When it comes to collecting fine art and antiques, some people just can’t get enough.  One of these is Lewis W. Scranton. a Connecticut yankee whose passion is fine Americana.  Today The Appraisal Group pays tribute to Mr. Scranton who, through the years, has has saved more American history than some scholars.

Mr. Scranton has lived in site of American history and American town greens for many years. He needn’t have looked far to see what craftsmen of the past so patiently provided for their clients but he did. He traveled New England with an eye peeled for Windsor chairs, elaborate and beautifully carved advertising shingles, wrought iron and brass candlesticks, blanket chests from the 1700s, early American painted furniture. Even the stone walls surrounding his country house are authentically restored. He is surrounded by all the earmarks of a country in growth.

Possibly chief among his passions is American redware pottery. The potters of Pennsylvania were among the most prolific makers of this and their designs ran from simple color glazes to multi-colored, detailed items He also has a soft spot for chairs with pierced heart crests.

Sadly, people do not collect the way they once did or as Lewis Scranton did. He bought his first table – a drop leaf tavern table like one he saw in Wallace Nutting’s “American Furniture” – back in 1956. That Fort Edwards, NY purchase led to others until Scranton became an expert on regional Connecticut furniture. He became a dealer in 1968 and now operates a “by chance” or “by appointment” shop.

After a lifetime of collecting, Leis W. Scranton is sending much of his personal collection off to auction. Skinner Auction Gallery in Boston will feature it in their May 21st sale.

Editor’s Note: Today’s featured image is a hollow-cut and watercolor silhouette of Alpheus Rice (b. 1785) and Huldah Call (b. 1785), married April 28, 1895. From the Lewis W. Scranton collection.