In the first few early episodes of I Love Lucy we see a round toleware wall clock over the mantel in the Ricardo’s livingroom set. This clock was soon replaced by the octagonal one we looked at in a previous post. The round tole clock with handpainted leaf design is very similar to the Sessions tole clock with the matching hand painted leaves seen on eBay this week. The green Sessions clock pictured above is an electric model. the dial is a bit different from the one on the show but the metal casing is a good match – the hand painted leaves on each clock appear slightly different due to the hand painting. I have seen similar hand painted tole wind-up clocks made in Germany. The Sessions clock seems easier to find than the octagonal one and is found in a few different colors.
Tag Archives: I love lucy decor
Bread box on Etsy
I spotted this breadbox on Etsy – CLICK HERE to see it. It looks like the Nesco breadbox on I Love Lucy except the decal is different. See my earlier post about the breadbox I repainted to look like Lucy’s.
Update:
The breadbox pictured above has been sold – here is another one still for sale:
CLICK HERE for the Etsy Listing
Lucy’s Cardinal China 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. They 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.
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”
Reference:
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Price-Guide-Pottery-Porcelain/dp/0876378939
Lucy’s Fireplace Bellows
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
Lucy’s Peerage Brass Plates
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:
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 Mantel 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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
Vintage copy of Utrillo Painting
On eBay currently is a vintage painting that appears to be copy of Utrillo’s painting “Restaurant au Mont Cenis” even including the signature. I Love Lucy fans will recognize the scene from the Utrillo Print of the same name that hung on the wall of the Ricardo’s livingroom. Click on the picture above to see the item on eBay.
Read more about the original Utrillo prop print from the show here
I Love Lucy Tole Wall Clock
This is a Tole Wall Clock like the one on I Love Lucy as you can see from the picture above. This is one of those hard to find items that is well known to I Love Lucy fans.