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: United States

Candle Box

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1840 - 1900
ID Number
2014.0004.037
accession number
2014.0004
catalog number
2014.0004.037

Teaspoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1835
ID Number
DL.60.0978B
catalog number
60.0978B
accession number
68743

hook, latch

Wrought iron hasp or hook latch. Flattened shaft with oblong opening at bottom to allow for staple to protrude, circular opening at top, and attached J-shaped latch to hook into staple. No mark. Rusted.Currently not on view
Description
Wrought iron hasp or hook latch. Flattened shaft with oblong opening at bottom to allow for staple to protrude, circular opening at top, and attached J-shaped latch to hook into staple. No mark. Rusted.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1800-1860
ID Number
DL.388997
catalog number
388997
accession number
182022

Teakettle

Pit-bottom teakettle with bellied gooseneck spout and cast-in arched ears above its high, rounded shoulder for the mushroom-shaped strap bail handle, concave in section; no feet. Removable, pivoting, double-stepped lid swings on bearing next to back ear.
Description
Pit-bottom teakettle with bellied gooseneck spout and cast-in arched ears above its high, rounded shoulder for the mushroom-shaped strap bail handle, concave in section; no feet. Removable, pivoting, double-stepped lid swings on bearing next to back ear. Both pieces are hollow cast: body has a pronounced horizontal seam that extends to top of spout and a single gate mark and raised "8" on bottom exterior; cover bordered by "B & S. 272 PEARL ST.N.Y." and "PATENTED DEC.18.1866", both cast in raised serif letters.
"B & S." appears to stand for Benham & Stoutenborough, a housewares merchant and manufacturer at 272 Pearl Street, run by Darius Benham and Xenophon Stoutenborough. William Hailes of Albany, NY, received U.S. Patent No. 60,508 for his "mode of attaching covers to kettles, boilers, stoves, etc." on December 18, 1866.
Location
Currently not on view
date patented
1866-12-18
date made
ca 1870
patent date
1866-12-18
ID Number
1982.0090.17
accession number
1982.0090
catalog number
1982.0090.17

Sunkist® Juicit® Electric Juicer

Electric juicer.Cylindrical steel body/base (A), electric motor and components encased inside. Chrome-plated stand and top, mid-section painted white with circular metal tag attached, printed in cream and orange: “CAT. NO.
Description
Electric juicer.
Cylindrical steel body/base (A), electric motor and components encased inside. Chrome-plated stand and top, mid-section painted white with circular metal tag attached, printed in cream and orange: “CAT. NO. 2700/APPROVED BY Sunkist ®/Juicit ®/A HANDY HOT PRODUCT”. Bottom is hollow to allow heat venting, has spots for three black rubber feet (two are missing). Top has molded spout, metal rod attachment for glass juicing attachment (B) to sit. Silver On/Off switch in back. Black rubber power chord with two-prong plug attached in back. Yellow paper “Underwriters laboratories” tag attached to cord.
Top of cylinder is stamped: ”Handyhot/CAT. NO. 2700 UL/ALTERNATING CURRENT ONLY/PAT. NO. 1,962,856/CHICAGO ELECTRIC MFG. COMPANY/MADE IN U.S.A.”; also stamped “OIL” near oil opening at center top.
B. Molded glass juicing receptacle, white, with spout and raised hole in center; fits on top of body (A).
C. Molded metal strainer, flat, to be placed inside juicing receptacle (B). Holes throughout, three feet on bottom, which is stamped: “6/THIS SIDE DOWN”.
D. Molded cone-shaped juice reamer, white porcelain. Sits on top of raised hole in center of (B).
Patent US 1962856 A, June 12, 1934, B. A. BENSON, assignor to Chicago Electric Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Illinois, for “Orange juice extractor”
Maker is Chicago Electric Manufacturing Company (Mary Dunbar), (circa 1902-1953, when the Silex Corporation acquired the company). The Company’s products (a range of household appliances including waffle irons, grills, toasters, even an ice cream freezer) carry the “Handyhot”, “Victory Brand”, “Mary Dunbar”, and “Handymix” labels.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1934-1940
maker
Chicago Electric Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1988.0747.2
accession number
1988.0747
catalog number
1988.0747.2

