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: District of Columbia

Master Butter Knife

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1928
owner; user
Murray, Anne Wood
maker
International Silver Company
ID Number
1983.0566.30
accession number
1983.0566
catalog number
1983.0566.30

Spoon Mold and Spoon

Two-part mold for a wavy end or dog nose type rattail spoon; registration rabbets on both sides of handle. Finished pewter spoon is glued into the female half or reverse side of the mold; it is of three spoons cast from this mold, DL*350026A-C. No marks.Currently not on view
Description
Two-part mold for a wavy end or dog nose type rattail spoon; registration rabbets on both sides of handle. Finished pewter spoon is glued into the female half or reverse side of the mold; it is of three spoons cast from this mold, DL*350026A-C. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date spoons DL*350026A-C cast
ca 1931
date mold made
ca 1720
maker
Shoemaker, F. D.
ID Number
DL.350026A
catalog number
350026A
accession number
114833

Plate

Souvenir or commemorative circular plate for Naumburg, Germany, machine-engraved and -stamped with the city's name above crossed-key-and-sword coat of arms in flat well; single-reeded rim and well are bordered by pairs of undulating lines punctuated by small squares and rectangle
Description
Souvenir or commemorative circular plate for Naumburg, Germany, machine-engraved and -stamped with the city's name above crossed-key-and-sword coat of arms in flat well; single-reeded rim and well are bordered by pairs of undulating lines punctuated by small squares and rectangles, with "1800." engraved inside top face of rim. No foot ring. Underside of rim is engraved ".W.M.S."., while well has three, clipped-corner square marks arranged in a circle at center, stamped once with a crowned shield bearing crossed hammers and stamped twice with a touch mark of "C G / B" in raised serif letters across an anchor becoming a "4" at top with "1708" below.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875 - 1915
ID Number
DL.387159
catalog number
387159
accession number
175755

Andiron

Arts-and-Crafts andiron with a rectangular-framed, pierced and chased screen depicting a bat at lower right swooping up to eat a fly at top left. Screen slides horizontally atop a cylindrical pedestal on a horizontal base ending in knopped feet.
Description
Arts-and-Crafts andiron with a rectangular-framed, pierced and chased screen depicting a bat at lower right swooping up to eat a fly at top left. Screen slides horizontally atop a cylindrical pedestal on a horizontal base ending in knopped feet. Incurved billet bar has a cast brass cover that extends past the log stop. Hexagonal steeples for finials on screen and legs and for log stop. Multiple cast parts are screwed and bolted together. No marks. One of a pair, DL*387147A-B.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1885 - 1915
ID Number
DL.387147B
catalog number
387147B
accession number
175755

Gas Stove

Single-burner gas stove and heater featuring a removable, openwork, domed crown with scroll finial; a vertical, cylindrical shell or casing with a piercework band between two raised beads; and an open-scrollwork base on three, cabriole, strapwork-decorated legs with snake feet; t
Description
Single-burner gas stove and heater featuring a removable, openwork, domed crown with scroll finial; a vertical, cylindrical shell or casing with a piercework band between two raised beads; and an open-scrollwork base on three, cabriole, strapwork-decorated legs with snake feet; the threaded connector for the supply valve extends out above the back foot. Hole for lighting the pilot light is to left of valve and has a screwed-on, scrolled-edge plaque with "N\o" and "88" in raised letters at its sides.
One of three gas stoves with history of use in Washington, D.C., DL*60.0212A-C. Crowns on DL*60.212 A and B are identical.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
DL.60.0212B
catalog number
60.0212B
accession number
226327

Beaker

Handleless seamed cylindrical cup with straight tapered sides and applied molded rim and foot ring; flat bottom set in. Engraved on exterior "PME" in conjoined foliate script.
Description
Handleless seamed cylindrical cup with straight tapered sides and applied molded rim and foot ring; flat bottom set in. Engraved on exterior "PME" in conjoined foliate script. Bottom underside struck once "C•A•BURNETT" in raised serif letters in a rectangle flanked by a right-facing, standing spreadwing eagle in a clipped-corner surround (the one at left right-side up; the one at right upside-down).
Maker is Charles A. Burnett (1769-1849), who worked in Fredericksburg, VA from 1788-93; Alexandria, VA from 1793-96; and Georgetown, DC from 1796-circa 1840.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1815
ID Number
DL.59.0600
catalog number
59.0600
accession number
219034

