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.

Resource Type: Lithographs

Daniel Griffith

Black and white print; oval bust portrait of a man (Daniel Griffith,1803-1878, a pioneer and founder of Springport Township, Michigan)Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print; oval bust portrait of a man (Daniel Griffith,1803-1878, a pioneer and founder of Springport Township, Michigan)
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Griffith, Daniel
maker
unknown
ID Number
DL.60.3137
catalog number
60.3137
accession number
228146

Snipe

Colored print of a snipe (bird) with grassy plains in the background.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of a snipe (bird) with grassy plains in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1832
maker
Clonney, James Goodwyn
Mesier's Lith
ID Number
DL.60.2701
catalog number
60.2701
accession number
228146

William. B. Reed

Black and white print; bust portrait of a man (William Bradford Reed). Facsimile of sitter's signature is below the image.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print; bust portrait of a man (William Bradford Reed). Facsimile of sitter's signature is below the image.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1855
depicted
Reed, William Bradford
maker
Wagner & McGuigan
Traubel, Morris H.
ID Number
DL.60.3128
catalog number
60.3128
accession number
228146

Timothy Cole, Servant of the Church

Black and white print, half length portrait of a man (Timothy Cole) at a pulpit. He has one hand raised and another on a book, which is resting on the pulpit.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print, half length portrait of a man (Timothy Cole) at a pulpit. He has one hand raised and another on a book, which is resting on the pulpit.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Cole, Timothy
maker
Moore, Thomas
original artist
Howes, S.P.
ID Number
DL.60.3206
catalog number
60.3206

Breezy Day Outside

Color print of four sailing vessels in a choppy sea. The one in the center is towing a rowboat.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print of four sailing vessels in a choppy sea. The one in the center is towing a rowboat.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1872
maker
Haskell & Allen
ID Number
DL.60.3290
catalog number
60.3290

Bivouac, Jan. 26

Color print of three men seated around a campfire while a fourth man tends donkeys. Rocky hill formations in the background. Plate from "U.S.P.R.R. Exp. & Surveys, 35th Parellel."Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print of three men seated around a campfire while a fourth man tends donkeys. Rocky hill formations in the background. Plate from "U.S.P.R.R. Exp. & Surveys, 35th Parellel."
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Sinclair, Thomas
artist
Tidball, J. C.
ID Number
DL.60.3868
catalog number
60.3868

Revd Edward Sprague

Black and white print; bust portrait of a man in clerical garb (the Reverend Edward Sprague).Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print; bust portrait of a man in clerical garb (the Reverend Edward Sprague).
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Sprague, Edward
maker
Pendleton's Lithography
original artist
Belknap, Zedekiah
ID Number
DL.60.3129
catalog number
60.3129
accession number
228146

The Prodigal Son Receiving His Patrimony by D.W. Kellogg and Company

This hand-colored print, retouched with watercolors, is of an interior scene depicting three men around a table in a well-appointed study. They are dressed in tightly tailored blue or brown frock coats, britches, white shirts, cravats(sons) and ascots (father).
Description
This hand-colored print, retouched with watercolors, is of an interior scene depicting three men around a table in a well-appointed study. They are dressed in tightly tailored blue or brown frock coats, britches, white shirts, cravats(sons) and ascots (father). One is standing and receiving money from his father. The other son is seated on a red chair and looks on disapprovingly.
The parable of the Prodigal Son or the Lost Son is among the best-known Christian morality tales and is found in Luke 15:11-32. The youngest of the two sons demands his share of his father’s estate which the father gives him. Shortly after, he runs off and squanders the wealth “in wild living”. Finding himself destitute, he returns to his father, repents his ways, and begs to be allowed to serve as a hired servant. The father rejoices at the return of his son “who was lost and is found.” Meanwhile, the obedient, older son is angry and refuses to join the celebration. His father pleads with him to forgive and to understand his joy.
This print was originally produced by Amos Doolittle and later printed by the lithographic firm of D. W. Kellogg and Company. Amos Doolittle (1754-1832) was an American engraver who was trained as a jeweler and silversmith. He lived in Connecticut and was especially well known for his four engravings of the battles of Lexington and Concord. He also engraved Biblical scenes, bookplates and portraits.
Daniel Wright Kellogg (1807-1874) founded D. W. Kellogg and Company in Hartford, Connecticut in 1830. Even before its first retail store opened 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 was responsible for 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.
A nearly identical print (60.2921A) was made by the same principal publisher and another (60.2944) with a modified image was created about a decade later. Print (60.2938) depicts the same theme with a different illustration and by a different publisher.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1838
maker
D.W. Kellogg and Company
original artist
Doolittle, Amos
ID Number
DL.60.2921
catalog number
60.2921
accession number
228146
maker number
758

