Customer Reviews

Antique American Frames Identification and Price Guide: 2nd Edition (Confident Collector)

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I bought this book hoping to get some real specific information on buying and selling antique american frames. I enjoyed reading this book because it gave me a bigger picture of how the frame styles developed in America (even though I also felt like Mr. Wilner's chatty tone seemed to talk down to his audience). I agree with some of the other reviewers in that this certainly is an enthusiastic book and creates awareness for people to look at what surrounds the picture instead of just looking at the painting. Antique frames should certainly be studied and written about and noticed and matched with the right paintings.

I do have some complaints however. I am an antiques dealer and I have some other books in the Confident Collector series. I really don't think this book fits in the same spirit as the rest of the series. I think Mr. Wilner's prices are all off base with the real world of antiques and collecting. They seem to be a self-serving guide to prices in his shop alone. I go to lots of auctions and antique markets in many states and have been in the business for many years of selling both paintings and frames and I rarely have seen frames alone sell for the kind of values he is giving them. I know that prices are going up since more awareness has made people appreciate the so-called art of the frame more. I have seen that there are many exhibits and articles on antique frames in the last few years, and I have seen that frames are starting to cost more as people become more aware that frames can be as important as a painting.I know that people like Mr. Wilner are benefiting the public by educating them on what a good frame is. I agree that some frames are very valuable, like an original Stanford White or a signed artists frame (as described in the book), but it seems that Mr. Wilner's book attempts to make all American frames seem valuable and that just can't be true. It's not true of American furniture or other antiques, they all have highs and lows, so frames must too. Like for example simple black Eastlake print frames in his book are starting at $2500, but those kinds of frames can be found at nearly every antiques mall for well under $500. There is no indication in the text about why Mr. Wilner finds Eastlake frames are suddenly so valuable other than that he says so.

Also Mr. Wilner's book seems to be the only one in the series that he is the only dealer listed. Other books list other experts and sources to buy or find out more about the specific antique. Overall, I think that for people who know nothing about frames and want some idea of what they are about and to learn some general history, the chapter text is quite informative but the dates of the frames shown are not in chronological order which is somewhat confusing. Unfortunately the black and white pictures are so small and fuzzy and such bad quality that it is very difficult to see the detail in the frames, so how can you tell if you have one of the valuable ones or not?

The photo captions themselves don't really give much extra information I wish they talked more about the decorative motifs or described the frames better since the photos are so bad. As generalist antique guides go it's a decent overview. I would just tell anyone to take the Price Guide part of this with a very large grain of salt, since the frame prices seem to be on the moon instead of in the real world of american antiques.

I purchased a copy of the first edition of Antique American Frames a few years ago because of a keen interest I have in American painting and antiques. The book totally transformed my perspective on frames, and now when I am shopping for antiques or considering the purchase of a painting, I take notice of the frame. Using the knowledge gleaned from this book, I fancy myself a budding frame aficionado. I was expressing my newfound passion to my cousin and ended up giving her my copy. I often take the book with me to the store or gallery I am visiting, so I immediately orderd a replacement copy for myself. I was delighted to find that there is a currently a second edition of the price guide available, complete with the latest prices. The 2nd edition also contains a wonderful chapter on collectors, both collectors of paintings in antique frames, and, just the frames themselves. I was particularly struck by the analogy of the period frame to vase; when you think about it, vases are valued the world over just by themselves and exhibited empty. You never think about something being missing. I highly recommend the 2nd edition of Antique American Frames Identification and Price Guide as a must-have for anyone who appreciates the power and beauty of American craftsmanship and artistry. Like the final sentence in the new chapter says "at last period frames have come into their own."

