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: France

Double Litre Measure

Bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with a sloped collar pinched into spout at front and an overhanging pouted lid; molded lower rim and base. Curved-back thumb piece with wedge extension; five-knuckle hinge has hinge pin impressed with a domed star at one end.
Description
Bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with a sloped collar pinched into spout at front and an overhanging pouted lid; molded lower rim and base. Curved-back thumb piece with wedge extension; five-knuckle hinge has hinge pin impressed with a domed star at one end. Stamped on front of body "DOUBLE LITRE" in incuse serif letters; on front of lower rim with a small imperial crown; and on extension and tip of lid with 25 letter verification marks. Underside of flat bottom struck once with circular touchmark "BAZIRE (arched) / A / AVRANCHES (curved)" in incuse serif letters.
Maker is Bazire of Avranches, France.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1851
ID Number
DL.67.0343
catalog number
67.0343
accession number
250853

Andiron

Louis XIV-style, gilt-bronze andiron or chenet featuring a lion rampant with long, curly mane standing facing the viewer's left atop an S-scrolled platform with a C-scroll reserve at left and a square plinth at right. Constructed of multiple, cast parts screwed together.
Description
Louis XIV-style, gilt-bronze andiron or chenet featuring a lion rampant with long, curly mane standing facing the viewer's left atop an S-scrolled platform with a C-scroll reserve at left and a square plinth at right. Constructed of multiple, cast parts screwed together. Right-angled iron bracket on reverse fits into slot of separate billet bar, DL*329491C or D. No marks. One of a pair of andirons with billet bars, DL*329491A-D.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 19th century
ID Number
DL.329491A
catalog number
329491A
accession number
87896

St. Louis Paperweight

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.
Glass production at Saint Louis was authorized by Louis XV in 1767. By 1782 the firm was creating high quality glass crystal, progressing into pressed glass in the 1800s. St. Louis produced paperweights from 1845 to about 1867.
A blue, double Clematis is suspended over a ground formed by an overlay of amber-colored glass in this faceted St. Louis paperweight.
date made
1845-1867
maker
St. Louis
ID Number
CE.60.111
catalog number
60.111
accession number
211475

Sèvres milk pitcher and stand (part of a service)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1835-1838
ID Number
CE.P-126ab
catalog number
P-126ab
accession number
225282

Limoges plate

China painting swept across America in the late nineteenth century as one of the most prevalent decorative pottery techniques, especially among young women.
Description
China painting swept across America in the late nineteenth century as one of the most prevalent decorative pottery techniques, especially among young women. Considered a respectable form of work and creative outlet for women, china painting incorporated the element of hand craft that helped elevate standards of design during a period of mass production and industrialism. The technique of china painting could be done conveniently at home or in large pottery settings. Also known as “mineral painting,” after its materials, a china painter used enamels, low firing colors produced from various mineral-oxides, as a “painting” medium on pre-fired porcelain white porcelain, also known as blanks. These blank porcelain pieces were often imported from European countries, France and Germany in particular, and came in a variety of dinner ware forms and vases. The china painting technique of decorating porcelain was popularized in America by the highly influential Englishman, Edward Lycett. Trained as a potter in the English tradition at Spode pottery in Staffordshire, England, Lycett moved to America in 1861, where he almost immediately gained prestigious commissions for the White House and Tiffany & Co. His devotion to experimenting with materials and teaching pottery techniques across the country established Edward Lycett as the “pioneer of china painting in America” during his own lifetime. Ultimately, the creativity fostered by the china painting movement and the influence of Edward Lycett launched the American ceramic industry towards new and exciting avenues of decorative pottery.
This shallow plate began as a porcelain blank made in Limoges, France and exported to America in the late nineteenth-century. The blanks would be ordered by china painters to use as a surface for their painting, mostly as a leisurely activity for woman. Often, women would take lessons in china painting under the tutelage of professional china painters. This plate in particular was painted by Mrs. Ida Gentry Phillips Wheless while studying china painting under Marshall Fry in New York in 1895. Putting Fry’s lectures to use, Mrs. Wheless captured the delicate wistfulness of flowers blowing in the wind with her atmospheric background and whimsical white blooms of Queen Anne's lace.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1895-1900
c. 1880-1900
maker
Delinieres & Co.
ID Number
CE.393786
catalog number
393786
accession number
211929

