Framing Your Valuables--What to Ask the Framer

If your item has a high monetary or sentimental value it is wise to find a framer with years of experience. Also ask the framer to outline their work plan before the job begins.

Here are four questions you should be asking before the framer before hiring.

1. How will my item be mounted or suspended?  Improper techniques can cause irreversable   damage such as breakage or slippage. All items should be removable from mounting.

2. What type of backers or glass will be used?  In many cases non-acidic backers and ultra-violet control glass are necessary to prevent fading and acidification of papers and objects.

3. What steps are needed to complete the plan?  Does the item need specialist cleaning/stretching or restoration. The individuals providing these services also must be also be expert in their field.

4. How long will the process take?  It is important not to rush the framer as quality work takes time. However most framers will give you a reasonable time frame of 2-4 weeks depending on the complexity of your project.

Michael Schumacher wearing his Formula 1 fire suit. His same fire suit after I framed it.

Recap - ARIDO Accredited Events for July

We were excited to be part of another 'Blending Genres' exhibit and weekly symposium series, expertly organised by Marilyn Harding of www.mhArt.ca .   It was located in the Dignam Gallery of the Womens Art Association of Canada, 23 Prince Arthur Ave, Toronto.

Photographs of the hanging of the exhibit (the hard work) and of the Open House on July 04 (the fun part) are by photographer Anne Launcelott. Check her out at www.eyemindcamera.com .

Anne's photographs were on display at the WAAC along with Anthony Batten, Linda Kemp,

Lynn Bertrand plus our own rare 1920 pochoir prints.

Each artist gave their own individual presentations finishing with a talk by Nicholas Legge from our gallery, discussing 'The Frame: Art in Context '.

Amazing New York Weekend !

We left Toronto last Friday for a fabulous weekend in NYC.
We flew Porter airlines for the first time and it was fantastic- flight was on time !

The view of Toronto as we
boarded the ferry to the airport.










The Phillips Club on the upper west side was our home base for the 2 days
while we explored the city. The Phillips Club is located next to the Lincoln Centre and the
New York Ballet which made it ideal !



The Lincoln Centre for the Arts


The Phillips Club Lobby

 On our list of sites to visit was the Guggenheim for a wonderful show of Francesca Woodman's

photographs.

 The beautiful Guggenheim Museum.
Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral masterpiece!

       Francesca Woodman self portrait. A beautiful, but disturbed young woman who set the standard in photographic excellence.

Lunch on Sunday was on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Check out this view !

 What would it be to visit NYC and not go to Central Park? Opened in 1847 and contains
843 Acres of open space to wander about and explore.
And what would NYC be without doing some necessary shopping?

The trip ended far too soon - maybe we will be there next April for the rare book fair.

Exclusive Spring Events

Marilyn Harding Art in association with Elisabeth Legge Gallery
We were delighted to be participants in
the annual Hadassah Art Show, May 23 in Toronto.
120 women visited our gallery (4 bus loads) to see our presentation
"Blending Genres", a display of contemporary and
antique art work. Artists featured, Anthony Batten, Linda Kemp and
Lynn Bertrand.  A portion of our sales was donated to the
NOAR Chapter of Hadassah.

The next evening we held a talk sponsored by the Interior Designers of Canada

entitled "Is It Worth The Paper It's Printed On?". This first in a series of art professional

talks was given by antique print dealers Elisabeth and Nicholas Legge. They discussed

the history and evolution of antique and rare prints with emphasis on the nature of

papers, process and techniques of authenticating genuine antiqe prints. Our

evaluation at the end of the talk was 'EXCELLENT'!

Shown from left to right, artist Lynn Bertrand, Elisabeth Legge, designer
Georgia Tannis, designer Victoria Shaw and Marilyn Harding. These were just
few of our designers that stayed afterwards for bubbly and nibbles.


Fianally, Blending Genres Open House, Saturday May 26,  we enjoyed an informal
afternoon with artists Anthony Batten, Linda Kemp and  Lynn Bertrand. We were
pleased with the turnout of over 70 people at advertised event.

Wait for our next post about our trip to NYC next weekend!