I have been interested in American art for the last several years, and I found this book by accident while browsing on line, and was blown away. For me (and for very many other people, I suspect) this book made me rethink my assumptions about American art. Wilner tosses off a story early in the book that makes a point that, embarrassingly, I had never considered before: Michelangelo's great painting "The Holy Family" is surrounded by a wonderful round frame. The image is quite familiar to us miserable unfortunates who have never had the honor of seeing it in person at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence from art history classes or in books; but (until the color photograph in this book) I had never seen it in it's frame. Wilner asks: why is it that in books we see only the painting, but when we see the actual painting hanging on the wall in Florence, it is inside a frame? The author asserts that the proper marriage of frame and painting is a special experience, working in unison to illuminate the painting and enhancing the artistic impression. In fact, Wilner says that he views frames as sculpture, "as a handcrafted object that can exist independently of a picture." Before reading this book if I had come across someone purporting this frame-as-sculpture argument I would have been, at best, skeptical. However, since reading this book, I think that I've come around to see it Mr. Wilner's way. His love of period frames is evident in every page of this book, and his energy for the subject soon becomes contagious. After reading Antique American Frames I have found myself becoming very conscious of frames, delighting in well framed paintings, horrified by mismatches. It is remarkable what a frame can do. I find myself constantly evaluating frame and painting combinations, and I am thrilled to realize the enhancement a great frame can make on a great painting. I'll never look at American art in the same way. This book is structured as a price guide, detailing American frame styles from the beginning of the Nineteenth Century up until 1939 into several periods: 1800-1829, "The Federal Style," which was a neo-classical period, simpler than European neoclassism; 1830-1849 "European Inspiration," when frames were flamboyant and reflected the natural themes of the rococo revival; 1850-1859, "Nature Triumphant," which was again influenced by nature, and American expansion West ward and the spirit of adventure which prevailed. During the period of 1860-1869, "Neoclassicism in Bloom," the formal, restrained style belied the chaos of the Civil War era; "The Emerging American Renaissance" 1870-1879, was a period where frames became "more linear, more subdued and constrained-in effect, more elegant." (p.70), matched to the work of the prominent painters of the time, such as Charles Eastlake and Martin Johnson Heade. 1880-1889, "Era of Opulence" we are told was an era where both "architecture and design tended to be deeply embellished" (p.87) taking after the most notable tastemaker of the time, Stanford White; 1890-1899, "Artistry versus Mass Production" when the American frame, building on it's past European influences and with an impetus of the frames of Stanford White, came into its own. It was a period of transition and reaction, a re-understanding of the craft of frame making, when mass production of frames (and much else) was threatening the artistry of frame making. It was a period of elaborate frames, and also the beginning of a backlash against the backlash; it is here we see the simpler frames that would dominate the early part of the Twentieth Century. Carving, as opposed to casting, was rediscovered during the 90's. At the start of the twentieth Century, "Triumph of Handscraftmanship" 1900-1919, such frame makers as Thulin and Murphy, of the frame shop "Carrig Rohane" ("Red Cliffs" in Irish) and the noted artists Charles and Maurice Prendergast, designed frames with simple forms, hand carved, exploring the subtleties of gilding. And finally, the period of 1919-1939, "The Integration Urge," a free form period where the frame was most likely to be part of the artwork itself, and could embody any number of forms. The book ends with a helpful guide to the cleaning, handling, identification, and hanging of antique frames. This last part also includes a section on how to identify an antique, as opposed to a new frame designed to copy an older style, a detailing of the restoration of older frames, and some thoughts on the hanging and fitting of art work into a frame. This book does what a book of its kind is supposed to do. It gives the reader the information promised on the cover: it is a guide to the identification and prices of antique American Frames. But is more than that. Wilner's energy for the topic soon becomes our own, and his passion effuses onto every page of the text, and for an art lover like myself, frames become a new vista to be cherished.

It struck me as odd that people were tossing these things of craftsmanship and age simply because they didn't think they could profit in a monetary sense. It was the death and destruction of antique frames that has made them rare. So many died, so so many could live. I am sure marketing was the key factor in showing the buyer with the bucks the joy and appreciation of the vintage frames beauty. And so to Mr. Eli Wilner belong the spoils. I found the book enlightening and enriching. Dealers who trade in these wares should buy numerous copies and send them out to their customers for the holidays.

I recently acquired a painting with a frame around it that wasnice, but really showed its age. I wanted to find out if the frame hadany value and was worth restoring or if I should just reframe the painting. I purchased Eli Wilner's "Antique American Frame Identification and Price Guide," which was a wealth of information, and came to the conclusion that this frame might even be more value than the painting! This book is a must have for anyone interested in learning about frames.

I bought this book hoping that it would help identify antique frames. It is printed on cheap paper, the illustrations are barely 2 inches tall, the photos are black and white, and the prices are absurd. I found one of my frames in the book (with the maker's label) and photographed it and offered it to Eli Wilner & Co. The book said the value was 11,000 to 17,000 dollars. Wilner offered me $500. I much prefer "Collecting Picture and Photo Frames" by Schneider. Good large photos in color and reasonable values. Don't waste your time on this book.

Great information with lots of detailed pictures. A must if you want to learn the details and values of antique American frames.

Low quality frontal drawings are too small and in not-enough detail; the reader gets no idea of depth, detail, and dimensions of molding. The view of the Sully frame, for example, would be of little use in identifying a Sully frame on sight. Eye-opening prices and thoughtful, well-written text.

What an amazing story of the way period frames came into their own. This book is the perfect way to start an understanding of the value of frames or to enhance your knowledge tremendously. This is a must have for anyone interested in the art of framing!

This is the best way to begin or refine your understanding of antique American frames.