Domestic Furnishings

Tiffany Floor Lamp

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.

Place: Boston

Fearnaught Stallions

A color print of two chestnut horses (Lancet and Fearnaught Boy) with light manes pulling a cutter on a country road. They are joined by a T-shaped tongue, and their harnesses are light and handsome.
Description
A color print of two chestnut horses (Lancet and Fearnaught Boy) with light manes pulling a cutter on a country road. They are joined by a T-shaped tongue, and their harnesses are light and handsome. The driver is wearing a black coat with lapels, gloves, a boat-shaped hat, and a beaver rug over his knees. He is probably their owner David Nevins, Jr. A split rail fence borders the road. Mountains are in the distance, and the landscape is covered with snow.
Lancet and Fearnaught Boy were owned by David Nevins Jr. of Framingham, Massachusetts.
Haskell and Allen’s most memorable productions were their horse prints. A Boston based publisher of lithographs, the firm seems to have issued more large folio images than small. Haskell began as a print seller with Haskell and Ripley (1868) but in 1869 he began a partnership with George Allen. In 1873 they moved to 61 Hanover St in Boston where they prospered for a few years. They went bankrupt in 1878.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1875
maker
Haskell & Allen
artist
Eaton, L. G.
original artist
Leighton, Scott
ID Number
DL.60.3555
catalog number
60.3555

Salver

Small, flat square tray with indented corners and raised, conforming, coved edge on four cast scroll feet.
Description
Small, flat square tray with indented corners and raised, conforming, coved edge on four cast scroll feet. Engraved at obverse center is an armorial device consisting of a coat of arms Argent, three eagles with wings displayed elevated on bend gules, surmounted by a closed helmet and crest of an eagle with wings displayed elevated, all surrounded by a fishscale pattern edged with leafy scrolls. Obverse struck near edge below armorial device "IHURD" in raised slanted roman letters in a curvilinear surround.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1754
ID Number
DL.383527
catalog number
383527
accession number
162866

Tankard

Tankard with a raised stepped-and-domed lid topped by a cast spiral or flame finial and straight tapered sides with applied moldings around rim, midbody and base. Cast S-curve scroll thumbpiece with anthemion on reverse attaches to five-knuckle hinge with pendant drop.
Description
Tankard with a raised stepped-and-domed lid topped by a cast spiral or flame finial and straight tapered sides with applied moldings around rim, midbody and base. Cast S-curve scroll thumbpiece with anthemion on reverse attaches to five-knuckle hinge with pendant drop. Hollow, D-section, S-curve handle is engraved on face "CS" in conjoined foliate script letters and has a scrolled tab terminal with circular attachment. Struck once on rim exterior to left of handle and on bottom underside "W.BURT" in raised serif letters in a rounded-corner rectangle. Bottom underside incised "HISMSH." above mark; old red-bordered white paper collection label. No centerpoint.
Maker is William Burt (1726-1751) of Boston, MA; son of John Burt (1692/3-1746) and brother of Samuel (1724-1754) and Benjamin (1729-1805), all silversmiths.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1745-1750
ID Number
DL.383483
catalog number
383483
accession number
162866

Boston Common

Color print of a tree-lined path in a park (Boston Common) with pedestrians strolling and people seated on benches. An iron fence lines a bank on the left side with a large building visible on the other side of the fence.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print of a tree-lined path in a park (Boston Common) with pedestrians strolling and people seated on benches. An iron fence lines a bank on the left side with a large building visible on the other side of the fence.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Haskell & Allen
ID Number
DL.60.3686
catalog number
60.3686

Andiron

Ball-and-spear or "steeple-top" andiron with hexagonal pedestal on circular base atop spurred cabriole legs ending in creased snake feet on platforms; brass strip on top of billet bar extends to matching log-stop (missing).
Description
Ball-and-spear or "steeple-top" andiron with hexagonal pedestal on circular base atop spurred cabriole legs ending in creased snake feet on platforms; brass strip on top of billet bar extends to matching log-stop (missing). Two-part upright, both parts hollow cast and vertically seamed . Hollow-cast legs are unfinished on back. All parts held together by an internal iron rod threaded at top and peened at bottom. Brass strip stamped incuse at end behind log-stop "J. DAVIS / BOSTON" in serif letters. One of a pair, 1978.0939.250-.251.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1803 - 1828
ID Number
1978.0939.251
catalog number
1978.0939.251
accession number
1978.0939