Citrus Peeler

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1945
ID Number
1984.0107.06
accession number
1984.0107
catalog number
1984.0107.06

Crossbar for High Altar Gates, National Cathedral

Slightly tapered rectangular bar with eight open circular slits in two sizes and two partial or closed slits at one end, all oriented vertically, and two large punched circular holes, two pairs of offset smaller holes, and a small rectangular slit along one edge, all oriented hor
Description
Slightly tapered rectangular bar with eight open circular slits in two sizes and two partial or closed slits at one end, all oriented vertically, and two large punched circular holes, two pairs of offset smaller holes, and a small rectangular slit along one edge, all oriented horizontally. No marks.
Maker is Keyser Brothers Iron Works, 4041 Ridge Ave. in Germantown, Philadelphia, PA, 1928-1971. Run by James Moore Bryant Keyser (1902-1977) and master blacksmith Howard Keyser III (1904-1980). Specialized in residential and ecclesiastical ornamental wrought ironwork, including the High Altar Gates in the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. The forge was housed in an 1850s stone industrial complex that was dismantled in 1971 (documented by HABS/HAER).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1928-1971
ID Number
DL.72.0024B
catalog number
72.0024B
accession number
299610

fork

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1850
ID Number
DL.60.1260
catalog number
60.1260
accession number
229363

Andiron

Arts-and-Crafts andiron with a rectangular-framed, pierced and chased screen depicting a single-masted, square-sailed boat, possibly medieval Anglo-Saxon in date, with one oarsman.
Description
Arts-and-Crafts andiron with a rectangular-framed, pierced and chased screen depicting a single-masted, square-sailed boat, possibly medieval Anglo-Saxon in date, with one oarsman. Screen slides horizontally atop a cylindrical pedestal on a horizontal base ending in knopped feet. Incurved billet bar has a cast brass cover that extends past the log stop. Hexagonal steeples for finials on screen and legs, and for log stop. Multiple cast parts are screwed and bolted together. No marks. One of a pair, DL*387147A-B.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1885 - 1915
ID Number
DL.387147A
catalog number
387147A
accession number
175755

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

Plate

Single-reeded circular plate with a chased and repoussé depiction of Saint George slaying the dragon, identified as "S\t. GEORGVS" along top and encircled by a punch work dot or circle border. Rim is stamped with arches and sets of four horizontal hash marks; no foot ring.
Description
Single-reeded circular plate with a chased and repoussé depiction of Saint George slaying the dragon, identified as "S\t. GEORGVS" along top and encircled by a punch work dot or circle border. Rim is stamped with arches and sets of four horizontal hash marks; no foot ring. Reserve at top of rim face is engraved "M.C.M.H." in script. Underside stamped before decorated three times with an oval touch mark containing the winged figure of Justice, a date "18[??]" beneath her feet, "I.C. GRUNWALD" in raised serif letters above and a partial word "F(?)E(???)" below.
Pewterer is Johann Conrad Grunewald of Bayreuth, Germany, early 19th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850 - 1900
ID Number
DL.387162
catalog number
387162
accession number
175755

FSW-6 (Six-Panel Folding Screen Wood)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1946
1946 - 1955
manufacturer; distributor
Herman Miller Furniture Company
designer
Eames, Charles
Eames, Ray
ID Number
1989.0141.01
catalog number
1989.0141.01
accession number
1989.0141

Sugar Spoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1928
owner; user
Murray, Anne Wood
maker
International Silver Company
ID Number
1983.0566.29
accession number
1983.0566
catalog number
1983.0566.29

Receipt for Kitchen Furniture

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1916-11-15
dates used
1916 - 1977
ID Number
1978.0178.04
catalog number
1978.0178.04
accession number
1978.0178

