It's hard to imagine in this day of blogging, texting, I-phones, high-speed everything a time when a milk truck driving down the street would stop at each doorstep to drop off the day's fresh milk or a delivery of ice to the ice-box on the back porch. If you had been alive in the mid-1800s and lived in a city, the lamplighter would have been a familiar figure, making his rounds through the city streets lighting your lamp and casting the street in a warm glow. In nostalgic memory, the 'Gaslight Era' is a period of unhurried, gracious living, as is the beautiful city of Charleston, which we've decided to feature this week after a recent visit for a good friend's "low country" wedding. (Here's us with Nancy, Kirk and Sarah and one outstanding rick-shaw driver!)
And then it was onto the wrought iron...
Historic Charleston has so many wonders to behold, but before the rehearsal dinner, the hubbie and I ducked out to take in some gas lamps and decorative iron work.
After watching a PBS special on one of Charleston' s most famous blacksmith's, Philip Simmons, we were anxious to admire the delicate scrolls, leaf and flower patterns, spears and wiggletails. Special thanks to http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/ for finding this lovely example:
Equally beautiful and wondrous to admire are the myriad gas lamps that still are aglow in the historic district.
This surface mounted example is warm and welcoming.
This lamp combines decorative iron scroll work and natural gas:
Another beauty:
Up close:
Here is a link to historic gaslamp maker, Charleston Gas Light: http://www.charlestongaslight.com/index.phpAnother link that I am including this week is to a blacksmith/artist, whose work I discovered this week while trying to find my husband a set of fireplace tools. I cannot tell you how much I adore the Chevalier collection:http://www.winterdrewdesign.com/index.cfm/portfolio.htm
Happy weekend and a very happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers out there!
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