I remember waiting in line at the downtown armory back in 2005 or so. You see there was an antique show set up inside. And I was outside. First in line with a vendor list in hand. And I knew exactly where my first stop would be as soon as the doors opened.

This is what the antiques and art business was like not too long ago. I'm not talking about some old forgotten time. I'm talking about ten or fifteen years ago. But let us not lament the past, let us enjoy it. Case in point, a picture frame that I enjoyed for many years. I purchased the Newcomb-Macklin produced frame with two other frames that day when I ran into the downtown armory and made a bee line for the booth of a fellow art and frame dealer. The two other frames were wide molding, hand carved and gold gilt examples perfect for important paintings. But this one. This was the emotional purchase. This skinny molding, polychrome finish over a rippled gesso profile was all emotion. I promptly sold the other two and hung this one on the wall of my old West Village apartment. And there it stayed for many years until one day in May. I thought it was time to let it go, so I brought it to the antiques show in Brimfield. And as I was hanging it in my tent, Steven Gambrel walked in and bought it. Just like that. I'm still wondering where this frame has wound up and I'm always expecting to see it in the pages of a shelter magazine or more likely here on Instagram. ;-) hkv