Newsletter Archive

It all started with the coffer  – a long, deep, crudely constructed box with a hinged lid and [sometimes] short legs or feet. That’s not to be confused with the coffin, though in truth, the early coffer often assumed that role out of expediency. For more than a thousand years, the coffer was the sole piece of furniture in the home, acting as a seat, a work table, a raised bed and storage for everything. That included valuables, weapons, food and clothing. In the mid-17th century, mankind deduced how to add a second, miniaturized coffer to the interior. These small tills or "drawer boxes" housed treasures - not just gold and [...]

The word “bed” comes from the 4th century Germanic badja – “sleeping place dug in the ground”. It’s not surprising that throughout history mankind has sought to improve how we spend 1/3 of our lives. The earliest mattresses consisted of leaves, grass, or hay covered with animal skins. For more than 1,000 years, there was little improvement -  at least for the commoner. The privileged, meanwhile, created the concept of sleeping in the lap of luxury. Egyptian and Greek beds were inlaid with (if not made of) gold, silver and ivory. European bed frames were of expensive hardwoods, and so high that steps were required, raising sleepers above drafts and insects – both realities the commoner couldn’t control. By [...]

This is our 35th year in business! Thank you ...for your continued interest in fine craftsmanship and traditional skills. ...for your praise of our workmanship ...for your appreciation of our craftsmen. ...for your positive response to our newsletters. And a special thanks to all the cooks who can't use anything but vintage copper in their kitchens. We appreciate each and every one of you. Best wishes for a great 2019. Elijah Slocum, Inc. P.S.  We are always searching for special treasures. Watch our newsletters for our latest finds.    

Film star Ava Gardner and her husband, Frank Sinatra, were known for their epic fights. To signal the end of a contretemps, Gardner would spritz the stairway of their home with perfume (Creed’s Fleurs de the Rose Bulgare), an invitation to the crooner. Perfume says legions. And legions have had much to say about perfume. When Marilyn Monroe was asked what she wore to bed, she replied, “Why, Chanel No. 5, of course.” In 1921, the 5th of ten sample formulas presented to Coco Chanel was approved. The designer fragrance has remained a best seller since its introduction. Next year, for the first time ever, [...]

Gift giving is a relic of pagan customs – namely, the celebration of  winter solstice.  A particularly raucous Roman festival honored Saturn, the god of agriculture. In addition to excessive drinking, participants exchanged gifts during that time  – tiny figurines, edible treats and festive candles. That’s why we give gifts today. The custom spread to the U.S. in the early 19th century (Earlier, the Pilgrims had banned any such exchanges – too papist.), gaining momentum in 1823 with the publication of The Night before Christmas and in 1843 with Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. In 1867, Macy’s announced they’d be open until midnight on Christmas Eve. Not everyone was enthusiastic, [...]

Time to begin thinking about Holiday entertaining. What we serve, how we serve it – it’s all based on tradition. Thankfully, those traditions can change. In 1847, a typical celebratory dinner included roast turkey, cold boiled ham, fricasseed chicken, poached fish, roast pig, mashed potatoes and turnips, boiled onions, salad, apple sauce, pickles, mangoes, oyster sauce or oyster pie and mince pies. And for  dessert, a biscuit and jelly sandwich. Talk about groaning boards! For the centerpiece,  the 1886 Kansas Home Cook-Book recommended a low dish of ferns or scarlet geraniums [a recently-introduced import] mingled with white carnations, to sit atop a round mirror, upon whose [...]

Unique gifts seem more and more difficult to find.  Items with personality, especially with a story to tell, simply are not available at the mall or mass retailers.  Rare gifts guarantee no one else will be giving or receiving such a unique item. Over the past year we have been searching for just such gifts, one-of-a-kind items with the quality we are proud to offer.  In the coming weeks we will be featuring those finds in our newsletters and on our website. And, to make these gifts even more special, we have paired some of them with products from specialty shops [...]

We’ve been sitting around fires for a long, long time.  According to the National Academy of Sciences, the earliest discovered fire pit blazed over 1 million years ago.  It’s only natural that some improvements have been made since then. The earliest chimneys – dating from the 1500s, were large enough to accommodate a chimney sweep, in the hopes of staving off chimney fires – a fairly regular occurrence. In fact, it’s easy to date British homes by the size of their chimneys: pre-1850, large chimneys for multiple flues and small sweepers, post-1850 for stovepipes only – no sweeping needed. Then there is the [...]

In spite of the fact that coffee had been a wildly popular drink in England since the mid-17th century (replacing, BTW, the previously favored breakfast drinks of wine and beer), there was no such thing as a coffee table. Instead, the beverage was drunk in commercial establishments with massive followings. Edward Lloyd’s coffee house was the precursor to Lloyds of London where stock traders congregated at their coffee “local”, eventually the basis for what was to become the London Stock Exchange. On the home front, however, only tea and tea accessories were the furnishings of the day. That is, until in the late [...]

People have been enamored with antiques since the search for Greek relics began back in the 12th century. It is not unusual for those with a love of “the hunt” to spend millions searching the sea for sunken treasure or hours and hours waiting for the telltale beep of a metal detector. For most of us, antiquing is our equivalent of a treasure hunt. The prize doesn’t need to be an ancient relic, either. Although government officials define an antique as anything more than 100-years-old, the truth is any item with some age, wonderful patina and a sense of history is all [...]