THE NEW YORK TIMES
Show Us Your Walls
By Warren Strugatch
 |
| Benjamin Bradley, a collector whose obsession is Christmas, and his dog, Ebenezer, in the antique-filled apartment he shares with his partner, Bruce Wayne. Behind him is an abstract expressionist painting by Priscilla Heine, flanked by framed English military seals. Daniel Dorsa for The New York Times |
In the early ’90s, Mr. Bradley came to New York to complete his bachelor’s degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After classes, he haunted the city’s flea markets, auctions and antique shops, enhancing the collection he’d started in Indiana. Today Mr. Bradley collects mainly over the internet, focusing on German imports made between 1850 and 1920: Santa-themed jars and candy dishes; nodders (windup bobbleheads); Dresden ornaments (highly fragile paper composites hand-assembled by local artisans); and more. This year three Christmas trees are laden with the ornaments. Mr. Bradley’s collection, by his estimate, exceeds 3,000 pieces. It’s housed in the six-room, prewar Carnegie Hill co-op he shares with his life partner, Bruce Wayne, a celebrity makeup artist. [
More]
 |
| Benjamin Bradley’s main Christmas tree is thickly hung with history, with German glass ornaments dating back as far as 1880. Daniel Dorsa for The New York Times |