Baccarat Paperweight

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 French firm, Baccarat, was originally founded as the Verrerie Renaut in 1764, by request of the Bishop of Metz to the King of France, Louis XV. After the French Revolution, the company was re-named Verrerie de Baccarat. Peak production of Baccarat paperweights was between 1846 and1855.
This Baccarat glass paperweight features a “Gridel” silhouette cane (said to be named after a young boy whose cut paper silhouettes inspired Baccarat’s glass workers), and “1847” and “1848” date canes.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1847-1848
maker
Baccarat
ID Number
CE.67.224
catalog number
67.224
accession number
213138

Coffeepot

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 - 1910
ID Number
DL.67.0366
catalog number
67.0366
accession number
263810

Sèvres pierced porcelain cup and saucer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1891
ID Number
CE.P-141ab
catalog number
P-141ab
accession number
225282

Flagon

Variation of Picardie Type I lidded and spouted, tall conical flagon or pichet with molded rim and base, convex grooved shell thumb piece, and flat-top, cyma-curved, pouted lid. Strap handle with ridged thumbrest and short square terminal; five-knuckle hinge.
Description
Variation of Picardie Type I lidded and spouted, tall conical flagon or pichet with molded rim and base, convex grooved shell thumb piece, and flat-top, cyma-curved, pouted lid. Strap handle with ridged thumbrest and short square terminal; five-knuckle hinge. No marks.
Marked on paper label and with chalk mark underneath: " bct' ( / ) picaldie".
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
DL.67.0293
catalog number
67.0293
accession number
250853

Sèvres porcelain vase and stand

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
ID Number
CE.P-1065
catalog number
P-1065
accession number
225282

Child's Knife

Small, blunt-blade knife fitted with a sheet steel guard and stamped banded bolster, and into a faceted wood or horn handle, tapered rectangular in section, with rounded-over end. No marks.Currently not on view
Description
Small, blunt-blade knife fitted with a sheet steel guard and stamped banded bolster, and into a faceted wood or horn handle, tapered rectangular in section, with rounded-over end. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850 - 1900
ID Number
1986.0531.096
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.096

Niderviller porcelain cup and saucer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c.1800
ID Number
CE.P-106ab
catalog number
P-106ab
accession number
225282

St. Louis Paperweight

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.
Glass production at Saint Louis was authorized by Louis XV in 1767. By 1782 the firm was creating high quality glass crystal, progressing into pressed glass in the 1800s. St. Louis produced paperweights from 1845 to about 1867.
This clear St. Louis paperweight features a large purple Aster with green leaves, and a white and blue center.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1845-1850
maker
St. Louis
ID Number
CE.65.495
catalog number
65.495
accession number
264964
collector/donor number
179

Serving Spoon

French thread serving spoon having a large, pointed oval bowl and long, upturned fiddle handle with shallow concave shoulders double struck (pattern on front and back) with a tipped thread border; gothic or Old English "E" engraved lengthwise on terminal back.
Description
French thread serving spoon having a large, pointed oval bowl and long, upturned fiddle handle with shallow concave shoulders double struck (pattern on front and back) with a tipped thread border; gothic or Old English "E" engraved lengthwise on terminal back. Back of shaft struck with three marks (all facing terminal): a rising sun above "P / L \ B" in diamond or lozenge; crowing cock with body facing right and "1" at lower right in clipped-corner vertical rectangle; and classical male head affronté flanked by "85" in oval. One of two spoons, DL.300475A-B, with same monogram but by different makers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1798 - 1809
ID Number
DL.300475A
catalog number
300475A
accession number
61510

Dish

Small, single-reeded circular dish with flat well; no foot ring. Center of well face struck with a small circle containing "B.CLO. / CIE (underlined)" in incuse serif letters. One of six dishes, DL*348136A-F.Currently not on view
Description
Small, single-reeded circular dish with flat well; no foot ring. Center of well face struck with a small circle containing "B.CLO. / CIE (underlined)" in incuse serif letters. One of six dishes, DL*348136A-F.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875-1900
ID Number
DL.348136F
catalog number
348136F
accession number
109879

Sèvres porcelain plate

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1815-1824
1811
ID Number
CE.P-660
catalog number
P-660
accession number
225282