Creamer

Rectangular U-shape creamer with convex band around its upper body on a conforming footring with four ball feet; gold washed interior. Deep cyma-curved rim with wide pouring lip has die-rolled gadrooning applied on exterior.
Description
Rectangular U-shape creamer with convex band around its upper body on a conforming footring with four ball feet; gold washed interior. Deep cyma-curved rim with wide pouring lip has die-rolled gadrooning applied on exterior. Right-angled C-curve tapered strap handle attaches at middle of neck and top of footring. Struck once on neck outside at center of one side "HOMES." in italic roman letters in a rectangle. No centerpunch. No other marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1810 - 1815
ID Number
DL.383524
catalog number
383524
accession number
162866

Paul Revere Silver Sugar Tongs

This object is a sugar tong bearing the mark of Paul Revere’s silver shop. It is in bow form with tapering arms and acorn-shaped hollow tips.
Description
This object is a sugar tong bearing the mark of Paul Revere’s silver shop. It is in bow form with tapering arms and acorn-shaped hollow tips. Wriggle work lines are etched into the outside border of the arms and bow, a cross-hatch pattern enclosing dots is on the cap of the acorn-shaped tips and wriggle work and a bright-cut eclipse enclosing an engraved crest is on the bow.
Paul Revere Jr. trained with his father, Paul Revere Sr., in the silversmith trade. After his father’s death in 1754, the shop passed over to Revere Jr. It was a large and active shop where all manner of items were made or repaired. Revere also ran a very diverse business providing various services as well importing goods from overseas. In the post-war period, he greatly expanded his business services and brought his son into the business with him.
date made
1792
maker
Revere, Paul
ID Number
DL.60.2211
catalog number
60.2211
accession number
131186

The Army of the Potomac

This print by John Henry Bufford shows the Army of the Potomac at the conclusion of the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. General McClellan had intended to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond in the summer of 1862, but after a series of engagements with Robert E.
Description
This print by John Henry Bufford shows the Army of the Potomac at the conclusion of the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. General McClellan had intended to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond in the summer of 1862, but after a series of engagements with Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in the Seven Days Battle, he withdrew to the James River, 20 miles from Richmond. Lincoln then called for the Army of the Potomac to return to Washington, D.C. The failure of the Peninsula Campaign crushed the morale of Union forces, who believed the capture of the Confederate capital would bring about an end to the fighting.
In the background of this print, long trains of covered wagons and troops of the Army of the Potomac retreat from Chickahominy to the James River. In the foreground, some soldiers cross Bear Creek while others rest on its banks. General George McClellan is visible at the bottom of the print on a white horse, looking out upon the withdrawal of his forces. This print is identical to another by Bufford, which has the more cynical title – “The Retreat.”
This print was published by the lithographer John Henry Bufford. The son of a sign painter and gilder, Bufford trained with Pendleton's Lithography in Boston, 1829-1831. He worked in New York with George Endicott and Nathaniel Currier (1835-1839) before returning to Boston where he had a good reputation for printing and publishing popular framing prints, commercial work, labels, and trade cards. The company went through several iterations and name changes until about 1865. He became the chief artist for Benjamin Thayer until buying out the firm to found J. H. Bufford & Co. (1844-1851). He continued to work in the lithography and publishing business for the remainder of his life. In 1865, his sons Frank and Henry John became partners in Bufford & Sons or J.H. Bufford’s Sons Litho. Co. After his death they continued the family business as Bufford Brothers and as Bufford Sons Engraving & Lithographing Company until 1911.
John Badger Bachelder (1825-1894) was born in New Hampshire and began his career as a portrait and landscape painter. During the Civil War, he accompanied the Union Army and made sketches from 1861 to 1863, and worked as a print publisher in Boston from 1863 to 1865. Union officers often commented on the accuracy of his artwork. He documented scenes of the War, particularly at Gettysburg and created a guidebook to the battle in 1873. From 1883 to 1887 he served as Superintendent of Tablets and Legends for the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association, during which time he wrote a detailed history of Gettysburg from the Union perspective.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1863
maker
Bachelder, John Badger
lithographer
Bufford, John Henry
ID Number
DL.60.2604
catalog number
60.2604
accession number
228146

Teaspoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1785 - 1805
ID Number
1977.0334.01E
accession number
1977.0334
catalog number
1977.0334.01E

Abandonment of the Whalers in the Arctic Ocean Sept 1871. Plate 3.

Black and white print of whaling ships; seventeen whaling vessels are on the edge of an ice field. All the ships names are listed below the image and above the title.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of whaling ships; seventeen whaling vessels are on the edge of an ice field. All the ships names are listed below the image and above the title.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1872
maker
Bufford, John Henry
Newell, J.P.
original artist
Russell, Benjamin
ID Number
DL.60.3258
catalog number
60.3258

Tankard by silversmith Samuel Minott

The maker of this tankard is Samuel Minott (1732-1803) of Boston, MA. Minott was a well-known and successful silversmith who probably apprenticed with William Holmes of Boston.
Description
The maker of this tankard is Samuel Minott (1732-1803) of Boston, MA. Minott was a well-known and successful silversmith who probably apprenticed with William Holmes of Boston. He worked as a silversmith in the Boston area, specifically in Charlestown from 1753 to 1776, partnered from 1765 to 1769 with Josiah Austin and with William Simkins in 1770. He also sold groceries and luxury items such as tea and pottery such as Delft. Minott was a Tory, prompting his arrest and confiscation of his property by the Massachusetts Council in 1776. He was not forced to relocate though and was able to reopen his business in Boston by 1786 and then became a goldsmith by 1789, and remained in business until 1803.
The tankard has a raised stepped-and-domed lid topped by a cast acorn finial and straight tapered sides with applied moldings around rim, midbody and base; body is engraved on front "HD" in conjoined foliate script inside an oval reserve framed by C scrolls, diaper patterning, and trailing pendants of flowers at sides and below. Edge of lid fits over rim of body. Cast S-curve, grooved scroll thumbpiece attaches to five-knuckle hinge with pendant drop. Hollow, D-section, S-curve handle has a domed oval terminal with large oval attachment. Bottom underside inscribed "Richard Derby to E:S Haskit Derby / 1763", above "John Derby / George Derby 1831. / Roger Derby. 1874" in engraved script by two different hands. Struck once on rim exterior to left of handle and on bottom underside above centerpoint "Minott" in raised italic serif letters in a rectangle.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
bequest
Michael, Arthur
maker
Minott, Samuel
ID Number
DL.383545
catalog number
383545
accession number
162866

Assassination of President Lincoln

After Lincoln’s assassination, Northern families often displayed in their homes lithographic prints of the man they believed to be the savior of their nation.
Description
After Lincoln’s assassination, Northern families often displayed in their homes lithographic prints of the man they believed to be the savior of their nation. This colored print from shortly after Lincoln’s death depicts an interior scene of his assassination at Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865. John Wilkes Booth wields a blood stained knife and jumps from the box where Lincoln sits slumped in his chair. Mary Todd Lincoln attends to her husband while the surrounding spectators exhibit hysteria and alarm. The Lincolns’ box, depicted as extremely small and overcrowded, contains their guests, Major Henry R. Rathbone and his fiancée, Clara Harris, although another unidentified female onlooker also occupies the box. Lincoln's guard had earlier left his post, so he is not depicted. On the top of the box railing rest a pair of opera glasses and a program, inscribed, “Ford's Theat../ American Cousin,” which is the name of the play being performed that night. Oddly, the audience on the first floor of Ford's Theater appears to be viewing the events from the same level as the box, which makes Booth's leap one story down to the stage seem like a short hop over the box parapet to the floor. Prints of the assassination were in such demand immediately after the event that printmakers paid little attention to the accuracy of the depictions.
The artist of this work, James E Baker (1837-1914), began as an apprentice at J. H. Bufford & Co. in 1857. He eventually became John Bufford’s principal draftsman and illustrator of sheet music. He worked in NYC in 1860-1867 and specialized in portrait prints. During the Civil War he produced, for Bufford, political cartoons and lithographs relating the national drama. He later worked for Armstrong & Company, remaining active until 1888.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca. 1865
ca 1865
depicted
Lincoln, Abraham
Booth, John Wilkes
Lincoln, Mary Todd
Harris, Clara
Rathbone, Henry Reed
maker
Baker, Joseph E.
ID Number
DL.60.2547
catalog number
60.2547
accession number
228146

