Domestic Furnishings

Washboards, armchairs, lamps, and pots and pans may not seem to be museum pieces. But they are invaluable evidence of how most people lived day to day, last week or three centuries ago. The Museum's collections of domestic furnishings comprise more than 40,000 artifacts from American households. Large and small, they include four houses, roughly 800 pieces of furniture, fireplace equipment, spinning wheels, ceramics and glass, family portraits, and much more.

The Arthur and Edna Greenwood Collection contains more than 2,000 objects from New England households from colonial times to mid-1800s. From kitchens of the past, the collections hold some 3,300 artifacts, ranging from refrigerators to spatulas. The lighting devices alone number roughly 3,000 lamps, candleholders, and lanterns.

Set of six dinner knives (1986.531.162-.167) in light brown flannel carrying pouch with individual pockets for each knife (1986.531.247). Straight silver-plated steel blade with rounded tip and “yankee” style bolster fitted into tapered ivory handle with rounded sides and butt.
Description
Set of six dinner knives (1986.531.162-.167) in light brown flannel carrying pouch with individual pockets for each knife (1986.531.247). Straight silver-plated steel blade with rounded tip and “yankee” style bolster fitted into tapered ivory handle with rounded sides and butt. Tang is held in place with single steel pin through side of handle. Blade is scratched, plate is worn, tarnished. Ivory is yellowed, cracked, and crazed.
Blade is stamped: “LAMSON & GOODNOW MFG Co/S. FALLS WORKS”
Maker is Lamson & Goodnow Company, a manufacturer and wholesaler active in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts 1844-present.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860- 1880
maker
Lamson & Goodnow
ID Number
1986.0531.162
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.162
Knife, part of a three-piece cutlery set with two matching forks (1986.0531.157-159). Straight steel blade with rounded tip and small “yankee” style bolster. Blade and bolster are one piece of steel with tang fitted into a tapered horn handle with rounded sides and butt.
Description
Knife, part of a three-piece cutlery set with two matching forks (1986.0531.157-159). Straight steel blade with rounded tip and small “yankee” style bolster. Blade and bolster are one piece of steel with tang fitted into a tapered horn handle with rounded sides and butt. Tang is held in place with brass pin through side. Metal is corroded, darkened, and scratched with minor rust spots. Horn is scratched.
Blade is stamped: “LAMSON GOODNOW & Co/S. FALLS WORKS”
Maker is Lamson & Goodnow Company, a manufacturer and wholesaler active in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts 1844-present.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860- 1880
maker
Lamson & Goodnow
ID Number
1986.0531.157
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.531.157
Open-top, rectangular, fretwork box divided widthwise into two, equal-size compartments. Consists of five sawn panels for the sides and divider, plus a plain, inset panel for bottom; exposed mortise-and-tenon and nailed construction.
Description
Open-top, rectangular, fretwork box divided widthwise into two, equal-size compartments. Consists of five sawn panels for the sides and divider, plus a plain, inset panel for bottom; exposed mortise-and-tenon and nailed construction. Front and black panels feature a perched, plumed bird in a circle at center flanked by reverse-image, frondlike leaves, while divider has inward-facing eagles over a lancet motif and ends each have two vertical plumes of serrated leaves. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875 - 1885
late 19th c.
ID Number
1982.0049.03
accession number
1982.0049
catalog number
1982.0049.03
One of a set of four dessert knives (1986.0531.152-.55). Straight silver-plated steel blade with rounded tip and small “yankee” style bolster. Blade and bolster are one piece of steel fitted into an ivory handle with rounded sides and butt.
Description
One of a set of four dessert knives (1986.0531.152-.55). Straight silver-plated steel blade with rounded tip and small “yankee” style bolster. Blade and bolster are one piece of steel fitted into an ivory handle with rounded sides and butt. Tang is held in place with a single steel pin through the side. Blade is scratched and tarnished. Ivory has crack down one side near pin.
Blade is stamped: “LAMSON GOODNOW & Co/S. FALLS WORKS”; partially faded.
Maker is Lamson & Goodnow Company, a manufacturer and wholesaler active in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts 1844-present.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860- 1880
maker
Lamson & Goodnow
ID Number
1986.0531.152
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.531.152
Consists of a two-handled, wide-rimmed, circular bowl or dish on straight tapered foot ring with butter knife holder attached to body, a domed cover topped by a cast finial, and a removable, crosslet-pierced liner inside.
Description
Consists of a two-handled, wide-rimmed, circular bowl or dish on straight tapered foot ring with butter knife holder attached to body, a domed cover topped by a cast finial, and a removable, crosslet-pierced liner inside. Bottom edge of cover and foot ring have matching die-stamped bands featuring rectangular panels of flowers. Dish is struck incuse on underside of its flat bottom with circular mark for "SIMPSON, HALL, MILLER & CO / +" encircling "TREBLE / PLATE" at center; "38" stamped above. Cover and liner are not marked. No butter knife.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1866 - 1899
ca 1880
maker
Simpson, Hall, Miller, and Co.
