Look at the legs.

If you want to date the style of a chair or table, look first at the legs for clues. From medieval times to the end of the 17th century, legs were straight and thick. The leg — plain or decorated with carvings — went from the table top straight to the floor.

Early in the 18th century, Queen Anne style came into fashion, and the leg of a chair or table was made with an outward curve at the “knee” and an inward curve of the lower leg. The curves added strength to the thinner legs that were then in style. By the 1790s, the new Sheraton style was popular, and very thin, tapered legs were fashionable.

The 19th century saw the use of power machinery and large-scale production of furniture. Carvings and trim were popular. Legs were either very curved or bulky and straight. The 20th century saw the use of new materials and designs that were unthinkable in previous centuries. Molded plastic chairs could be made like zigzags, with a single bent sheet of plastic forming the entire chair. Sofas of huge, shaped cushions or blown-up plastic furniture had no legs at all. Legless bubble chairs and sometimes even tables were suspended from the ceiling.

A 22-inch ceramic vase made in Germany has been in our family for more than 100 years. It has looped handles on each side and a portrait of a woman in a white dress painted on the front. The rest of the vase is covered with painted flowers and leaves. The mark on the bottom is a crown over a shield between the words “Royal” and “Bonn, Germany.” Inside the shield is the date 1755 and a fancy letter M with two lines extending from the M’s left side. Can you identify the maker?

Your vase was made at the Franz Anton Mehlem factory in Bonn, Germany, between about 1890 and 1920. The lines extending from the left side of the M form a stylized F for “Franz.” Mehlem’s company used the trade name “Royal Bonn.” The 1755 is in the mark because Mehlem could trace the history of his Bonn factory, sometimes called the Bonn China Manufacturing Co., back to that year. The word “Germany” indicates that the vase was manufactured for export to the United States or another English-speaking country. The Mehlem factory was purchased by Villeroy & Boch in 1921 and closed 10 years later.

We’ve had two small bisque boy and girl dolls for more than 40 years, but we haven’t been able to learn much about them. The dolls are very chubby children with movable arms. The girl is wearing a pink dress with blue trim and shoes. The boy is wearing brown pants and a green jacket and shoes. I’ve been told the dolls are called “Happy Fats.”

Original “Happifats” bisque dolls were designed by Kate Jordan and produced by Borgfeldt in Germany from 1913 to 1921. The dolls were meant to compete with the popular Kewpie dolls. Happifats dolls eventually were produced in three sizes, and one version was made with a composition head. An original German pair sells for about $500. But Happifats dolls were also made in Japan before World War II. A pair of Japanese dolls sells for about $275. Reproductions of the dolls are on the market today and sell for about $50 each.

I recently came across a Beatles leather locket I received from my “secret pal” during my freshman year of college. The black-leather locket has a snap closure and contains a foldout of 11 black-and-white photos of the Beatles, each 1 by 1 1/4 inches. The photos show the Beatles as they looked around the time they first appeared in the United States, in 1964. The front of the leather locket has white edging and a white title, “The Beatles.” The locket is attached with a ring to a long, silver-colored chain. Can you give me any information?

This Philadelphia Queen Anne drop-leaf table has the typical curved cabriole legs of the era it was made -- 1740 to 1760. It sold at Sotheby's New York for ,200.

Your leather locket is a nice Beatles collectible and probably dates from 1964 or ’65. It can also be found with a red-leather cover. In excellent condition, it could sell for $50 or more.

About 15 years ago, a 92-year-old friend gave me an odd wooden tool that I’m trying to identify. It belonged to her husband and was stored in his British Army trunk. It’s wooden, about 18 inches long, and folds in half on hinges. When it’s unfolded, it forms an open U on one end and a rounded platform on the other. Two legs can be turned down to lift the U end off the floor. Can you give us a clue?

You have described a boot jack. A boot jack helps a person remove tall boots. You fit the heel of one boot into the U, hold the rounded end to the floor with your other foot and pull the boot off.

Tip

The 18th-century bookcase had shelves that were placed symmetrically. If the bottom shelf is 8 inches from the bottom, the top shelf should be 8 inches from the top. If the permanent grooves for the shelves are not spaced this way, look carefully to be sure you have an antique piece.