Invoice, Joseph Robbins from Ebenezer Hancock

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1774-10-25
ID Number
DL.388591B
catalog number
388591B
accession number
182022

Child's Cup

Oxidized-finish, spun cylindrical cup or mug with an embossed band of ancanthus leaves springing from scrolls around its lower half and a bumpy, D- or ear-shaped handle; body engraved opposite handle "Lura." in script. Applied molded rim and banded base with flat bottom.
Description
Oxidized-finish, spun cylindrical cup or mug with an embossed band of ancanthus leaves springing from scrolls around its lower half and a bumpy, D- or ear-shaped handle; body engraved opposite handle "Lura." in script. Applied molded rim and banded base with flat bottom. Bottom underside struck with five marks, an anchor in a shield, "GORHAM Co." in incuse sans serif letters, "0366", "SILVER SOLDERED" curved in incuse serif letters, and date mark of an iron cross in small square at right.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1886
maker
Gorham Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1978.0611.02
accession number
1978.0611
catalog number
1978.0611.02

Soda Glass Holder

Cylindrical glass holder with a high scrolled strap handle attached to a cast openwork ring of daisies and anthemions mounted to a spun tapered cup on circular, domed pedestal base.
Description
Cylindrical glass holder with a high scrolled strap handle attached to a cast openwork ring of daisies and anthemions mounted to a spun tapered cup on circular, domed pedestal base. Six-petaled flower thumbrest; die-rolled geometric floral patterns on handle and on angled rim on cup. Underside of base struck with two marks, "JAMES W. TUFTS / BOSTON / WARRANTED / QUADRUPLE PLATE" arranged in a circle around a "T" at center of four-pointed star and "2151"; "33" scratched on side opposite of stamp. Holds a bowl from a clear, colorless wine glass.
Maker is James W. Tufts (1835-1902) of Charlestown and Boston, MA. Tufts was an apothecary store apprentice who went on to open his own chain of drugstores in Massachusetts. His interest in sodas sold at his stores led him invent and patent the Artic soda fountain in 1863 and he served as the first president of the Artic Soda Fountain Co. (later merged into the American Soda Fountain Co.). He diversified his business by manufacturing soda fountain equipment and, beginning in 1875, a variety of silverplated wares (not all were soda-related). He retired to North Carolina in 1895, where he worked with Frederick Law Olmstead to develop the town of Pinehurst. The silverplating business continued under his name until around 1915.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1885
ID Number
1989.0733.01
catalog number
1989.0733.01
accession number
1989.0733

Spooner

Two-handled, squat baluster-shape bowl with cast floral rim and sprig decoration on its body in imitation of bright-cut engraving; flat bottom. C-curve handles have scrolled acanthus sprigs and conical struts.
Description
Two-handled, squat baluster-shape bowl with cast floral rim and sprig decoration on its body in imitation of bright-cut engraving; flat bottom. C-curve handles have scrolled acanthus sprigs and conical struts. Bottom underside struck incuse with a horizontal-banded circular mark for "BRISTOL (arched) / PLATE CO. (across center in band) / U.S.A. / QUADRUPLE PLATE (curved)" in sans serif letters above "357". From a four-piece tea service, DL*66.0275-.0278.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
ID Number
DL.66.0277
catalog number
66.0277
accession number
263347

