Domestic Furnishings - Overview
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.
"Domestic Furnishings - Overview" showing 90 items.
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The Sea Nymphs' Cave
- Description
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This colored print is of a nude woman in knee deep water within a cave. The mouth of the cave and sky is visible behind her. Loose flowing fabric is attached to one arm. Fringed cloth held in both hands billows behind her shoulders. Gold bracelets are on either arm. The artist is unknown.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- n.d.
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- DL*60.2268
- catalog number
- 60.2268
- accession number
- 228146
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ladies Bathing
- Description
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This hand colored print is of nine ladies bathing in a natural outdoor scene. Two at the right are wearing simple dresses in blue and red; the rest are draped in flowing garments and in various poses and states of undress.
- This print was produced by the lithographic firm of Kelloggs & Comstock. In 1848, John Chenevard Comstock developed a partnership with E.B. and E.C. Kellogg. In 1850, Edmund Burke Kellogg left the firm, leaving his brother Elijah Chapman Kellogg and J.C. Comstock to run the lithography firm as Kellogg and Comstock. The short-lived partnership disbanded in 1851. It was not until 1855 that Edmund Burke Kellogg rejoined his brother E.C. Kellogg and continued the success of the family’s Lithography firm.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1852
- distributors
- Ensign, Thayer and Company
- maker
- Kelloggs & Comstock
- ID Number
- DL*60.2270
- catalog number
- 60.2270
- accession number
- 228146
- maker number
- 402
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Botanists
- Description (Brief)
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class, and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This is a black and white print of a young woman seated on a bench with a young boy beside her and a toddler at her feet. She has a basket of flowers on her lap and another beside her. The title of the print indicates the interest in botany and the natural world.
- The print was produced by the lithographic firm of D. W. Kellogg & Co. of Hartford, Connecticut. Daniel Wright Kellogg, established this family business that would flourish for decades under his younger brothers and other family members.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1830-1840
- maker
- D. W. Kellogg and Company
- ID Number
- DL*60.2222
- catalog number
- 60.2222
- accession number
- 228146
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Father's Pride
- Description (Brief)
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class, and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This is a black and white print; full length frontal view of a young boy seated outdoors with one leg folded under him, dressed in velvet and lace. The companion print is "Mother's Joy" (60.2224)
- The drawing was produced by Napoleon Sarony and lithographed and published by his firm of Sarony & Major. Sarony and his partner Henry B. Major were former employees of Nathaniel Currier prior to establishing their firm in New York City in 1846.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1850
- artist
- Sarony, Napoleon
- maker
- Sarony & Major
- ID Number
- DL*60.2223
- catalog number
- 60.2223
- accession number
- 228146
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Lady of the Lake
- Description (Brief)
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class, and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This is a hand colored print; outdoor scene of a hunter standing in foliage on shore with dog. A maiden stands in a gondola-like vessel on a lake. The figures are dressed in elaborate, romantic costumes. This print is an illustration for the poem by Sir Walter Scott. An excerpt from the poem "Lady of the Lake" is beneath the title of the print.
- The print was produced by the lithographic firm of Kelloggs & Comstock, which was the 1848-1850 partnership of Elijah and Edmund Kellogg with John Chenevard Comstock.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1848-1849
- distributor
- Needham, D.
- maker
- Kelloggs & Comstock
- ID Number
- DL*60.2229
- catalog number
- 60.2229
- accession number
- 228146
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Sisters
- Description
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This hand colored print is a full length portrait of two young girls, one with short hair, one with long hair, standing outdoors in an affectionate pose. Both are wearing fancy costume which includes fringe sash, bloomers, lace, embroidered apron and brocade dress.
- This print was produced by the lithographic firm of D.W. Kellogg & Co. Daniel Wright Kellogg (1807-1874) founded the company in Hartford, Connecticut in 1830. Before the opening of its first retail store in 1834, the D.W. Kellogg & Co. lithography firm was well established and popular in United States, particularly in the South and the Southwest. As the founding member of the family company, Daniel Wright Kellogg established the initial growth and popularity of the firm. After he left the company, it continued to flourish for decades under his younger brothers and other family members.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1833-1842
- maker
- D.W. Kellogg and Company
- ID Number
- DL*60.2231
- catalog number
- 60.2231
- accession number
- 228146
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Playful Pets
- Description
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This hand colored print is an interior scene of a young girl seated with a dog and three puppies. The girl is wearing a pink dress that includes lace, bows, a sash and short stockings. The background includes roses hanging over the young girl.
- This print was produced by the lithographic firm E.B. & E.C. Kellogg. Edmund Burke Kellogg and Elijah Chapman Kellogg were brothers of the founder of the Kellogg lithography firm, Daniel Wright Kellogg. After D.W. Kellogg moved west, his two brothers took over the family lithography firm in 1840 and changed the name to E.B. & E.C. Kellogg. The youngest of the four Kellogg brothers, these two were responsible for the continued success of the family firm. These two brothers were also involved in the eventual partnerships between the company and Horace Thayer in 1845 or 1846, John Chenevard Comstock in 1848 and William Henry Bulkeley in 1867.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1845
- distributor
- Needham, D.
- maker
- E.B. and E.C. Kellogg
- ID Number
- DL*60.2234
- catalog number
- 60.2234
- accession number
- 228146
- maker number
- 303
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Poor Puss
- Description
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This hand colored print is an outdoor scene of a plump young girl, seated in front of a tree with a cat in her lap. A bonnet and flower are on the ground to her right. She is wearing simple clothing.
- This print was produced by the lithographic firm of D.W. Kellogg & Co. Daniel Wright Kellogg (1807-1874) founded the company in Hartford, Connecticut in 1830. Before the opening of its first retail store in 1834, the D.W. Kellogg & Co. lithography firm was well established and popular in United States, particularly in the South and the Southwest. As the founding member of the family company, Daniel Wright Kellogg established the initial growth and popularity of the firm. After he left the company, it continued to flourish for decades under his younger brothers and other family members.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1840
- maker
- D.W. Kellogg and Company
- ID Number
- DL*60.2237
- catalog number
- 60.2237
- accession number
- 228146
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Little Brother and Sister
- Description
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This colored print is an outdoor scene of a young boy and girl seated with a book open on their laps. Both are wearing simple dresses. A straw hat and book are in the right foreground.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- n.d.
- maker
- Gemmell, John
- ID Number
- DL*60.2243
- catalog number
- 60.2243
- accession number
- 228146
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
The Lover's Walk
- Description
- Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
- These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
- This colored print is a full length portrait of man and woman standing together outdoors holding hands, and gazing intently at each other. The man is wearing a large hat with plume, long, flowing cape and bows at the bottom of his pants. The woman is wearing an ankle length dress with lace, ruffles and a bow.
- John Cameron (ca1828-1876) was a lithographer and a colorist for Nathaniel Currier and Currier & Ives. He is most known for his horse prints. A very heavy drinker and workaholic, he was quite prolific. In addition to his work with Currier & Ives, he worked with Henry Lawrence for the firm Lawerence & Cameron. He also was a principal in the firm Cameron & Walsh.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1859
- lithographer
- J. Cameron and Company
- graphic artist
- Cameron, John
- ID Number
- DL*60.2244
- catalog number
- 60.2244
- accession number
- 228146
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center