Our History
Founded in 1963, by Hal Kramer, the H. Hal Kramer Co. has been offering exquisite, handcrafted, antiqued, miniature wall décor for nearly fifty years. Hal and his parents emigrated from Frankfurt, Germany, in 1940, where his family owned an art gallery. Once settled in New York City, his mother became a talented water-colorist, in her own right. On one occasion, she even created a hand-colored print for Harry S. Truman.
In 1959, Hal met and married Ilene, the niece of a well-known Chicago decorator. It was at this time that Hal sensed the market’s desire for elegant, antiqued, miniature wall décor, and began creating his own line of small accessories, in the basement of their townhome. The business was born with the design of a single item: a miniature cameo, elegantly displayed and framed on an oval mat. Each piece was meticulously handcrafted by both Hal and Ilene, with a close attention to detail and a deep respect for quality. Hal and a cousin of Ilene’s took this item on the road and sold between 9 and 10 dozen in the first week!
By 1967, when the H Hal Kramer Co. was incorporated, the business had already acquired one part-time worker, and two road salesmen to sell to the mid-west and southeast regions of the country. It was increasingly making a niche for itself in the business of fine, miniature wall décor and accessories, while building on its reputation for superior quality and fine craftsmanship among its customers.
Being the son of an artist, Hal had an eye for the exquisite. He appreciated fine art, but understood that not everyone could afford to acquire an original. It was with this in mind, that Hal created his unique line of hand-aged and antiqued, reproduction prints, from Europe and around the world, to be displayed in his own hand-carved and embellished, hand-joined frames. Quality resonates with every detail of his museum quality pieces, from the acid- and lignin-free, cotton French-made papers, to the hand-mitred corners and rich, golden embellishments on the hand-distressed, solid wood frames.
By the 1970s, when the business acquired its own shop for crafting its beautiful line of pictures and accessories, the H. Hal Kramer Co. opened it first showroom in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. Soon two new road salesmen were added to represent the upper mid-west and western regions of our country, while showrooms in Dallas and San Francisco began displaying and selling our pictures to professional decorators and interior designers.
In the late 1970s, Hal’s showroom in the Merchandise Mart relocated to the ever-growing High Point, North Carolina furniture market; and Hal began travelling to High Point twice a year, where many of his customers looked forward to seeing his newly designed items and socializing with him. Hal prided himself on his exclusive and sophisticated creations, each piece exuding its fine craftsmanship and close attention to detail. On their trips to Europe, Hal and Ilene continued to add to the business’s splendid collection of vintage prints, which many high-end designers sought to enhance the elegance and grandeur of their clients’ homes.
Although the H. Hal Kramer Co. collection began with a single cameo accessory, today, our framed art includes over 1,000 unique and striking creations. For nearly 50 years, our exquisite wall groupings and uniquely shaped oval and octagonal images have been placed in fine homes, around the world, by the most discriminating professional interior designers and decorators. We boast a distinguished series of antiqued, architectural prints and engravings, a romantic assemblage of hand-aged, European pastoral and French Country scenes, and a treasure trove of elegantly framed, Asian panels. You will also discover H. Hal Kramer Co.’s richly hued, framed botanicals, delicate bird and butterfly prints, and our own unique selection of antiqued crests, medallions, and carvings, on our website. Come explore the world of H. Hal Kramer Co.’s antiqued, miniature wall accessories…. and add a touch of sophistication and elegance to your home.