would give all I own to have it now.
Yep..I really, really DO remember the ice man....
xo bj

Heather said...

wow, the detailing on the ice box is amazing. what a beautiful piece in your collection.

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Oh My! Gloria, I've never seen such an ornate and gorgeous ice box! All of that carving and the mirror on the door - it is equisite. Love your description of your fridge with the fan on top, and the wood defnitions were so interesting. Have a great weekend. laurie

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

Oh my gosh... when you said you had the ice box I had no idea.. This is the most incredibly beautiful ice box I've ever seen. I've "never" seen one with a beveled mirror on the top door... I'm wondering why it was there. did you check yourself to see how red in the face you were after emptying the drip pan??? lol.. I enjoyed reading about the way lumber is cut, I had no idea.. I love, love, love the lace on the top. Gloria I want to see everything on the top too! You have some of the most amazingly beautiful pieces.. I always enjoy coming by and seeing your treasures and learning more about your beautiful antiques..Snow??? girl I sure hope you aren't planning on sending any our way, ours is just now beginning to melt.. gotta get back to the front and get busy.. check your email darling...hugs ~lynne~

Glenda/MidSouth said...

First of all - I have never seen a wooden icebox as pretty as yours. I enjoy reading about and seeing your antiques. Yes - I do remember "the ice man cometh" :-) I remember the old wooden icebox, and the ice truck coming to the house, but don't remember how old I was. Need to think about that one.
Have a great weekend.
Glenda

Gypsy Heart said...

Absolutely beautiful! The carvings are so intricate...can you imagine the talent of the person that did that?

Now I DO remember the ice man with a huge leather covering over his back, the huge claw or pick and the chunk of ice on his shoulder. One of my grandmothers had an old ice box and she had ice delivered. I was always fascinated by this when I visited her. We are so very blessed today aren't we? Especially in view of the horrors of Haiti ~ we are hugely blessed!

Love to you my friend,

The Muse said...

Dear Gloria,
How are you this fine day :)
I do hope most well..
The sun has begun to shine and melt some of the ice and snow.

I cannot help but smile as I read your post today...and think of the winter weather...

This Muse has been in a large ICE machine LOL...

I love listening to you talk about your furniture and other treasures...the love you have is so obvious and you are willing to share such interesting information with us!

Who doesn't love learning new things?

(hugs)

Cindy J. said...

Dearest Gloria, you do have the most fabulous collections and the love you have for them well, it shows in how beautifully you care and display everything..Never have I seen such an icebox..boy wouldn't you just love to know all about the family that originally owned it? Your blog shares part of it's history with the rest of us lucky followers..Hope you are feeling better..winter is always hard on us wimpies... Love, Cindy

Justine said...

Ooh, this was one of the most interesting pieces to me, Gloria! I can't believe they made an ice box that beautiful. No wonder you haven't seen any others like it. These people obviously had money!

And seeing this reminded me of my dad's very favorite Three Stooges episode... maybe you know it. They're delivering block of ice and have to go up a huge staircase to get to the person's house. But by the time they get to the top of the stairs with the ice, it's almost all melted. So they do it again. And again. My father found that hilarious.

Justine :o )

Debra@CommonGround said...

Hi Gloria, thanks for the explanation of the oak, really useful information! And you have an incredible piece!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Debra

Tootsie said...

oksy...LEN!!!! are ya listinin??? add this to my load man...I'll take it for sure!
lol
now...to all those that are thinkin of visiting...DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT LOADING UP....THIS IS MY STUFF! HA HA !!!
mom...you know I love your collections...and I do hope like crazy that one of the girls loves your collection like you do...and that they will be able to tell the story of each piece just the way you do too...your love of all of this beautiful furniture is so obvious...and that you took the time to learn so much about each and every little detail...is impressive!
I have been a very busy girl...and I will fill you in soon...just no time or energy anymore by the end of the day.
love you lots...and have had you in my thoughts a lot! say hi to Len...
you do know that's not cash in his wallet right? it's thick with the lists of things I am supposed to be loading into my big purse when I get there! lol

Hippofatamus said...