Victor Hugo’s Bedroom

Maxime Lalanne’s etching Le Chambre de Victor Hugo shows Hugo’s bedroom in Hauteville House on the Isle of Guernsey. The distinguished French author of works such as Les Misérables left Paris for political exile after a coup brought to power Louis Napoleon, later Napoleon III.
Description
Maxime Lalanne’s etching Le Chambre de Victor Hugo shows Hugo’s bedroom in Hauteville House on the Isle of Guernsey. The distinguished French author of works such as Les Misérables left Paris for political exile after a coup brought to power Louis Napoleon, later Napoleon III. The print was originally published as one of a suite of twelve to accompany a book titled Chez Victor Hugo par un Passant (At Victor Hugo’s House by a Passer-by). Hugo’s son Charles based his book on the reporting of Edmond Bacot, who visited Hugo in 1862. Lalanne etched this scene after one of the photographs Bacot took.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1864
publisher
Cadart, A.
graphic artist
Lalanne, Maxime
photographer
Bacot, Edmond
ID Number
GA.14597
catalog number
14597
accession number
94830

Beaker

Handleless spun cylindrical cup with straight tapered sides, flat bottom and an applied band of gadrooning.
Description
Handleless spun cylindrical cup with straight tapered sides, flat bottom and an applied band of gadrooning. Rim exterior struck with two small marks, a horizontal diamond or lozenge containing the raised serif letters "PB" flanking a circular motif and the profile head of Minerva, facing right, with a small "1" at top right in a clipped-corner square.
Maker's mark needs to be identified; would help to refine date. Minerva guaranty mark for .950 silver, used from 1838 to present.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840-1860
ID Number
DL.61.0316
catalog number
61.0316
accession number
200122

"Double Centilitre" Measure

Lidless, bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with a spouted, sloped collar and molded base; incised around collar and bottom of body.
Description
Lidless, bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with a spouted, sloped collar and molded base; incised around collar and bottom of body. Stamped on face of handle "DOUBLE / CENTILITRE" sideways in incuse serif letters; to left of handle with small clasped hands in an oval and "199"; on front of neck with four small letters; around collar and neck with an indiscernible number of raised letters in circles; and indiscernible numbers of small letters along top of inside rim and top of handle. Flat bottom struck once with touchmark "V-P" in a lozenge or diamond shape. One of an assembled set of eight metric measures, DL*67.0326-.0333.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1873
ID Number
DL.67.0332
catalog number
67.0332
accession number
250853

Pitcher

Plain truncated conical baluster pitcher or measure with steeply angled collar, curved rectangular thumb piece, and flared base. Wedge extension is burnt to the pointed and pouted lid covering the pinched spout. Five-knuckle hinge has hinge pin impressed with a star at one end.
Description
Plain truncated conical baluster pitcher or measure with steeply angled collar, curved rectangular thumb piece, and flared base. Wedge extension is burnt to the pointed and pouted lid covering the pinched spout. Five-knuckle hinge has hinge pin impressed with a star at one end. Plain strap handle with flat lower terminal. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
DL.67.0278
catalog number
67.0278
accession number
250853

"Demi Litre" Measure

Lidless, bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with a spouted, sloped collar and molded base; incised around collar, neck and above base.
Description
Lidless, bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with a spouted, sloped collar and molded base; incised around collar, neck and above base. Stamped on front of body "DEMI / LITRE" in incuse serif letters; on front of neck "199", clasped hands in an oval and a small "H"; on face of handle with another clasped hands mark; and on top of rim with four raised serif letters and one small square. Flat bottom struck once with a touchmark of a crowned shield containing a key flanked by the letters "GG". One of an assembled set of eight metric measures, DL*67.0326-.0333.
Maker is Georges Gras of Angers, France; working 1897-1925.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1897-1925
ID Number
DL.67.0328
catalog number
67.0328
accession number
250853

Sevres porcelain plate

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1834
maker
Sevres
ID Number
CE.P-1057
catalog number
P-1057
accession number
225282

Paris porcelain coffee cup and saucer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early nineteenth century
ID Number
CE.P-99ab
catalog number
P-99ab
accession number
225282

Sevres porcelain cup

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1839
ID Number
CE.P-1062A
catalog number
P-1062A
accession number
225282

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