ID Number
DL.67.0729
catalog number
67.0729
accession number
248268
Dessert knife, one of a set of six (1988.763.4-9). Straight steel blade with rounded tip and “yankee” style bolster fitted into tapered ivory handle with rounded sides and butt. Tang is held in place with steel pin through side of handle.
Description
Dessert knife, one of a set of six (1988.763.4-9). Straight steel blade with rounded tip and “yankee” style bolster fitted into tapered ivory handle with rounded sides and butt. Tang is held in place with steel pin through side of handle. Blade is scratched and abraded, with minor corrosion and rust. Ivory is yellowed and crazed, crack near bolster. Steel pin is rusted.
Blade is stamped: “CLEMENT HAWKES /& MAYNARD”
Maker is the Clement Hawkes & Maynard Manufacturing Company, founded in 1866 in Northampton, Massachusetts. The company was reorganized circa 1882 as the Clement Cutlery Company.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1866- 1882
ID Number
1988.0763.09
accession number
1988.0763
catalog number
1988.0763.09
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875 - 1880
Associated Date
ca 1860 - 1964
ID Number
DL.65.1314A
catalog number
65.1314A
accession number
255605
Bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with high collar pinched into spout at front and sloped at back for the rounded inset lid; molded lower rim and base. Hooked tab thumb piece with wedge extension; five-knuckle hinge.
Description
Bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with high collar pinched into spout at front and sloped at back for the rounded inset lid; molded lower rim and base. Hooked tab thumb piece with wedge extension; five-knuckle hinge. Stamped on front of body "DECILITRE" in incuse serif letters; on front of lower rim with "** / 3" next to clasped hands in an oval; on face of handle and top front of lid with clasped hands mark; and on extension and top of rim with an indecipherible number of letter verification marks. Underside of flat bottom struck once with arched touchmark "ALBERT" in incuse serif letters. One of an assembled set of six metric measures, DL*67.0334-.0339.
Maker is Albert of Lille.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1885
ID Number
DL.67.0338
catalog number
67.0338
accession number
250853
Two-handled, bell-shaped sugar bowl with domed cover topped by a cast fleur-de-lis knop on a reverse cyma-profile base with boss bottom.
Description
Two-handled, bell-shaped sugar bowl with domed cover topped by a cast fleur-de-lis knop on a reverse cyma-profile base with boss bottom. Both sides feature a flat-chased, symmetrical design of two umbrella-shaped flowers and serrated leaves springing from a larger tripartite leaf. Angular handles, rectangular in section, have triple-stacked, upturned, tassel-like thumbrests. Bottom underside struck incuse "ROCKFORD / SILVER PLATE CO." in sans serif letters encircling balanced scales with "QUADRUPLE" above and "700" below; "REM" engraved at upper right and "eh" scratched faintly upside down below. Inside cover engraved "MRKM" and "REM". From a three-piece coffee or tea service, 1982.0114.01-.03; coffeepot is a different pattern than the sugar bowl and creamer.
Maker is Rockford Silver Plate Co. of Rockford, IL, 1882-1956. Successor to Racine Silver Plate Co. of Racine, WI, 1873-1882; became Sheets-Rockford in 1925.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1882
date used
1882 - 1982
ID Number
1982.0114.02
accession number
1982.0114
catalog number
1982.0114.02
In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter.
Description (Brief)
In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter. By the mid-1800s, decorative paperweights produced by glassmakers in Europe and the United States became highly desired collectibles.
Decorative glass paperweights reflected the 19th-century taste for intricate, over-the-top designs. Until the spread of textiles colorized with synthetic dyes, ceramics and glass were among the few objects that added brilliant color to a 19th-century Victorian interior. The popularity of these paperweights in the 1800s testifies to the sustained cultural interest in hand craftsmanship during an age of rapid industrialization.
The New England Glass Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts was founded about 1818 by Deming Jarves along with three wealthy businessmen, and probably began producing paperweights by the mid 1850s. In 1888 the business moved to Ohio, under the name Libbey Glass Company.
This New England Glass Company faceted paperweight features a dark-blue double Clematis.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1852-1880
maker
New England Glass Company
ID Number
CE.60.110
catalog number
60.110
accession number
211475
Pyramid-type, stove- or range-top heater for three sad irons with flat-top conical cover having a single oval loop wire handle and three vertical slots to accommodate the flatiron handles when the irons are in place.
