Posts Tagged ‘christmas tree’
Antiquers Seek Victorian Christmas Tree Ornaments
October 10th, 2011 Posted 12:28 pm
Lots of people enjoy the "sport" of antiquing - searching out rare items that, many times, can be bought for (or haggled down to!) very reasonable prices. At a good antique store, you will find a vast array of different items, some in good shape, some maybe not so good. In antiquing, the old adage, one man's junk is another man's treasure, is definitely true. One item that has been becoming increasingly popular among antiquers is Christmas tree ornaments, especially Victorian Christmas tree ornaments.
Christmas Tree Ornaments from the Victorian Era
The Victorian era - the long period from 1837 to 1901 when Queen Victoria ruled England - is normally associated only with the UK, but the US was also affected by Victorian tastes and values. Victoria was famously rigid, yet her era also saw extremely fine decorations, and Victorian Christmas tree ornaments often reflect this.
During most of the Victorian era, electricity was simply not available or at best, it was a luxury for the rich. So instead of strings of Christmas lights, candles were used to light up the tree. While very few candles survive from that time, the candles themselves were set in brass candle holders, and those candle holders are now prized as classic Victorian Christmas tree ornaments.
"Father Christmas" was another common theme on classic Victorian Christmas tree ornaments. While Father Christmas and Santa Claus are both based on the same person (the actual person known as Saint Nicholas), they do not look anything like each other. Instead of the familiar red suit, Victorian era "Father Christmas" ornaments show a man with a long white beard and long robes, resulting in an appearance that people today might associate more with a philosopher or a wizard. Many Victorian Christmas tree ornaments based on this image of Father Christmas still survive and can be found if you're determined to hunt for them.
One type of Victorian Christmas tree ornaments that are rather hard to come by these days are velvet ribbons. Crimson colored velvet ribbons were prized tree ornaments, and were placed decoratively throughout the Christmas tree. Velvet does not keep for a very long time, so if you do happen to see examples of these antique Christmas tree ornaments in an antique store, chances are they will need to be restored.
Thus, a simpler option is just to get new velvet for your Christmas decorations and ornaments at a local fabric shop. In fact, if you or someone you know can sew, you can purchase a piece of velvet, cut some strips out of it, then just sew the sides, and you've just made your own velvet ribbons. Whichever method you choose, the key is to have fun decorating your Christmas tree! Don't forget that the Internet always has plenty of sites that will help you with all of your holiday decorating needs.
The Christmas Tree