Grouping cages for impact

We recently saw a display of cages by Jenny which she hung on a wall in her home.  Here is a response from Sue:

I thought I would send a picture of the finished shelving project. Eric built these shelves from scratch. I thought he did a great job. A BIG thank you to Barbara and to Jenny for inspiring me to do a better job displaying my cages. They are a much bigger impact together.

She also included follow-up on the Butler cage:  Also just a quick update. I had noticed a cage that Jenny had was similar to one I had. I had speculated about the Butler Company who I thought may have been the maker. Thanks to Barbara's sharp eyes, a catalog page from a Butler's Company Wholesale catalog advertised my cage. I believe the catalog sold items but did not manufacture them. So the origin of the name "Butler cage" was solved but not name of the company that actually made the cage.

Jenny responded with a new wall grouping which includes part of her cactus collection, a small travelling cage at the top left and a handmade Moroccan cage in the bottom right.

Each cage in our collection makes a statement of its own.  Grouped together, as seen in these photos, they make a larger statement and impact.

Please write to tweetthings53@gmail.com and send your photos of your cage displays.  I will include them as guest photos.

Happy Holiday hunting.
Barbara

Guest photos~Marlin

This cage is a work of art.  It has a heavy Oriental influence with the pagoda style, rising sun, and the oriental paintings on the glass seed guard.  It's shape is second to none.  It looks sturdy.  It has a pull-out tray which is intact.  Enjoy.

This cage recently sold on eBay. Marlin shared his photos at my request.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to feature a guest cage as unique as this one.  Another blog reader, Parker, called this cage to my attention.  Thanks Parker.

Enjoy your hunt.
Barbara

The Andrew B. Hendryx Co. ephemera

Wikipedia defines EPHEMERA as "any transitory written or printed matter not meant to be retained or preserved."  As a self-confessed Hendryx hoarder, I collect ephemera as well as cages and stands from the Andrew B. Hendryx Co.

There are two sites on ebay that have excellent ads and excellent service:  ads4u and gdawg.  Never hesitate to purchase from these sites.  Their ads are genuine and in great condition; their packaging and shipping methods get your ads to you quickly and safely.  I've purchased most of my ads from these two places and will continue to do so.

My ads are matted and framed locally by the same person.  They have the same mat, the same frame, and use museum glass to help protect the fragile paper ads.

My pictures here are not so you can read them as much as you can get the flavor of the creativity behind the ads.

The first ad is for parrot cages.  I don't own any parrot cages.  They are too big and bulky for my taste.  They don't come up for sale very often either.  

The second ad highlights the Mission cages and the Japanned cages.  I have both.

This grouping consists of a full-page ad and four small ads.  Tony, "Professor of Tranquillity in a great University" is a bird owned by the Dean of the University of Washington.  

 The four small ads emphasize the strengths of Hendryx cages and the weaknesses of competitor cages.  They are dated 1916 and 1917.

These are the 1928 Good Housekeeping ads for Easter (April) and Christmas (December).  They highlight one or more cages and have a heart-warming story for each holiday.

These are the 1929 Good Housekeeping ads for Easter and Christmas.

Graf is the first bird to fly over the Atlantic on man-made wings (Great Zeppelin)

Peter does reducing exercises and sings to the music he hears.

NBC features two birds which sing on its radio program.

A couple from the country moves to the city.  The wife misses her garden and birds.  She plants a patio garden and gets a bird who cheers her up.

Advertising the new finish Pyralin in 9 different color combinations for cages and stands.

A doctor starts feeling down while dealing with his patients' illnesses.  He is given a bird to cheer him up and he starts recommending birds to help his patients.

This is a 1934 calendar from H. F. Dando Co.  It features a Hendryx cage and stand.

This is a faded and darkened family portrait.  Check out the right side of the photo to see a classic beehive with pedestal Hendryx cage and stand.

You may have to use more imagination than vision on these:

I am happy to share part of my ephemera collection with you.  I am always looking for new (old) ads.  Please write and let me know if you have other ones that I don't have or if you see others for sale.  I'd appreciate it.  

I have one more group ready to go to the framer.  I'll show it to you when it is finished.

Enjoy your collections.  Happy hunting.

Barbara

Follow-up~Jenny's Harp Cage

Here are some close-ups of Jenny's harp-shaped cage.  It's a bit rusty but magnificent.

 How wonderful to have the original perch included.

The close-up of the side shows that this originally had either glass or plastic seed guards on all 4 sides.  From the looks of the feeder attachments, the feeders had wings that were held by the forward-bent wires and held in place with the seed guard.  There's a pull-out drawer for easy cleaning.

Thanks for the follow-up pictures.

Similar Cages

Sue sent in a picture of another one of her cages after she saw the pictures of Jenny's cages.  See Jenny's display of cages on previous posts.  This is Jenny's brass and glass cage. 

 Sue has a brass and glass that looks very similar to Jenny's.  

Sue:  "I looked at the picture of Jenny's cage and I realized I had a very similar cage which I had bought quite some time ago.  When I bought it the seller said she had owned it for a long time and it was a Butler cage. I didn't think anything about it until I was cruising through eBay advertisements for sale and I came across an old advertisement for Butler Birdcages. There were some cages for sale that were similar to my cage and others that were very different. I should have purchased the advertisement. The thing that struck me were the handle at the top of their cages was exactly the same as my cage and similar to Jenny's cage.

