Finds

This is photograph I found stuffed behind the bottom drawer of a maple child's wardrobe Sweetie Pie has painted. It was rolled up and kind of smushed a bit. The photo is on thick paper and has faded almost to a negative-like image.

It looks to be a river with a small dock on the left side and woods lining each bank. Tree limbs hang over the top, shading the water.

Over the years, we have bought and sold hundreds of pieces of furniture, but rarely find anything other than bobby pins, pennies, chewed chewing gum, and decks of playing cards. Once we found a joint in the drawer of a buffet but we figured one of the guys working at the warehouse in Tennessee where we picked it up hid it there and forgot about it.

Occasionally we find old black and white photographs in furniture. I like to keep the photo with the piece so the buyer has a bit of history with it. My favorite photo was one of a German Shepard dog standing in a yard that we found in a mahogany secretary. Another was a photograph of a house with lots of flowers growing around it. We found that in a walnut dresser.

We've heard all sorts of stories about finding money stuffed and hidden in old furniture, but rarely does that happen. Antique dealers might tend to exaggerate the truth a bit! Sometimes we find old clothes, a stray sock or pantyhose (ick!). To me, old photographs are the best treasures.

Why was this old photo was stuck in a child's wardrobe? We'll never know. We got the wardrobe along with five other pieces in South Carolina several weeks ago. I imagine this river or creek was a special place to someone who used this unique wardrobe. We'll save the photo and it will be placed in the top drawer for the next owner.