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.

Topic: Peters Prints

Snipe Shooting

Colored print of two hunters with their dogs beside a marshy lake with high rushes. One hunter stands in a flat-bottomed boat, shooting at two birds in flight. One dog stands ready to retreive. The other dog is delivering a dead bird to his master.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of two hunters with their dogs beside a marshy lake with high rushes. One hunter stands in a flat-bottomed boat, shooting at two birds in flight. One dog stands ready to retreive. The other dog is delivering a dead bird to his master.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
n.d.
maker
unknown
ID Number
DL.60.2791
catalog number
60.2791
accession number
228146

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

The Wedding Night

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 w
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 depicts an indoor scene of a man kneeling behind a woman untying the stays of her corset. He wears a high-collared shirt, lace bowtie and striped trousers. Both are wearing slippers and earrings. The man’s expression is somewhat cartoonish. The fireplace has a carved mantle upon which sits a candle holder and lit candle. There is a chair with clothing draped over it. Heavy drapery and a bed are in the background. The rug is patterned.
This lithograph was made by J Shutz, a lithographer who worked for Currier & Ives from 1849-1850. He was the firm’s primary letterer, and was responsible for lettering a large quantity of prints.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850
maker
Schutz, J
ID Number
DL.60.2281
catalog number
60.2281
accession number
228146

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

The Lover's Walk

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 w
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

San Francisco in 1848

Color print of a city (San Francisco) beside a bay. Hills rise sharply from the shore. Sailing vessels and row boats are on the water.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print of a city (San Francisco) beside a bay. Hills rise sharply from the shore. Sailing vessels and row boats are on the water.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Maclure, Macdonald & Macgregor
ID Number
DL.60.3870
catalog number
60.3870

Winter Pleasure in the Country

Colored print of a one-horse sleigh and a two-horse sleigh driving down a snowy country road. They appear to be racing. A building appears in the background.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of a one-horse sleigh and a two-horse sleigh driving down a snowy country road. They appear to be racing. A building appears in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1865
maker
Kimmel and Forster
ID Number
DL.60.2645
catalog number
60.2645
accession number
228146

My Protector

Colored print of a little boy wearing eyelet-trimmed shorts, vest and jacket. He holds the leash of a brown and white dog that is seated next to him. Toys are scattered on the rug at his feet and on a table in background.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of a little boy wearing eyelet-trimmed shorts, vest and jacket. He holds the leash of a brown and white dog that is seated next to him. Toys are scattered on the rug at his feet and on a table in background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1874
maker
Schile, Henry
ID Number
DL.60.2463
catalog number
60.2463
accession number
228146

Untitled (Park Setting)

Black and white print of a cobblestone road and sidewalk beside a park. Buildings can be seen in the background through the bare trees in the park. A lamplight on a ladder against a lamp post is visible in the lower left. Pedestrians stroll in the park.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of a cobblestone road and sidewalk beside a park. Buildings can be seen in the background through the bare trees in the park. A lamplight on a ladder against a lamp post is visible in the lower left. Pedestrians stroll in the park.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Imbert and Company
ID Number
DL.60.3692
catalog number
60.3692

Speech of Robert Emmet, Esq.

Colored lithographic print commemorating the death of Robert Emmet, for leading an 1803 uprising in Dublin. The Goddess of Liberty stands on a tomb holding the hearts of murdered patriots in her hand.
Description (Brief)
Colored lithographic print commemorating the death of Robert Emmet, for leading an 1803 uprising in Dublin. The Goddess of Liberty stands on a tomb holding the hearts of murdered patriots in her hand. To the right is the Figure of Death attacking Lord Norbury, the judge who sentenced Emmet for High Treason. The Scales of Justice lie broken by his side. To the left of the tomb is a representation of the Maid of Erin weeping over murdered Innocence (two children). Beneath the image is the text of Robert Emmet's speech delivered at trial.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
n.d.
depicted
Emmet, Robert
publisher; distributor
Smith, William
depicted
Norbury, Lord
maker
Schnabel & Finkeldey
ID Number
DL.60.2412
catalog number
60.2412
accession number
228146

