400 Miles for Two Items

Driving all day for two items is not usually my idea of a good time, but I think yesterday's trip was worth it. First, I picked up this little beauty in Oregon, Wisconsin.  It measures 11" x 97".

....and presto/chango turns into this table which 

measures 22" x 97" x 33":

I think it's great!  It's an old wallpaper table, the type a contractor would have carried from location to location.  He'd unroll the paper on it, paste it, book it and hang it up.  A conversation with an Elkhorn customer reminded me that I had found this awhile back and never followed up on it.  I went back through my e-mail and found that the seller still had it, and the price had dropped since our last contact.  

 My sunroom is a tiny 8' x 11' . It's my favorite room and where I prefer to work on my laptop. It's currently furnished with two white wicker chairs, a lamp table and a small wicker desk.  I find that I don't sit & read here as much as I used to.  My aim now is to redecorate and turn the room into a studio/office.  When time permits I'm going to see how the table will work along one wall with a stool next to it.  It's the perfect height for crafting or photographing small items.

After leaving Oregon, I zig-zagged across the state up to Little Chute, Wisconsin where this beauty was waiting for me:

It was found in an attic and the paint is in great condition, although the wood is splitting in some areas.  I'm sure that decades in the attic contributed to the shrinkage of the wood.

It's a wonderful example of black Americana, folk art & advertising.  I just spoke with a staff member at the New London museum and she's going to send me the dates when Freiburger & Archibald were in business. 

 *Update: (With thanks to Alice, the Assistant Director of 

the New London Public Museum.) 

Freiburger & Archibald were in business from 1897 - 1903.

 Off to get ready for the show in Iowa this weekend.

Happy hunting!