Parrot Shaped Toy

Molded celluloid balance toy, in the shape of a parrot. Creamy-yellow body with red on wings, blue-green head. Black beak, black and yellow eyes, with white patches under eyes.
Description
Molded celluloid balance toy, in the shape of a parrot. Creamy-yellow body with red on wings, blue-green head. Black beak, black and yellow eyes, with white patches under eyes. Black feet are shaped into a small hook, which would enable the toy to balance on the side of a bowl or glass. Possibly used for a christmas ornament as well.See similar ornaments: 1993.0157.20, 1993.0157.19, 1993.0157.18, 1993.0157.17, 1993.0157.16.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930 - 1950
ID Number
1993.0157.15
catalog number
1993.0157.15
accession number
1993.0157

Douglas & Stanton Hospitals, Washington, D.C.

The Douglas and Stanton hospitals, two of about 25 hospitals opened in the Capital and Alexandria to care for wounded Union soldiers, were located at I and 2nd Streets and opened in early 1862.
Description
The Douglas and Stanton hospitals, two of about 25 hospitals opened in the Capital and Alexandria to care for wounded Union soldiers, were located at I and 2nd Streets and opened in early 1862. “Douglas Row,” composed of the three large brick houses near the center of the print, was constructed in 1856-1857 through an investment by Senator Stephen Douglas, the Northern Democratic candidate who ran against Lincoln in the 1860 Election. Upon its completion, Douglas and his wife moved into one of the homes, and Senator Henry Rice of Minnesota and Vice President John C. Breckinridge purchased the others. Douglas died shortly after the outbreak of war, and his widow, Adele, and Senator Rice offered their homes to the government for use as a military hospital. The government accepted and also seized the home of Breckinridge, who had become a major general in the Confederate Army. Stanton Hospital was erected in the vacant square outside of Douglas Row and was named after Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.
Washington D.C. hospitals were supported by the United States Sanitary Commission, a relief agency approved by the War Department on June 18, 1861 to provide assistance to sick, wounded, and travelling Union soldiers. Nurses and inspectors belonging to commission provided suggestions that helped to reform the U.S. Army Medical Bureau. Although the leaders of the Commission were men, the agency depended on thousands of women, who collected donations, volunteered as nurses in hospitals, and offered assistance at rest stations and refreshment saloons. They also sponsored Sanitary Fairs in Northern cities, raising millions of dollars used to send food, clothing, and medicine to Union soldiers.
Charles Magnus (1826-1900) was born Julian Carl Magnus in Germany and immigrated with his family to New York City sometime between 1848 and 1850. During the 1850s, he learned the printing business while working with his brother on a German language weekly newspaper, the Deutsche Schnellpost. He later began his own lithographer firm, producing city views and commercial letterhead designs. During the Civil War, he designed pro-Union envelopes and illustrated song sheets. The firm’s Washington, D.C. branch also produced small, hand-colored scenes of Union camps and hospitals. Soldiers purchased these picturesque scenes of camp life to send home to calm the worries of anxious family members.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1864
maker
Magnus, Charles
ID Number
DL.60.3740
catalog number
60.3740

Creamer

Raised, spiral-lobed, pear-shaped cream pitcher with Chinoiserie decoration, including a cast and applied S-curve dragon handle and ten chased and repousse panels on body depicting bamboo, peonies, flowering prunus branches and dragons, all on a finely-textured ground; Oriental s
Description
Raised, spiral-lobed, pear-shaped cream pitcher with Chinoiserie decoration, including a cast and applied S-curve dragon handle and ten chased and repousse panels on body depicting bamboo, peonies, flowering prunus branches and dragons, all on a finely-textured ground; Oriental scenes on two side panels feature a man travelling by donkey opposite a scholar and servant fishing. Floral-decorated inset spout has flared lip. Slightly concave bottom is struck on underside with two marks, "TC" and a Chinese ideogram, both in rounded rectangles. Part of a four-piece service (kettle, stand and burner counted as one piece), DL*62.0334A-D.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1906
ID Number
DL.62.0334C
catalog number
62.0334C
accession number
241778

Tongs

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930-1940
ID Number
1984.0107.05
accession number
1984.0107
catalog number
1984.0107.05

