Period-drama season is upon us, and as viewers are transported by the sumptuous costumes and award-winning performances, we sneak beyond the sets to discover the hectic realm of sourcing antique props for TV and film
FEATURE ELLIE TENNANT
Autumn is traditionally the season of the blockbuster period drama; longer evenings and lowering temperatures are conducive to hunkering down in front of the latest releases, from series six of The Crown on Netflix, to Napoleon on Apple TV+. And, while the actors, the stunning locations and the sumptuous costumes will draw most of the plaudits, spare a thought for the set dressers and props buyers. The meticulous work of these unsung heroes of the world of film and television is central to the overall mood, and success, of these shows.
More often than not, their research will lead them to specialist antiques dealers or to dealers, such as Salianne and Andrew Collier, who cater solely to the entertainment industry. Run from a vast granary in Nottinghamshire, the Colliers’ props business, Rufus J. Maypole, is a sister operation to Collier Antiques, and was established as a result of regular requests from set decorators and props buyers.
Having provided antique antlers and carvings for the tavern scenes in Disney’s 2017 film, Beauty and the Beast, and all the glassware for Murder on the Orient Express, a props buyer visited their stand at Battersea Decorative Fair and proceeded to gather up assorted pieces of stock. The buyer turned out to be Ellen Freund, a big name in the world of set design – as the Property Master on Mad Men, she was responsible for creating the show’s completely immersive and believable 1965 ambience, right down to the ice in the drinks, which was made using vintage mid-century metal ice cube trays.
At the time of her visit to the Colliers’ stand at Battersea, Freund had been all over Europe sourcing antiques for The Alienist series. ‘Ellen explained there was a gap in the market,’ says Salianne. ‘There are big prop-hire companies in London, but the problem is the same things crop up in every production and it becomes very noticeable. Prop houses have ‘Victorian vases’ but they don’t have the specialist knowledge to differentiate between years.’
Ellen was looking for a dealer to work with regularly and advised Salianne and her husband to set up a website. They now run props supplier firm Rufus J. Maypole, selling and renting props to the TV and film industry, alongside Collier Antiques, their main business. It’s impossibl
