Phoenix made design popular

terry kovel \ Antiques and collecting

Grand Rapids, Mich., was the center of furniture manufacturing in the United States by the 1860s.

It was the right place at the right time. The country’s population center was moving west.

Homeowners were much closer to Grand Rapids than to New England.

A new way of thinking about a house had evolved, too.

By the second half of the 19th century, good, stylish furniture was a sign of the good life.

Large houses had special rooms — a parlor, library, hall, bedroom, kitchen and dining room. Each required its own furniture.

Often a parlor was furnished with a suite: a man’s chair, woman’s chair, four smaller chairs, a sofa and perhaps a table in the same style.

It was now possible to make furniture with less-expensive machine-carved parts.

The Phoenix Furniture Co. started making Victorian-style parlor furniture for the middle and upper classes in 1876.

In 1900, styles changed.

Arts and Crafts furniture with straight lines and very little decorative carving was made for rooms with fewer sofas and chairs and uncluttered tabletops and shelves.

Phoenix Furniture altered its style and made Arts and Crafts pieces, some with a touch of Victorian carving and trim.

The company had already made the McKinley Chair with straight lines and a cane seat back in 1895.

It was one of the first popular Arts and Crafts designs.

Phoenix was acquired by Robert W. Irwin in 1911, but the Phoenix name and a picture of a Phoenix bird continued as a trademark on Irwin pieces until 1931.

Irwin went out of business in 1953.

Q. I bid on a boxful of stuff at an auction just so I could get the art books in the box. I found a surprise, too — a large bowl marked “Owen Minerva.” It’s in excellent condition, has a scalloped edge and is decorated with pansies. Another mark on the bottom is “Gold Medal, St. Louis.” What can you tell me?

A. Your bowl was made by the Owen China Co. of Minerva, Ohio. The company was founded by Edward (Ted) J. Owen in 1902 and stayed open until the Depression forced it to close in 1932. At the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, Owen won a gold medal for “best domestic semi-porcelain.” That’s why your bowl carries the “Gold Medal” mark. Your semi-porcelain bowl is worth $10 to $20, depending on its size.

Q. I have an old floor-model record player and I wonder if people collect them. The label on the inside says “Victrola, manufactured by Victor Talking Machine Company, 1906, Camden, N.J.” and “Wurlitzer.”

A. The Victor Talking Machine Co. was founded in Camden in 1901. It introduced the Victrola, a player with an internal rather than external horn, in 1906. The name Wurlitzer on your Victrola refers to one of the dealer networks that marketed Victrolas. Old Victrolas are collectible, but they sell for a wide range of prices depending on model and condition. An early table model in good shape can go for $300 or more.

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