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

Rip Van Winkle

Rip Van Winkle, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1819 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acc
Description
Rip Van Winkle, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1819 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acclaim in Europe and the U.S. over the course of his successful writing career. Rip Van Winkle was included in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” while Irving was living in Europe. Thus, he was one of the earliest American authors to survive merely on his writing. Irving’s stories have remained an emblem of American culture as they were some of the first short stories that aimed to entertain rather than educate. The two best known Irving stories- Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow have inspired artists to create beautiful illustrations like the one included in this print.
The gothic story Rip Van Winkle tells of an ordinary 19th century man who lives in the Dutch Kaatskills (currently the Catskills of New York). He struggles with his nagging wife, Dame Van Winkle, and in an effort to escape her on an especially bad day, he flees to the woods with his dog and his gun. While in the woods, he meets a stranger who is a representation of the spirits of Hendrick Hudson, and is instructed to serve these spirits a precious drink. Tempted, he tries the drink as well and ultimately becomes so drunk that he falls into a deep sleep. When he wakes, he thinks that it is merely the next morning, but it becomes clear that 20 years have passed. He is now an old widow with Loyalist sentiments that show he is living in the past, prior to the American Revolution. The story ends with Rip Van Winkle living a peaceful life in the home of his daughter, finally free from his wife’s nagging.
This print shows Rip Van Winkle sitting among four children of the village. Two of them are boys, while the other two appear to be girls, and they all gather around Rip Van Winkle who is balancing a toy sailboat in a tub of water. Two of the boys lie on the bench beside Rip Van Winkle while a young girl lies on his back. Also pictured are some animals, including Rip Van Winkle’s dog Woof, a cat curled up underneath the bench, and some type of bird with her chicks. The setting appears to be in some type of open or lean-to shed as there are tools leaning against the wall and the building is open to the elements, showing the forest and farmland of the region. At this point of the story, Rip Van Winkle is described as a man who was popular among the village children; he would spend time teaching them how to fly kites or recounting ghost stories with them gathered round.
Sarony, Major, & Knapp was one of the largest lithographic firms at the end of the 19th and the early of the 20th centuries. However, before it achieved this success it started out small in 1843 when Napoleon Sarony and James P. Major joined together to start a business. Later in 1857, Joseph F. Knapp joined the company making it Sarony, Major, & Knapp. At the time that this was printed, Knapp was not a part of the business, so it was just Sarony & Major.
Felix O. C. Darley (1822-1888), the artist behind the twelve best-known illustrations for The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, is considered one of America’s best illustrators. The publisher was the American Art Union, (1839-1857) a subscription organization created to educate the public about American art and artists while providing support for American artists. For $5.00 members would receive admissions to the gallery showing, a yearly report, and an engraving of an original work, as well as any benefits each chapter might provide. Two special editions of the story, each with a set of six of Darley’s illustrations were published; the special edition including this illustration was published in 1850. This print is bound with five others at the back of a rebound book. The cover is of the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union but the title page and text are of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1848
maker
Sarony & Major
Darley, Felix Octavius Carr
ID Number
DL.60.2443
catalog number
60.2443
accession number
228146

Lady of the Lake

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 w
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

The Canal Driver

Black and white print of a team of three horses and a driver pulling a barge along a canal. The rear horse is mounted.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of a team of three horses and a driver pulling a barge along a canal. The rear horse is mounted.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Kollner, August
ID Number
DL.60.2999
catalog number
60.2999
accession number
228146

View of the Great Treaty Held at Prarie Du Chien

Color print of a large gathering of soldiers and Indians. A dirt road seperates the soldiers, seated in five rows, from a large circle of Indians. More Indians are seated and standing in the foreground and soldiers guard tents on the left.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print of a large gathering of soldiers and Indians. A dirt road seperates the soldiers, seated in five rows, from a large circle of Indians. More Indians are seated and standing in the foreground and soldiers guard tents on the left.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
1823-09
After 1823-09
maker
Lehman & Duval
ID Number
DL.60.3515
catalog number
60.3515

Rail Shooting on the Delaware

Colored print of two men in a boat amongst reeds and lily pads. One stands in the front of the boat firing at a bird, the other stands at the rear, poling.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of two men in a boat amongst reeds and lily pads. One stands in the front of the boat firing at a bird, the other stands at the rear, poling.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1866
maker
Sinclair, Thomas
ID Number
DL.60.2797
catalog number
60.2797
accession number
228146

Abby

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 w
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 full length hand colored portrait print depicts a young woman with brown hair standing indoors beside a table. Her feathered bonnet and a parasol rest on the table. She wears a blue dress with a ruffled red garment that may be an overdress or a small decorative wrap called a mantelet.
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
ca 1850
distributor
Needham, D.
maker
Kelloggs & Comstock
ID Number
DL.60.2504
catalog number
60.2504
accession number
228146

Lepus Texianus, Aud. & Bach.