The Velvet Hat

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 half length hand colored portrait print depicts a young woman wearing a velvet hat accented with an ostrich feather. Her dark red dress is accented with a high white collar. Around her waist is a belt with a gold buckle. She wears a long necklace around her neck and gold drop earrings.
This print was produced by the lithographic firm of D.W. Kellogg & Co. Daniel Wright Kellogg (1807-1874) founded the company in 1830 Hartford, Connecticut. Before the opening of its first retail store in 1834, 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.60.2510
catalog number
60.2510
accession number
228146

The Sea Nymphs' Cave

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 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 graphic artist and publisher are unknown.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
n.d.
maker
unknown
ID Number
DL.60.2268
catalog number
60.2268
accession number
228146

St. Julien

Color print of a bay trotting horse (St. Julien) standing in a grassy meadow.A color print of a side view of a stallion with black tail, mane and lower legs. The horse has finely developed muscles and a shiny coat.
Description (Brief)
Color print of a bay trotting horse (St. Julien) standing in a grassy meadow.
Description
A color print of a side view of a stallion with black tail, mane and lower legs. The horse has finely developed muscles and a shiny coat. He stands in a grassy meadow with trees and foothills in background.
St. Julien was a descendant of Hambletonian by his sire Volunteer and foaled in 1869. His dam was Sayre's Harry Clay. He spent his early life pulling a milk cart in Orange County, New York before he was eventually rescued for $600 by James Gaiway of New York City, who named the gelding St. Julien after seeing the name on a bottle of wine. He was put in races on the Grand Circuit in 1875, at the age of seven, and won his first six tries with a best time of 2:21/2. St. Julien was trained and driven by Orrin A. Hikok, who bought the horse for $20,000 and took him west. The act of traveling west was the best training for the stallion, who would be driven up to 40 miles a day. On October 25, 1879, to a large crowd in Oakland, California that included General Grant, St. Julien beat Rarus’ record with time of 2:12 ¾. Eventually racing a time of 2:11 ¼, he held fastest record in the world until 1880 when he was beaten by the mare Maud S., who achieved a time of 2:08 ¾. St. Julien died retired on a horse farm in 1894 at the age of 25 after going missing for several days.
Edward Bosqui lived from 1832-1917. He was a printer and amateur landscape painter, born in Montreal Quebec. Bosqui moved to California in 1850 and established the Bosqui Engraving and printing company, San Francisco’s largest printing house. He was not only an artist, bookbinder, pulisher, and printer but a patron of the arts as well. He died in San Francisco in 1917. William Harring worked with Bosqui in San Francisco. He was born in Prussia in 1812. He worked for Lovis Prang Co. in Boston before moving to San Francisco. He worked for Bosqui Printing Company from the 1870’s until his death in 1899. Bosqui & Co. was located at 517 Clay St. San Francisco, CA. The business was destroyed in 1906 by an earthquake and fire; but was rebuilt at 136 Lerdesdorff, San Francisco.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1880
publisher
San Francisco Bulletin Co.
maker
E. Bosqui & Co.
artist
Harring, William
ID Number
DL.60.3542
catalog number
60.3542

