Bric-à-brac
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Bric-à-brac (French: [bʁi.ka.bʁak]) or bric-a-brac (from French), first used in the Victorian era, around 1840, refers to lesser objets d'art forming collections of curios. The French phrase dates from the 16th century 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,
In middle-class homes, bric-à-brac was used as ornament on
Today, "bric-à-brac" refers to a selection of items of modest value, often sold in street markets and charity shops.[3]
In
Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman Jr., in The Decoration of Houses (1897), distinguished three gradations of quality in such "household ornaments": bric-à-brac, bibelots (trinkets) and objets d'art.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Fancy goods (British English)". Collins English Dictionary.
- ^ "Fancy goods – History of Castleknock". History of Castleknock. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "Shop". PAWS. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press, tchotchke : /ˈtʃɒtʃkə/
- ^ "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.
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