Description
Pyramid-type, stove- or range-top heater for three sad irons with flat-top conical cover having a single oval loop wire handle and three vertical slots to accommodate the flatiron handles when the irons are in place. Rack features a tapered triangular chimney on circular base with two wedge feet cast in front of each side to hold an iron. Cover made of two pieces of sheet with folded seams. No marks. Heater for irons, 1994.0026.01-.04.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880s
ID Number
1994.0026.01
catalog number
1994.0026.01
accession number
1994.0026
Dessert knife, with matching fork (see 1986.0531.131), possibly made for a child. Straight steel blade with rounded tip fitted with pewter bolster. Blade and tang are one piece of steel inserted into a tapered bone handle with rounded sides and butt.
Description
Dessert knife, with matching fork (see 1986.0531.131), possibly made for a child. Straight steel blade with rounded tip fitted with pewter bolster. Blade and tang are one piece of steel inserted into a tapered bone handle with rounded sides and butt. Blade is scratched and discolored. Bolster is separating from handle. Bone is discolored with residue, crazed, has crack near bolster.
Blade is stamped: “J. RUSSELL & CO/GREEN RIVER WORKS”
Maker is John Russell & Company, Turner Falls, Massachusetts, 1834-present.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1870- 1880
ID Number
1986.0531.130
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.531.130
Smooth, unornamented, convex, rounded rectangular case with spring-loaded, hinged lid featuring a polychrome enamel of a fashionable, wasp-waisted woman in blue and white walking outfit resting a parasol behind her shoulders inset within an engraved rocky seacoast.
Description
Smooth, unornamented, convex, rounded rectangular case with spring-loaded, hinged lid featuring a polychrome enamel of a fashionable, wasp-waisted woman in blue and white walking outfit resting a parasol behind her shoulders inset within an engraved rocky seacoast. Push-tab catch. Gold washed interior has two white elastic band retainers. Inside back is struck with a right-facing dog head between "3" and "A" in a coffin-shaped surround, a raised roman "A" in clipped-corner rectangle, and "G.A.S." in raised roman letters in a rounded rectangle.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1866 - 1872
ca 1885
ID Number
DL.60.2005
catalog number
60.2005
accession number
200122
Rounded rectangular, niello case with overall, delicate scrolling vines and tendrils on a stippled ground; spring-loaded, hinged lid features a bright-cut bordered oval with Cossack riding a galloping horse to the left with mountains in distance, while back includes a similarly b
Description
Rounded rectangular, niello case with overall, delicate scrolling vines and tendrils on a stippled ground; spring-loaded, hinged lid features a bright-cut bordered oval with Cossack riding a galloping horse to the left with mountains in distance, while back includes a similarly bordered, circular reserve engraved "AEA" in flecked script. Oval push-button catch. Matte silver interior. Inside lid is struck with a combined standard and city mark of "84" and St. George slaying the dragon in conforming surround next to the raised Latin letters "G.K" in rectangle; inside back has "G.K" in rectangle and assayer's mark "A·P / 1886", "84" and St. George slaying the dragon, all in clipped-corner surrounds.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid to late 19th century
1886
ID Number
DL.60.2019
catalog number
60.2019
accession number
200122
Small circular plate with narrow molded rim and flat well stamped with a daisy-like design; circular foot ring pierced with two small holes opposite each other. No marks. One of three butter plates, DL*126970A-C.Currently not on view
Description
Small circular plate with narrow molded rim and flat well stamped with a daisy-like design; circular foot ring pierced with two small holes opposite each other. No marks. One of three butter plates, DL*126970A-C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1884
ID Number
DL.126970B
catalog number
126970B
accession number
17041
Small, oval box or trunk with a low-domed lid attached by an offset hinge at back; exterior painted dark blue. No handle, clasp or lock. Lid has a wire-rolled rim and box has a plain-edged collar with raised bead below.
Description
Small, oval box or trunk with a low-domed lid attached by an offset hinge at back; exterior painted dark blue. No handle, clasp or lock. Lid has a wire-rolled rim and box has a plain-edged collar with raised bead below. Lid and box each have one soft-soldered lapped seam; the lid top and flat box bottom have projecting folded edges. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1830 - 1880
ID Number
DL.245425.0008
catalog number
245425.0008
accession number
245425
Set of six dinner knives (1986.531.162-.167) in light brown flannel carrying pouch with individual pockets for each knife (1986.531.247). Straight silver-plated steel blade with rounded tip and “yankee” style bolster fitted into tapered ivory handle with rounded sides and butt.
Description
Set of six dinner knives (1986.531.162-.167) in light brown flannel carrying pouch with individual pockets for each knife (1986.531.247). Straight silver-plated steel blade with rounded tip and “yankee” style bolster fitted into tapered ivory handle with rounded sides and butt. Tang is held in place with single steel pin through side of handle. Blade is scratched, corroded, plate is worn, tarnished. Ivory is yellowed, cracked, and crazed. Minor losses at butt.
