Whenever we go to England we always do a bit of antique/vintage shopping. Because we go around the time of our anniversary I always buy something for Mac and he buys for me. We always buy what the other one wants, but is too cheap to buy for themselves. This year when I asked him what he'd like he said he'd always wanted a vintage microscope. So while browsing at The Silent Woman, a great antique shop in Chipping Norton, I found a lovely part brass one about 11 inches tall and showed it to him to get his approval. He asked how much it cost and I wouldn't tell him, it was a gift after all.
It has no manufacturer's name on it or any other way to identify it. Our best guess is somewhere between 1910 and 1920.
As for me, I've always wanted a vintage globe and we found one at antique shop in Lechlade. It's about 8 inches tall and the only identifying mark on it is a small British Made seal. But I've dated it by looking at some of the countries on it. Germany is one country (so prior to 1946), there is no Pakistan or Israel ( after 1947), Iran is Persia (till 1935), Thailand is Siam (till 1939), Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are French Indo-China (till 1954), most of western Africa is named French West Africa (till 1960), Zimbabwe is still Rhodesia (till 1980) , eastern Africa is Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (till 1956), there's still a Belgian Congo and Beijing is Peiping. And the last one is the important one because Peiping officially became Peking in 1928, so my globe is probably prior to 1928 and I just love it.
We have the two of them sitting on an old school desk that use to belong to Mac's Mother. When they tore down the elementary school she had attended she went and bought the desk. Now it sits in our living room
Lovely objects, and that desk is lovely. In my youth they still had a few in old fashioned school rooms, very battered and ink stained, and I have a sort of "body memory" of being very uncomfortable in one!
ReplyDeleteIt seems very fitting to have a globe and a microscope on an old school desk. For both items are about study.
ReplyDeleteA desk from my elementary school days. I wonder if you will ever find the glass inkwell for the inkwell holder. Round, with corks. I remember the glass bottles, but they were empty when I was in school. We didn't need pens in grade school, and by junior high we had ball point pens.
ReplyDeleteI vaguely remember sitting in a desk not unlike this one at Daniel Webster Elementary School in Oakland, California many, many, moons ago.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful objects. The desk is lovely. Thank you for the history lesson on the countries of the world
ReplyDeleteJulie xxxxxx
Such wonderful things, I love them all. Lovely to have the connection to the desk too. They all look perfect together .
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely presents for each other! I really liked that you took so much time and care to date your globe, it is a good age and very stylish too on that stand. Happy belated anniversary! xx
ReplyDelete