Number 51

wbt 1iInnrkunb <!tnlltdnrJanuary - February 1992

ORIENTAL INFLUENCE IN HARDWARE

ADCA Convention, Elgin, IL, August 1-4,1992

collection exhibitedanywhere recently? ~hr DoorlmoLJ <CollrrtorLet us know l s Published six times a year by Antique

Doorknob Collectors of America, Inc.The theme for the 1992 r.o. Box 126, Eola, 1L 60519-0126.

convention will be on, Raymond and Loretta Nemec, Editors.

Chicago Hardware Mfg., Phon~ 1-708- 357-2381Printed by Sun Printing, Naperville, 1L

CO. and united States Annual Membership in USA: $20.00. ISteel Lock Co. Foreign rates on request.

THE OPEN DOOR-by ra nemec

Seeing Rich Kennedyin print in ourcurrent issue of TheDoorknob Collectorreminds me that itwill be 15 years agothat Rich and Fayeput out the firstdoorknob newsletter.It was in March 1977that the Kennedystook the first stepin unitingcollectors. Thispioneering effortwent a long way tobring collectorstogether and eventu­ally form The An­tique Doorknob Col­lector of America.

Would you be in­terested in copiesof the Kennedynewsletters? Therewere ten pr inted, atotal of 43 pages.These include somepages of addressesbut for the mostpart are Very infor­mative. We are look­ing at a price of$20 for the completeset. This would in­clude photocopying,handling and ship­ping and a littlefor the club's trea­sury. Let us know if

there is aninterest.

Charlie Wardellhas had two displaysin his area. One isin the museum inLexington, NC, andthe other one in thepUblic library inHigh Point. This isthe second timeCharlie has had adisplay at the HighPoint library and,incidentally, it wasput there at the li­brary's request.

If you think youhave been collectingdoorknobs for a longtime, in 1978 FredMagnus reported hehad been an avidcollector for 38years. That wouldnow make it 51years. Can anyonetop Fred as havingbeen a doorknob col­lector for a longerperiod?

Fred is still veryactive in his hobby,and is known atShell Point as Mr.Doorknob. Fred willbe eXhibiting hisknobs once again inthe "Hall of Hob­bies" which will bethe first hobby showat Shell Point withas many as 26unique exhibitors.

Have you had your

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1889 Rice DesignYALE AND TO\INE

ON THE COVERPHOTO BYJoseph SzaszfaiCan be seen at theWadsworth Atheneum600 Main StreetH'artford, CTDoor handle andescutch eon. About 1886BronzeNashua, New HampshireNashua Lock Company

American Hardware of Oriental Designby Maud e Eastwood

See page 4

1879

l. ~· , ..:r lkll 1" 111 tee. I ~OO ,

Hopkins &Dickenson

be classed as Ver­nacular designs.

However, the majorhardware companiesdid a creditable jobwith this new"craze." In 1879

. J-": Hopkins & Dickenson.:,:..,,~.~ .II t~i:::s: la~i;;~I!~itIII'IH~J- • 0 , .' designs on the

~ ," cover, on the page' ~ , borders, and on cer-

. tain hardware items.Pages 246 of thecatalogue featured abell-pull with alikeness of the Em­peror's symbol, a 16petal chrysanthemum,but, leaves, and ge­ometric lines.

The same year,Russell & Erwin, arising star in hard­ware ornamentation,offered knob designsin the Japanesestyle. Secured bypatents, these de­signs featuredbirds, human forms,bent branches, sin­gle flowers andfretwork (see centerfold). In 1882Corbin contributedto the Orientaltheme with a storkdominated cover de­sign for a supple­mental catalog.

