Bakelite glorious Bakelite

We live in a world of alternatives, and Bakelite was one of the first major alternatives developed in the world of materials. The material was originally created to replace shellac and celluloid, and by extension all objects replicated by early plastics such as ivory, bone, metal and jade.

‎Bakelite was developed by the Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland in 1907 when he began to investigate the reactions of phenol and formaldehyde in his home laboratory. The first synthetic plastic, Bakelite was marketed as ‘The Material of a Thousand Uses’. The creation of a new synthetic plastic was a breakthrough due to the material’s electrical non-conductivity and heat resistance.

The Bakelite moulding process was both time and cost efficient as the mould could be removed from the process before cooling. The smooth polished surface that resulted meant that Bakelite objects required less finishing with millions of parts duplicated quickly and cheaply decreasing production time. Mouldings retain their shape and are resistant to heat, electricity, scratches, and solvents.

During World War I, Bakelite was used widely, particularly in electrical systems. Later on, as telephones and radios became common household consumer goods and the car industry developed, Bakelite was everywhere.

In its glory days of the 1930s and 1940s, it was an inexpensive alternative to high-end jewellery imitating natural materials such as jade and pearl. In the early 1920s, it became popular in the fashion world, when Coco Chanel used Bakelite bracelets in her costume jewellery collections. Elsa Schiaparelli also adopted Bakelite accessories as an alternative to naturally sourced materials and Breitling used Bakelite for presentation boxes for their watches.

By the 1930s, Bakelite was used in games like chess and dominoes and for poker chips. Easier and lighter than its alternatives and in a variety of colours and shapes, Bakelite offered designers a creative edge.  During World War II, Bakelite was still going strong. It was used in wartime equipment including pilot's goggles and field telephones, and even for patriotic wartime jewellery! In the 1950s it began to decline in popularity as cheaper and higher quality plastics became available.

Recently, it has assumed a cult status and objects are fashionable and collectable. Bakelite in its various styles and shapes is displayed in museums and sold by specialists and auctioneers. The appeal of Bakelite items is simultaneously nostalgic and contemporary- it represents an era of increasing affluence and modernisation, as consumers took advantage of previously out-of-reach fashion and consumer goods.

We’ve put together a selection of Bakelite items available at Alfies.

Bakelite jewellery - bangles, brooches, dress clips etc, available from Gillian Horsup Vintage Jewellery

A selection of bakelite items at Paola & Iaia's stand

A selection of bakelite items at Paola & Iaia's stand

Art Deco bakelite table light, available from Thirteen Interiors

Pyramid 1929 Bakelite Telephone, available from Thirteen Interiors

Written by Titika Malkogeorgou

Summer Catering: Antique Partyware from Alfies

Summer has finally arrived! Temperatures have been soaring this week and with that has come the clinking of Pimms glasses and the smell of the barbecue. If you're planning a picnic, barbecue or summer party this weekend - or want to be prepared for the next mini-heatwave (after all, it's impossible to predict) - then Alfies is a great place to stock up on vintage and antique drinkware and picnicware. A vintage dinner set or water set adds interest and a touch of class to a garden table, so get rid of that plastic atrocity you've had in the cupboard for years, and take a look at what Alfies has on offer.

We have found a great selection of glasses, pitchers and more from some of our dealers here at Alfies, here are our favourites:

1920s/30s American Art Deco Chrome plated cocktail shaker with engraved recipes. From Andy's Antiques & Collectables.

As above.

1920s 1930s Art Deco Whitefriars sapphire blue glass jug and glass set with silver plate drink stirrers. From Robinson Antiques.

1920s/30s English Art Deco green alabaster glass water set. From Robinson Antiques.

1930s silverplate and Bakelite cherry pot with cherry cocktail sticks. From Beth.

1940s red and cream Bakelite ice bucket. From Beth.

1950s Whitefriars ruby glass mixer jug. From Robinson Antiques.

Art Deco – the modern stream

The art and design of the Art Deco era (1920-1939) is characterised by geometric shapes, bright colours and decorative motifs deriving from a wide range of styles of the 20th Century such as Neo-classical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Art Noveau and Futurism. In Europe, its popularity peaked in the 1920s and in the USA it continued strongly through the 1930s. Differing from other art and design movements which have political or philosophical intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative. The term Art Deco, also known as moderne or modernistic, is an abbreviation of the French words art and décoratif, from the 1925 Paris Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels, which showcased new and exciting forms of French design that sparked the Art Deco style.

Poster for the influential exposition

The stylistic label Art Deco was introduced later in the mid 1960s when the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris organised an exhibition named Les Années 25: Art Déco/ Bauhaus/ Stijl/ L'Esprit Nouveau. And the term became more familiarized by the publication of the book Art Deco of the 20s and 30s by Bevis Hillier in 1968.

