Peter E. Baker Antiques

Antiquaire since/depuis 1976. Early country furnishings in original paint, folk art and decorative accessories.

With over 40 years experience dealing in 18th and 19th century furniture and folk art, we pride ourselves in offering classic Canadiana as well as unique objects and accessories of distinction to meet a wide variety of tastes and budgets. All objects sold by Peter E. Baker Antiques are described carefully and guaranteed as represented with full restoration details provided to prospective purchasers. Although our focus is on original colour, we do handle select refinished pieces as well.

Peter Baker has specialized in early rural Canadian furnishings and accessories since 1976 under the trade name of Peter E. Baker Antiques, primarily dealing in Quebec material from the 18th and 19th centuries. He is a standing member and current Board member of the Canadian Antiques Dealer Association.

An active “show” dealer, Peter Baker has participated in prestigious antique events in both the United States and Canada, including the Los Angeles Tribal Art and Folk Art Show, the Santa Fe Antiques Show, the Bowmanville (Ontario) Antique and Folk Art Show, the North Hatley Antiques Fair and the annual showpiece fair sponsored by the Canadian Antiques Dealers' Association. In addition to evaluating individual pieces and collections for private collectors and estates, Peter Baker is a regular appraiser of bequests to various national museums and the McCord Museum of Natural History in Montreal, Canada.

Peter searches out most of his inventory privately directly from the “source” as much as possible, being either a private collection or family estate. The majority of restoration work is done in-house, providing over three decades of experience in the technical aspects of construction, form, original colours and preservation skills.

In 1989, Peter Baker was an executor of the Harriet Hawkins estate (a well known dealer and collector of Quebec antiques and a driving force behind the Village de Jacques Chambly established in the 1960s) and he coordinated a catalogued sale of her collection which established several auction records for Quebec artifacts at the time. In 1990, Mme. Nettie Sharpe retained Peter Baker as an advisor in the sale of numerous objects from her collection to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Upon Mme. Sharpe's death, Peter Baker was retained by the estate to evaluate the collection for eventual release to the Canadian Centre for Folk Culture Studies.

He has lectured on antiques as part of a local adult education program and is often requested as a guest speaker at community events. Peter Baker has gained a reputation as one of Canada's leading dealers in early folk art. This includes material such as weathervanes, carvings, trade signs and other utilitarian objects that are elevated to the category of art due to their naive, yet artistic, qualities. Many of his items have found their way into major Canadian and American collections.

In 2001, Peter Baker was selected as one of five Canadian “expert appraisers” for the BBC production “Antiques Roadshow” upon their visit to Toronto and Ottawa for the taping of the show. He was chosen as the Quebec and Canadiana specialist and was featured in both tapings that aired. Since the introduction of the Canadian Antiques Roadshow the following year, Peter has been regularly featured as a Canadiana and folk art expert.