A description ofthe Japanese Schoolof Ornamental pre­pared by W. W. Kent,New York Architect,f or Towne's IILockand Builder's Hard­ware, covers ninepages. In short,

missed the mark.Their designerspicked up on the ac­cepted Japanese em­blems of bamboo,Chrysanthemum blos­soms and other flow­ers and foliage,birds and geometricpatterns, includingthe diagonal. Then,with great artisticlicense, they addedEgyptian and otheremblems in profu­sion. Most of theseearly hybrid designswould in later years

In America, lithewealthy and middleclass of the 1880' sembraced opulence,were excited by Ori­ental and Japaneseinfluence and wel­comed new stylisticideas. II

In the mid-1870'sAmerica was caughtshort, she was foundlacking in the arts.Japanese and otherforeign exhibits atthe Exposition dis­played an artisticsuperiority thatcaught the fancy ofwould-be fashionconscious Americans.American architectswere inspired by theJapanese concept offree and open spaceand alignment withnature. The manufac­turers of builder'shardware reasonedcorrectly that theirtrade should takeadvantage of thisinterest in foreignfashion and the com­petitive market thatcould result.

Under pressure toact quickly, a num­ber of early compa­nies, including Nor­walk, Trenton,union, Perkin's Spe­cialty, Whipple,Phoenix and Nashuacame up with sur-prisingly similarpseudo orientaldesigns.

Had these compa­nies aim been toportray the Japaneseessence of restfultranquility through

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"Japanese and chi­nese art shows amarvelous intimacywith natural and ge­ometrical forms."The background ofJapanese art is inChinese art and ear­lier Mongolianforms. Each culturedeveloped its ownstyle using similaremblems. Compara­tively, Chinese artis bold, Japanese issensitive. strictrealism is never theintent. Yale &Towne's "Osaka,"1910, is undoubtedlythe truest renditionof Japanese Art tograce a set of doorhardware.

Henry Russell, ofRussell & Erwin,patented the designof the above NO. 304knob in May of 1879.This an importantknob, noteworthy be­cause, while it isidentified in thetitle as a "Designfor a Door-Knob,"Russell further es­tablished, "As faras I know, I am thefirst to apply a de­sign in the Japanesestyle to the orna­mentation of door­knobs." This knob ispopularly called theParasol Lady andnearly a centurylater would be thesUbject of reproduc­tion by a Japanesefirm, for export.

Branford, circa1880, decoratedknobs with a simu­lated fan, bamboo

and fretwork andcalled it "Oriental"(VDA Pg.B-1). In1882 Sargent devel­oped three Japanesedesigns for a trioof knobs, all called"Ekado" (VDA Pg B­1). Ekado is an ex­cellent illustrationof Japanese flowerarrangement, forwhich the Japanesehave long beennoted.

8-101 EKAOOSargent 1882

"Simplicity andgracefulness areachieved by a fewflowers in a vase,or a single blossom­ing branch, oftencrooked, placed infront of tapestry ina natural manner."

Changes in stylesautomatically inher­its loud dissenters.In 1881 an editorfor CARPENTRY ANDBUILDING called at­tention to the crazein building stylesand ventured anopinion on what heperce i ved to be themarked feature ofthe current decora­tive mania sweepingthe country "theOriental Craze" . He

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labeled the move abehest of fashion"for we cannot re­gard it as anythingelse than a fashionor fancy--."

THE METAL WORKERreprinted the arti­cle, including face­tious remarks thatif the mania contin­ued, "We doubtlesswould see our youthsforsaking theirfour-in-hand andcoaches for Babylo­nian chariots. Ves­sels of gourd wouldreplace crystal gob­lets, etc." He notedthat Americanartists were tracingJapanese forms onour ceilings andthat China platesshipped from Londonwere slapped like aschool boy's spitballs upon thewalls.

Fortunately, his­tory proved the pre­dictors wrong. Themove lasted some 2ayears and experi­enced two revivals.However, as pertainsto door hardware,strictly Japanese isdesign, as opposedto generic Oriental,specimen are few.

For instance,rice, a Yale & Townepattern (see ABH,Pg. 67) celebratedJapan's annual RiceFestival - or was itChina's status asthe leading producerof rice? Knob No 22on page 67 as notedabove, is in thecontinued on page 10

<!&rnamental be5'ign in antique bcoranobsby Len Blumin

(The following regular feature is a supplement to Len Blumin'sexcellent book, VICTORIAN DECORATIVE ART. Copies of the book areavailable from ADCA for $11 per copy.)

OVAL KNOBS

N-167N-168N-169

Concave "shell" design.Striking "goddess" with gossamer attire.Impressive acorn and oak leaf design. Photodoes not do it ' justice.

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INDEX

N-167To the classification system.