Spring Events: Marilyn Harding Presents ...

These special events are held at the Elisabeth Legge Gallery in Yorkville Toronto.

The first event requires registration as it is a course offered by the Interior Designers

of Canada group. The second is a general invitation for all to view the works of 3 very

talented artists. If nothing else, plan to attend the art show!

Contact Marilyn for more info.

Super Moon May 06, 2012

I raced outside last night at 1:30 am to capture this sight. Beautifully set between the buildings in the neighbourhood, caught it just right.
Odd it doesnt seem 221000 miles away!

Super Moon information

We have always loved anything celestial in nature. It brought to mind the celestial prints we sell. Have a look.

The Hercules constellation.

c1820 by A. Jameson, The Celestial Atlas.

From the same source, we have the Pegasus constellation.

You can see the whole collection ( of what remains) at our website:

Celestial Prints

LeggePrints.com hosts Interior Design Association of Canada seminar.

31

Legend

IDC Evet

Industr vent

Filter

Education

Sponsorship

Networking

Show All

IDC Seminar: Antique and Rare Prints – A History and Evolution

This one-hour seminar will provide a foundation for the professional interior designer on the history of antique prints, including the quality of papers, printing processes and the criteria for design choices. Discussion will include branded engravers, fakes and forgeries, and the future of rare prints.
Elisabeth Legge, Art Dealer, Past President of Canadian Antique Dealers Association Elisabeth Legge is the dynamic founder and owner of LeggePrints.com, an online and by-appointment showroom of antique prints, based in the Yorkville district of Toronto. Her specialty is in supplying antique prints, copper engravings and etchings from the fifteenth century on to a diverse clientele, including architects, designers and discerning collectors worldwide. Legge Prints has the distinction of being a member of 1st Dibs, the preeminent online source for antiques, rare works and vintage jewellery.

Location	Elisabeth Legge Showroom, 37B Hazelton Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 1M6 (Map)
Date & Time	Thursday, May 24, 2012. Registration: 6 to 6:30 p.m. Seminar: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wine and Cheese will be served.
Fees	Registered Members: $40.00 Intern Members: $30.00 Non-Members: $60.00
Register	Click here to register
CEU

The seminar discusses the history of the print and it's distribution to the masses throughout the centuries.
Marilyn Harding Art Consultant

Notice the wine and cheese being served !!

Antique Experts Casting Call

Marblemedia is developing a show for History Television and they are looking for a panel of experts on antiquing.

They are looking for authorities who specialise in specific areas to round out a great panel of experts.

They are also looking for excellent story tellers who are able to tell the wonderful history behind certain pieces.

History Television is very keen on this show and are  looking to film a pilot this spring.

         For more information,

                                               
         please email mike@marblemedia.com

 

Interior Design Show Toronto 2012 and a Surprise Visit from 1stDibs!

On January 26th, I attended my first lecture at IDS12 'Conversations in Design: Trailblazing and Trendspotting.' I was eager to hear Michael Bruno, founder of 1stDibs.com speak about his amazing journey developing this site- which is now the world's leading online source for 20th century design and antiques. As a 1stDibs dealer, I am familiar with the operation of the site but I was curious about how it had evolved and developed.
In 1998, Bruno brought the infamous Paris Flea Market, Marche aux Puces, to the internet as an alternative to auction sites and traditional auction houses. Thoughout his presentation, he stressed the importance of letting things happen and develop over time. He also focused on the quality of the dealers and the relationship between dealer and client, confidence and trust being the most important elements of a sale.

Michael Bruno's concept has worked! 1stDibs.com is an ever expanding. It represents
more than a 1000 vetted dealers in 21 of the largest US markets and has expanded to Canada,France and the UK.

Later that afternoon I recieved a pleasant surprise. A visit from Michael Bruno and his assistant to view our new upper level showroom. It was a great opportunity to show our new space and share ideas about 1stDibs.com. A great day!

 

Posted 28th January by Legge Prints

 



We are in Good Company!

 

 

Please read this informative article by Arthur Smith, Head of The Royal Ontario Museum's library and archives in Toronto. Our stock at www.Leggeprints.com/seguy also includes a rare collection of E.A Seguy original pochoirs for your viewing.