Daniel O'Connell

Color print; full length portrait of man (Daniel O'Connell) standing by a tree with a dog at his side. A large country house is in the right background.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print; full length portrait of man (Daniel O'Connell) standing by a tree with a dog at his side. A large country house is in the right background.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
O'Connell, Daniel
maker
Haskell & Allen
ID Number
DL.60.3142
catalog number
60.3142
accession number
228146

chair, arm, reclining

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1830
ID Number
1990.0219.01
catalog number
1990.0219.01
accession number
1990.0219
catalog number
1990.219.1

knife

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1866
maker
Landers, Frary & Clark
ID Number
DL.66.0562D
catalog number
66.0562D
accession number
265238

Independence Declared 1776. The Union Must Be Preserved

Black and white print; central figure of George Washington surrounded by one representative from each of the thirteen states. Washington is holding a scroll upon which is printed, "We declare ourselves free and independent. Behind him is a depiction of the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Description (Brief)
Black and white print; central figure of George Washington surrounded by one representative from each of the thirteen states. Washington is holding a scroll upon which is printed, "We declare ourselves free and independent. Behind him is a depiction of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Above him are bust portraits of the first eight presidents of the U.S. The print is flanked by two columns intended to represent New England rising out of Old England surmounted by Hope and Liberty. This print was an example of a commemorative created about 50 years after the American Revolution.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1839
depicted
Madison, James
Monroe, James
Adams, John Quincy
Jackson, Andrew
Van Buren, Martin
Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier Marquis de Lafayette
Warren, Joseph
Jefferson, Thomas
Washington, George
Adams, John
maker
Moore, Thomas
Arnold, Joseph A.
ID Number
DL.60.2579
catalog number
60.2579
accession number
228146

"A Child of the State" by George Hoey

This colored theater print depicts a scene from a play A Child of the State in which a young woman stands outside a doorway at the top of the stairs. She is surrounded by nuns, and men in plain dress stand guard on each side of the doorway.
Description
This colored theater print depicts a scene from a play A Child of the State in which a young woman stands outside a doorway at the top of the stairs. She is surrounded by nuns, and men in plain dress stand guard on each side of the doorway. Four men and three women in elaborate clothing are in the foreground. The play was adapted by George Curtis Hoey (1852-1907), New York City playright/actor, from French melodrama called Les Orphelines de la Charite. There is a datebill or pasted on label indicating the play was performed: Park Theater, Dec 28, 29, & 30. The year is not included bit it was circa 1880, and George Hoey played the part of the character Gros- Rene.
The Park Theater was built in 1798 on Park Row in Manhattan and was New York City’s premiere performance space in the early 19th Century. It attracted a diverse audience with each class sitting in its preferred section. Working class men sat in the pit; members of the upper class and women in the boxes, while the less affluent including immigrants, people of color, and prostitutes sat in the balcony.
This chromolithograph was produced by the Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company. The Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company was founded by William H. Forbes (ca 1836-1915), who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool, England in 1848. Forbes became an apprentice in the lithography business while still a boy and established William H. Forbes and Company in Boston in 1861. The firm expanded to become Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company in 1875 with hundreds of employees and offices in Boston, New York, Chicago, and London. During World War II the company became a major printer of allied military currency but went out of business later in the twentieth century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
ca 1880
maker
Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company
ID Number
DL.60.3013
catalog number
60.3013
accession number
228146

Spoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1750
maker
Edwards, Samuel
ID Number
DL.383509
catalog number
383509
accession number
162866

View from Ruggle's House Newburgh

Color print of a verandah and a rose-covered arbor lining a path down to a river (Hudson). Sail boats are visible on the river.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print of a verandah and a rose-covered arbor lining a path down to a river (Hudson). Sail boats are visible on the river.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Sowle & Shaw
ID Number
DL.60.3652
catalog number
60.3652

knife

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1866
maker
Landers, Frary & Clark
ID Number
DL.66.0562A
catalog number
66.0562A
accession number
265238

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