A Representational designs

B Asymmetric designs

C Odd-shaped knobs

D Field or Diaper patterns

E Spiral and Swirls

F Twofold SymmetryN-168

G Threefold Symmetry

H Fourfold Symmetry

I Fivefold Symmetry

J Sixfold Symmetry

K Eightfold Symmetry

L Rad i aL Symmetry

M Concentric SymmetryN-169

N Oval Knobs

0 Emblematic & Fraternal knobs

Q&riental be5'ign in antique boorhnob5'

A-lOSRussell , ErwinJune 3, 1879by R. Christensen"An echo of A-104."

A-304Russell , ErwinMay 13, 1979by H.E. Russell,Jr."Parasol is concave."

B-107Russell , Erwincirca 1885In cast iron and brass

A-104Russell , ErwinJune 3, 1879by R. Christensen"Japanese style."

A-30sRussell , Erwincirca 1880A mate to A-304

K-214Mallory , WheelerCirca 1890Is there a meaningto the center?

(The above Oriental style doorknobs are reproduced from the book Victorian Decorative Art,by Len Blumin.)

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An open letter to doorknob collectorsby Liz Gordon

It's been quite awhile since the Au­gust convention,where John Hollandasked me to write anarticle for thisnewsletter. I wasvery enthusiasticabout the conventionand intended towrite sooner, butI've been extremelybusy opening my newstore: Liz's AntiqueHardware in SanDiego, CA. My shophas an inventory ofover 300,000 piecesof hardware in allcategories fordoors, windows, cur­tains, furniture,bath and lighting.The most excitingnews, however, isthat I have juststarted the firstnationwide hardwarematching service.

All a homeowner,collector or dealerhas to do is send aphoto or sketch ofthe missing item,"a nd the size, to:Liz's Antique Hard­ware, 3821 ParkBlvd., San Diego, CA

92103 or call (619)297-6502 or 284­1075. If we can'tfind it right awayfor you, we'll keepit on file until wefind it.

This little adver­tising blurb, above,is not my only rea­son for writing. Amore important rea­son is to thank TheDoorknob Collectorsof America for beingin existence. As adealer of hardware,my job consistsmainly of dealingwith hardware func­tionally, not aes­thetically. However,attending the door­knob convention andknowing some of thecollectors has givenme the opportunityto enjoy the qualityand beauty of an­tique hardware,leaving behind thetedium of functionfor a time. The en­thusiasm that I wasfortunate to experi­ence a t the conven­tion was infectious.I now find myselfkeeping the moreunique knobs so Iwill be able toshare, swap or sellthem a t the nextconvention.

Also, I was im­pressed by theclub's desire tofurther the cause ofhardware educationand research. I be­lieve that hardwareis a too-weI I-kepthidden treasure ofour heritage. It is

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very important thatwe collectors shareour treasures withthe pubLic so theywill not casuallythrowaway the her­itage embodied inhardware. In today'sworld we are visu­ally manipulated bythe new architecturewhich is built andthe old which is de­stroyed. Much of ourvisual history isbeing lost every dayto the wreckingball. For thosebuildings which can­not be saved, we canat least preservethe hardware,thereby giving it achance to live againin another structureand tell its storyto ourselves and fu­ture generations.

If we, as a cul­ture, continue todestroy our archi­tecture and its de­tails, we will cheatour children's chil­dren of the won­derful diversity ofour visual architec­tural history, andthereby our culturalhistory. Architec­ture is an importantaspect of how a so­ciety views itselfand its history. AsWinston Churchill sowisely pit it "Weshape our buildings,thereafter, theyshape us." I can'thelp but feel hewould agree that thesame could be saidof a building'shardware .•

L..- ~-_~_~- ___l

·We Just got back from the antique fair .. .Loretta wo n first prize.'

Letters

Jerry JohnsonIndianapolis, IN

Somebody commentedon cleaning door­knobs, so I decidedto respond. don'toverclean with caus­tics like Polident orcaustic soda. Usesomething like Goopfor dirt, and paintremover for paint andvarnish (use outdoorsif you value yourlife! ) I have a fewoutside doorknobswith patina that willstay as is· to showthey are old.