Box or Trunk

Large, square, lidded box with scrolled hasp lock on front, brass bail handle with wooden grip on top, and two hinges riveted to the back. Lid has a wire-rolled rim, while the box has a top edge folded with a wire bead below and a flat bottom.
Description
Large, square, lidded box with scrolled hasp lock on front, brass bail handle with wooden grip on top, and two hinges riveted to the back. Lid has a wire-rolled rim, while the box has a top edge folded with a wire bead below and a flat bottom. Both lid and box are made of five pieces. Tinned interior. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1885-1915
ID Number
DL.245425.0086
catalog number
245425.0086
accession number
245425

chair, side

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1770 - 1800
ID Number
1984.0242.05
accession number
1984.0242
catalog number
1984.0242.05

1850 - 1851 Eliza Jane Baile's "Bride's" Quilt

Eliza Jane Baile lovingly stitched and inscribed this cotton album quilt top, finishing a few weeks after her marriage to Levi Manahan in 1851. Original patterns of wreaths of strawberries and flowers are framed by a strawberry vine along the quilt border.
Description
Eliza Jane Baile lovingly stitched and inscribed this cotton album quilt top, finishing a few weeks after her marriage to Levi Manahan in 1851. Original patterns of wreaths of strawberries and flowers are framed by a strawberry vine along the quilt border. Three blocks incorporate inked inscriptions within scrolls. On one corner, one may read “E J Baile. Commenced June 1850” and on the opposite corner, “Finished October 30 185l.” A third scroll has the following sentiment carefully penned:
“Sweett flowers bright as Indian Sky
Yet mild as Beauty’s soft blue eye;
Thy charms tho’ unassuming shed /
A modest splendoure o’er the mead.”
Great attention was given to the completion of this quilt. The sawteeth of the border are individually appliquéd and the strawberries stuffed. All of the motifs have outline quilting, with closely quilted background lines, 10 stitches to the inch. The overall design is further enhanced with embroidery and small details drawn in ink or watercolor.
Eliza Jane Baile, the daughter of Abner Baile (1807-1894) and Frances Pole Baile (1813-1893) was born February 13, 1832, in Maryland. According to Eliza’s obituary, her mother was a descendent of Edward III, King of England. At age nineteen, Eliza married Levi Manahan ((1824-1893) on October 11, 1851. They reared eight children on a farm near Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland.
Eliza was not only an accomplished quilter, she was also known as a folk artist. One of her oil paintings, Stone Chapel of the Methodist Church is at the Historical Society of Carroll County. Other paintings are owned and treasured by her descendents. An active member of the Stone Chapel United Methodist Church, Eliza also founded a Ladies Mite Society and served as president for 50 years. Mite Societies were voluntary organizations that were established in the nineteenth century to raise monies for mission work.
Eliza died June 25, 1923, age 91, at her home in Westminster and is buried at the Stone Chapel Cemetery. As her obituary in the Daily News, Frederick, Maryland, notes, “Her Christian character endeared her to many friends. She was well known as an artist.” In 1954, Eliza’s youngest daughter, Addie, donated her mother’s quilt to the Smithsonian. Eliza's artistic abilities are well represented in the “Bride’s Quilt” she designed and made for her marriage.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850-1851
maker
Baile, Eliza Jane
ID Number
TE.T011149
accession number
202673
catalog number
T11149

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

Teaspoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905 or later
patent date
1900-10-09
ID Number
DL.380491A
catalog number
380491A
accession number
153231

