Big Day Out stalls, Cambridge, July 2010 (01)

Bric-à-brac () or bric-a-brac (from French), first used in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

, around 1840, refers to lesser

objets d'art In art history, the French term Objet d’art describes an ornamental work of art, and the term Objets d’art describes a range of works of art, usually small and three-dimensional, made of high-quality materials, and a finely-rendered finish th ...

forming collections of

curio Curio may refer to: Objects *Bric-à-brac, lesser objets d'art for display * Cabinet of curiosities, a room-sized collection or exhibit of curios or curiosities *Collectables *Curio cabinet, a cabinet constructed for the display of curios People ...

s. The French phrase is now obsolete, dating from the 16th century, then meaning "at random, any old way". Shops selling such items, often referred to as knick knacks today, were often referred to as purveyors of fancy goods, which might also include

novelty item A novelty item or simply novelty is an object which is specifically designed to serve no practical purpose, and is sold for its uniqueness, humor, or simply as something new (hence "novelty", or newness). The term also applies to practical items wi ...

s and other giftware. The curios in these shops or in home collections might have included items such as elaborately decorated teacups and small vases, compositions of feathers or wax flowers under glass domes, decorated eggshells,

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

figurines, painted miniatures or photographs in stand-up frames. In middle-class homes, bric-à-brac was used as ornament on

mantelpiece The fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and c ...

s, tables, and shelves, or was displayed in

curio cabinet A curio cabinet is a specialised type of display case, made predominantly of glass with a metal or wood framework, for presenting collections of curios, like figurines or other interesting objects that invoke curiosity, and perhaps share a co ...

s; sometimes these cabinets have glass doors to display the items within while protecting them from dust. Today, "bric-à-brac" refers to a selection of items of modest value, often sold in street markets and charity shops. In

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

, such items are known as ''

tchotchkes A tchotchke ( , ) is a small bric-à-brac or miscellaneous item. The word has long been used by Jewish-Americans and in the regional speech of New York City and elsewhere. It is borrowed from Yiddish and is ultimately Slavic in origin. The word ...

''. Edith Wharton and

Ogden Codman Jr. Ogden Codman Jr. (January 19, 1863 – January 8, 1951) was an American architect and interior decorator in the Beaux-Arts styles, and co-author with Edith Wharton of ''The Decoration of Houses'' (1897), which became a standard in American inte ...

, in ''The Decoration of Houses'' (1897), distinguished three gradations of quality in such "household ornaments": ''bric-à-brac'', ''bibelots'' ( trinkets) and

."French speech... has provided at least three designations, each indicating a delicate and almost imperceptible gradation of quality": Wharton and Codman, ''The Decoration of Houses'', 1897, Ch. XVI "Bric-à-brac" p. 184.

References

Collecting Reuse Memorabilia {{hist-stub

See also

References