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.

Date: 1850s

Flagon

Clermont-Ferrand type conical flagon or pichet with cupped collar, flared base, and beaded, angled tab thumb piece with ridged extension burnt to the flat, heart-shaped lid. Strap handle has ridged thumbrest and short square terminal; oval strut.
Description
Clermont-Ferrand type conical flagon or pichet with cupped collar, flared base, and beaded, angled tab thumb piece with ridged extension burnt to the flat, heart-shaped lid. Strap handle has ridged thumbrest and short square terminal; oval strut. Lid is engraved with a shaded Roman letter "B" and struck once with an undecipherable oval touchmark, only a Paschal Lamb facing right is recognizable. Bottom inside has two large raised concentric circles. Bottom outside has a rectangular, white cloth collector's label identifying type adhered across center.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 18th or early 19th century
ID Number
DL.67.0266
catalog number
67.0266
accession number
250853

Tablespoon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1830 - 1850
ID Number
1977.0918.16
accession number
1977.0918
catalog number
1977.0918.16

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.
Bright red Gentians highlight this star-cut base Baccarat paperweight.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1845-1850
maker
Baccarat
ID Number
CE.66.16
catalog number
66.16
accession number
268356
collector/donor number
166

chair, side

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1825 - 1850
ID Number
DL.312536.0001
catalog number
312536.0001
accession number
312536

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

One-Eighth Gill Measure

Thistle measure; one-eighth gill size. Plain bands around rim and base. Spurred D- or ear-shaped handle with short lower terminal; cylindrical struts. Front of body stamped "1/8 GILL" in incuse serif letters.
Description
Thistle measure; one-eighth gill size. Plain bands around rim and base. Spurred D- or ear-shaped handle with short lower terminal; cylindrical struts. Front of body stamped "1/8 GILL" in incuse serif letters. Rim exterior stamped with verification mark for Glasgow to left of handle, and with "223" to left and right of handle in two font sizes. Solder on bottom. From a set of five thistle measures, DL*67.0213-.0218.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1800
ca 1800-1850
ID Number
DL.67.0218
catalog number
67.0218
accession number
250853

Pitcher

"York Minster Jug" or "Minster Jug" pattern pitcher decorated with Gothic Revival designs in high relief, including two vignettes of the Madonna with Christ child and John the Baptist seated in arched niches above a grapevine border on opposite sides of the hexagonal body; archit
Description
"York Minster Jug" or "Minster Jug" pattern pitcher decorated with Gothic Revival designs in high relief, including two vignettes of the Madonna with Christ child and John the Baptist seated in arched niches above a grapevine border on opposite sides of the hexagonal body; architectural ornament fills the remaining panels, area below the curved rim with squared pouring lip, and 10-sided or decagonal base above the flared, circular foot. Open tracery handle. Pouted, conforming, hinged lid depicts Cupid preparing to pierce a woman in her side with an arrow. Gilt-washed interior. Double-walled construction. No marks evident.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850
ID Number
DL.387290
catalog number
387290
accession number
185605

Creamer

Baluster-shaped cream pot with molded midband on domed base; S-scroll, D- or ear-shaped handle with scroll-and-ball decoration; and inset, curved, U-shaped spout. No marks.Currently not on view
Description
Baluster-shaped cream pot with molded midband on domed base; S-scroll, D- or ear-shaped handle with scroll-and-ball decoration; and inset, curved, U-shaped spout. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1825-1850
ID Number
DL.300859.0017
catalog number
300859.0017
accession number
300859

knife, dinner; cutlery, set, part of

Dinner knife, one of two with matching dinner forks (1986.0531.043-.46). Upturned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade and bolster are one piece of steel fitted into a tapered block horn handle with chamfered edges and blunt butt.
Description
Dinner knife, one of two with matching dinner forks (1986.0531.043-.46). Upturned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade and bolster are one piece of steel fitted into a tapered block horn handle with chamfered edges and blunt butt. Tang is held in handle with one brass pin, with round horn peg at butt. Overall nicked and scratched, blade is heavily discolored with some rust. Horn is cracked.
Blade is stamped: “L . BOOTH/NORFOLK ST WORKS/SHEFFIELD”
Maker is possibly L[uke] Booth, active in Sheffield, England in the early 19th century until his death in 1855.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1855
ID Number
1986.0531.044
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.044

knife, dinner; cutlery, set, part of

Dinner knife, one of a set of seven (1986.0531.021-.27) that match a set of six dinner forks (1986.0531.028-.33).Upturned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece.
Description
Dinner knife, one of a set of seven (1986.0531.021-.27) that match a set of six dinner forks (1986.0531.028-.33).
Upturned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece. Bone scales are riveted to the top and bottom of the tang with brass pins to form a tapered block handle with chamfered edges and blunt butt. Back of knife shows a "puddled" weld between the iron bolster and steel blade. Metal is discolored, scratched and has some rust spots. Bone is yellowed and crazed, cracked and chipped around edges and pulling away from the tang.
Blade is stamped with a heart, diamond, and circle above.
Maker is possibly Sleigh Rowland, active ca 1830-1850 in Sheffield, England.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1830- 1850
ID Number
1986.0531.024
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.024

Pot

Plain pot on three, semicircular feet with a forged bail handle looped around pierced flat-top tabs; tapered sides and rounded bottom.
Description
Plain pot on three, semicircular feet with a forged bail handle looped around pierced flat-top tabs; tapered sides and rounded bottom. Hollow cast with a low-relief design, placed once on body, of a spreadwing, shield-body eagle, banner in beak facing left, above the raised serif letters "MB", all within a fluted-edge trapezoid; two crossed gate marks on bottom exterior.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1850
19th century
ID Number
1982.0090.71
accession number
1982.0090
catalog number
1982.0090.71

