Here is a rare antique vintage 1935 ALKAHN SILK PRODUCT LABEL from my 50 year collection of the unique & historical treasures
PROUD TO OFFER
TREASURES
FROM
ONE OF THE
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS CRAFT GUILD
BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN LANDMARKS
THE VALHALLA HAND WEAVERS SHOP COLLECTION
IN
VALHALLA, NORTH CAROLINA
NOW
A PART OF THE VILLAGE OF
TRYON
NORTH CAROLINA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN ANTIQUE SILK WOVEN
AUCTION FOR ONE (1) PICTORIAL PRODUCT LABEL
WITH ONE OF THE MEN WEAVERS AT THE LOOM IN THE WORKSHOP PICTURED IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS
"VALHALLA
HAND WEAVERS
HAND WOVEN
ALL WOOL"
A VERY RARE LABEL FROM THE LONG GONE ERA OF SILK EMBROIDERY
THE SPOOL BEARS THE LABEL
" ALKAHN SILK LABEL COMPANY
NEW YORK "
IN
1933
ALEXANDER L. KAHN
BEGAN USING THIS "ALKAHN" MONIKER "
"
VALHALLA HAND WEAVERS
TRYON, NORTH CAROLINA
THEY PRODUCED
SUN BONNETS HAND MADE FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS.
" EAGLE AND ROOSTER CHAIR PADS "
" FLORAL MATS "
" SQUARE AND ROUND CHAIR MATS "
" EAGLE DEIGNS WELCOME MAT "
"VALHALLA'S HAND WOVEN COTTON PLACEMATS and TABLE RUNNERS"
"VALHALLA'S HAND WOVEN COTTON RUGS AND KNITTING BAGS IN MOUNTAIN PATTERNS"
" BLOCK PATTERN RUGS "
" HAND MADE BROOMS "
" HAND HOOKED RUGS .....
THE MOUNTAINEER
BLACK BEAR
&
EAGLE "
OVAL RUGS
AUTUMN LEAF
FIVE HOUNDS
&
DOGWOOD "
" WOOL CHAIR PADS "
" MOTHER AND DAUGHTER NYLON BUCKET BAGS "
" CORN HUSK DOLLS "
( WE WILL BE OFFERING SOME OF THE ABOVE )
ENVELOPE MEASURES 8 1/2" BY 5 1/2"
WE WILL BE LISTING MANY RARE ITEMS FROM
THIS
SOUTHERN BLUE RIDGE LEGENDARY LANDMARK
CONTACT ME FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS
OR
WITH ANY QUESTIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOME BACKGROUND HISTORY
Valhalla Hand Weavers was a historic Southern Highlands Craft Guild Shop in the Pacolet River Valley.
Before the interstate highway was opened, the only road between Asheville south through the Blue Ridge Mountains toward Charlotte in the East and Spartanburg - Columbia to the South and Atlanta to the Southwest went through Hendersonville, Flat Rock descending down the infamous downhill road into the Green River Gorge and upwards to the of town Saluda then down again on the switchbacks into the North Pacolet River Valley to Tryon. This secluded mountain valley was the home of the "Blue Ridge Basket Weavers" established in the 1920's and the "Tryon Toy Makers".
Adeline and Ralph Lawrence came further south from Berea College in Kentucky seeking a place to do something special.
The college established in the 1850's honored the dignity of labor and the self sufficient traditions of the Southern Appalachian people. and the college still celebrates the philosophical and "hands to work" traditions of the culture. Students chose from all the varied traditional skills and "apprentice" in them to produce goods sold in the Berea College Shops from A's to Z's and furniture to textiles, etc.. To this day, no student has ever paid tuition to attend the school.
It was here that the Lawrence's chose to settle in the Valhalla community a few miles north of Tryon along the river toward Saluda on The Hendersonville- Asheville Highway at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They shop offered the local Hogback, Warrior and White Oak Mountain settlers an outlet for those same skills. These Tryon-Valhalla area people built a workshop full of cotton spinning and carding machinery.... constructed hand looms and began weaving textiles of many types; i.e. rugs, skirts, neck ties, blankets, table linens, towels, rug, fabric as well and hand hooked chair seats and rugs in a number of sizes and designs. All these mountain arts and crafts came from the local Blue Ridge Mountain area and the area craftsman . The shop they created sold a wide variety of willow and split oak baskets, pottery, handmade toys, sun bonnets, brooms, corn husk dolls, pictorial hand hooked mats, rugs, furniture, Qualla Cherokee Native American Crafts and much much more.
The looms still rest in that weaver's workshop. You can close your eyes and imagine the musical melodies of the hand battened rhythms singing with their yarn shuttles sliding side to side as the as the weaver's design comes to life on the warps with the wefts bringing the patterns for the eye. Colorful spools of yarn in every imaginable color still wait for the silent looms to move. The empty benches where men and women bent over their wooden behemoths are still there like it was yesterday ... plank floor creaking and that yarn in oak boxes along side the dark honey worn wooden implements that felt a million trips side to side and glide to glide with those fingertips making their own notes and the fabrics creating the melodies. Their homespun cloth was even used to bind copies of the famous 1930s " Carolina Mountains" by the photographer and author Margaret Morley. "TRAUMFEST"; her name for Tryon translated is 'HOLIDAY OF DREAMS" , which were placed in the rooms of Asheville's historic Grove Park Inn.
These items are offered from our large collection of historic items of every type from the Valhalla Hand Weavers Shop. We welcome inquiries for collectors who might have special interests. Just message us with any questions. Keep looking as we begin to offer many rare and unusual historic arts and crafts from this Blue Ridge Mountain Legendary Landmark. We are working on restoring this historic building after it suffered significant hurricane damage and carry on the tradition of Blue Ridge Spirit and Independence...... We welcome your interests.
I have included some photogaphs of the building and the weavers workshop showing the looms and other silent treasures.
Enjoy
This auction is for the listed item only
Bid away
Enjoy
Feel free to ask any questions or request more photographs.
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