Posted 21st December 2011 by Legge Prints

Labels: E.A Seguy pochoir process

 



The Legge Prints Erotica Collection

2012 will mark the twentieth anniversary of Legge Prints’ foray into erotic art, the creation of our portfolio of erotic prints as well as our first acquisitions of artistic portrayals of the human form.

Our own interest in erotica was sparked in 1992 by the referral of one client by another, who is an avid collector of Madonna memorabilia and in particular the collection of photos taken of her by photographer Steven Meisel that make up her now legendary book SEX. The client approached us after careful research and a positive referral from another collector of photography whose Daguerrotypes and albumen prints we had carefully conserved, mounted and framed to museum standards over the course of several months.

The latter client’s collection now requires two homes (Toronto and Florida) to house the collection and includes all aspects of photographs, posters, ticket stubs, CD sleeves, cards and the Japanese version of the SEX book lovingly sealed standing in a glass box of our creation (The Japanese version was printed on art paper of far higher quality than that of the English and other versions).

Posted 2nd November 2011 by Legge Prints

Labels: Elisabeth Legge Prints Madonna erotic art picture framing Legge Prints



Three Eras of Fashion Prints at LeggePrints.com

1940’s

 

Engravings from New York’s Andre Fashion House...

A reflection of the war years; an era when women went to work in numbers never before seen and fashion that reflected military and utilitarian influences

1920’s

Art Deco Fashion Sketches from Paris –

The House of Premet...

A rare glimpse of the Roaring ‘20s – a decade of excess and decadence

1900’s

(A preview of a page we’re currently working on here at LeggePrints.com :- turn of the century wood engravings from “la Mode Illustré” – a French publication spanning the years 1860 to 1914)

Fashion evolves past the aesthetics of Victorian Morals. The female form is now observed and appreciated as more than the sum of her cinched waist’s circumference

Please visit
www.LeggePrints.com
for more details

Posted 26th October 2011 by Legge Prints

Labels: Elisabeth Legge Prints Premet collecting art Fashion Antique Prints

 



Starting an Antique Print Collection

How to start an Antique PRINT collection

1. BEGIN COLLECTING! Perhaps the best advice we can offer is to begin to assemble a collection of what you LOVE and what interests you most, whether it be maps, botanicals, architecture or erotica

2. ESTABLISH a time period or era that you wish your collection to focus on; Victorian, Art Deco and Art Nouveau prints are especially collectible and affordable.

3. UNDERSTAND that Antique Prints are ANTIQUES, not reproductions. The originals were pulled from a copper plate, woodblock or lithographic stone. They should not be confused with reproductions, which can be decorative but have no real value.

4. CONSIDER only prints that are in good to excellent condition. Your money will be wasted if the items are foxed or torn.

5. BUY from a REPUTABLE DEALER who belongs to an ASSOCIATION. This provides you with a guarantee of authenticity and a grievance procedure if for some reason you are unhappy with your purchase. This is especially important when you are buying an expensive piece.

6. RESEARCH using objective academic sites firstly, then dealer sites. Beware of unclear wording and incomplete descriptions of the prints.

7. FRAME with only acid free archival materials and ultraviolet glass to prevent fading.

And lastly enjoy the HUNT for and DISPLAY of your COLLECTION!

Posted 9th September 2011 by Legge Prints

Labels: Elisabeth Legge Prints collecting art Antique Prints

Interesting New Clients

It’s been an unusually busy summer here at Legge Prints and we continue to hear from new clients. One of the most interesting parts of our job here is working with designers in faraway places, and perhaps the most interesting this summer has been an interior designer based in Jersey in the Channel Islands.

Her work focuses on stately homes in Jersey and throughout the British Isles. She was particularly taken with our collection of Butterfly Prints, which she purchased many of on behalf of one client. A large mansion on Jersey filled with images of butterflies – doesn’t that sound idyllic?

Posted 19th August 2011 by Legge Prints

Labels: Interior Design Elisabeth Legge Prints Antique Prints