Newsletter Archive

For over 30 years, Elijah Slocum has scoured the English and French countrysides, searching for copper ware. Why England and France? Because in the 1860s, England accounted for 90% of the world’s copper output. With such easy access to this abundance of the malleable metal, local artisans picked up their hammers and started creating beautiful ware. Not that copper hadn't been used from the beginning of time. There are smelting sites dating from 5000 B.C.  But it was not until the Industrial Revolution that copper products were abundantly available. That was a game changer. Take the demand for copper cookware. Copper pots [...]

As year-end celebrations begin, we have three Emmy-winners to thank for the resurgence of champagne coupes... Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire and The Crown. The shallow wide-mouths and short stems of coupes, also called champagne saucers, were all the rage during the periods depicted in each of the series above. Coupes also were the first stemware designed specifically for drinking champagne. Prior to their introduction in 1830, bubbly was consumed from the same glasses as beer and cider. Another tradition – one distinctly not exhibited in The Crown, was that of imbibing in one big gulp – like slamming back a shot of tequila. Drinkers didn’t WANT [...]

Thoughtful - showing exceptional attention to the needs and desires of others. The most difficult part of gift giving – whether during the Holidays or any time of year, is to select an item that conveys your thoughts - emphasizing the importance of a favored person through a specially selected gift.For us, each relationship is unique.  And so, we want to give unique gifts.  Something made with care, perhaps made singly, perhaps hand crafted.  An item that says, ‘You mean something to me – something special.’ Here are a few items we suggest for your favorite people.  Our website has more to choose [...]

The love of cold drinks is almost as old as civilization. There are ruins of ancient Chinese ice houses and 20-foot high conical structures with deep interior pits where Persians stored ice. When Alexander the Great conquered India, 30 ice pits were dug to chill his drinks. And by the 1st century AD, iced beverages, chilled with snow and ice from Italian mountain tops, were all the rage for wealthy Romans. For millennia, cold beverages were only a dream for the lower classes. All that changed in 1873 when Carl von Linde, a worker at the Spaten Brewery in Munich, devised a system to mechanically [...]

In the 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution realized a drastic increase in the output of goods – and more supply than demand. Thus the SALE was born.  Called by many names...inventory clearance, overstock, etc., sales generally have been associated with large manufacturers having goods on hand that exceeded customer demand. Elijah Slocum's guild-trained master craftsmen create bespoke furniture one piece by piece, using traditional skills and the finest materials.  Our samples and display pieces are built to those same standards. Now, for a limited time, we are offering a small stock of such pieces --- at a slightly nicer price.   Click Here For [...]

"All creatures eat, it is only mankind who dines." Historically, the English have been known to place great emphasis on  good dining manners.  It all started when the religious persecution under Henry VIII made it unwise to speak freely. Meals previously enjoyed by crowds in the Great Halls of nobles were scaled down to include only those a single refectory table could accommodate. Coincidentally, those refectory tables once were housed in monasteries. By Victorian times, the meal was formalized – but not relaxing. Repression was the rule of the day. Not only was the sight of a female ankle considered scandalous, curved table legs were [...]

Civilization has had board games since before a written language. Earliest artifacts include dice carved of knuckle bones, wood, painted stones and turtle shells. Egyptian pharaohs took board games with them when they were transported to the afterlife. In the early 18th century, Europeans were addicted to gaming. High-stakes wagers took place in private clubs, homes, spas and castles. Literature of the time bemoans the loss of socialization; the art of conversation was in jeopardy. “The people are bent over cards and dice for hours on end,” said one publication. With the popularity of such pastimes, it was only natural that board [...]

EXTINCT: synonyms: dead, disappeared, vanished It’s becoming more difficult to find what were once “commonplace” antiques. When completely gone, they will take a part of history with them – along with the skills required in their making. Here are stories of a few such items. In the late  15th century, William and Mary set a trend when they began using expensive materials on chair seats. Tapestries, velvets and leathers provided a rich look – made more so by the addition of nail heads needed to hold the materials in place. Once cabinetmakers mastered the skill of tediously nailing hundreds of tiny tacks [...]

Historically, selection of timber by furniture craftsmen was based solely upon local availability. Examination of English household furnishings from the first millennium demonstrates the abundance of oak then available. Later, Europeans ruled the oceans, returning with rare and exotic timbers for those who valued its beauty. Beyond its availability, decisions regarding timber were based upon the timber’s characteristics. Did it have a distinctive grain? Did it carve beautifully? Elijah Slocum considers those details to be of singular importance. Unlike large factories who purchase timber in bulk, we select timber piece by piece, considering requirements of each particular commission. Species, color, grain patterns and suitability for the intended use all are taken into consideration.  Commercial makers choose the thinnest veneer [...]

Lobsters have been on earth for at least 100 million millennium - long before early humans began to "crack" their secrets (Get it?).  More recently, the abundant, cheap shellfish was consumed solely along coasts, particularly the French coast in Brittany, to an enthusiastic but local fan base. With the arrival of haute cuisine, the lot of the lobster began to change. In 1891, the Café de Paris introduced Lobster Thermidor named after a popular play of the time. Thermidor recounted the activities of a hot summer month in 1789 (called Thermidor on the French revisionists' calendars) when the Revolution’s executions and reign-of-terror ended. The dish caught on and continues to be hot [...]