
Appraisal: 1918 Mole & Thomas Living Photo & Frame
Clip: Season 29 Episode 24 | 1m 59sVideo has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1918 Mole & Thomas Living Photo & Frame
In Pretty or Pretty Ugly?, Lynda Cain appraises a 1918 Mole & Thomas living photo & frame.
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Appraisal: 1918 Mole & Thomas Living Photo & Frame
Clip: Season 29 Episode 24 | 1m 59sVideo has Closed Captions
In Pretty or Pretty Ugly?, Lynda Cain appraises a 1918 Mole & Thomas living photo & frame.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipGUEST: I brought a picture that has been in my family as long as I can remember.
I saw it hanging on the wall as I was growing up.
Thought it was rather ugly... big.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: And after my mother passed away, I wrapped it up and put it underneath my bed.
And that's where it's been until today.
My great-grandfather is in the photograph down in the bottom.
APPRAISER: Well, when you pulled this, um, out of your-your cart... APPRAISER: ...I first saw the frame.
And it's a wonderful tramp art frame.
It's made of wood.
And then I saw the photograph.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: The photograph, as we can see, is the Philadelphia Liberty Bell, complete with crack.
And this was done by a pair of commercial photographers from Chicago, Arthur Mole and John Thomas.
And they became famous during the First World War with these living photographs.
GUEST: Really?
APPRAISER: That took thousands of troops to create these images.
They did the Statue of Liberty... GUEST: Oh my.
APPRAISER: ...the head of, um, Woodrow Wilson, eagles, all sorts of things.
This was one of their most famous images.
GUEST: Really?
APPRAISER: And it's copyrighted 1918.
The partner, Mole, would stand up on an elevated place, just bellowing down to the group below to get it orchestrated, get it organized and-and photographed.
GUEST: Wonderful.
APPRAISER: This happened to be taken at Camp, um, Dix in-in New Jersey.
The print itself is in excellent condition.
The frame was made in 1921 by William Bergstrom, who must have been the... GUEST: Hired hand.
APPRAISER: hired hand.
And he so carefully made a frame that perfectly.. .
GUEST: Amazing.
APPRAISER: ...reflects the photograph.
You've got two great things-- to insure this piece, I would put maybe $8,000 on it.
Something like that.
GUEST: Well, that's wonderful.
GUEST: My friend, uh, bought me this at an antique shop.
He thought I'd like it.
I do like it.
I love it.
It's green and ugly enough to be cool.
APPRAISER: It's a 20th century piece that's made to look old.
GUEST: Okay
Appraisal: 1909 Lella Grace Woodward Oil Painting
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 2m 7s | Appraisal: 1909 Lella Grace Woodward Oil Painting (2m 7s)
Preview: Pretty or Pretty Ugly?
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Preview: S29 Ep24 | 30s | Preview: Pretty or Pretty Ugly? (30s)
Appraisal: 1893 Tiffany & Co. World’s Fair Exhibition Vase
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 3m 5s | Appraisal: 1893 Tiffany & Co. World’s Fair Exhibition Vase (3m 5s)
Appraisal: Handel Chipped Ice Lamp Shade, ca. 1920
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 37s | Appraisal: Handel Chipped Ice Lamp Shade, ca. 1920 (37s)
Appraisal: Victorian Memorial Hair Wreath, ca. 1875
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 38s | Appraisal: Victorian Memorial Hair Wreath, ca. 1875 (38s)
Appraisal: Western Bisque Googly Doll, ca. 1910
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 3m 9s | Appraisal: Western Bisque Googly Doll, ca. 1910 (3m 9s)
Appraisal: Martin Brothers Stoneware Sugar Bowl, ca. 1890
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 1m 19s | Appraisal: Martin Brothers Stoneware Sugar Bowl, ca. 1890 (1m 19s)
Appraisal: Early 20th C. Nippon Coralene Vase
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 58s | Appraisal: Early 20th C. Nippon Coralene Vase (58s)
Appraisal: 1982 George Condo Drawing
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 1m 26s | Appraisal: 1982 George Condo Drawing (1m 26s)
Appraisal: Eugene Sartre Bow & French Violin
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 3m 23s | Appraisal: Eugene Sartre Bow & French Violin (3m 23s)
Appraisal: Samuel Yellin Light Fixture, ca. 1910
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 2m 7s | Appraisal: Samuel Yellin Light Fixture, ca. 1910 (2m 7s)
Appraisal: Japanese Musen Cloisonné Vase, ca. 1910
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 28s | Appraisal: Japanese Musen Cloisonné Vase, ca. 1910 (28s)
Appraisal: Guido Gambone Vase, ca. 1960
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 3m 6s | Appraisal: Guido Gambone Vase, ca. 1960 (3m 6s)
Appraisal: Silk-embroidery Mourning Picture, ca. 1810
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 3m 18s | Appraisal: Silk-embroidery Mourning Picture, ca. 1810 (3m 18s)
Appraisal: 1931 Jakob Bengel Machine Age Necklace
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 1m 35s | Appraisal: 1931 Jakob Bengel Machine Age Necklace (1m 35s)
Appraisal: 1926 Blanche Lazzell "Petunias" Monoprint
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 1m 4s | Appraisal: 1926 Blanche Lazzell "Petunias" Monoprint (1m 4s)
Appraisal: Marcus & Co. Opal Pin, ca. 1925
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 3m 23s | Appraisal: Marcus & Co. Opal Pin, ca. 1925 (3m 23s)
Appraisal: Mission-Style Adirondack Rocker
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 44s | Appraisal: Mission-Style Adirondack Rocker (44s)
Appraisal: Texas Longhorn Rocking Chair
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 2m 13s | Appraisal: Texas Longhorn Rocking Chair (2m 13s)
Appraisal: Ming Dynasty Roof Tile
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 2m 24s | Appraisal: Ming Dynasty Roof Tile (2m 24s)
Appraisal: Folk Art Spool Table, ca. 1900
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 2m 50s | Appraisal: Folk Art Spool Table, ca. 1900 (2m 50s)
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 2m 25s | Appraisal: Wall Acorn Clock (2m 25s)
Appraisal: Sarreguemines Pottery Figure
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 2m 2s | Appraisal: Sarreguemines Pottery Figure (2m 2s)
Appraisal: Gold & Enamel Singing Bird Box
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 2m 24s | Appraisal: Gold & Enamel Singing Bird Box (2m 24s)
Appraisal: Higgins & Spencer Paintings
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 4m 1s | Appraisal: Higgins & Spencer Paintings (4m 1s)
Appraisal: Egyptian Revival French Clock, ca. 1880
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Clip: S29 Ep24 | 34s | Appraisal: Egyptian Revival French Clock, ca. 1880, from Des Moines Hour 2 (34s)
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