Overbed table a workhorse item likely used daily for many years
Philadelphia furniture company also manufactured railroad seating
Q: I went to an auction not long ago and could not stop myself from buying this piece, even though there was some damage to the finish. It is marked “Hale & Kilburn, Philadelphia” on an oval tag. Any thoughts on my purchase?
A: Today, when we see a piece of furniture such as this one, we cannot help but think “hospital.” Every hospital room across America seems to have a modern version of one of these for serving meals to bed-bound patients.
But when this particular example was new, we think it had a more elegant purpose. Yes, it is still useful for the nonambulatory, but when it was new at the turn of the 20th century it was probably used for serving madame breakfast in bed — or perhaps when the lady of the house wanted to dash off a few notes while still in her boudoir.
Yes, there was a time when these overbed tables tended to bring to mind maids and butlers rather than nurses and doctors. They can be extremely useful and practical, but they seldom fit in modern homes where space can be a premium.
Hale and Kilburn was founded in Philadelphia in 1873 by inventor and industrialist Henry Hale and Cheney Kilburn. They began making parlor and other household furniture including folding beds and water coolers.
By the time the company relocated within the city they had started manufacturing seating for railroads, trolleys and subways. They had even developed a so-called walkover seat that could be rotated to face the way in which the train, subway or trolley was traveling.
The company was sold in 1911 to J.P. Morgan and again in 1920 to the American Motor Body Company, which made closed car bodies for Ford, Hudson, Chalmers and Maxwell automobiles. Looking at this piece, we see it was made from oak and stylistically it looks very much like other pieces of utilitarian furniture made at the turn of the 20th century, and we do see a bit of very late Victorian Eastlake influence.
As far as the finish goes, we recommend you try cleaning it gently with mild soap and water. Then, you might try rubbing it down with a little bit of lemon oil and see how you like the results. But please, no sandpaper and no harsh refinishing!
This piece was a workhorse. It was probably used daily for many years, and it has earned its scars as a badge of honor.
As for the monetary value, we feel it has a insurance value of between $150 and $200 — just as it is.
Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson have written a number of books on antiques. Do you have an item you’d like to know more about? Contact them at Joe Rosson, 2504 Seymour Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917, or email them at treasures@knology.net. If you’d like your question to be considered for their column, include a high-resolution photo of the subject, which must be in focus, with your inquiry.
A quinceanera is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, with its cultural roots in Mexico and throughout Latin America. While I am not exactly sure of the birthday, it was 15 years ago that our girl of the plant world Senorita Rosalita cleome won her first award. Today she has won 237 of the top awards in the country and forever changed the world when it comes to using the cleome in the landscape.
Before the arrival of Senorita Rosalita gardeners were concerned about growing cleomes because they have thorns that can be quite painful. They also don’t like the fact that cleomes reseed — A LOT, thousands of seeds! Those two issues kept you many from growing cleome, but that all changed 15 years ago.
Senorita Rosalita is shorter than typical cleomes. It is sterile, which means it sets no seeds. It also does not have thorns, and it blooms all season long. With attributes like that, you would guess it would be an award winner. The list of awards that humbles most other plants, has proven its adaptability across the entire country. This includes the 2009 Mississippi Medallion Award Winner, my last year as an extension horticulture specialist with MSU.
Cleomes are usually planted from young transplants in warm spring soil, which means we will soon be entering the prime planting season. Select a site that is well drained and receives plenty of sunlight. Morning sun and afternoon shade will also work well.
If the bed is poorly drained, add 2 to 3 inches of organic matter. Be sure and apply a good layer of mulch after planting. This really helps prevent moisture loss to evaporation and deter weed growth, which competes for both water and nutrients. Cleomes are drought tolerant once established. In midsummer, give them a little fertilizer, like a 5-10-5, and you’ll help push them into the fall season
Senorita Rosalita is available in a cheerful lavender-pink color. It can be used in any style of garden and in a wide variety of plant combinations. In the landscape, place Senorita Rosalita cleome to the rear of the border in a bold group. Space them 20 to 24 inches apart. They combine wonderfully with other flowers like petunias, phlox, salvias and vincas. I’ve seen great combinations using them with yellow daylilies.
Their exotic spidery flower structure allows them to also work wonderfully well in tropical gardens with bananas and elephant ears; after all, they do come from South America. To be honest, they fit in cottage gardens just as well and would be exceptional in public areas such as golf courses and parks. They reach close to 4 feet in height, attract hummingbirds and butterflies, and offer both heat and drought tolerance.
By all means if you are looking for the unusual flower as the thriller plant in mixed containers then you could hardly pick a better choice. Your choices for spiller and filler plants are limitless. Some of my favorites would be Diamond Frost euphorbia or Flambe chrysocephalum as fillers and Goldilocks lysimachia.
The popularity of Senorita Rosalita has given way to two more exciting selections from Proven Winners. Pequena Rosalita offers the same color but on an even shorter plant reaching only 36-inches tall. Newest is Senorita Blanca with the same height and blooming powers as Senorita Rosalita but a pristine white bloom.
Your garden can celebrate Senorita Rosalita all summer long; get ready, it may be cold now, but spring is coming.