There is an acid­based "antique-re­storer" that I willtry and report on itlater. You couldprobably get the sameeffect by leavingyour knobs in acattle barn.

How about a reporton getting recastsmade? I can see wherean unscrupulousfoundry could run offa few extra for him­self and deflate themarket.

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Address Changes:#194John Van KluyveP.o. Box 55,ParkstationPatterson, NJ 07543

#111Liz GordonLiz's AntiqueHardware3821 Park Blvd.San Diego, CA 92103

#120Patrick HughesP.o. Box 5286River Forest, IL60305

#242Thomas Nemec6723 S. Vai~ Apt. 4Westmont, IL 60559

FRANCES BOLEN

OJ)bituary

Frances Bolen, amember of ADeA since1987, died on January17, 1992, in Atlanta,Georgia as a result ofheart failure. She was75 years old.

Mrs. Bolen was bornon May 5, 1916 at At­lanta. She marriedLawrence C. Bolen onJune 1, 1941. Theycelebrated their 50thwedding anniversarythe past summer.

The Bolens begancollecting . doorknobsin earnest whey theyretired in 1985. Afriend who owned abrass shop gaveLawrence an ADCAmembershipapplication. In early1987 the Bolens joinedand became activemembers. They attendedevery convention since1987 and have beenworking on the clubspromotional items.

In addition to herhusband, Mrs. Bolen issurvived by four chil­dren, Patsy Paton(Norcross, CA), LarryBolen (Brentwood, TN),Judy Helton (Powdersprings, CA} and BobbyBolen (Canton, GA), 12grandchildren and 2great grandchildren.

KENNEDY KOHMENTSby Rich Kennedy

1879Hopkins &Dickenson

Japanese School

intercourse and in­fluence.

So, yes, authentic Now that I decidedand imitation goods to retire I am goingof Japanese origin to become an activewere widely used in member in the An­Amer ican households t.Lque Doorknob Col­in 1880' s and lectors of America1890's. Japanese again.doorknobs? No, but After reading thedoorknobs of last newsletter, IJapanese design are definitely agreeeagerly sought - there should be Eastthose produced by and West chapters.American manufactur- Since our membershipers 80 to 100 years is spread out acrossago.. the United States

and members do notget together muchexcept for the an­nual convention, Ithink East and Westchapters would be away of old and newmembers to get to­gether.

I would be glad tohead the first Eastchapter. If anyoneis interested inworking with me onan East Coast meet­ing, please let meknow.

this coming summerI am planning a bi­cycle trip throughWisconsin, and itjust dawned on methat I can kill twobirds with one stoneand take in the con­vention if I plan itright. Just think Imay be the firstperson to arrive atour convention bybike .•(Editor note: Rich Kennedy'saddress is 7. Lafayette Pl.,Chatham, NJ 07928.PH:201-635-6338.)

1889 Rice DesignYALE AND TOWNE

No. )4 . No. 22 .

No. 76.

Examples ofJapanese style inAmerican architec­ture were theJapanese ballroom inthe old De Soto Min­eral Springs Build­ing in Hot Spr ings ,Arkansas, now re­stored, and theJapanese room of theJohn Plankentonhouse, one of Mil-waukee's imposingresidences. ScottWilliams, New Yorkpainter, executedthe Bird Motiveceiling panels forthe Porcelain DiningRoom of the ParkCentral Hotel.

A. A. vantine &Co. of New York wasa major importer ofOrientalia as theyfeatured authenticand imitationJapanese goods.Doorknobs were notamong their wares.Japanese doors didnot operate withturning knobs andfor nearly 300 yearsJapan had been cutoff from all foreign

oriental design(continued from page 4)configuration of acoolie hat.

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1885 Arizona stateTeachers College.Seal of the stateof Arizona. 1912

AOCA FINANCIAL STATEMENT

The following statement is for the year January 1.1991through December 31. 1991.

ROSTER UPDATE No. 5

The following areadditions to the1991 ADCA rosterwhich was enclosedwith the May-June1991 issue of TheDoorknob Collector.