This hand-colored lithograph was produced for “Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America,” the Imperial folio edition, published between 1845 and 1848. The work was a field study of North American mammals.
Description (Brief)
This hand-colored lithograph was produced for “Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America,” the Imperial folio edition, published between 1845 and 1848. The work was a field study of North American mammals. It included 150 stone lithographs produced in three volumes of 50 prints per volume. The lithographs were based on watercolor drawings by John James Audubon and after 1846, son John Woodhouse Audubon, who completed the series due to the elder Audubon’s failing eyesight and declining health. Another son, Victor Gifford Audubon, assisted with the drawings backgrounds. The lithographs were printed on non-watermarked heavy white paper and coloring was applied by hand before the prints were bound. Reverend John Bachman was a naturalist of note, as well as John James Audubon’s friend and father of both daughter-in-laws, so he provided the accompanying letterpress narrative. It made the production truly a family affair. The slightly later Octavo edition contained 155 prints of smaller size.
This unbound lithographic plate depicts a hand-colored image of a brown hare with mottled markings crouched among low grasses.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1848
artist
Audubon, John Woodhouse
printer
Bowen, John T.
publisher
Audubon, John James
ID Number
DL.60.2742
catalog number
60.2742
accession number
228146

Flowers No 1

Colored print of an informal floral arrangement on a stone slab outdoors. A portion of a stone structure appears on the right. A bird (parrot?) perches on a branch in the upper left corner, with a nest containing four eggs below.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of an informal floral arrangement on a stone slab outdoors. A portion of a stone structure appears on the right. A bird (parrot?) perches on a branch in the upper left corner, with a nest containing four eggs below.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850
distributor
Ensign, Thayer and Company
maker
Kelloggs & Comstock
ID Number
DL.60.2654
catalog number
60.2654
accession number
228146

The Mammoth Grove. Plate V. The Three Graces.

Black and white print of three prominent evergreen trees with other trees in the background.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of three prominent evergreen trees with other trees in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1862
maker
Vischer, Edward
ID Number
DL.60.3836
catalog number
60.3836

Whalebone

Black and white print of a trotting horse (Whalebone) pulling a sulky and driver.
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of a trotting horse (Whalebone) pulling a sulky and driver. Inscription beneath image gives details of the horse's breeding and record.
Description
A black and white print of a light horse with dark mane pulling a road sulky and jockey on flat stretch of ground in the open country. The jockey wears a heavily padded suit and a cap tied under his chin. The horse’s equipment includes blinders, a bit, and a harness with attachments for draft poles of sulky.
Whalebone was foaled in New York in 1821, bred by General Coles of Long Island through Bishops Hambletonian and a descendant of Coffins Messenger. He stood out from the other trotters of his day because he focused on stamina instead of speed. In 1827, Whalebone was able to trot 15 miles in 58 minutes and, in 1831, trotted 32 miles in an hour and 58 minutes. He and Top Gallant were hailed as the greatest trotters and rivals of their day. In addition, Whalebone had only one eye.
Kennedy and Lucas was a lithography firm based in Philadelphia from 1829-1835. This firm illustrated work for the “Floral Magazine and Botanical Repository” as well as other contemporary works. David Kennedy and William Lucas were the firm’s partners though the firm itself was listed as a looking glass store, where they retailed prints, mirrors, and frames. Kennedy and Lucas was possibly the first commercial lithographic establishment in the city of Philadelphia.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Kennedy & Lucas
artist
Hillman, Richard S.
ID Number
DL.60.3564
catalog number
60.3564

James Monroe 5th President of the United States

Color print, half length portrait of a seated man (James Monroe). Column and green drapery in right background. He is seated with his hands on documents resting on a table in front of him.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print, half length portrait of a seated man (James Monroe). Column and green drapery in right background. He is seated with his hands on documents resting on a table in front of him.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Monroe, James
maker
unknown
ID Number
DL.60.3189
catalog number
60.3189

Hyetographic Map

Black and white print with applied color accents. Map showing the distribution of rain over the surface of the globe.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print with applied color accents. Map showing the distribution of rain over the surface of the globe.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1854
artist
Cameron, John
publisher
Griffin, E. W.
maker
Currier, Charles
ID Number
DL.60.2430
catalog number
60.2430
accession number
228146

Faustin 1Er Empereur D'Haiti

Black & white print; full length portrait of a black man in elaborate robes and crown, standing in front of a throne. (Faustin 1st, Emperor of Haiti).Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black & white print; full length portrait of a black man in elaborate robes and crown, standing in front of a throne. (Faustin 1st, Emperor of Haiti).
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1852
depicted
Soulouque, Faustin-Elie
maker
Lacombe, Theodore
Grozelier, Leopold
original artist
Hartmann, Adam
ID Number
DL.60.3119
catalog number
60.3119
accession number
228146

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