Well, 1950s qualifies as "antique" (greater than 50 years old), and that's
after I was born! I have pondered the need for another term for the stuff
I'm looking for (pre-1900s) and I can sympathise with the person using
"ancient" instead of "antique".
Yes, Robin, I've always heard that "antique" was over 100 years old, too. I'm afraid your teenage years are merely "retro" ;-)
No-one else has mentioned this, so I will - the primary meaning of "ancient" is "before the fall of the Western Roman Empire" - eg before 450 AD or so (I'm sure some history buff will break in here and give me a more exact date) That's the first thought I always have when I read the word, especially when used to date an object. So it is inappropriate to use in describing a lace bobbin - *any* lace bobbin! (besides giving me a hilarious mental image of a marble freize of ladies in stolas making Bucks Point)
When I need a term for older stuff I tend to use some of the design terms: Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Baroque, etc., and there are always general era terms like "Victorian" and "Georgian" which often must be broken down further into early-, mid-, and late- because the eras lasted so long. In the US there are other terms that just apply to US history, like "Federal" and "Colonial". And, you can always use the century - late 19th century, and so on.
Looking back on this last paragraph, I'd say there are almost too many ways to describe eras, not too few!
Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada)
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