Art Deco design is based on mathematical geometric shapes in trapezoidal, zigzagged and jumbled designs, seen in the motifs of abstracted garlands of flowers, flowing fountains, running deer, chevrons, lightning flashes, and sunbursts. These shapes were influenced by the crystalline and faceted forms of decorative Cubism and Futurism, as well as ethnographic arts of Africa, Aztec Mexico and especially Egypt after the opening of Tutankhamun's Tomb in 1922.

A selection of Art Deco shapes

The collecting of ‘primitive’ artefacts at the beginning of the 20th Century inspired designers to use exotic woods, ivory, snake, shark and zebra skin. Art Deco design was also influenced by Machine Age or streamline technology, such as modern aviation, electric lighting, the radio, the ocean liner and the skyscraper. New materials such as Bakelite, Vitrolite, and chromium plating were important to the Art Deco style, as well as aluminium, stainless steel, lacquer and inlaid wood. In architecture, Art Deco was applied in sleek columns and radiating shapes such as in the Chrysler Building, and the colourfulness of Art Deco is best seen in Miami Beach.

Miami Beach Art Deco houses

Art Deco lost its fame in the West after reaching mass production in the late 1930s and began to be thought of as gaudy and an unecessary luxury, and its presence was cut short by the austerities of The Second World War. Many later artistic movements were influenced by Art Deco such as Memphis and Pop Art, and in the 1960s, and again in the 1980s graphic design used Art Deco imagery, and its association with film noir and 1930s glamour were used to advertise fashion, jewellery and perfume.

The symmetry and repetition of Art Deco design spanned across jewellery, kitchen ware and decorative objects, seen in a selection of items from Alfies:

Colourful deco crystal necklaces and a dog brooch in celluloid. Prices from £ 35.00, from The Originals – Paola & Iaia

A pair of rare Art Deco salt and pepper shakers with radiating designs, c.1925 offered by W & L Antiques

Two tier silver plated cake stand designed by Mappin and Webb, offered by Goldsmith & Perris

Five mirror Deco vases. One pair of clear mirror, one pair of yellow mirror and one tall bronze mirror, all from Thirteen.

Two vases with stepped pyramid bases, offered by Renato

Lighting from the Art Deco era shows the gradual symmetry, such as these examples:

Orange phenolic and stepped chrome base original art deco table lamp, 1930's offered by Thirteen

Art Deco brown bakelite table lamp offered by Thirteen

A 1930's Art Deco crystal chandelier, width 80cm, offered by Lorna Lee Leslie

In interior design, the symmetry of Art Deco was combined with the beautiful use of wood, leather, metal and glass:

Elegant pair of 1930s consoles with drawers, in burr wood and leather, 90cm wide x 45 cm deep x 75 cm high, offered by Bent Ply

Round green glass Art Deco mirror offered by Louise Verber

A French Deco hall stand, from Stephen Lazarus

Ebonised and chrome sideboard made by P.E.L., measuring 152cm x 57cm x 92cm high, offered by Travers Antiques

Walnut and mirror shelves. 40cm x 40cm x 80cm high, also from Travers Antiques

More Art deco to be found in Alfies, over three floors of wonders!

The Second Floor in Alfies

Here in Alfies we have four floors of amazing stands filled with unique items. This week's blog focuses on the second floor, where you will find a great mix of unusual collectables ranging from kitsch 50's tea sets from Ian Broughton to beautiful vintage lace from June Victor.

June sells a range of textiles from the 18th Century up until the 1940's, encompassing costume, lace, ribbons and table and bed linen. Her costumes and related accessories are constantly supplied to films and theatre.

Adjacent to June's stand is Nigel Martin, here you can find a wealth of vintage fabric, fixings and trimmings.

Persiflage specialises in similar items; textiles, vintage clothes and accessories. Like June's and Nigel's, this is a real treasure trove of a shop. You can find amazing 1960s dresses alongside drawers full of vintage buttons and trimmings, all reasonably priced.

The Originals have lots of fantastic and unique pieces of jewellery that I could spend hours looking at! Recently I have been admiring their collection from French costume jewellery designer Lea Stein.

Just opposite The Originals you will find East West Antiques. Colin Thompson who runs the stand has a variety of specialisms including Oriental objects and decoratives, illustrated books (including children's books) and collectible toys and related ephemera.

Francesco Bettoni deals in original artwork mainly from the 1970s. His constantly varying stock encompasses many disciplines including sculpture, painting, prints, and photography. All the artworks are signed originals from renowned international artists.