Blade is stamped: “LAMSON & GOODNOW MFG Co/S. FALLS WORKS”
Maker is Lamson & Goodnow Company, a manufacturer and wholesaler active in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts 1844-present.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860- 1880
maker
Lamson & Goodnow
ID Number
1986.0531.166
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.166
Dessert knife. Straight steel blade with rounded tip. Blade and bolster are one piece of steel fitted into a block bone handle with a blunt butt. Tang is held in place with a single brass pin. Blade is scratched, discolored, with some small rust spots.
Description
Dessert knife. Straight steel blade with rounded tip. Blade and bolster are one piece of steel fitted into a block bone handle with a blunt butt. Tang is held in place with a single brass pin. Blade is scratched, discolored, with some small rust spots. Bone is crazed and yellowed, with long crack on one side.
Blade is stamped: “X L N T/MOULSON BROTHERS/UNION WORKS . SHEFFIELD”
“X L N T” is the trademark for Adolph Kastor & Brothers, a wholesaler and importer active 1876-ca 1947 in New York, New York.
Maker is the Moulson Brothers, active 1828-1912 in Sheffield, England.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
maker
Moulson Brothers
ID Number
1986.0531.052
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.052
In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter.
Description (Brief)
In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter. By the mid-1800s, decorative paperweights produced by glassmakers in Europe and the United States became highly desired collectibles.
Decorative glass paperweights reflected the 19th-century taste for intricate, over-the-top designs. Until the spread of textiles colorized with synthetic dyes, ceramics and glass were among the few objects that added brilliant color to a 19th-century Victorian interior. The popularity of these paperweights in the 1800s testifies to the sustained cultural interest in hand craftsmanship during an age of rapid industrialization.
Deming Jarves found the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company in Sandwich, Massachusetts in 1825, after leaving the New England Glass Company. The wares of these two companies can be easily confused as they shared owners, employees and managers.
This Boston & Sandwich Company paperweight is decorated with a vase of pink and white Roses against a pink, red, and white swirl latticinio (latticework) ground.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1852-1880
maker
Boston & Sandwich Glass Company
ID Number
CE.60.158
catalog number
60.158
accession number
211475
Set of six dinner knives (1986.531.162-.167) in light brown flannel carrying pouch with individual pockets for each knife (1986.531.247). Straight silver-plated steel blade with rounded tip and “yankee” style bolster fitted into tapered ivory handle with rounded sides and butt.
Description
Set of six dinner knives (1986.531.162-.167) in light brown flannel carrying pouch with individual pockets for each knife (1986.531.247). Straight silver-plated steel blade with rounded tip and “yankee” style bolster fitted into tapered ivory handle with rounded sides and butt. Tang is held in place with single steel pin through side of handle. Blade is scratched, corroded, plate is worn, tarnished. Ivory is yellowed, cracked, and crazed. Minor losses at butt.
Blade is stamped: “LAMSON & GOODNOW MFG Co/S. FALLS WORKS”; slightly worn.
Maker is Lamson & Goodnow Company, a manufacturer and wholesaler active in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts 1844-present.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860- 1880
maker
Lamson & Goodnow
ID Number
1986.0531.165
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.165
Cylindrical, flat-top, japanned canister with scrolled hasp lock on front, wire ring handle at top center, and one hinge at back. A faint gilt band encircles the overhanging, folded-edge top of lid; wire rim below.
Description
Cylindrical, flat-top, japanned canister with scrolled hasp lock on front, wire ring handle at top center, and one hinge at back. A faint gilt band encircles the overhanging, folded-edge top of lid; wire rim below. Canister is made in two parts, the body has a vertical folded seam and the flat bottom has a projecting, folded edge; its top edge is folded with raised bead below. Tinned interior. No marks. One of two boxes or canisters, DL*257491.0015-.0016.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1840 - 1880
ID Number
DL.257491.0016
catalog number
257491.0016
accession number
257491
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c.
1882
ID Number
CE.P-990
catalog number
P-990
accession number
225282
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late nineteenth century
1880s
maker
Meissen Manufactory
ID Number
CE.P-646
catalog number
P-646
accession number
225282
Patent model (U.S. Patent No. 225,240) of a cooking stove designed for use with the Holly system of steamheating, made by Samuel Silsbee of Cincinnati, OH and patented on March 9, 1880. Painted black.
Description
Patent model (U.S. Patent No. 225,240) of a cooking stove designed for use with the Holly system of steamheating, made by Samuel Silsbee of Cincinnati, OH and patented on March 9, 1880. Painted black. Features an oven with plain top plate and stepped or raised steamtable with two circular holes for cooking vessels. Missing its superheater which connected to the two pipes on one side. No marks on object, but darkened paper tags tied to stove door handle with red or purple wove ribbon are printed and handwritten with patent information and object numbers.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1880-03-09
patent date
1880-03-09
ID Number
DL.251429
catalog number
251429
accession number
48890
patent number
225240

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