Wow that is a truly unique and lovely piece! I love it!

Blondie's Journal said...

This is a beautiful piece, Gloria! I love all of the detail. Imagine, a fancy mirror on a freezer!!

xoxo
Jane

Chari at Happy To Design said...

Hi Sis...

I was just stopping in to say hello and see how you're doing this weekend! So glad that I did...getting a chance to see your fabulous Ice Box! Girl, I still just stand in awe of the craftmanship of these fabulous pieces in your dining room! All I can say is...someone, whoever had these made for their home...must have had some money! I mean...to even have the Ice Box match the other pieces...is just exquisite!!! And you...are now the lucky or maybe I should say "blessed" caretaker of all these fabulous dining room pieces!!! Ohhh my goodness, why even this Ice Box is sooo beautifully ornate...it's just unreal! This is simply fabulous, Sis...taking your beautiful antiques and showcasing them for us to see and learn about!!! I loved all the up-close photos...sure helps my old eyes out to see how intricate the exquisite carvings are!!! Gorgeous...each and every piece!!! Thank you so much for sharing them with us!!!

Now...I'm so glad that you explained what "quarter saw" wood is...now I know! Hehe! I had been wondering! You have talked about this type of oak so many times and I just had no idea that it was "in the way" the wood was cut! Thank you so much for teaching us about it...I love it!!! Ohhh Girl, I feel smarter already! Hehe! Okay...now for my next question...how was this beautiful "quarter sawn" wood finished? Is it stained and then varnished? Or do they just varnish it? Shoot, I don't know if they even used varnish...maybe something else? Maybe you can cover that for us sometime...I'd love to know!!!

Well Sis, it's been a quiet day at our place! The kids are here but everyone has been busy doing their own thing today! I've got dinner in the oven...it'll get noisier in a few minutes...hehe! We'll be gone all day tomorrow...running the kids back to their mother's. I don't know if we're doing anything in the big city or not! We'll see! So ya'll are supposed to have a snow storm this weekend? Girl, I sure do hope that you don't lose your electric! Take care and stay warm, Darlin'!!! I'll talk with you Monday!!!

Love ya, honey!
Chari

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

It's a gorgeous icebox, Gloria. Much prettier than the one we had, when I was an itty bitty kid, maybe about 8 years old. I do remember the iceman.:-)

Gayle from Southern Thresholds said...

My mom had an ice box but not as ornate as yours...it's gorgeous! thanks for sharing with us

xinex said...

I learned something new today again, Gloria. Thanks! Your ice box is gorgeous. Does it still work? Did you ever use it? It really is very pretty, more of a furniture than an appliance....Christine

Barb said...

Gloria, this is a fabulous piece. Woweeee. Yours is in such beautiful condition. I love it.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

Hugs, Barb ♥

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Oh my goodness, Gloria! So she had it especially made? I have NEVER seen an icebox like this one! Holy cow! It's GORGEOUS! You find the best antiques, my friend...and always so unusual! And, no, I don't remember ice boxes, but I do remember that when we were packing ice for an ice chest, we went to the ice house, where they brought out a huge block with tongs and helped us chip it with an ice pick! lol Now does that make me old or what? Happy Sunday!...hugs...Debbie

Linda Q said...

Amazing something so beautiful to just put ice in! It is gorgeous.
I am sure loving your antique shows.
Thanks too for always coming by my blog with sweet words to say!
Hugs, Linda

Tra La La Boom De Ay said...

Gloria, Me again. I just wanted to stop by and thank you for visiting today. I really do appreciate this. Cherie

Gina @ VictorianWannaBe said...

Hi Gloria, I have been looking back at your posts that have antiques in them. You have some beautiful pieces and lighting. Your icebox is the prettiest one I have ever seen! Gina