Ladle

Fiddle ladle with horizontal oval bowl and rounded downturned handle with midrib on back and "GMK" engraved in foliate script on front; pointed shoulders. Swage-formed rounded-square drop on back of bowl.
Description
Fiddle ladle with horizontal oval bowl and rounded downturned handle with midrib on back and "GMK" engraved in foliate script on front; pointed shoulders. Swage-formed rounded-square drop on back of bowl. Struck once on back of handle "C.A.BURNETT" in raised serif letters in a rectangle.
Maker is Charles A. Burnett (1769-1849); worked in Fredericksburg, VA, 1788-1793; Alexandria, VA , 1793-1796; and Georgetown, DC, 1796-circa 1840.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1810-1820
ID Number
DL.391821
catalog number
391821

Coffee-Cone®

Single-cup coffee maker, black plastic, intended to sit on top of a coffee mug or cup. Funnel, inverted cone shape at top, exterior is smooth, interior has ridges radiating from center hole.
Description
Single-cup coffee maker, black plastic, intended to sit on top of a coffee mug or cup. Funnel, inverted cone shape at top, exterior is smooth, interior has ridges radiating from center hole. Small tab handle at top edge, embossed on top: "COFFEE-CONE®" in serif font, "by David Douglas" in cursive. Bottom is embossed in sans serif: "PATENT/PENDING". Bottom of cone flares into flattened circular foot on bottom, pierced.
Patents:
US D203854 S, February 22, 1966, David Douglas, for "Coffee maker" (filied June 4, 1964)
US 3334574 A, August 8, 1967, David Douglas, for "Cup mounted coffee cones" (filed June 4, 1964)
Maker is Douglas Plymouth Corporation, Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1964-1967
ID Number
1990.0503.10
catalog number
1990.0503.10
accession number
1990.0503

Spoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890 or later
maker
Gorham Manufacturing Company
ID Number
DL.382068C
catalog number
382068C
accession number
162081

1837 - 1838 Adaline Lusby's Appliqued Quilt

Adaline Lusby made this example of a chintz applique quilt in 1837-1838. The quilt design is composed of floral motifs cut from two different chintz fabrics. The center lattice-work basket features a parrot on the front and another perched on one of the branches in the basket.
Description
Adaline Lusby made this example of a chintz applique quilt in 1837-1838. The quilt design is composed of floral motifs cut from two different chintz fabrics. The center lattice-work basket features a parrot on the front and another perched on one of the branches in the basket. Flowering cactus and sprays of anemones frame the basket, surrounded by a flowering vine of roses and anemones, and, an outer row of sprays of roses. Strips of plain red cotton cut in points and valleys creates a vibrant border. Quilted floral motifs fill the white spaces.
Adaline Wineberger was born c. 1808 in Washington D.C. In 1837, about the time the quilt was made, Adaline married James Lusby (1803-1866). They had three children; James, Sarah, and Fanny. Adaline died in Washington D.C. on October 18, 1895.
According to a note with the quilt when it was donated by her granddaughter, Adelaide Rado, it was rescued from a packing trunk that had floated in a flooded cellar for several days after a tornado in 1915. “The quilt was hung in the garden to dry but unfortunately left stains which have discolored the under part, rather than the top.” Better the lining than the top! Adaline’s carefully planned-out quilt is a nice example of cut-out chintz quilt design.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1837-1838
maker
Lusby, Adaline Wineberger
ID Number
TE.T10347
catalog number
T10347
accession number
186151

Purse Shaped Christmas Ornament

Holiday or Christmas ornament in the shape of a purse. Molded glass cauldron shape, white frosted glass with opening at top, white wool inserted into top of opening, then wrapped in crinkle wire overall. White and pink cloth flower attached to front, inserted into pike.
Description
Holiday or Christmas ornament in the shape of a purse. Molded glass cauldron shape, white frosted glass with opening at top, white wool inserted into top of opening, then wrapped in crinkle wire overall. White and pink cloth flower attached to front, inserted into pike. Tinsel wire wrapped around whole ornament at its sides, then is wrapped around white string to form the "strap". A remnant of a wire hook is attached at the top of strap. No mark.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880-1910
ID Number
1993.0157.04
catalog number
1993.0157.04
accession number
1993.0157

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