Fond memories seated in wicker chair
Q. Recently, I saw a picture of an antique wicker chair in your column. I have one very similar and have enclosed a photo of it. It belonged to my aunt, and I remember it being on her front porch. She gave the chair to my wife and me when we were in our early 20s (I am now 75). I have fond memories of sitting in it when I was 5 years old and sometimes even falling asleep in it on warm summer evenings. All four of our children grew up taking turns sitting in it. The cushion has been recovered, and the chair frame is in excellent condition. I turned the chair over and found a metal tag with the words "Karpen - Guaranteed Constriction - Furniture - Chicago - Michigan City - New York."
Our wicker chair brings back so many good times with family, and we plan to pass it down to our of our children. I hope you can tell us about its history and value.
A. German immigrants Solomon and Oscar Karpen founded their furniture factory in Chicago in 1880. They had showrooms on Michigan Avenue in Chicago and in Michigan City, Indiana. They added a factory in New York City in 1919 and another one in 1927 in Los Angeles. I found a 1937 newspaper advertisement for a similar chair with an accompanying rocker and sofa. At that time, an armchair was priced at $22. Over the years, they produced several different styles of furniture, including Colonial Revival, late Victorian, Art Nouveau, Mission, midcentury modern and wicker furniture. In 1952, the company was taken over by Schnadig Corp.
Your wicker chair was made around 1937 and might be worth $100 to $175.
Q. This mark is on an antique oak dining pedestal table that was in an old home I bought in the 1980s. The mark appears to have been burned into the wood. The home was built around 1900. It was an estate sale, and there were no heirs. The table is just one of several antiques that were included with the sale.
What can you tell me about the mark?
A. Gustav Stickley used the mark you described between 1912 and 1916. Stickley was one of the leaders of the Arts and Crafts/Mission movements that began in the late 1890s. He founded a guild-type workshop in New York in 1898. The mark on your table was burned into the wood. "Als Ik Kan" are the Flemish words for "as I can" and mean "as well as I can." Stickley's workshop was forced into bankruptcy in 1916.
Your table is circa 1912 and would probably be worth $3,500 to 4,000.
• 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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