Louise Luther...
New Hampshire Renaissance Woman
by Lois Berry



   On Tuesday, April 27, 2004 I had the pleasure of meeting author Louise Luther at Friendly’s Restaurant in Rochester, NH where we discussed her life and her book titled “Art Glass - How to Compare and Value” that came out in print in 2002.
   Very early on in the interview, I realized I was in the company of an eloquent of speech lady who has had an extremely interesting life doing what she enjoys the most as a wife, mother and career woman. As she chronicled life from her birth in Portland, Maine to her marriage that is now in its 52nd year, to the birth of her two sons and a most rewarding career, it was clear I needed to know more of her and her family life.
   Louise easily and with a lot of smiles described her early life in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire where she graduated from the Hampton Academy. She recalled fondly, her next door neighbor in Hampton was Ron Bourgeault of Northeast Auctions now located in Portsmouth, NH. Ron is listed in her book as one of several of the best auction galleries to visit for hands-on learning of fine antiques and arts. From Hampton, she went on to graduate cum laude from the University of New Hampshire in1963.
    Interestingly, Louise doesn’t come from a long line of collectors or dealers. “No, my parents did not collect. Dad, Bruce Russell, was the headmaster at Hampton (NH) Academy where both my husband and I went to high school. We should do a story about him!  He was with a group that surveyed the Old Man of the Mountain in the 1920’s when he (my dad that is) was at UNH.  We are a long family of NH graduates.”
    Her marriage to Robert Luther brought another pleasure to Louise, the birth of sons Bruce and Larry. It was at this time Louise needed to make a decision. Did she want to teach or focus on being self-employed so she could be at home with her two young sons? The decision was easy - she wanted to be at home for her children. She credits her husband Robert’s career as a principal of 2 elementary schools in Hingham and then one school in Sherborne, MA for bringing her in contact with wonderful historical sea towns where she created a demand for decorative arts and turn of the century items. She loved art glass and pottery and she made good profits on her wares.
   Dedham pottery was a favorite, in fact it was Dedham that sparked the interest of Bob Skinner who years ago, like maybe 30 years, used her Dedham Pottery expertise at his auction gallery. From this early beginning with Skinner, she was asked repeatedly by Bob to join the Skinner staff. Eventually she said yes and agrees it was the best thing she had done.
   “Some forty-five years ago the Antique Bug bit me,” explained Louise. “The whole family in fact. My husband Bob, and I, with our two sons, moved from the historic New Hampshire seacoast to the equally history-oriented south shore of Massachusetts.  I was not exactly a stay- at- home Mom, but I did want to be there when our boys, Bruce and Larry, came home from school. So I chose to build a career in the world of antiques that I found around me.  I studied as intensively as a graduate student, going to auctions, shows, libraries, museums, lectures, seminars, and lots and lots of shops. I studied all the publications devoted to the world of antiques and collectibles. And eventually I began to buy. It became my vocational passion. My husband came along too when he could; the boys learned their way around Brimfield just as kids do today. I became a show dealer, exhibiting in small church shows, moving along into larger more structured venues. I did the mail order thing in the days before e-bay, advertising in the old Hobbies Magazine and the early Antique Trader. In 1972 I attended the Arts & Crafts Exposition at Princeton University and found my focus in the early 20th century decorative arts I found there. I loved them then; I love them now. And fortunately, I became quite successful following the “Buy low, Sell low Principle.”  (You don’t make $ if you don’t sell stuff!)
   “In my travels I kept running into Bob and Nancy Skinner - of the auction company, who asked me to do some appraisal work for them. Next thing I knew I was retiring from their company after working there for twenty-five years full time as director of the 20th century department.  I still represent them on the Antiques Roadshow - still appraising. When my husband retired and we came home to NH, we continue to pursue antiques and the antique - seeker’s lifestyle.  You never leave it you know; you just change your area code.
  “It has been a rewarding and educational career encompassing wonderful friends like Bob Skinner who is deceased many years and his wife Nancy of whom in not only my friend but my hero, my inspiration. Did you know after Bob’s death, she held the business together, she made it what it is today.”
   After a twenty-five year career, Louise retired in June of 1998 as the Director of the Art Glass Department of Skinner’s, the Boston-based auction and appraisal company. She is still associated with Skinner’s as a consultant and appraiser. She appears regularly on the PBS/WGBH Antiques Road Show where she shares her expertise. From 1997 to 2004, she has actually appeared on camera during several of the shows and she has traveled extensively across the country to participate as a consultant and appraiser from Skinner, Boston, MA.  I also learned Skinner’s was the first company that got involved with the Road Show. The first show was in Concord, MA. and many of the Skinner employees were on the “Show.”
    Of course, I wondered what was her “best find” on the show? “My “best” Antiques Roadshow find was the rare Tiffany leaded glass “goldfish” lamp I saw in Phoenix in our second season, 1998,” Louise explained. “It was so wonderful; I appraised it at $100,000. If I saw it today I would say $150 -$200,000, that’s how that market continues to escalate. But the “best” part to me was being able to explain the RARITY factor here. The lampshade was very dark because of the narrow opening at the top of the parasol-form shade. The public didn’t like it, didn’t buy it. Of course, Louis Comfort Tiffany, being a good businessman, did not produce many of them. So, because they were not popular, they are now great rarities. They command big prices, not because they were a great success, but because they were NOT originally successful. Additionally, not many have survived, and the resultant rarity makes this lamp, still dark, more valuable rather than less so. I might call this the Edsel factor in antique collecting, but probably the youngsters would say “HUH”?
