Many folks reach out to me asking for help identifying things. Sometimes I have experience with the piece and know the answer. Sometimes it could look like a well known piece but be a knock off, reproduction or similar design. You have to study the details, the labels and markings and even go as far as looking at the joinery techniques. Sometimes, the item you are looking for is so obscure google lens does not lead you to the answer, even if it finds like pieces. You need a deep dive into the inter webs with a goal of finding some proof, whether that be an ‘expert’ or more ideally, a catalog page.
SNEAKY PLACES YOU CAN SEARCH:
In the past, I have found lots of info on Pinterest, believe it or not! There are many catalog pages in there and it’s totally worth searching and paging through. From Montgomery Wards and Sears to Broyhill and Lane lines, there are many fun things hidden in there and you can save them and organize your own boards to keep them for future reference. It’s not all party ideas and soccer moms on Pinterest, I promise!
Another spot to search is google images. On the google app search bar you will see a camera icon. Click there and select the picture on your phone of an item or even your logo/stamp/signature and see what comes up. Click on things you want to look into and see if there is further info on those pages. Sometimes you find others for sale, a blog someone wrote or other info. BUT, in the case of my stool, I found others but not the ID info I was looking for. You see, my stool is labeled, but the company name is not on it. Scandinavian items were imported to the US by various companies who then sold them in their catalogs and many times they did not give credit to the maker or designer. We modern collectors love to know more about the things we collect and a decent dealer wants to provide that info to substantiate their price as well as advertise it correctly for those seeking to find it. Missing details may not pull it into searches.
I revisited my searching for the Made in Norway, Papa Bear style stool today. I came up with a few others but no definitive maker info and certainly no catalog up until this point. I have her priced high, I know that. I paid a significant amount for her so I spent time trying to gather important info to justify my price point. On a rarer collectible like this piece, it is necessary. I knew it was not a piece by Hans Wegner, although it is a very close facsimile. Wegner’s items are made in Denmark by A P Stolen. An original Papa Bear stool sells for thousands. Knowing this piece was made in Norway killed that lead. I don’t consider myself an authority on Scandinavian makers. In fact, I have learned that there are a few decent Facebook groups that are worth searching for high end and Scandinavian items. My first word of advice: do not engage. Join these groups, but get chatty, and you risk getting trolled. I typically consider these groups READ ONLY for my purposes. When you are on the group page, look for the search bar. Anything you type here will be searched in the group only. Any discussions continuing your search terms will come up. What a great way to search years of posts quickly! I also found that people get judgy of folks who ask questions without doing their own due diligence so lurking may be a good option over engaging! 😂