Julia

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 half length hand colored portrait print depicts a young woman with a rose adorning her dark upswept hair. She wears a red dress with huge puffy sleeves, a gold striped shawl and gold drop earrings on her right ear.
This print was produced by the lithographic firm of D.W. Kellogg & Co. Daniel Wright Kellogg (1807-1874) founded the company in 1830 Hartford, Connecticut. Before the opening of its first retail store in 1834, 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.60.2509
catalog number
60.2509
accession number
228146

Untitled Napoleon Sarony

Black and white print, bust length self-portrait of a man (Napoleon Sarony) wearing a coonskin hat.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print, bust length self-portrait of a man (Napoleon Sarony) wearing a coonskin hat.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Sarony, Napoleon
maker
Sarony, Napoleon
ID Number
DL.60.3204
catalog number
60.3204

Flume/Elevating Water Wheel

Black and white print on blue paper of two views in the California mine fields. The upper view depicts a long flume with two water wheels along it. The lower view depicts a water wheel in a mountainous area.
Description (Brief)
Black and white print on blue paper of two views in the California mine fields. The upper view depicts a long flume with two water wheels along it. The lower view depicts a water wheel in a mountainous area. Prospectors work at a trough along side the water wheel.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Britton & Rey
ID Number
DL.60.3874
catalog number
60.3874

John Knox, D.D.

Black and white print; half portrait of a minister (John Knox), depicted in clerical robes.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print; half portrait of a minister (John Knox), depicted in clerical robes.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Knox, John
maker
Endicott, George
original artist
Waldo and Jewett
ID Number
DL.60.3139
catalog number
60.3139
accession number
228146

U.S. Frigate Savannah

Black and white print of a sailing vessel the frigate "Savannah," leaning heavily toward the starboard side in a squall. Mountainous coast in left background and harbor in right.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of a sailing vessel the frigate "Savannah," leaning heavily toward the starboard side in a squall. Mountainous coast in left background and harbor in right.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Endicott and Company
ID Number
DL.60.3269
catalog number
60.3269

Thomas De Witt, D.D.

Black & white print; three quarter portrait of minister standing in clerical garb (Thomas De Witt) with his hand on an open book on a table beside him.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black & white print; three quarter portrait of minister standing in clerical garb (Thomas De Witt) with his hand on an open book on a table beside him.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Endicott, George
original artist
Waldo and Jewett
ID Number
DL.60.3145
catalog number
60.3145
accession number
228146

Expulsion of Adam & Eve by James S. Baillie

This colored print depicts Adam and Eve, downcast beside a small lake. A distraught Eve is naked and kneeling on the ground. Adam is standing and fashioning a covering of branches to hide his nakedness and shame.
Description
This colored print depicts Adam and Eve, downcast beside a small lake. A distraught Eve is naked and kneeling on the ground. Adam is standing and fashioning a covering of branches to hide his nakedness and shame. A sylvan setting of trees and gentle hills forms the background.
The Expulsion represents the passage from the book of Genesis (3:22-24) after the Fall. That is, after Adam and Eve have eaten of the fruit which God has forbidden them to eat, they are cast out of the Garden of Eden and into the world where they are forced to labor and suffer the consequences of their sin. This scene encapsulates the central tenet of Christianity: only by repenting and following the teachings of Christ, can mankind obtain salvation.
This print was produced by James S. Baillie, who was active in New York from 1838 to 1855. James Baillie started as a framer in 1838, and then became an artist and lithographer in 1843 or 1844. He discovered how to color lithographs while working as an independent contractor for Currier & Ives in the mid 1840s. He was a prolific lithographer and colorist for Currier & Ives, and his prints were extremely popular with a wide distribution. James Baillie spent his later years concentrating on painting instead of lithography.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1846
depicted
Adam
Eve
maker
Baillie, James S.
ID Number
DL.60.2972
catalog number
60.2972
accession number
228146

Rectory School, Hamden, Conn

Black and white tinted print on pinkish beige colored paper with white cross hatching and scrolling decoration. Left side of the blank check contains small vignette surrounded by an ornate border.
Description (Brief)
Black and white tinted print on pinkish beige colored paper with white cross hatching and scrolling decoration. Left side of the blank check contains small vignette surrounded by an ornate border. A still life of school supplies depicts a globe, books, ink bottle, portfolio, scroll, bust, dividers, square, mirror, and a stag paperweight.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Crisand, Emil
ID Number
DL.60.3861
catalog number
60.3861

The Babes in (the) Wood.

