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.

This jug was probably made by William Lundy and Nathan Church, Jr. at Israel Seymour’s Troy, New York pottery. The potters achieved the distinctive decoration on this piece by using both cobalt and manganese oxides to fill in the incised floral motif.Currently not on view
Description
This jug was probably made by William Lundy and Nathan Church, Jr. at Israel Seymour’s Troy, New York pottery. The potters achieved the distinctive decoration on this piece by using both cobalt and manganese oxides to fill in the incised floral motif.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1819-1824
maker
Lundy, William
Church, Jr., Nathan
ID Number
1979.0577.08
accession number
1979.0577
catalog number
1979.05077.008
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c.1860s
ID Number
CE.P-1098A
catalog number
P-1098A
accession number
225282
The salt-glazed stoneware tradition in America was brought to this country by immigrants from Central Europe.
Description
The salt-glazed stoneware tradition in America was brought to this country by immigrants from Central Europe. Potters in the New World used decorating techniques developed in Germany and other European countries, such as pictorial incising and cobalt painting, as seen the incised bird on this jug made by John Remmey III.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1791-1820
maker
Remmey III, John
ID Number
1994.0310.01
catalog number
1994.0310.01
accession number
1994.0310
Israel Seymour operated a pottery in Troy, New York from about 1809 to 1865.
Description
Israel Seymour operated a pottery in Troy, New York from about 1809 to 1865. This beautifully formed jug is a fine example of much of the stoneware made by New York potters--simple utilitarian pieces, without adornment, that met the needs of the people who used them.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1824-1850
maker
Seymour, Israel
ID Number
CE.319884.79
catalog number
319884.079
accession number
319884
Made by William Lundy in Troy, New York, the unusual decoration on this jug features two American flags and an anchor. An Irish immigrant, Lundy worked at a number of Troy potteries in the 1820s.Currently not on view
Description
Made by William Lundy in Troy, New York, the unusual decoration on this jug features two American flags and an anchor. An Irish immigrant, Lundy worked at a number of Troy potteries in the 1820s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
about 1826
maker
Lundy, William
Church, Jr., Nathan
ID Number
1977.0803.139
accession number
1977.0803
catalog number
1977.0803.139
Stoneware containers were useful for storing many goods into the 1900s. Before the development of canning and refrigeration, stoneware forms were staples in most homes, used to hold salted or pickled food as well as beverages and dairy products.
Description
Stoneware containers were useful for storing many goods into the 1900s. Before the development of canning and refrigeration, stoneware forms were staples in most homes, used to hold salted or pickled food as well as beverages and dairy products. This jug, probably meant to hold water, ale, whiskey or beer, features an incised design. By the time this piece was made, most potters had turned to glaze painting, which was faster and easier to produce.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1866-1885
maker
Hart, Nahum
Hart, Charles
ID Number
1977.0803.77
accession number
1977.0803
catalog number
1977.0803.077
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860s
ID Number
CE.P-1098B
catalog number
P-1098B
accession number
225282
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c.1815
ID Number
CE.P-579B
catalog number
P-579B
accession number
225282
The conclusion of the War of 1812 devastated many American potteries as the importation of less expensive, foreign-made wares resumed, mostly from Great Britain and Holland.
Description
The conclusion of the War of 1812 devastated many American potteries as the importation of less expensive, foreign-made wares resumed, mostly from Great Britain and Holland. While a number of potteries went out of business, the Clark and Howe pottery in Athens, New York employed more men than any other pottery in the state, and even expanded into northwestern New York. The firm was in part responsible for sustaining the local economy, paying $1,750 in wages in 1812 (equal to over $22,000 today).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1805-1813
maker
Clark, Nathan
Howe, Thomas
ID Number
1977.0803.66
accession number
1977.0803
catalog number
1977.0803.066
The Remmey family began producing pottery in New York City in 1735, when John Remmey I emigrated from Germany. His grandson, John Remmey III, took over the family business in 1793, continuing to produce some of the finest stoneware made in the United States at the time.
Description
The Remmey family began producing pottery in New York City in 1735, when John Remmey I emigrated from Germany. His grandson, John Remmey III, took over the family business in 1793, continuing to produce some of the finest stoneware made in the United States at the time. The somewhat lopsided incised leaf design on this jug reminds us that each piece was made and decorated by hand.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1791-1831
maker
Remmey III, John
ID Number
1977.0803.105
accession number
1977.0803
catalog number
1977.0803.105
Small urn or vase with spurred S-scroll handle, collared rim, stepped shoulder and flared pedestal base. Possible incuse mark on underside of base, "|". Casting marks on opposite sides of rim and shoulder.Currently not on view
Description
Small urn or vase with spurred S-scroll handle, collared rim, stepped shoulder and flared pedestal base. Possible incuse mark on underside of base, "|". Casting marks on opposite sides of rim and shoulder.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
DL.376957
catalog number
376957
accession number
136485

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.