BEST Antique Cast Iron Hubley Doorstop Art Deco Anne Fish Footmen with Fine Original Paint. This the larger of the two sizes Hubley offered – it measures 12 1/8″ tall and 8 3/8″ wide; weighs over 7 pounds. It is marked on the back 248 which is the Hubley catalog number. Signed lower left front Fish. Fine clean solid complete condition with no problems. Paint is excellent with just some normal surface wear and no flaking or repaint. Everything is right with this authentic 1930 era doorstop. One of the most desirable for collectors today. The same doorstop can be found listed on page 213 of The Doorstop Encyclopedia by Smith as shown in our last photo. Guaranteed old vintage genuine as described. Anne Harriet Fish (Sefton) was born in Bristol, England. She worked in oil, watercolor and was an illustrator who was active in London, Sussex and St. She married Walter Sefton in 1918. In New York City, she did illustrations for “Vanity Fair” and “Vogue” including the cover for “Vanity Fair” in April, 1917. Around the time of the First World War porcelain doll heads were no longer available from Germany, and so Fulper Pottery makers of Flemington, New Jersey, among others, made some. This was a new clay body for them as their regular line of pottery was made from stoneware clay. Anne Harriet Fish was a British cartoonist and illustrator during World War One and the early 1920s. Her clever and cute cartoons published in Vogue and Vanity Fair established her as a humorous commentator on Post-War youth, sort of a British counterpart to America’s John Held Jr. Fulper Pottery produced several of her designs in decorated pottery, while one or more metal companies, such as Hubley, were manufacturing Anne Fish designed lamps, bottle openers, door stops and other items in painted cast iron. Because of the whimsy exhibited in Fish characters, and their connection to the lost ingenuousness of the 1920s, these items have become highly collectable. Perhaps the only thing more welcoming than an open door is a brightly colored cast-iron doorstop holding it ajar. Like the best collectibles, these seemingly indestructible household objects are as visually appealing as they are practical, adding a bit of charm and whimsy to any home. Doorstops first appeared in England in the late 1700s. Made of cast brass, they were used to help prop open the heavy English doors, allowing air to better circulate through homes. The earliest doorstops had wooden handles so they could be easily moved. Handles disappeared in the 19th century; by then, cast iron had replaced brass. Most doorstops youll find today were likely made in America sometime between the turn of the last century and 1940. They hit their peak of popularity during the 1920s and 30s. It is hard to determine the age of a doorstop simply by its design, as some of the most popular styles were manufactured for decades. Motifs were numerous: rose-covered cottages, ships, lighthouses, windmills, covered wagons, trains, baskets of flowers or fruit, ladies in fine dress, children, gnomes, holiday and fairy-tale figures, cats, dogs, cartoon characters, and more. Nearly all examples featured brightly colored enamel paint. Manufacturers included Hubley in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Bradley & Hubbard in Meriden, Connecticut; Wilton Products Inc. In Wrightsville, Pennsylvania; Albany Foundry in Albany, New York; National Foundry in Whitman Mass. Greenblatt Studios in Boston. Most makers ceased production with the onset of World War II, but not all: John Wright Co. In Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, now reproduces some of the original Hubley patterns. Though age is not the determining factor in assessing the value of a doorstop, a reproduction of an earlier pattern is worth a fraction of the price of the original. Condition, paint surface, and rarity of the design are very important to collectors. Rust and repainting can drastically affect values. The best advice for determining whether a doorstop is truly vintage, not reproduction, is to examine the surface closely. Does the wear look inconsistent with use? Is the paint too shiny? Run your hand over it a real vintage doorstop will feel smooth, whereas a reproduction will have a rough, sandy surface. Also, seams on reproductions are often mismatched, and pieces are sometimes painted on the back side. Original manufactures never were. The item “BEST Antique Cast Iron Hubley Doorstop Art Deco Anne Fish Footmen Original Paint” is in sale since Sunday, January 31, 2016. This item is in the category “Antiques\Decorative Arts\Metalware”. The seller is “spooknook” and is located in Weymouth, Massachusetts. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Type: Doorstops
- Primary Material: Cast Iron
- Style: Art Deco
