Janet Carlile

Janet Carlile was educated at the University of Waterloo, Lancaster University and Sotheby’s in the United Kingdom. Janet began collecting antiques at the age of ten. "After my first degree in Canadian History I didn't really want to teach so I went to London where I had the opportunity to do a course at Sotheby's because I 'wanted to know more about antiques: how they were made, who made them and how they were used.' The excitement and the thrill of being around such beautiful objects and having access to amazing people in the trade including those who wrote the books we referred to was an experience that has always stayed with me and convinced me that if at all possible I wanted to be associated with antiques in some way as a career. I have been fortunate to have been able to do that.”

Janet’s training is in silver and glass but she says that the nature of the business is such that one really must become a generalist.

“I first learned about Canadian glass from Gerald Stevens in the late 60's while he was still doing various digs at Canadian glass factories and that got me hooked on glass. While I was lecturing I did a lot of research into glass excise tax and its effect on shapes and styles of glass along with the "rise and fall" of the Irish glass industry in the 19th century. Silver just followed along as glass and silver are so often associated in a finished product.”

Janet notes, as do many of the other appraisers on the Canadian Antiques Roadshow, that “the "antiques" business has become larger as the world becomes smaller. Search engines we use for prices etc have to be international because the market has now become international. I think eBay and its spin-offs have had a lot to do with that.

Janet goes on to say that: “On a more local level, people say there are not as many "good" things around as there used to be. I disagree. What we see today is an evolution of collecting. The good things haven't gone. There are a lot more people involved in the business and a lot more people chasing after the same things, which in many cases are just in hands that aren't letting go for the time being. It will all come out again. Just seeing what comes into the Roadshow is fair indication of that. People are becoming more aware of what they have as there is now more access to information about antiques. The Roadshow is in part responsible for that knowledge.”

Janet has been on two Roadshow tours now and has enjoyed the experience immensely.

“It is great to be part of it. The visitors are excited and pleased just to be seen by an expert and those who are filmed are thrilled. In some cases it was the experience which seemed more important to them than the actual information which was being given to them.”

Being a Roadshow appraiser also gives experts a chance to see things they never expect to see. Janet was amazed by a “parian Belleek figure- about 18", unlike any I had seen outside the Belleek Museum. It was filthy, but just fantastic.”

Like many of the people who work in her field, Janet stresses the importance of valuing our past through the items we cherish.

“Canadians often look to the future with little regard for the past. We almost seem to have a negative view of our history. Few Canadians realize that Canada had Acadian settlers in 1604- the May Flower didn't arrive in the States until 1621. We are not the young country that people always say we are and because of our age a lot of artifacts are still around. Having said that many of our artifacts have disappeared and that is sad. Our past helps to explain who we are and why we are,” she says.

Janet offers this advice for anyone considering beginning a collection: “I would suggest they go to a few museums to start with. The ROM, as an example, has a good collection of glass and silver. It is well labeled and easy to see. I would then begin to attend as many antique shows and auction previews as I could in order to handle and see glass and silver objects up close. I would also be looking at reference books and any literature I could find. Knowledge is power when purchasing.”

In her spare time, Janet enjoys gardening, but she says that while “gardening gets me away from my desk, I would be lying if I didn't include antiquing as a hobby too.”

Read about some of our other experts here.