Braziers from Pompeii inspired copies
Terry & Kim Kovel
During the late 18th century, wealthy people made the long trip to Europe to admire the architecture and art of that continent, including the ruins of past civilizations.
The town of Pompeii was a major attraction. It had been covered with ash and lava in 78 A.D. and forgotten until 1748, when it blocked some construction. Historians have been studying the remains, and the art and culture, since then.
The city was a summer home for wealthy Romans, and the eruption covered and saved the furnishings under the rock. Information about furniture and paintings inspired copies in the 18th century.
A brazier that was used to heat a Roman bath in the city was copied and sold in the late 1800s. The popular bronze brazier had a pieced rim and a threepart foot with men with paw feet holding the fire pit on their heads.
One sold at a Cakebread auction in New Orleans for $500.
Q: I have a Campbell's Kid girl doll dressed as a chef in a pink dress with a white apron and hat. She is 6 inches tall and still in the unopened Campbell's Soup can with a seethrough side. How much is she worth today?
A: The Campbell Soup Co. was founded by Joseph A. Campbell, a fruit merchant, and Abraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer, in Camden, New Jersey, in 1869.
Illustrator Grace Three men with animal feet hold this Roman brazier on their heads. It is a copy of an excavated piece from Pompeii that was buried in 78 A.D. Drayton created the chubby-faced Campbell Kids in 1904. The first dolls were
made in 1910, by the E.I Horsman Co. The composition dolls were sold by mail order through Montgomery Ward and Sears, as well as in local stores.
In 1928, the licensing rights went to the American Character Doll Co. The dolls were dressed in chef's clothing, like in the advertisements. The Kids weren't used in advertising much from the mid-1920s to the mid-1940s, but they were brought back in 1954 to celebrate their 50th birthday, and new dolls were made.
Your doll is from the 1998 "Junior Series," a commemorative set of four dolls, each packaged individually in a tin can with a removable sticker, so they could be used as a bank. Asking prices online are up to $25 for one in original packaging, but without the can they sell for about $5 to $8.
CURRENT PRICES Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
• Rocker: shaker, shawl, woven tape seat, mushroom caps, No. 7, 40-by-31-by-26 inches, $105
• Garden bench: Greek Medallion, birds, branch arms, iron, 72½ inches, $510
• Clock: cuckoo, Black Forest, birds, branches, corn cob, bone hands, 1895, 26-by-17 inches, $1,090
• Carousel horse: Prancer, black and white, red saddle, Philadelphia Toboggan Co., 1906, 42-by-50 inches, $2,055