HistoricSpecs

For The Swan Company owner, Carol Hanson, it all began in 1979 with the purchase of an 1876 Italianate row house on Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. "It had picture rail molding, but the only place that carried the appropriate hangers (Woolworth's) went out of business before I got there. So I said 'Ok, I can do this myself'. Figuring that I wasn’t the only person that would miss Woolworth, I ran a very tiny ad in Victorian Homes Magazine. That describes the birth of the 'Picture Hanging Paraphernalia'. What came next was the picture rail molding. In 1989, we began construction of a new old house using mostly architectural salvage. That’s when I stumbled on 'Gesso' picture rail molding. By some miracle I found enough at a salvage yard to do our entire house. But I was in love with it and wanted to share it with others. I used scrap pieces on my website to display my picture rail hooks. Big mistake…as people thought I had it for sale, and I ended up disappointing a lot of them. But that’s when my quest began to learn as much as I could about it. It led me on a long (and many times disappointing) road, but I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. So now, a mere 25 years later, I am able to offer the world authentic Gesso Picture Rail Molding. Yes the real thing…plaster on wood and, best of all, it’s made in the USA".