I did a quick search and the only company that came up that could possibly fit the time frame was the E.R. Butler Company located in Boston, Mass. They were established in 1827. They make hardware for homes like doorknobs. I wonder if at some point in time they branched out. Keeping birds was very popular in the early 1900's. Lots of companies jumped in."

Why don't you check them out, compare and comment??

Guest Photos~Sue

Sue is an avid antique collector who sent photos of some her cages.  I thought I'd add them here so you can see them.  They are wonderful, old works of art.


Sue:  "A pre1900 Osborn complete with seed guard and original feeders and perches!"

Sue:  "A 1882 Revolving Wheel Cage. (Hendryx) I can date this because I have an original catalog page from the F.  Witte Catalog dated 1882. You could have purchased this cage through the catalog."

Sue:  "A early 1900's Hendryx that is very heavy and solid. This cage may for its time been a more expensive cage as the construction is very strong. The feeders are the originals. They have been slightly damaged over time."

Sue:  "A small early Hendryx and a Mushroom Hendryx. Both of these cages are very early. The Mushroom cage has T feeders which may make it pre1900."

Sue:  "These are a few of the cages I would like to display. I really think I can do a better job to make them a visual statement. I collect a variety of antiques. I don't polish them as the original patina is more valuable. It is something only time can do."

Thanks for all of the ideas!!!
Sue

Do you see what I mean when I say "art"?  They are wonderful.  Thank you, Sue.

Please feel free to send your pictures to me at tweetthings53@gmail.com along with your descriptions of the cages.  I will add you as a guest.  We'd love to see your cages.
Barbara

Guest Photos~Jenny

Jenny sent close-ups of the cages I mentioned on the previous entry.  These three are close-ups from the brass and glass one on the second shelf of the group picture.  It has the porcelain feeders with the glass seed guards on the sides.

 Magnificent close-up of the main window on the front and back.

Jenny:  "I'm not sure where or when this cage is from, the lady I purchased it from said she had no info on it."

Jenny:  "This I bought on ebay then drove over near Disneyland to pick up, it came with the 2 occupied Japanese owl feeders.

It was kept inside, was incredibly clean and shiny and has a twist off bottom. I think it was a older lady who collected things, the house was packed with figurines and antiques, this was the only birdcage there though.

 Jenny:  "Shot of the round cage with the owls in.

I see this come up on Ebay now and again, in different metals. I think I paid 150 for this, I purposely haven't kept financial track or it would scare me!"

Keith, in NJ, has a similar cage and states that his cage is tagged "Pacific".  The Pacific Cage Co. is known for making very creative and wonderful cages.  Thanks for the addition, Keith.


 Jenny:  "This cage was painted over, I usually don't go for those, but I loved the Chinese clips."

Jenny:  "The drop shaped cage came from a craigslist ad in the Hollywood hills. It had come with the house and the new owner thought it might be worth 75.00. I called and managed to be first on the list. It was stripped of any feeders or stand-  they had used it for candles for years outside.  It was hard to clean.

 "It's one of my very favorites because of the shape and the patina. I have seen the one on Northfork Pets and the bright shiny finish and stand make it look like an different thing altogether."

Jenny, thank you for your contributions to this blog.  I appreciate you sharing your cherished cages.  For those of us who collect and care intensely for our cages, it's like talking about a dear friend.  It makes us happy.

If you have some cages you want to share, you can be a guest on this blog and share your cages...they don't have to be Hendryx.  You can share your hearts and cages with us.  We will treasure them too.


Send your text and photos to tweetthings53@gmail.com and I will post them.

Pictures from Jenny

Thank you to Jenny (Bower) who commented on the last two blog entries and sent in pictures of some of her cages.  Go ahead and read her comments and my responses.  

She is a woman after my own 'cage' heart as she has 23 of these beauties.

The left one on the top shelf is an urn cage by Hendryx.  One was posted on ebay but wasn't sold.  The next one, I believe, is glass front and back with rotating bars as the bars on the cage all around the sides and top.  A cyber buddy of mine in FL puts his live birds in these cages.  They are a great way to show off the bird without having bars in the way.  The last one on the top shelf looks like a nice bird home with a mother-in-law apartment attached. This is tagged as a "Happiness" cage.

The bottom shelf is full of wonders and I'd love some close-ups.  The first one looks like a brass and glass one.  I wonder if it has stained glass for the center glass?  The next one is pagoda shaped and takes advantage of the Asian popularity in the 30s.  My guess is that the attachments to hold the top of the cage to the base are Asian men.  Third is a globe cage that is interesting.  Jenny, if you are reading this, who made the globe cage?  I've seen one like this before.  The feeders are on a stand in the middle of the cage.  The feeders are owl shaped and come from either Japan or Occupied Japan.  The last one I'd love a close-up of also.  It looks like it is chrome with glass seed guards.  I love the harp shape of the top of the cage.  It is very unique.

 The royal roost cage is very unique.  I've not seen a cage of this shape before.

Thanks for sharing, Jenny.  Send more of your pictures and a few close-ups if you will.

If you have pictures of some of your unique cages, please send the pictures and comments to tweetthings53@gmail.com.  I haven't figured out a way that you folks can add pictures.  I will add them in a follow-up blog so we can all share the experience.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy 'hunting'.
Barbara