Philadelphia Antiques Show 2022

93 THE PH I LADE L PH I A SHOW The inaugural show committee chose to hire a manager to organize everything related to the dealers, from set-up to break down. Over the past sixty years, the Show was privileged to work with several outstanding managers with Gresham Wilson as the first, followed by John Fiefield, Russell Carrell, Sandy Smith, Josh Wainwright, Catherine Singer Sweeney, and DiSaia-Bittel. In 2018, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as the new beneficiary, assumed responsibility with the Women’s Committee for production of the Show, with Huntley Platt named as manager of the Show. In the early years of the Show, the enthusiastic volunteers of the Show committee managed the creation and planning of the Show. Not only did they encourage the public to attend, but they also planned the preview evening dinner, invitations, and decorations, developed ideas for lectures, and organized tours for out-of-town visitors as well as house tours of incredible local collections. They sold advertising and created a program catalogue as well as assisted with the loan exhibition. The committee was dedicated to creating a successful show to support the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, as it was then known, and the list of committee members totaled over 250 ladies. Collectors, who were committed to having one of the best shows in the country, were seriously interested in providing the very best dealers and sat on the advisory committee. Later, this committee was well known and included not only avid collectors, but also many knowledgeable people in the antiques world. Captivating collections, which included important and often previously unseen objects graciously lent by private owners and museums, were presented to the public in themed loan exhibits. The loan exhibit was featured prominently at the show, often including its own full-time guard, and has traditionally set the “mood” for the show whether through lectures, decorations or invitations. The loan exhibit continues to be a key element of the Show. Dealer booth talks have also become a popular means to educate the public as each dealer can share their unique knowledge with visitors. The committee solicited financial support and advertising from many businesses in the city. The catalogue included over 300 pages with paid advertising from the dealers and local organizations. In the beginning, the catalog was simple and printed in black and white. In the 1970s, color printing was added for a professionally designed and beautiful new look. The catalogue was impressive and filled Diana Bittel with Robert and Katharine Booth at the 2019 Philadelphia Show