Foot Warmer

Perforated tin box with drawn-wire bail handle hooked through loops on top; one side is a wire-rimmed hinged door with bent wire pull. Box top has three bands of punched circles, while sides feature an 8-segment circle with semicircles at the corners. No marks.
Description
Perforated tin box with drawn-wire bail handle hooked through loops on top; one side is a wire-rimmed hinged door with bent wire pull. Box top has three bands of punched circles, while sides feature an 8-segment circle with semicircles at the corners. No marks. No brazier or pan for heat source.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1820 - 1850
ID Number
DL.392937
catalog number
392937
accession number
206516

lock, well bucket

Wrought iron well bucket lock. Tapered shaft with U-shaped hook and riveted and jointed locking shaft. No mark. Rusted.Currently not on view
Description
Wrought iron well bucket lock. Tapered shaft with U-shaped hook and riveted and jointed locking shaft. No mark. Rusted.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
DL.388999
catalog number
388999
accession number
182022

Berlin Saucepan and Cover

Bulging, circular body with plain rim, flat bottom and open-ended, tapered tubular handle fitted over and double-riveted through an integrally cast extension; white enameled interior.
Description
Bulging, circular body with plain rim, flat bottom and open-ended, tapered tubular handle fitted over and double-riveted through an integrally cast extension; white enameled interior. Hollow cast with seam around middle and single gate mark at center of bottom underside; cast-in marks "MARIETTA PA / M [H & E C\o]" and "8 QTS" in incuse sans serif letters at perimeter on underside and "EJ(?)" in raised letters to left of handle. Low-domed cover has an arched strap handle and two beads or fillets; soft-soldered construction.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
DL.64.0938
catalog number
64.0938
accession number
253789

Artificial Berry

Life-size, pale yellow berry, probably a strawberry; truncated cone shape with dimpled top surface and rough underside.Currently not on view
Description
Life-size, pale yellow berry, probably a strawberry; truncated cone shape with dimpled top surface and rough underside.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1864 - 1865
ID Number
DL.60.0252.19
catalog number
60.0252.19
accession number
67038

Majolica plaque

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1884 - 1891
ID Number
1991.0206.01.B
catalog number
1991.0206.01B
accession number
1991.0206

Teapot

Mallet-shaped teapot with incurved neck and rounded shoulder on a circular, flared pedestal base. Bell-domed, hinged lid with wide, flat, overhanging edge is topped by button knop. Spurred, S-curve, D- or ear-shaped handle in pinned into spiral-scroll sockets.
Description
Mallet-shaped teapot with incurved neck and rounded shoulder on a circular, flared pedestal base. Bell-domed, hinged lid with wide, flat, overhanging edge is topped by button knop. Spurred, S-curve, D- or ear-shaped handle in pinned into spiral-scroll sockets. Faceted, S-curve spout has elongated D-shaped lip. Body perforated at spout. Inset flat bottom. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
ID Number
DL.65.0179
catalog number
65.0179
accession number
258258

Oyster Plate

Porcelain factories responded to the American passion for oysters by designing special plates on which to serve the delicacy, accompanied by silver-plated forks also designed for the purpose.
Description
Porcelain factories responded to the American passion for oysters by designing special plates on which to serve the delicacy, accompanied by silver-plated forks also designed for the purpose. During the long and lavish dinners characteristic of evening entertainment among the wealthy on the East Coast in the 1870s and 1880s, guests were frequently served their first course on oyster plates such as these gilded examples produced by the Union Porcelain Works, in Greenpoint, New York, around 1881. American and European porcelain factories met increasing affluence and elaborate dining etiquette with an extensive range of items designed for specific foods and beverages. Oyster plates represent one such refinement in response to a newly acquired taste for the shellfish.
date made
About 1881
about 1881
maker
Union Porcelain Works
ID Number
CE.75.123E
catalog number
75.123E
accession number
317832

