1900s-era teacart serves as heirloom
Q. The enclosed picture is of a drop leaf teacart that was given to me by my grandmother. She had purchased it from a neighbor in the 1930s. It is made of oak and wicker and had wooden wheels. There is a tray with handles that can be lifted out for serving. Below that is a wicker storage area for food and accessories. There is also a shelf at the lower portion. Other than a little wear on the wicker legs, it is in very good condition.
I have no desire to sell it, but would like to know what it is worth.
A. Teacarts were first seen in the early 1800s. Their popularity peaked in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some were still being used as late as the mid 1900s. Early models were used mostly for serving tea, and later ones for serving cocktails. After World War II, they were more casual, and often wheeled onto patios for cocktails before dinner. The combination of oak and wicker gave your teacart a more informal quality than early examples.
Your teacart appears to have been influenced by the arts and craft period of furniture. It was made around 1900, and can be selling in the range of $200 to $600.
Q. I have a cream pitcher that stands about five inches tall. It has a dark brown glaze at the top, and the lower portion is tan and decorated with cream-colored Egyptian figures in relief. The spout is the shape of a pharaoh's head. Marked on the bottom are the words “Doulton, Burslem.” We found it in my mother-in-law's house after she passed away, and we don't know anything about it.
Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
A. Doulton & Co., located in Burslem, England, made your jug/cream pitcher. It is an example of their Egyptian series that was inspired by the interest in the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb. They produced pitchers in several sizes.
Your pitcher was made sometime between 1911 and 1929. It would sell in an antiques shop in the range of $75 to $125.
• Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P.O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters.
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