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Identifying the maker of furniture is not always easy

Identifying furniture can be tricky. Crediting a maker is often a matter of “style” or “attributed to.” Some makers’ names come to mean entire styles or time periods, like Chippendale for example. Some styles remain popular for centuries or get revived multiple times. Well-made copies of early pieces can even fool museums. So, when you find a piece of antique furniture with a maker’s mark or signature, like this Louis XVI Revival chair by Alexander Roux, which sold for $1,230 at Brunk Auctions, it’s a rare and fortunate event. The auction’s description noted that Roux, ...

Celebrating National Library Card Sign-Up Month

“Libraries are community treasure chests, loaded with a wealth of information available to everyone equally, and the key to that treasure chest is the library card. I have found the most valuable thing in my wallet is my library card.” – Laura Bush Library cards are indeed valuable. Consider these statistics for just last month at the New Ulm Public Library: · 11,272 physical items checked out · 710 eBook checkouts · 1,072 eAudiobook checkouts · 905 computer sessions · 5,337 wifi sessions All of these things were free at the library! But library value cannot be ...

One man’s damage is another man’s decoration

In the late 19th century, interior decorator Louis Comfort Tiffany was in search of new colors to use in his leaded glass windows. He hired glassmaker Arthur J. Nash to make iridescent glass. The company was producing iridescent vases and accessories by 1894. It is said that Tiffany was inspired by glass he saw in Europe; possibly ancient glass from 19th-century archaeological digs. Glass has been made for thousands of years, with the earliest known blown glass made in Jerusalem about 50 B.C., and evidence that glassblowing was practiced in Italy about the same time. As bottle diggers ...

Fall has arrived!

According to the calendar, fall has arrived. I feel like summer just flew by this year. Maybe it was the rainy June that made it seem like it didn’t start when it should have. If you are looking for ideas to get you into the spirit of fall, you might like the following books. Canning and preserving have experienced a comeback in recent years. “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today” (641.42 Ball) was updated a few years ago and is a great all around reference, whether you are new to preserving or have been doing it for years. Freezing ...

Fall of Communism opens the world to Schoper

The Revolutions of 1989, also know as the Fall of Communism, was a monumental year in world history that included free-market economics winning the battle between capitalism and communism. Events had a big impact on many people, including University of Minnesota Extension Educator and ...

Great library resources

New Ulm Public Library has a wealth of resources: from collections to technology, programs to skilled librarians. I want to share a few resources that you might not know that we offer. As with any library resources, our staff are happy to assist you. Do you have a desire to learn another language but don’t know where to start? Check out Mango Languages, a language-learning tool offered in partnership with the Traverse des Sioux Regional Library. Mango Languages offers courses in over seventy world languages for learners of all ages and skill levels. They even offer an app to make ...