Pratts, Victorian antiques and hundreds of pieces of NL history can be found at the Hope family estate | Catch My Job

STREET. JOHN’S, NL – Antique silver, crystal, books and furniture, each with an auction lot number, tell the story of a bygone era of fine dining, elaborate libraries and exquisitely designed furniture with ultra-specific uses.

There are writing boxes, a knife box, a wine box and a hanging corner cabinet. 1830s Regency/William IV rosewood canterbury openings designed for broadsheet newspapers or large format magazines, harkening back to the heyday of printing. It remains a beautiful piece.

A rare 1883 print depicts a tragedy, while an 1860 print depicts the happier occasion of the Prince of Wales landing at St. John’s.

“Harbor Grace Tragedy,” a lithograph printed and published by H. Seibert and Brothers of New York, commemorates St. Stephen’s Day, December 26, 1883, according to the auction description. A group of 400-500 members of the Loyal Orange Order attempted to conduct their annual procession through Harbor Grace. However, 100-150 Catholic citizens blocked the route. The resulting riot resulted in five deaths, 17 serious injuries, and 19 arrests. Due to conflicting evidence, everyone was acquitted and released, the description shows.

While the antiques market remains soft – largely due to the departure of younger generations – Chis O’Dea, of O’Dea’s Estate and Auction Room, said he expected significant interest in the hundreds of lots at the estate sales. which are connected with the most prominent Newfoundland and Labrador families.

---

“Of course the chest of drawers – that will look really good.” The grandfather clock, the wine cellar, the Victorian coffee table,” said O’Dea, who partnered with Bartlett Auction House for the online event.

“Wayne (Bartlett) has a really good platform online… he gets 50,000 to 60,000 views or more for people who are interested. An adrenaline rush for auction junkies for sure. All the major auction houses in the country have this format now.”

---

Big pieces

O’Dea moves from room to room in the condominium that houses the collection, pointing out the grander or more interesting pieces, such as the high-quality English sliver that, although more than 100 years old, looks brand new.

There are also Staffordshire figurines, occasional tables, elaborate hall wood, art deco lamps, a rosewood sewing table, a revolving mahogany bookcase that dates to about 1900, tilt-top tables, a mahogany side table and a seven-foot-tall grandfather clock. Around 1800.

Most of the items belong to Catherine Hope, who was married to the late Michael Hope, a Bowrings board member.

---

But there are also connections with the merchant families Bradshaws and Duders.

A descendant of Dave Latham Bradshaw, but also the son of Catherine Hope. He has lived in Ontario for decades and listened intently as O’Dea described the history of many of the pieces.

“Henry Bradshaw and Prince William had some sort of disagreement. And so when Prince William Henry’s ship set sail, Bradshaw was not on board. It was left behind,” O’Dea explained of how the original Bradshaw ended up in Placentia.

---

Latham’s sister Emily contacted O’Dea about participating in the auction.

“The appeal will be the furniture offered for sale. And there were some works of art, including Helen Parsons Shepherd. A striking early still life from the 1960s. And that’s the piece that now highlights the art sale on Wayne’s website,” O’Dea said.

“In addition, there is a piece by Hans Melis, who was the sculptor for the government of Newfoundland.” Helen Parsons Shepherd hired her and brought her here as an art instructor when she was in elementary school.”

---

Love for culture

The Hopes’ vast collection of art and books reflects their love of culture, particularly Newfoundland and Labrador, and the family-related furniture they kept after moving from a large home to a condo.

“It’s very emotional for my mom,” Latham said.

Other artists featured in the auction include Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt, Alex Colville and Gerald Squires.

Viewing of the lots will be available from Sunday to Tuesday by appointment, but by conducting the actual auction online, you will save considerable cost and labor by moving the items to a large space for the live auctions of the past.

As O’Dea moves into a cabinet filled with silverware, the depth of preparation is acute.

“I dated each piece based on the hallmarks and then weighed each piece. These stamps. These are stamps, anyone who was a silver maker in England had to have a system of hallmarks on their label,” O’Dea said.

“And then there was a customs tag, and then the others are identification tags indicating the year (the piece) was made and what city in England it was made.”