The Brownies, drawn by Palmer Cox, are almost unknown to anyone younger than 80 today, but they were favorites of children from 1883 into the 1930s. The Brownies were tiny fairies, all male, who each night cleaned and fixed things for humans — that is, if they weren’t exploring or playing tricks. Cox first wrote and illustrated the Brownies’ activities in magazines, then in books, advertisements, toys, games, costumes, fabrics, china, jewelry and silver. But the Brownie name is best known because in 1900 Kodak decided to use the name and images of the Brownies to promote its new camera. The Kodak Brownie remained a popular camera until 1967. Few collectors realize that Brownies provided not just fun for children, but also sly political satire for adults. The Brownie “400” referred to the elite 400 of New York City. The Brownies “Policeman” and “Jockey” both represented real people. Brownie memorabilia easily is found today because many companies used the images without getting permission. Cox finally was able to obtain a copyright in 1891, and then licensed his work for a fee. His idea of licensing led the way for other artists to profit from their work.

Q: My grandmother gave me a fancy easel-back mirror that belonged to her mother. It always sat on her dresser. The frame is surrounded by molded curlicues, but I can’t tell if they’re made of wood or papier-mache. Printed at the top of the back of the mirror in black ink is “Syracuse Ornamental Co. Inc.” What can you tell me about this company?

A: Syracuse Ornamental Co. was founded in Syracuse, N.Y., in the late 1890s by Adolph Holstein, an Austrian immigrant and woodcarver. At first the company made carved wooden decorations that were used to embellish furniture, coffins and housing interiors. In the 1930s, the company introduced a special mixture of wood powders, waxes and resins called “Syroco” or “Syrocco” – a combination of the first letters of each word of the company’s name. The company was able to make molds of its carved wooden decorations, and mass-produced replicas using compression molding and the new mixture. Your mirror is one of the earlier pieces made with this mixture, since the corporate name was changed to Syroco Inc. sometime around 1940. We have seen mirrors like yours offered for $100 online. Syroco Inc., closed in 2007.

Q: I have a set of 12 plates marked “Copeland Spode, England, Plummer Ltd., 7 & 9 East 35th St., New York.” The word “Spode” is in a rectangle set over a square. The plates are white with a shell-embossed rim and a thin green border. Each one has a different center scene of two women, many showing them at a piano. There’s a year printed under each scene, too, ranging from 1800 to 1910. Can you tell me anything about the plates?

A: Your plates were made in the 20th century by W.T. Copeland & Sons of England. Plummer Ltd. was the New York City retail store that sold the set. The mark on your set was used starting after World War I, and Plummer closed in 1962. So that narrows down the age of your plates to 50-90 years. The years printed on the front of your plates refer to the era of the scene on each plate.

Q: Is my Miller clock a collector’s item? It looks as if it was made in the 1950s.

A: There are two men named Miller who are of interest to 20th-century clock collectors. Herman Miller was a clockmaker who started the Star Furniture Co. in Zeeland, Mich., in 1905. The company name was changed to Herman Miller Furniture Co. in 1923. It made the then-popular revival styles of furniture. But in 1930, the company hired Gilbert Rohde (1894-1944). He designed modern furniture and clocks for Miller. When Rohde died, George Nelson (1908-1986) did the designing. The Howard Miller Clock Co. was founded in 1926 by Herman’s son, Howard. It originally was called the Herman Miller Clock Co., but during the Depression it became the Howard Miller Clock Co., a firm that still is making clocks. George Nelson designed many of Howard Miller’s modern 1940s and ’50s clocks. The famous Nelson “Ball clock” looks like it has rays made from Tinkertoys. Nelson’s clocks, like ’50s furniture designs, are popular again and are being reproduced.

Q: I have six wooden dining chairs that have unattractive upholstered seats. I took the fabric off one chair and discovered it had a tin bottom in it. The bottom is stamped “Pat. Dec. 3 1871 H. Closterman Cincinnati O.” I paid $10 apiece for them with the intention of putting new seats on them. Now my husband says we should leave them alone and see what we can find out about them.

A: H. Closterman & Co. was established in Cincinnati in 1843. The company made chairs, parlor furniture, beds, desks and other furniture. Henry Closterman and his son, Henry Closterman Jr., held several furniture patents. The factory was destroyed by fire in 1881. The senior Mr. Closterman died in 1918 at age 96. His obituary mentions that although he was a wealthy man, he could not read or write, and his will was signed with an X. His chairs sell for about $100 each.

Tip: Small lacquered pieces should be displayed in a cabinet near a small, open dish of water to keep the humidity level at 55 percent.

Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or e-mail addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

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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.

• The Brady Bunch Paper Dolls, six dolls, Mr. and Mrs. Brady, Marcia, Jan and Cindy washing a car on cover, Western Publishing Co., copyright 1973, 6 pages, $40.
• Brass sweetheart trinkets box, heart shape, mother-of-pearl inlay, circa 1810, $295.
• Staffordshire ceramic box, lady in blue-and-white ruffled skirt, red jacket, yellow hat, holding brown-and-white dog, 1930s, marked, 9 inches, $300.
• Cranberry glass punch bowl, enameled swirl design, circa 1880, 9 inches, $502.
• Kestner Carrie Grace doll, ginger-brown braided wig, blue sleep eyes, ivory cotton dress with Irish lace crocheted trim, large blue bow in hair, 12 inches, $689.
• Five Roses Flour sign, tin, lithograph of Indian in full headdress and stalks of wheat, Lake of the Woods Milling Co., Montreal and Winnipeg, Canada, 13 1/2 square inches, $798.
• English stereograph scope, rosewood, adjustable base, large dual lens, marked “Edward George Wood, Optician, Manufacturer of Chemical Instruments,” 19th century, 24 x 12 inches, $836.
• Needlework sampler, Solomon’s Temple, silk thread on linen, strawberry border, Betty Butterworth, 1850, 24 x 24 inches, $1,342.
• Leather lady’s traveling case, cherry-pink, fitted with eight enamel lidded bottles, comb, brush, shoehorn, button hook, manicure set, Cartier, 13 x 19 x 5 3/4 inches, $1,792.
• Aesthetic Revival portfolio stand, mahogany, brass hinges and latches, turned handle, arched foliate legs, paw feet, c. 1900, 35 x 32 inches, $2,395.

The Label Made Me Buy It, by Ralph and Terry Kovel, is a picture history of labels that once decorated products from cigar boxes to orange crates and salmon tins. The book’s 320 full-color labels picture Indians, famous people, buildings and symbols. Learn how to identify and date labels or just enjoy the rare pictured labels (hardcover, 224 pages). Out-of-print but available at kovelsonlinestore.com. By mail, send $40 plus $5.95 shipping to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH, 44122. Or call 800-571-1555.

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