Lucy’s Cardinal China Salt & Pepper Shakers

salt-pepper-shakers
Peter is back again ( thanks Pete!) with a great ID for the Asian boy and girl salt and pepper shakers seen in the Ricardo’s Kitchen:  “Here is some information about the oriental style salt & pepper shakers. cardinal-line-salt-pepper-shakersThey were distributed by the Cardinal China Company which began in 1946 as the Carteret China Company, at Carteret, New Jersey, where they remained in operation until the 1960s.  Cardinal China were distributors who added their own mark to  products  made by manufacturers such as American Bisque  Co and possibly Shawnee Pottery. They were known as the first US company to produce a spoon rest.

Cardinal China Kitchen Companions

These  salt & pepper shakers were part of their Kitchen Companion line that also included a laundry sprinkler named “Sprinkle Plenty”, a measuring holder  called “#1 Measure Boy” as well as a potted plant that held measuring spoons and a spoon rest shaped like a flower. Only the salt & pepper set were used on I Love Lucy and are often found on the side wall kitchen shelving. The other pieces to the set can easily be found however the salt & pepper are hard to come by”

Lucy
Here the wall mounted shelf for the salad set is turned upside down and the shaker set is placed on it.

Find Cardinal China on eBay

Find Cardinal China on Etsy

Reference:
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Price-Guide-Pottery-Porcelain/dp/0876378939

Lucy’s Fireplace Bellows

bellows
Lucy’s Fireplace bellows in use in “The Gossip”
Similar design on a vintage brass clad fireplace bellows
Similar design on a vintage brass clad fireplace bellows. Photo source: eBay

brassbellows2 Lucy uses a brass clad fireplace bellows in a scene from “The Gossip”. I don’t have a maker name for this yet but I found one with the same brass relief design on eBay UK this week – unfortunately the leather bellows on this one is damaged . Click Here for the listing

A Visit to Montmartre

Photo: Deirdre Hayes

I have just returned from a trip to Paris with my daughter Deirdre who is a photographer. We spent some time in Montmartre which is the setting for many of Utrillo‘s paintings including “The Restaurant on Mont Cenis” a print of which is seen on the I Love Lucy living room set. I will follow up with some pictures I took of the location.   (Le Consulat bistro seen in the picture above was the subject of another of Utrillos’s paintings).

Meanwhile here is link to some of Deirdre’s photos from the trip :
http://prints.deirdrehayesphotography.com/Paris

Lucy’s Peerage Brass Plates

Brass plate on the mantel piece on the set of the Ricardo's Newport home
Brass plate on the mantel piece on the set of the Ricardo’s Newport home in a scene from “Building a BBQ”

Peter shares another great find with us (Thanks Pete!), this time it’s the matching brass plate that goes with the brass pitchers we looked at previously:

Peerage Brass Plate similar to one on I Love Lucy
Peerage Brass Plate similar to one on I Love Lucy

Peter writes: “The Peerage company also made the brass plates that can be seen in the Ricardo’s home when they move to the country. Two smaller ones (probably around 10″-12”) are found behind the door to the den, as seen in episode “Lucy Raises Chickens” when she and Ethel put the 500 chicks in there to keep warm. But most noticeable is the larger one that sits on top of the fireplace mantel. Close ups can be grabbed when she’s cleaning in thr early part of “Building A BBQ”. I was able to find the exact pattern and like the pitchers (which they placed on the mantel as well) are pretty inexpensive. Here’s a link to one currently for sale: Vintage Brass Wall Hanging Plate – Pub Scene – Made in England. They mounted it to a wood circle. I can’t seem to find any that include the wood plaque so I think the prop masters made them specifically for the plates. I might try and do it myself if I can find a wood circle that measures around 18″

As Peter mentions above the brass plates were mounted on a wood backing for use on set – this may have been a practical solution to prevent noise from the brass rattling on set as the actors moved about  – so if you want a similar look you may have to DIY or get a carpenter to make the backing boards.

Lucy’s French Fashion Prints

mode illustree prints

Peter is back  with another great find to share with us. ( See also his previous contribution on the mantel lusters )

Peter writes  “The pair of french fashion prints can be found to the right of the kitchen door in the first couple of seasons. They first appear in “The Marriage License” episode then last until she gets new furniture and replaces them with the Trend banjo clock. You can then spot them in the Mertz’s apartment until they move to the country.

French Fashion Prints from La Mode Ilustree
French Fashion Prints from La Mode Ilustree

They were prints from La Mode Illustree and can easily be found on eBay but the trick is to find the illustrations that were used on the show. Here’s a link to a set that sold recently:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Oval-Framed-Fashion-Prints-La-Mode-Illustree-set-of-2-/261700000496

See More like this on eBay

Lucy’s Mantel Mirror

bacchus mirror

The mirror Lucy is using above in the screenshot from an early episode is a Victorian style Bacchus mirror with easel stand. The cast metal figural Bacchus mirror is usually found with its original beveled mirror but not always with an easel stand. See pictures of one below with a stand like the one on the show. I have seen versions signed Emil Blaesius who may have been the original designer. The one pictured below is by Bradley & Hubbard  marked B&H.

Bradley and Hubbard Bacchus Mirror for sale by seller ButtermilkSkyHome on Etsy

The photos of the mirror above are from one for sale on Etsy
at https://www.etsy.com/listing/181742227/bradley-and-hubbard-bacchus-mirror

Lucy’s Brass Pitchers

Peerage brass pitcher
Peerage brass pitchers on the Love Lucy set in the episode “Sales Resistance”

A set of English brass pitchers are seen on the kitchen shelf on the I Love Lucy set. I was able to grab a screen capture showing enough detail to identify the patterns seen above. the larger pitcher about 8″ tall shows a seated man in a pub scene, and the smaller jug at 6 3/4″ tall has a nautical theme with a ship and lighthouse. There were two of the smaller jugs and one large jug on the kitchen shelf. See examples I found pictured below. They are made by Peerage Brass and are easily found on the secondary market often at low prices. Lucy’s pitchers are seen on the show from early in the series and later in the Newport house they are on the mantel along with matching plates.
peeragebrasspitcher2 peeragebrasspitcher1

CLick Here to Find Peerage brass pitchers like this on eBay

For the Juice decanter and glasses set also seen in the screen photo above see my earlier post here.

Lucy’s Bedroom Decor: Military Portrait

biddle-scully
A framed military portrait is seen above in the bedroom set of I Love Lucy on top of a chest of drawers.  It is a portrait print of Major John Biddle by the 19th century portraitist Thomas Sully (1783-1872). the original hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Biddle (1792-1859) served in the army in the War of 1812 when he was only 20 and he stayed in the army until 1821.

Thomas_Sully-Portrait_of_Major_John_Biddle

Copies of the print are available on ebay HERE

Or download a digital image to print from:  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Sully_-_Portrait_of_Major_John_Biddle.jpg

Spartus Box Camera I Love Lucy Prop

I Love Lucy Prop Spartus Full-Vue Box Camera
Spartus Full-Vue Box Camera

Seen on eBay this week is what is claimed to be an I Love Lucy Prop Camera – vintage Spartus Full-Vue Box Camera circa 1949. I don’t know which episode this was used in but according to the description the Brand name was covered with tape for use on set. Click on the picture above to see the full details on eBay.

spartus-camera-ad2

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