Schaffhausen calls me

This is not about IWC watches, but it is a neat story about how I stumbled across something from Schaffhausen - in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

My wife and I have collected antiques for many years. This week we are visiting Nashville, Tennessee where there are four excellent antique shows all held at overlapping times.

Now, bear in mind that "old" or "antique" are quite different in the US than in Europe. 100 years old in the US is antique. In Europe, 100 years is quite young. In decorating our 1885 house (quite old by Midwest US standards) with antiques, one of the items we have hung in each bedroom is an antique "Family Record" from someone's family. These were quite common back in the day. I suppose maybe each family kept one. Courier and Ives lithographs such as the one pictured are quite common, both in English as well as in German, as shown.

As we were prowling through the booths at one of the antique shows, a hand drawn Family Record caught my eye. It was quite lovely, because the decorations were hand drawn in water colors, rather than being a more common Courier Lithograph. But when I took it off the wall to look a little closer, I got a real surprise. The record, in German, showed the man and woman to both have been born in Schaffhausen in 1870 and to later have died there, and it went on to show the births and deaths of children and grandchildren.

I almost bought it, but my wife gave me that evil "why do you need another (fill in the blank)" look usually reserved for watches. You probably are all familiar with the look. Back on the wall it went, with just a bit of my heart.

The reach of Schaffhausen is truly global, and not just because of IWC!

an interesting note and coincidence, especially considering that the population of schaffhausen is 35,000 (well at least nowadays). i would imagine the population back in 1870 was far less. so hey you never know, those two may have been children of those who worked at IWC...

either way i think it's a sure sign you need to go out and buy another schaffhausen creation... RIGHT AWAY!

vinhthang

Dick - Neat story. If it was likely some other village in CH, you would not have been compelled to post. Same feeling here. I recall some time, not too long ago, I was strolling around LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) with my wife and daughter. While wearing an IWC, of course.

Among the works by Rodin, Monet, Millet, Bernini, Chagall, Collete, and Matisse - was this colorful, and dramatic stained glass depicting the "Ram and Arms of Schaffhausen" made in Schaffhausen in 1609. It was donated by the estate of William Randolph Hearst. No idea how he got his hands on it...

That's really cool Dick...I would have been hard pressed not have snuck back and bought it (and suffered the consequences later! lol!).

Dick, very interesting, thanks for posting.