Print this page
Wednesday, 30 March 2011 01:16

The Nation’s Premier American Antiques Show turns 50. The Philadelphia Antiques Show. April 9-12

This extraordinary pair of 18th c. Philadelphia portraits of children with their pets is attributed to Charles Peale Polk (1767 – 1822), and were painted c.1790. The subjects are the children of Matthew and Ruth Hall McConnell, a prominent merchant and landowner, as can be seen by the fine furnishings in their home. Among his many achievements, Matthew McConnell, a veteran of the American Revolution, was a member of the first board of directors of the Insurance Company of North America; a founding member of the Philadelphia Board of Brokers, the predecessor organization of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange; an original member of the Hibernia Society of Philadelphia; and served the Cincinnati. He was a good friend of Robert Morris and served as one of the auditors of his estate. The paintings descended in the family along with another painting by Polk, George Washington At Princeton, which later was given to the CIGNA Museum and Art Collection along with a portrait of Matthew McConnell by Thomas Sully. Extensive family history and documentation accompany the paintings. Oil on Canvas,  52” x 40”;  50 1⁄2” x 40”. In what appear to be the original carved and gilded 18th c. frames. This extraordinary pair of 18th c. Philadelphia portraits of children with their pets is attributed to Charles Peale Polk (1767 – 1822), and were painted c.1790. The subjects are the children of Matthew and Ruth Hall McConnell, a prominent merchant and landowner, as can be seen by the fine furnishings in their home. Among his many achievements, Matthew McConnell, a veteran of the American Revolution, was a member of the first board of directors of the Insurance Company of North America; a founding member of the Philadelphia Board of Brokers, the predecessor organization of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange; an original member of the Hibernia Society of Philadelphia; and served the Cincinnati. He was a good friend of Robert Morris and served as one of the auditors of his estate. The paintings descended in the family along with another painting by Polk, George Washington At Princeton, which later was given to the CIGNA Museum and Art Collection along with a portrait of Matthew McConnell by Thomas Sully. Extensive family history and documentation accompany the paintings. Oil on Canvas, 52” x 40”; 50 1⁄2” x 40”. In what appear to be the original carved and gilded 18th c. frames. Photo Credit: Olde Hope Antiques

Widely recognized as the premier American antiques and decorative arts show in the country, the Philadelphia Antiques Show has a lot to celebrate in 2011. Since its inception in 1962, the Show has raised more than $17 million to help further innovative programs with a direct impact on patient care and has been a major fundraiser for Penn Medicine. The 2011 Philadelphia Antiques Show, presented by Drexel Morgan & Company, the parent company of the Show’s six year-running title sponsor, the Haverford Trust Company, is expected to raise nearly $1 million to benefit development of the Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center.

The 2011 Philadelphia Antiques Show’s Preview will be held Friday, April 8 and the Show runs through Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at The Navy Yard, Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier One. Led by founder Ali Brown, the show premiered on April 24, 1962 as the University Hospital Antiques Show at the 33rd Street Armory in West Philadelphia. The Show’s debut was a huge success, welcoming 5,000 visitors and raising over $30,000—more than three times what was expected. Throughout the years, the Show’s names included the University Hospital Antiques Show, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Antiques Show, which it assumed in 1986, and the Philadelphia Antiques Show in 1989, which it still remains.

Since the beginning, the Show’s committee—now comprised of more than 200 volunteers—has determined how funds from the Show are allocated. Over the past half century, these proceeds have provided great assistance to Penn Medicine. Funds from the first Show paid off the Nearly New Shop’s mortgage, and the following year provided enough to aid the Hospital Chapel in adding a meditation room, a Christian altar and a Hebrew worship place. The Philadelphia Antiques Show has also helped fund initiatives such as the Trauma Center, the Multi-organ Transplant Program and the Penn Lung Center—all of which are major programs that have helped to make Penn Medicine the leader in medicine that it is today.

Additional Info