The Dolly Johnson Antique & Art Show Inc. Jan Orr-Harter, Show Director |
|||
|
|
The
49th Annual Dolly Johnson |
||
| American French English Art Jewelry Industrial Garden Western Mid-Century Modern | ||
About Dolly Johnson
Show History – Who was Dolly Johnson?
By Helen Pringle, Ft. Worth Antiquarian Society
In 1963, Dolly Johnson’s decision to start an Antique Show of her own happily coincided with the national mania for collecting American “country antiques,” surviving household objects and furniture made and used by our ancestors. At age 50 with her children out of the nest, Dolly wanted to be able to say she was more than "just a housewife." With the help and encouragement of her husband, R. E. “Rip” Johnson, a lively Ft. Worth businessman and director of the Will Rogers Memorial
Coliseum, she mounted her first show at the Will Rogers Complex, where it remains today. The Dolly Johnson Antique Show is the oldest continuous antique show in Texas and throughout the southwest.
Country collectors from all over Texas await the second weekend in March when the Dolly Johnson Antique Show brings fifty well-selected dealers to Ft. Worth’s cultural landscape. Originally an all “American country” show, the show has evolved to include American antiques, art and collectibles for many tastes, from jewelry to silver to Western memorabilia, and much more. Today, a long line of shoppers awaits the opening of the show, eager to see the American treasures that annually make their way to Cowtown. Folk Art, Quilts, baskets, primitive furniture in original paint, early toys and textiles, antique advertising---they arrive with exceptional dealers and depart to new homes in Ft. Worth and beyond.
In 1991, Dolly was joined by her daughter, Jean Joy, “JJ”, Johnson Frambes, and later by her granddaughter, Krista Frambes Luter, in the management of the DJAS. Haley Luter, Krista’s daughter, represents the fourth generation of the family now associated with this historic show. Dolly’s foresight insured that at her death in 1998, her beloved antique show continued to run smoothly in the hands of her family, while retaining her familiar name and her love of the antiques and artifacts of the American people.
In 2009 JJ Frambes sold the Dolly Johnson Antique Show to Jan Orr-Harter, who renamed it "The Dolly Johnson Antique & Art Show." In addition to working on the Dolly Johnson show staff for six years, during the last 20 years Orr-Harter has promoted antique shows in New York City and served as Staff Writer for the Marburger Farm Antique Show in Round Top, Texas. Raised in Fort Worth, she is also the owner of Hot Tamale Antiques in Aledo, Texas.
The Dolly Johnson Antique & Art Show Inc. Jan Orr-Harter, Show Director |
|||
|
