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VINTAGE - ANTIQUE BABY STUFF

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WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT ANTIQUE BABY STUFF?

I'm not sure whether antique baby stuff and equipment is more fascinating or if I prefer vintage.. When people refer to items manufactured in the 1950s and 60s as antiques I have to laugh.


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Vintage would be a more appropriate term and my mom says "used" would be better because she refuses to accept that she might be sliding into vintage category and prefers to think of herself as "used but in excellent condition". Vintage items are interesting and sometimes downright funny. When you come across potty chairs that were made to double as high chairs, you have to laugh.

I see a lot of confusion and discuss about what qualifies an item as an antique. I'm sure the experts have lots to say on the subject, but my idea of an antique is a piece one hundred years old or older.

Occasionally you find the beautifully finished antique crib or a wicker baby buggy that was a marvel in its day. But more often antique baby furniture was rather primitive in design and crudely constructed.

The provenance is the primary attraction with these old furnishings. Family heirlooms have a romance and intrigue attached that has no comparison. To imagine our ancestors rocking their newborns in the same cradle where our own is peacefully napping is phenomenal. Even if the bed wasn't used by your great-great-grandmother; words fail me to express the feeling that you get when you think of the love and care that went into a handmade piece of furniture made especially for a child.

Modern manufacturing will never close the gap between the craftsmanship and master carpentry of long ago. Factories are experts in departments of speed and perfection. The attractive and perfect nature of modern products may serve to highlight even the crudest workmanship of the past. How can a machine compete with soul?

New Table of Contents

  1. How would you put antique baby furniture to use?
  2. TOP HATS and BABY BONNETS
  3. FANCY ANTIQUE BABY STROLLER
  4. ANTIQUE WICKER BABY BUGGY FACTS
  5. WHAT'S MORE INTERESTING? ANTIQUE BABIES or ANTIQUE CRIBS?
  6. CENTURY OLD BABY BABY BEDS FOUND COMPLETELY INTACT
  7. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR CALLING CARD. I HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED THE VISIT.
  8. Reader Feedback

How would you put antique baby furniture to use?

I would like to know how YOU plan to use the antique or vintage baby furniture or products that you have on hand.

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TOP HATS and BABY BONNETS

Antique Baby Outfits are SO Interesting

antique baby stroller bonnet hat

FANCY ANTIQUE BABY STROLLER

Existing examples of fancy, antique strollers indicate that taking Victorian babies for a walk around the park or neighborhood was a very big deal!

type=textOld baby strollers like this one that has an estimated date of manufacture ranging anywhere from the early to mid 1880s are not practical for use other than for decorating a vintage theme room or as a unique conversation piece. We can imagine that this elaborately turned out pram was the top of the line in baby gear as well as the pride and joy of the mom who owned it as well as the nanny or nursemaid that actually used it.

The Brits, in modern times as well as during the Victorian era, refer to as strollers as a pushchair or a pram which is short for perambulator. The example that you see here was commonly known as a "Malefactress" because the design of the stroller was based on Royal Malefactress, that was used for mail delivery at the turn of the nineteenth century.

A common material used in strollers like this one was rattan because of its lightweight, durable and flexible characteristics.

As far as this antique baby stroller is concerned, the rattan portion of the seat was probably the ONLY lightweight part of the piece. The combination of the weight of the iron wheels, the wooden frame and the leather upholstery more than likely gave the governess pushing the pram quite a workout even on level terrain. This early stroller was a far cry from umbrella strollers and jogging strollers that are so convenient to use.

ANTIQUE WICKER BABY BUGGY FACTS

Fascinating facts that will amaze you!

Today you are far more likely to find a baby doll displayed in the antique wicker baby buggy in the corner of a child's bedroom. For reasons of safety, the antique Victorian baby buggy is mainly used for displaying antique baby toys and and vintage nursery decorating ideas rather than to actually stroll newborns around the block.

It's not that they lack the sturdiness necessary to carry a baby; if you have loaded one in the trunk of your car recently you know how big and heavy these old monsters can be. The best umbrella strollers not only pass safety tests with flying colors; they are lighter and much easier for a mom with both hands full to manage.

Instead of the plastics that are common in modern baby strollers in an antique wicker baby buggy you will notice that most of the supports are made out of metal and wood. In some early models wooden wheels were used instead of rubber tires. I wonder how many years have passed since wood was a common material in baby strollers?

Something interesting that I have noticed about many of the antique baby carriages that I have examined is that they were made with such detail. The upholstery on the inside of the sun canopy or hood was just as elegant as the woven wicker on the more visible parts of the buggy.

