For the entirety of my career in the world of antiques I have been inspired by this venerable and auspicious Pennsylvania show. Founded in 1962 and widely recognized as one of the finest in the nation, the event returns this year for the 62st edition, making it the eldest charitable show in America.
Among antiques fairs dedicated to American Antiques specifically, The Philadelphia Antiques Show is, plainly and simply, the best. This is where museum-worthy objects find their way from the best dealers to the homes of top collectors. For this reason I am privileged to be among this strong list of veteran dealers.
The show is located in an elegant tent, erected smack dab in the middle of the courtyard of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, right at the top of the Rocky steps.
The 2025 Philadelphia Antiques Show Preview Party will take place on Thursday, April 24th, from 5pm - 9pm. 5 PM entry is $600/person. 6 PM entry is $300. Young Collectors (under age 40) may enter at 6 PM for a reduced cost of $150. All preview tickets are good for General Admission throughout the show.
2025 Regular Show Hours ($20 admission):
Friday, April 25th: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 26th: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 27th: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission Price: $20 ($18 for seniors), $16 for PMA Members, and a guided show tour is available at $25. Call me at (717) 676-0545 if you would like to receive comp tickets for general admission.
Location: The show will be held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, located at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130.
I am excited and privileged to return for the 62nd instance of this auspicious, vetted event. This icon of the antique show circuit benefits the educational programs at Winterthur, the former estate of avid antiques collector and horticulturist, Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969). The show has a heavy focus on American antiques and those produced for the American market, and in these categories now handily maintains the title of the best antique show in the nation.
The show is unique because all items are sold with a written guarantee of the dealers, backed by the Winterthur Museum, which hand-selects the show’s exhibitors. For those unfamiliar with Winterthur, you should know that it was, in some senses, the DuPont answer to the Rockefeller’s Colonial Williamsburg. Winterthur is not a village, however, but a huge country estate with extensive collections, top shelf museum staff, many buildings and elaborate gardens, far and away less commercialized than its Rockefeller counterpart. Many of its academic programs for the study of antiques and conservation are unparalleled. It's collection of early American textiles is the best in the nation, as is its collection of early ceramics, made for the American market.
I encourage you to take the time to tour Winterthur when you visit the show. In addition to its programs and attractions for adults, there is a remarkable children's garden and a room where children can experience an early kitchen and antiques first hand.
Where?
The show is to be held at the Chase Center on the riverfront at 815 Justison Street in downtown Wilmington, which is about 100 miles from New York City and about the same distance from Washington, D.C., just off Interstate 95.
When?
The show opens with a benefit preview party on Thursday evening, Nov. 6th. Prices and times of entry are as follows:
Sponsor: $250 per person, includes admission at 5:00 pm
Patron: $175 per person, 6:00 pm entry
Young Collector: $125 per person, 6:00 pm entry
Regular show hours are Friday & Saturday 11-6 and Sunday 11-5. Regular admission is $25 per person, Children under 12 are free.
What Else Do I Need to Know?
All tickets are valid for admission to all days of the show and to Winterthur during the show dates. All lectures are included with show admission.
I am delighted to announce that I have been asked to exhibit antique American flags once again at New York's Union League Club.
This is a selling exhibition. I will present a wealth of material in the spacious gallery, including antique American flags, political and patriotic textiles. There will be items from the Women's Suffrage movement, Native American beadwork, and early American folk art of a patriotic nature.
When: The exhibit will be open for 2 months, beginning December 1st, 2025 and closing January 30th, 2026.
Where: The Union League Club, 38 East 37th St., New York, NY [S.W. Corner of Park Ave. & 37th Streets]
What Time: The club is open every day, but I am generally not physically present. Though I can be found there by chance, what I generally do is make appointments to come in and meet with clients, bringing additional material with me, if desired, to meet requested parameters with respect to age, size, date, historical relationships, price level, etc.
For non-members, attendance is by appointment. Call us at 717-676-0545 to arrange a visit, or send us an email at info@JeffBridgman.com. Don’t worry about short notice. While its best to plan ahead, we have a very good grasp of the speed at which the lives of busy people often moves.
What Else Do I Need to Know:
Please note that club rules prohibit jeans and cell phone use within the lobby. Golf shorts and those of a dress nature, are permitted in the summer months.
About the Union League
One of the city’s most exclusive institutions, the Union League was founded during the Civil War in 1863 by a group of concerned and influential citizens, to aid President Abraham Lincoln in his quest to preserve the Union. Over the past 140 years, the club has quietly rendered distinguished service to the nation. During the Civil War it raised and outfitted three volunteer regiments. The Sanitary Fair (a major fundraising effort for the war) was directed by club members and held outside the club house, at that time located in Union Square. Union League Club members were instrumental in establishing The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870. They played an essential role in the founding of the American Red Cross (an outgrowth of the Sanitary Commission), as well as to help to erect both the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor and the Lincoln Monument in Union Square. Among many other accomplishments, they were the driving force that ended the ongoing corruption at Tammany Hall.
Many prominent civic, state and national leaders have enjoyed membership in the ULC, including fifteen presidents, many senators and congressmen, cabinet members, diplomats, and scores of CEOs of major corporations. J. Pierpont Morgan was a regular during the 19th century, along with John Jay, William Cullen Bryant, Chester Arthur, and Thomas Nast. Western artist and sculptor Frederic Remington was a member, as was Emanuel Leutze, who painted Washington Crossing the Delaware. Leutze’s famous work was exhibited at the Sanitary Fair upon completion. Theodore Roosevelt managed his early political career from the Club’s chambers and chose them as a place to hold interrogations during the time in which he served as New York’s Chief of Police.
Today one of the primary focuses of the Club is the well being of our military veterans.
| Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques, Inc • Historic York County, Pennsylvania • Tel. 717-502-1281 or 717-676-0545 • info@jeffbridgman.com All images and Text © Jeff Bridgman 2001 - 2021 |