Antique German Goose Feather Tree, 26.5" Hx 16.5" W For Sale

Antique German Goose Feather Tree, 26.5" Hx 16.5" W, this tree is fuller than most feather trees and has berries on many of the branches, they were originally red but with age and use the berries have turned white. Still very nice to have them at all as most fall off over time. Wooden box, with hand painted design. Box has stamp on bottom that is too hard to read but many say Germany or West Germany.A German feather tree is an early type of artificial Christmas tree made in Germany during the 1880s and 1890s. Crafted as an eco-friendly response to deforestation, these tabletop trees feature wire-and-wooden branches wrapped in split, green-dyed goose or turkey feathers that mimic pine needles.Since the trees were easy to assemble and were easy to ship, they soon became available from the well known "wish book", the Sears Roebuck Catalog, about 1920. Sears first offered trees as small as two inches tall to as tall as thirty inches. Later, trees eight feet tall were available.The feathers are dyed before they go on the metal branches, with age they dry out if not kept in a cool place away from heat and direct sunlight. Feathers will also drop from the branches as they get older, The branches should be carefully opened and closed to minimize the loss of feathers. But even trees with some bare spaces are beautiful.
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