Coffeepot

Baluster-shaped coffeepot on flared circular base with scored and molded decoration around rim, neck, belly, and base. High-domed, incised-edge, hinged lid is topped by wood disk knop.
Description
Baluster-shaped coffeepot on flared circular base with scored and molded decoration around rim, neck, belly, and base. High-domed, incised-edge, hinged lid is topped by wood disk knop. S- and C-curve, D- or ear-shaped handle with crescent thumbrest is pinned into cylindrical sockets. Body perforated at plain, S-curve spout with split lip. Underside of inset flat bottom struck incuse with circular touch mark of "A. GRISWOLD" with spreadwing eagle, body facing right and head turned left.
Maker is Ashbil (or Ashbel) Griswold (1784-1853); working, circa 1802-1842. Trained with Thomas Danforth III as a pewterer; opened a shop in Meriden in 1808 and expanded into producing britannia wares at an early date, establishing Meriden as a major manufacturing center of pewter, britannia and plated goods. Was one of the founding partners of the Meriden Britannia Co. in 1852.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1820 - 1840
ca 1820-1840
ID Number
DL.391781
catalog number
391781
accession number
71679

Snuffers

Scissor-type snuffers on three ball feet.
Description
Scissor-type snuffers on three ball feet. Opposed, broken C-scroll handles with equal-size oval finger loops are joined by a bullseye pivot; spear-point lower blade has an attached clipped-corner rectangular box engraved "DH" in flecked script on top, while upper blade has a conforming vertical tab that fits inside box. Struck once inside box "CARREL" in raised roman letters in a rectangle. Part of snuffers and tray, DL*383487-DL*383488.
date made
ca 1795
ID Number
DL.383487
catalog number
383487
accession number
162866

Bowl

Wide bowl or circular dish with beaded rim, narrow lip and rounded well with flat bottom on three, short, circular feet. Hollow cast with "GROVER / 5" in raised serif letters along perimeter of bottom exterior; single gate mark.Currently not on view
Description
Wide bowl or circular dish with beaded rim, narrow lip and rounded well with flat bottom on three, short, circular feet. Hollow cast with "GROVER / 5" in raised serif letters along perimeter of bottom exterior; single gate mark.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
1850-1900
ID Number
1982.0090.36
accession number
1982.0090
catalog number
1982.0090.36

Button Mold

Three-part, single button mold for a plain, self shank, domed button. Top halves have iron loop handles and join to form a diamond or lozenge sprue hole. Bead-bordered domed button inside; fits mold but does not match it. No marks.Currently not on view
Description
Three-part, single button mold for a plain, self shank, domed button. Top halves have iron loop handles and join to form a diamond or lozenge sprue hole. Bead-bordered domed button inside; fits mold but does not match it. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800 - 1850
ID Number
1980.0250.03
accession number
1980.0250
catalog number
1980.0250.03

knife, dessert

Dessert knife. Straight steel blade with rounded tip and square bolster. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece of steel fitted into an ivory tapered block handle with straight sides and a rounded butt. Metal has scratches and minor discoloration.
Description
Dessert knife. Straight steel blade with rounded tip and square bolster. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece of steel fitted into an ivory tapered block handle with straight sides and a rounded butt. Metal has scratches and minor discoloration. Ivory is yellowed with minor discoloration.
Blade is stamped: “J. GARSIDE/SUPERIOR CUTLERY”
Maker is the John Garside, Washington Factory, Newark, New Jersey, active in the mid-19th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850
ID Number
1986.0531.105
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.531.105

Frying Pan

Long-handled frying pan with flared sides, flat bottom and a nearly horizontal, chamfered-edge, forged handle with stamped hanging hole triple-riveted to side.
Description
Long-handled frying pan with flared sides, flat bottom and a nearly horizontal, chamfered-edge, forged handle with stamped hanging hole triple-riveted to side. Top of handle is stamped incuse at middle of shaft "FOWLER" in serif letters next to a sideways "0" (zero).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850-1875
ID Number
1979.1254.03
accession number
1979.1254
catalog number
1979.1254.03

The Two Dogs

Colored print of two dogs lying in the grass. Barrel in right background. Basket with two bottles and apples in left background.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of two dogs lying in the grass. Barrel in right background. Basket with two bottles and apples in left background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1833-1842
maker
D.W. Kellogg and Company
ID Number
DL.60.2357
catalog number
60.2357
accession number
228146

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