Black and white comic print of two jointed wooden figures, a boy and a girl, standing side by side. Around them are wooden trees and birds. This is one of over 100 in a series of comic parodies of popular songs.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white comic print of two jointed wooden figures, a boy and a girl, standing side by side. Around them are wooden trees and birds. This is one of over 100 in a series of comic parodies of popular songs.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875
maker
Vance, Fred T.
Vance, Parsloe and Company
ID Number
DL.60.2879
catalog number
60.2879
accession number
228146

Polar Bear

Colored print of a polar bear standing on an ice flow.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of a polar bear standing on an ice flow.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1830
maker
Childs & Inman
ID Number
DL.60.2699
catalog number
60.2699
accession number
228146

Midnight Race on the Mississippi

Color print of two steam ships (Dana on left and Fulton on right), running on full speed neck and neck, on a river by moonlight.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print of two steam ships (Dana on left and Fulton on right), running on full speed neck and neck, on a river by moonlight.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1865
maker
Kelly, Thomas
Robertson, William C.
ID Number
DL.60.3283
catalog number
60.3283

General Jackson, Slaying the Many Headed Monster

This 1836 caricature of Andrew Jackson symbolizes his fight to revoke the charter of the Second National Bank. Long distrusting of banking systems and a strong advocate for specie –silver and gold, Jackson made neutralizing the National Bank a top priority of his administration.
Description (Brief)
This 1836 caricature of Andrew Jackson symbolizes his fight to revoke the charter of the Second National Bank. Long distrusting of banking systems and a strong advocate for specie –silver and gold, Jackson made neutralizing the National Bank a top priority of his administration. In this image the twenty four heads on the snake represent the twenty four state branches of the National Bank, with the largest head belonging to bank president and Jackson foe, Nicholas Biddle of Pennsylvania. Jackson’s weapon of choice to defeat the snake is a cane labeled “Veto,” symbolizing his unprecedented use of the presidential veto power. Jackson used that executive power more than any other president, and it is ultimately what afforded him the opportunity to shut down the National Bank. Aiding Jackson in his fight against the snake is Vice President Martin Van Buren depicted holding the head of political rival and former president, John Quincy Adams, and fictional character, Major Jack Downing. Created by journalist Seba Smith, the allegorical persona of Downing symbolized the common man and came to typify the New England Yankee as full of common sense.
The lithographer of this print is Henry R. Robinson (1827-1877). Robinson worked in New York, and had a store to sell his prints. In 1842, he was arrested for selling obscene pictures and books leading to the September 28, 1842 court case, People vs H. R. Robinson found in the District Attorney Indictment Papers, Municipal Archives. He was politically affiliated with the anti-Jackson Whig party which was made obvious by the wig silhouette used in 1838 as an advertising logo for his shop.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1836, March
depicted
Van Buren, Martin
Jackson, Andrew
Adams, John Quincy
originated character
Smith, Seba
depicted
Biddle, Nicholas
artist
Hoffy, Alfred M.
maker
Robinson, Henry R.
ID Number
DL.60.3333
catalog number
60.3333

Bos Americanus, Gmel.

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 daughters-in-law, 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 three buffalo, a male, female, and young buffalo, in rugged terrain. A herd grazes in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1845
artist; publisher
Audubon, John James
printer
Bowen, John T.
ID Number
DL.60.2755
catalog number
60.2755
accession number
228146

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