Antique Finds: A Silhouette & Show Towel

I have been swamped with personal stuff, but I still keep antiquing every moment I get.   One unexpected item I found recently is  a black and white silhouette.

Normally they are just  heads and really don't appeal to me.  I thought it looked very Victorian with the parrot, don't you think?  The very period looking lemon yellow gilt frame adds to the charm.  I think it was $8 or $12, (they get cheaper the longer I tell the story, according to my husband!)

I have it parked on my mantel until I figure out what to do with it.

I love my gray jasperware pitcher parked next to it.

Another item I just finished untangling is a show towel.  They are known for their luxurious fringes--and you can often find them unused.  They were so special they were often just displayed--thank goodness.

Unfortunately the one below was tangled up, so I spent the past couple of evenings untangling it while I watched movies on TV.

I tried to find out if there were tricks to untangling the fringe on the internet--but no luck.  They do say to launder, tie the bottom together to keep them from tangling, but I think I have a better idea.  I will just baste the fringe to another piece of fabric to keep them all in place.   I can do that now that they are untangled.  The threads look all smooth here now that they are ironed, but the linen is really nubby and the fringe really sticks to each other, so I literally untangled them with a needle.

OK, back to my housecleaning.... company is coming!  I hope you enjoyed my antique fix this week!