Tote Bag Courtesans Two

Tote Bag Courtesans Two

            Speaking with Baxter at the flea market this morning he first reported his plan to “bring something by” for me and then sulked about being dismissed by James Hutton at The Gallery.  Hutton was shop sitting and Baxter wished to sit there himself for an hour or two to… as Hutton loudly proclaimed… “ogle the (tote bag) trollops”.  Baxter, a sensitive and shy interior Maine man who is always on a social edge around ANY “the coast” setting (and women)… fled.  The “ogle” slash struck doubly hard for Hutton was already confabbing with two other dealers before whom Baxter feels he “pails”.  The two were “Ferris and MacKellar” (G. Ferris Cronkhite & Walter B. MacKellar) who are particularly adept rare book dealers; American history & literature / Greek, classics, Italian Renaissance respectively.  Both are academic “Doctors Of” with far reaching tentacles prowling deep within the largest university library collections and through the locked creaking door of the hidden scholar-collector trade.

            I made no comment but noted to myself that their paired visit to Hutton, a “no fool himself”, means someone has found a rare book or two… or an old collection… that smells rare bookish enough to “need help”.  This last means that Hutton himself is not the actual finder for he knows how to hunt rare books alone very well.

            In any case Baxter found the trio late morning speaking to each other loudly about each other’s footwear in an effort to disturb the sandal clad, tote bag toting and Turk knot bracelet wristed courtesans strolling through The Gallery.  “WHERE did you FIND those LOAFERS?” oozed Hutton to Cronkhite who oozed back “They are VERY EXPENSIVE but VERY ESPECIALLY on sale!”.  ALL of the tote bags turned their heads toward the loafers.  “May we take a PICTURE of the STORE?” Cronkhite oozed again.

            As these bad boys entertain themselves and Baxter flees, I will stay with the tote bag courtesan subject.  Hutton, in the first courtesan post is quite right that there are “trollops” in the tourist villages and a true tote bag courtesan is not found there.  They “don’t have to”.  He is also correct that “twelve courtesans” as customers can make a Maine antiques dealer’s living.  I, myself, feel a few dozen more (36) is best for year round Maine business security and I practice what I preach.  At that number there is always an antiques action requiring courtesan attention taking place for “someone”.  After returning from the flea market this morning a true classic of a Maine tote bag courtesan came calling.

            The back of… and I actually spoke about it… her single owner bought new in Maine 1993 Volvo 240 wagon lifted up to offer TWO …well worn from over a decade use on the coast of Maine… vintage Bean tote bags that disgorged her “antique action” of the moment of “old family china” that had “been given to me from Aunt ****’s house you know her” but “has been in the same box on the floor of an upstairs closet FOR YEARS”. “Do you want them?”

“Buy them?”

“Well… yes.  I suppose that’s what I want.  I just want to get rid of them so nobody knows”.  Notice in the photographs… allowed by request… that one old tote is for cell & wallet and the other old tote is for the old china.  These three items are hand painted English porcelain 1820-1840.  The teapot is the earliest.  The scene on the compote is “probably Scottish” but possibly American; probably Middle Atlantic region if it is.  I discuss all of this before purchasing.  All this old china was brought to Maine; it’s not “old sea captain stuff”.  The wool and out of season Filson shirt wrapped the two “paste” (transfer ware) tea cups and saucers.  The subtle color coordination of the shirt stripes with the paste was a nice… sensitive… BUT NOT PLANNED touch.  Therein is the trollop – courtesan dividing line.  For courtesans thing “just are this way”.  For trollops… everything is configured and “paid for”.  That’s in addition to a courtesan’s impeccable tact, taste, grace, frugality and understated elegance.  For those …courtesan bullet points… this “in my yard” apparition is a jewel of a true coast of Maine tote bag courtesan “out and about”.

To complete this I focus on the wallet.  “IT’S COACH.” she states.  “I’ve had it at least twenty years.  I CAN”T FIND A NEW ONE.  THEY DON’T MAKE THEM ANYMORE.  I've given up.  It’s falling apart.  I don’t know what I’m going to do.  I hate all the new ones.  They’re SO CHEAP and made in China!  THIS is when they were GOOD”.  Got it?  And she is not “going on line” for one either.