Ian Broughton's shop Manic Attic is crammed full of amazing kitsch finds from 1930's-60's. You can find quirky glasses, lighting record players and household items that will take you back to another
time.

Art and Decorative Design, have a great range of 20th Century decorative objects, with a focus on lighting, furniture and contemporary art. This is an ideal destination for collectors and interior designers alike.

Beverley is a well established antiques dealer who specialises in glass, ceramics, porcelain and English china. There really is something for everyone here, from the pretty tea cups to Clarice Cliff hand painted plates.

Trevor Lewis Vintage Glass & Decorative Objects is a relatively new dealer to the market, but with 15 years experience in the antiques trade under his belt, he has brought a fantastic array of decorative items to Alfies. This ranges from Art Deco vases to kitsch glass objects.

So make a bee line for the Second Floor Gallery and see what treasures you can find!

Plastics and Plasticity

The history of plastics is actually pretty amazing. I found this out on a visit to the Science Museum in South Kensington earlier this week. After avoiding the hoards of wild school children I stumbled across 'Plasticity', a small temporary exhibition on the first floor. Completely surrounded by floor to ceiling of hanging brilliant red plastic sheets, you are carefully led around the exhibition and shown how plastics have become such a huge part of our lives.

A Natural Plastic - A tortoiseshell inkstand with silver inlay. Circa 1900. By Magna Carta Antiques

Tortoiseshell and horn are two naturally occuring plastics that were used before the invention of Bakelite.

Bakelite was the very first totally synthetic man-made plastic to be invented by Dr. Leo Baekeland in 1912. It was also the first thermosetting plastic, which meant that once an object was formed it could not be changed or re-melted. It was also heat-resistant and non conductive which was great as it allowed Bakelite to have a vast variety of uses and could be used for things that would get hot, such as ash trays and thermos flasks like these:

Classic 1950's Canadian Thermos jugs in brown bakelite and chrome from Robinson Antiques

Bakelite was perfect for making electrical items too, which lead to the first truly iconic bakelite design: the bakelite telephone.

Bakelite Telephone from Thirteen Interiors.

Radios and speakers were also made from Bakelite. These items are still popular and highly collectable today.

A fantastic 1920's Bakelite round mottled loud speaker by Philips. Circa 1927. From Ian Broughton.

The Originals on the second floor have a large range of bakelite, celluliod and plastic household items and jewellery. The image above shows a small selection.

One of the limitations of Bakelite, although some would argue against this was the limitations in colour. Bakelite items are dark and quite classical looking, and this matched the interiors of the time is was first produced but as times changed people wanted colour in their lives and when urea formaldehyde was produced successfully by the British Cyanides Co in 1928 things really got exciting.

With no limit to colour this new type of plastic was used in many household items, tableware, handbags, compacts, jewellery...the list is endless.

1930s Art Deco card box with hand detail. From Connie Speight.

From the 1940s onwards there was an increased use of plastics in everyday life. At Alfies we can easily celebrate some of the fashionable aspects of everyday plastics!

This fantastic late 1950s set (above) is by the famous costume jewellery design house Trifari. It is made from white Lucite, a thermoset plastic, and has matching necklace, bracelet and earrings.

This beautiful ‘Dorset Rex’ 1950s gold bag with a Lucite top and handle shows off a different use for this versatile plastic. Both the Trifari set above and the handbag can be found at Deborah Woolf Vintage.

Plastics are not only reserved for smaller items such as jewellery and tableware. Look at this chic Lucite table from Louise Verber Antiques. Made in the 1970s, notice the gilt finish on the three legs giving it that glam 70s cocktail vibe. I also really like this fun bright red 1970s umbrella stand from Francesca Martire (below).

As we all know too well the superb qualities of plastics and all the things we can do with them (from medicine and transport, to fashion and future technologies) there is always the downside. With the radical growth of a throwaway culture from around the 1960s onwards, it is only now we are realising and struggling to cope with the amount of this material e.g. plastic bags. Recycling is now at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Vintage finds are one of the ways we can reuse, recycle and remember the best qualities and designs of this amazing material.

(Quite) Important Plastic Dates Throughout History: as taken from the the British Plastics Federation.

1926 – Harrods hosts the first display of new coloured tableware by Brookes & Adams and Thomas De La Rue & Co.

1930 – Scotch tape invented.

1938 – First toothbrush with nylon tufts manufactured.

1948 – George de mistral invents Velcro.

1948 – Introduction of 12” long playing records made from PVC.

1957 – The hoop is reinvented as the Hula Hoop.

1959 – Mattel unveils the first Barbie Doll.

1969 – Neil Armstrong plants a nylon flag on the moon.

1979 – Introduction of the first commercial mobile phones.