Shop of the Week – CarambasVintage 1

 Please tell us a little about you and your shop.

Hi, my name is Maria and I run CarambasVintage from Uruguay. My shop specializes in vintage prints and I like to have an eclectic collection that goes from vintage maps to natural history engravings or modern art lithographs. Most of my prints are from the 19th. or early 20th. century. This is my job now that I am supposed to be retired and I really enjoy it!

Even while the majority of my prints were not produced in Uruguay I feel that, in a way, they reflect our own history. I found them here and they got here for a reason. When I find a new treasure from Italy, France or Germany, I am always curious about its long voyage. It could have been part of the luggage of a family that was looking for a better life here or bought by wealthy travelers in one of their long trips to Europe. Sometimes the journey is quite obvious but still puzzling. What is a late 19th. century travel guide to Egypt doing in Uruguay? Who brought an 18th century book with architectural drawings of Palladio here? When the book was published this was still a colony. It is always a bit mysterious!


What is your favorite era and why?

I really don´t have a favorite era. Printmaking techniques evolved through the years and each technique is interesting. I love looking at a hand painted engraving from early 19th century but I also enjoy a 20th century lithograph. As I said, my collection is eclectic and browsing it is an adventure.


 What is your favorite item in your shop at the moment and why? 

There is a collection of illustrations of the book “One Thousand and One Nights” by Kees van Dongen that I could say that it is my favorite right now. There are only a few still available, here is one:

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