#195Phil OndersmaP.o. Box 6406GrandRapids, MI49506

#272Peter Kraushar10220 E Rio deOro PITucson, AZ 85749

#271Daniel L. PowersP.o. Box 728Ogden, IA 50212-0728

INCOME STATEMENT

Membersh i p duesDonationsADCA publicationsADCA promotional itemsConsignment salesInterest on investmentsConvention incomeMiscellaneous income

TOTAL INCOME

EXPENSE STATEMENT

Printing newsletterOther printing expensesPostageOther publications expensesSupplies & operating expensesPurchase of booksConvention expensesInsuranceConsignment purchasesMiscellaneous expenses

TOTAL EXPENSES

Profit or (loss)Beginning cash balanceEnding cash balance

Your continued support and patronageappreciated.

Respectfully submitted.

Loretta T. Nemec.ADCA Treasurer

$3530.005.00

403.1362.00

267.06343.03

2243.292.00

$6855.51

$2199.65136.28

1092.99116.8374.03

900.00509.53174.00286.5014.88

$5504.69

$1350.82$6928.19$8279.01

is very much

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#273Rebecca Long60 Cathaway Pk.Rochester, NY 14610

#274Karen L. Caulfield41 Brunswick st.Rochester, NY 14607

#275Jeff R. Hart185 s. Mountain Ave.Montclair, NJ 07042

#276Carol stone601 Pioneer Rd.Reinbeck, IA 50669

#277Alan LadnerP.O. Box 333Springboro, PA 16435

#278stan Schirmacher1725 FarmersTempe, AZ 85281

The doorknob exchangeMembers are reminded

that your dues entitleyou to advertise itemsfor sale, trade orwanted at no charge.

FOR TRADE. Brass ovaldoorknob with seal ofMassachusetts for knobfrom another state.other offers welcomed.Charles Wardell (#9),P.O. Box 195,Trinity, NC 27370.PH: 919-434-1145.

FOR SALE. Actual castbrass doorknob fromthe ASU MatthewsLibrary built insummer 1930, with theGreat Seal of Arizonaencircled by "ArizonaState TeachersCollege." Made intopaper weights, $100;handle on cane, $150.Gavel with turnedbrass handle, $250.Stan-Schirmacher #278,1725 Farmers, Tempe,AZ 85281.PH: 602-967-5405.

FOR SALE. "10 Sets"Russwin Lock Set (seepicture) $30 per set.Bill Hart (#108),1937 Moser Dr.,Henderson, NV 89015.PH: 702-565-4752.

FOR SALE. I f you arepassing through SanDiego, make sure tostop at: Liz's AntiqueHardware (#111), 3821Park Blvd., San Diego,Ca 92103. An extensiveinventory of over300,000 pieces ofdoor, window andlighting hardware andfurniture dating from1950 on back.

FOR SALE. Back issuesof THE DOORKNOB COL­LECTOR. $2 each. Sendfor list of availableissues.The Doorknob CollectorP.O. Box 126,Eola, IL 60519-0126.

WANTED. Escutcheonplate for Christesendesign (Page 36, ABHsupplement #1). willpay $150 for thisescutcheon.Charles Wardell (#9),P.O. Box 195,Trinity, NC 27370.PH: 919-434-1145.

WANTED. Dexter knobsets, complete, withglass knobs, platesand strikes. These aretubular lock sets withglass screw-on knobs.Need three baths withlatch and sevenpassageway.Jerry Johnson (#161).830 E. Southport Road,Indianapolis, IN 46227PH: 317-784-8878 .•

Stan Schirmacher with onewith one of his walking sticks.

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FROM THE ARCHIVESWITH ARCHIVISTS

Steve/Barb Menchhofer

Thanks to everyonewho ordered catalogcopies the last timewe offered them. It isgreat to see a lot ofthe newer members ofthe ADCA orderingcatalogs.

Why order catalogs?Well, if for no otherreason, maybe it isjust to see some ofthe beautiful, ornatehardware that was pro­duced back in the late1800's and early1900's. Maybe you havean interest in otherrelated hardware suchas locks, hinges, win­dow hardware, etc.Many of the catalogscontain these items.It is interesting tosee the miscellaneoushardware i terns thatare offered in thesame designs as door­knobs and escutcheons.Or maybe you want toresearch and catalogthe items in yourcollection. Whateverthe reason, thecatalog copies arehelping you to broadenyour knowledge ofhardware history .•