Burton and Helaine Fendelman Papers

Helaine Fendelman (born January 25, 1942 in Riverside, Illinois) is an antiques, fine arts, and collectibles appraiser; author; and instructor. She was guest curator of the 1975 exhibition Tramp Art at the American Folk Art Museum and author of the book Tramp Art: An Itinerant’s Folk Art (E. P. Dutton, 1975). The publication was one of the first to provide comprehensive documentation about tramp art, which consisted of notched woodcarving from cigar boxes, shipping crates, or other soft, readily available wood. The notched wood strips were applied in layers to create elaborate patterns adorning functional objects. Information about tramp art makers was scarce, and Fendelman conducted national research for her book, which sought to shed light on the origins, makers, and spread of the decorative art form. In 1999, she co-authored Tramp Art: A Folk Art Phenomenon with Jonathan Taylor.

Fendelman has also authored numerous articles on Tramp art, appraisal, and antique shopping, including the recurring columns, “What Is It? What Is It Worth?” in Country Living Magazine, and the syndicated column “Treasures In Your Attic,” which Fendelman co-authors for Scripps Howard Newspapers. Fendelman co-hosted the PBS television program “Treasures in Your Attic” with Joe Rosson and co-wrote a book by the same title. Fendelman taught several courses on folk art and the business of antiques at the Scarsdale Adult School between the late 1970s and 2000s

In the 1970s, Helaine and her husband Burton Fendelman ran an antiques business from their 1870s farmhouse in Scarsdale, New York. Their personal collection, the American Folk Art Collection of Burton and Helaine Fendelman, was sold by Sotheby’s in 1993.Helaine Fendelman and Associates Fine Art Appraisals currently operates out of New York City, New York.