I was amazed to find spacious storage compartments under the interior cushions of some antique wicker baby buggies. This is particularly interesting considering that men of that day had very little knowledge of childcare and items that might have been needed to carry for an afternoon in the park.

WHAT'S MORE INTERESTING? ANTIQUE BABIES or ANTIQUE CRIBS?

A peek into nurseries of the past

Occasionally I have to remind myself of the reasons that antique baby beds and cribs hold such fascination for me. Why did they seem to have so much more character and personality than modern cribs!

I think about how hard life must have been back then and yet loving parents found the time to make their baby's first crib as comfortable and beautiful as possible. Once I think about it, there's no doubt that the history and origin of these old beds is worthy of my personal interest.

I can spend hours listening to stories told at the side of a crib that has been in a family for decades. The babies that slept there may not have been famous or destined to become celebrities, but may have had remarkable lives nonetheless.

If I'm lucky the owners dig out vintage pictures or even painted portraits to accompany their stories about the babies that slept in these beds for the first few years of their lives.

The tintypes or glass plate pictures may include not only the antique baby beds with the babies inside, but the surrounding nursery. How exciting it is to see what the surroundings of babies were like back in the old days!

CENTURY OLD BABY BABY BEDS FOUND COMPLETELY INTACT

This one of several lovely antique baby beds that I saw in a little shop in a small town in Appalachia quite some time ago.

The owner was using the old crib to display vintage quilts. I caught a glimpse of some of the details that were cast in iron and asked that he remove the quilts so that I could get some pictures

I had in my mind that this is a circa 1870s replica rather than an antique baby bed, but thought I'd get the store owners take on it. He (of course) pre-dated my estimate and said it was pre Civil War; probably early 1860s.
My opinion would be that the crib was made sometime in that decade, but without a stamped date we can't be sure.

This bed was just fascinating to me. It is cast iron with a scroll or seashell design on the connecting ornamentation design and has wooden rollers.

As far as I could tell the antique baby bed was
100% complete, including the springs and screws. I found this unusual as I have lost parts to several modern baby cribs much less keep all the pieces for over a century!

This bed was completely sand blasted over 12 years ago, including the spring base. All lead paint was removed and was repainted with lead free paint. It does have some scratches and small chips from being moved around but is in excellent condition. Both sides drop down. This baby bed is extremely hard to find, especially since it is 100% complete. I love the design of this bed. It is a wonderful antique and can be used for many different things.

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR CALLING CARD. I HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED THE VISIT.

  • victorianpassage Apr 21, 2011 @ 1:09 am | delete
    Really enjoyed your lens! I share your interest =)
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Reader Feedback

  • cffutah Sep 28, 2011 @ 9:15 pm | delete
    maybe add some poll questions?
  • Andee , the baby nurse Nov 5, 2009 @ 7:20 pm | delete
    PLEASE! PLEASE! do not use these beautiful antique cribs for your modern babies! They are Unsafe on many levels, for our precious babies and grand babies to sleep in. Lead paint is one issue, wide spacing of the bars is another,, and there are so many more reasons. Store your quilts, or antique dolls, but please do not let your babies sleep in them
  • chris Oct 28, 2009 @ 5:57 pm | delete
    I own a 2nd hand store and have a brass or iron vintage crib and is complete with chips but still has the original matress and springs. The wooden wheels (2) are missing , other than that it is a very nice rare piece-looks like the one in the picture you displayed--I think it is called a rosebud crib?? It has a rosebud or seashell design that connects the iron or brass.
  • Dave Mar 21, 2009 @ 9:01 pm | delete
    I have a Victorian iron rocking baby bed/cradle.The frame is cast iron and the basket is wire--all in excellent condition. I replaced one brass cap nut. It has the hoop to attach a netting over the cradle. I have no idea how old it reallys is other than what limited research I have done on the internet. It seems to be in the 1870-90 range. We had planned on having it dipped and poweder coated and using it for our grandchildren, but the kids have moved away. So it is still in its original condition. If anyone is interested, I can send pictures, etc. Please contact if you are interested: dcunsolo@verizon.net
  • Celisa Dec 27, 2008 @ 6:30 pm | delete
    Hi there,

    I have a beautiful antique baby buggy that I'd like to sell. Do you know who might be interested in buying it?
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msbaby

Being webmaster of Unique Baby Gifts Themes, Nursery Bedding Designs and Decorating Ideas takes up most of my spare time. But when I do have some time... more »

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