    “However, my favorite “most interesting” Roadshow find was the Early American pressed glass sugar bowl a woman brought to Kansas City.” Louise continued. “She did not much care about the value, (it was chipped, cracked and missing the cover); she just wanted to know if the family history of the piece could be correct. The story was that the bowl went with her ancestors across the country in a wagon on the Oregon Trail.  Happily, I could tell her that the sugar bowl was made in Pittsburgh about 1840-50, and although it could not have come on the first trip with Lewis and Clark, it could have come with settlers who traveled the Trail later. And it certainly was the kind of treasured item her great- great- great grandmother would have chosen to bring. The woman was thrilled; she tried hard not to cry. I never tell this story without a tear in my eye too. I always think this is the kind of story that should be seen on the TV program, but we don’t always know ahead of time. Nevertheless, to my mind, this is the heart of the Antiques Roadshow.”
   As a well-known art-glass expert and a leading appraiser in her field, Louise comes highly recommended for her expertise in the very complex field of identifying art glass. Her credentials are long and varied. As the jacket cover of her book says. Louise Luther appraises antique, collectible and contemporary art glass and pottery, specializing in Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Arts and Crafts and Modern design.
   She related a story to me that truly shows her humbleness as a famous person. “I was at an Antiques Show in Portland, Maine last week when I was recognized and asked for my autograph. I am still in awe that people recognize me and ask for my autograph. I am just doing what I do.”
  With her sons grown and now the grandparents of a 4-year-old granddaughter and with both she and her husband now retired, they are back in New Hampshire, living in a house on a lake in Wakefield. “We always knew we would return to New Hampshire, it was just a matter of finding the right house. I am no longer a dealer. Our extensive pottery and art glass collections that were so satisfying to find and enjoy are now gone, sold at Skinner auctions. We are just enjoying our retirement. Bob is active within the community and I stay involved with the many organizations I am a member of.”
   Of course, with a twinkle in her eye, Louise admitted that Bob and she were often on the road antiquing. “We love to visit Orphan Annie’s in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine area,” she said. “Danny always has something new that’s old in his shop. But no, we don’t really collect any one thing now, just what really appeals to us.”
   Louise elaborated, “We’ve met a whole new group of friends, dealers and auctioneers, abundant in our Granite State. One close-by us is Gary Wallace in Ossipee, NH whose regularly scheduled auctions attract us because of the eclectic treasures he offers. You never know what to expect at Gary’s so you hate to miss an exhibition!”
   When the Miller’s- Mitchell Beazley company approached her in 2001 to write a book on art glass, she was pleased to accept the offer but needed to know she could use her own photographs, and they were located in the archives at Skinner. This was not a problem; the photos were hers to use. She described the format for the book was easy to follow and she signed a contract in the spring of 2001. She put her expertise and photos to work and received her advanced copy of the book in August of 2002.
   Louise described the book she wrote as a culmination of experience and the support received from her husband, family and friends. “My husband kept me focused, he became the cook of the house while I did the writing.”
   Louise had to take her leave, as she was headed to a NAGC (glass show) on Cape Cod. “We are a very scholarly, learning, social group that usually sees each other once a year at the seminars,” she remarked, eager to be off on another adventure.
    But with someone as knowledgeable about the business, I had to detain her for a few last comments on the “state of the antiques business”. As I expected, her remarks were insightful.
   “I think auctions are changing some in the wake of ebay and the spin-off drop-off stores (See Unravel the Gavel, vol. 15, issue 1.)  The large houses are re-structuring noticeably; I see personnel moving from gallery to gallery, taking new positions, becoming free-lance dealers, brokers, going into business on their own, etc. Some auction houses have cut back, gone out of business or merged with others. But the smaller “country auctions” seem to be doing well. They continue to serve as a major source of material for shop owners, pickers and collectors. And happily, there seems to be enough “stuff” to go around!
    “I am not so sure about the antique shows,” Louise added. “ It seems to me they have been hit much harder by the changing times, especially the smaller venues. Too bad, we love to go to them, but if the dealers don’t sell, or can sell as easily on the internet, it is understandable.”
    As an active participant in a number of collector’s clubs, including that of the West Virginia Glass Museum and the Frederick Carder Steuben Club, and as a fellow of the Corning Museum of Glass, Louise Luther’s commentary on collector’s club in general was most interesting.
   “I think there is a big upswing in Collector’s Clubs, that is, of clubs for every specific area of collecting.   When I wrote my book I suggested this is a great way to learn and to share experiences with like-minded folks who have a common enthusiasm for a particular category of antique/collectible. I included a list of clubs that folks might want to check out and I expect there are many more to add as time goes on.”
  “So my husband and I keep seeking and ‘tiquing and I keep looking for a Ravenswood lamp like the one I appraised two years ago on Roadshow,” Louise added. “I can’t get that lamp out of my mind... It would look so good in our cottage by the lake in New Hampshire. Only another collector would understand what I mean...”
ED. NOTE: Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of Miller’s Art Glass, How to Compare and Value, a 176 page book containing 130 full color photos can contact Miller’s- Mitchell Beazley, published by the Octopus Publishing Group, Ltd. of London, UK and the Phaidon Press of NY, NY. Call 1-877-PHAIDON or try online at  www.millers.uk.com 
  A search in April, 2004 of online booksellers at Alibris (www.alibris.com) revealed Louise Luther’s hardcover book continues in popularity. With an original US selling price of $27.50, only a few copies were available and were being offered for well over the original asking price.