09.30.10 : Idea Entry : Antique

Definition : An antique (Latin: antiquus; old) is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age (see definition), beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features. It is an object that represents a previous era or time period in human society. It is common practice to define "antique", as applying to objects at least 100 years old.

Joy Harmon Prouty uses antique object throughout her images to give her subject a more timeless feeling. She shoot with a vary narrow focus as well to play off the old time feel the antiques bring to the images. She has a "Modern Vintage look that has transformed the portrait industry."

Joy Harmon Prouty

Wildflowers Photography

In the United States, the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act defined an antique as "works of art (except rugs and carpets made after the year 1700), collections in illustration of the progress of the arts, works in bronze, marble, terra cotta, parian, pottery or porcelain, artistic antiquities and objects of ornamental character or educational value which shall have been produced prior to the year 1830."

Laffer, Arthur B., Stephen Moore, and Peter J. Tanous. The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy--if We Let It Happen. New York: Threshold Editions, 2008. Print.

Exploring how the idea of antiques evolved over time, Rosenstein chronicles the history of antique collecting in his book, Antiques: the History of an Idea.. He describes changing conceptions of the past in different era as evidenced by preservation, restorations, and renascences. He examines shifting attitudes toward foreign cultures as revealed in stylistic borrowings and the importation of artifacts. And he investigates varying understandings of and meanings assigned to their traits and functions as historical objects.
"The notion of retrieving a bit of the past-by owning a material piece of it-has always appealed to humans. Often our most prized possessions are those that have had a long history before they came into our hands. Part of the pleasure we gain from the encounter with antiques stems from the palpable age and the assumed (sometimes imaginary) cultural resonances of the particular object. "

Rosenstein, Leon. Antiques: the History of an Idea. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 2009. Print.

Decorative Dog Bookend
Antique Mall

I decided to research antiques because I have been visiting more antique store to take images of animals than I have gone to pet store or rescue establishments to take pictures of real animals. I cannot tell if it is because antique store are just more convenient to get to or if its because I am more interested in photographing antiques than I am real animals. I looked at photographers who use antique objects in there work exploring the idea of doing that myself with animal antiques.