Pot

Small cooking pot on three, triangular feet with a flared lip, bulbous body and wire bail handle looped around triangular lugs or ears.
Description
Small cooking pot on three, triangular feet with a flared lip, bulbous body and wire bail handle looped around triangular lugs or ears. Hollow cast with four irregularly-spaced fillets, one around rim and three around body, the lowest one is a horizontal seam; two vertical seams on upper half and single gate mark on bottom exterior. No additional marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1780-1850
late 18th-early 19th century
ID Number
DL.317836.0005
catalog number
317836.0005
accession number
317836

Clichy 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, Verrerie de Clichy, began operation after merging with another local glassworks in 1837. The height of paperweight production at the firm was 1846 to 1857.
This faceted Clichy glass paperweight features closely packed canes, including two each of pink and white Clichy roses, and a twelve-rayed star-cut base.
date made
1845-1850
maker
Clichy
ID Number
CE.60.22
catalog number
60.22
accession number
211475

One and a Half Quart Measure

Lidless Jersey measure or flagon, rim appears bent to form small spout; one and a half quart size. Plain body with molded rim and base. Slender, strap handle with stepped thumbrest and short terminal; upper terminal attached at rim. No marks.Currently not on view
Description
Lidless Jersey measure or flagon, rim appears bent to form small spout; one and a half quart size. Plain body with molded rim and base. Slender, strap handle with stepped thumbrest and short terminal; upper terminal attached at rim. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1700-1850
ID Number
DL.67.0157
catalog number
67.0157
accession number
250853

Quart Measure

Guernsey measure or flagon with double-acorn thumb piece; quart size. Wedge extension is burnt to the plain, pointed and pouted lid. Plain body with slightly flared rim and wide, single-incised, flared base. Strap handle with short terminal; cylindrical strut.
Description
Guernsey measure or flagon with double-acorn thumb piece; quart size. Wedge extension is burnt to the plain, pointed and pouted lid. Plain body with slightly flared rim and wide, single-incised, flared base. Strap handle with short terminal; cylindrical strut. Elaborate touchmark on outside of lid "N\s. L C.t" and "GUERNESEY" in shaped surrounds flanked by roses; "L.TV" stamped below in incuse serif letters.
Maker is Nicolas Le Cheminant, working 1780-1830.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1700-1850
ca 1800
ID Number
DL.67.0173
catalog number
67.0173
accession number
250853

St. Louis Paperweight Wafer Dish

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 St. Louis glass wafer dish features a paperweight base consisting of scrambled millefiori and a blue and white torsade (twisted ribbon) around the upper rim. Wafer dishes such as this would have been used to hold wax letter seals, and often had paperweight bases. Millefiore paperweights, first manufactured in Venice, consist of sections from rods of colored glass encased in a clear, colorless sphere. By the mid-nineteenth century, glass factories elsewhere in Europe were emulating the millefiore style.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1845-1850
maker
St. Louis
ID Number
CE.67.220
catalog number
67.220
accession number
213138

Coffeepot

Japanned conical coffeepot with low-domed, hinged lid topped by a small scroll at front. Tapered D- or ear-shaped strap handle is opposite of the straight, tapered, soft-soldered lapped-seam spout; flat bottom with projecting, folded edge.
Description
Japanned conical coffeepot with low-domed, hinged lid topped by a small scroll at front. Tapered D- or ear-shaped strap handle is opposite of the straight, tapered, soft-soldered lapped-seam spout; flat bottom with projecting, folded edge. Wire-rimmed body has grooved band near top, an added triangular piece below its vertical folded seam, and is perforated at spout. Vibrant painted decoration features a right-facing, red and yellow, scalloped fanlike flower encircled by shaded or fingered-off fruits of blue, red orange and yellow, all detailed in black and set against an underlying, semitransparent white circle. Yellow brushwork borders rim and covers lid. No marks.
Attributed to the Harvey Filley Tinshop of Philadelphia, PA, circa 1818-1853.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1818 - 1853
ID Number
1978.0119.06
accession number
1978.0119
catalog number
1978.0119.06

Temperature Scale for Pocket Hygrometer

Circular disc with a temperature scale marked "PASTORELLI / LONDON". Temperatures read clockwise high to low, from 120 degrees to -20 degrees, with ranges labeled Fever Heat, Blood Heat, Summer Heat, Temperate, and Freezing.
Description
Circular disc with a temperature scale marked "PASTORELLI / LONDON". Temperatures read clockwise high to low, from 120 degrees to -20 degrees, with ranges labeled Fever Heat, Blood Heat, Summer Heat, Temperate, and Freezing. Pierced with eight holes, two at top threaded with green string tied in a loop and six at bottom arranged into two sets of two small and one large. Plain back. Hinged, red, circular pressed paper case has padded front interior lined with white silk satin; inside back is lined with red velvet. Two small hook-and-eye clasps at side. Rectangular green printed label on back "SOLD BY / COOK & LEADBEATER / Chemists & Druggists, / King Street, / ALEXANDRIA."
Instrument maker is Anthony Pastorelli of London, England; active, 1829-1846/8. Retailed by Cook & Leadbeater in Alexandria, VA.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1830-1850
ID Number
DL.220760.006
accession number
220760
catalog number
220760.006

Beaker Measure

Beaker with two bands of five grooves near top and bottom; short foot ring. Bottom exterior stamped incuse "6" or "9". No other marks.Currently not on view
Description
Beaker with two bands of five grooves near top and bottom; short foot ring. Bottom exterior stamped incuse "6" or "9". No other marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1750-1850
1800-1900
ID Number
DL.67.0090
catalog number
67.0090
accession number
250853

Matchbook Holder

Spring-hinged, rounded wedge-shaped, rectangular case with a small oval cutout on both sides near the small end. Imitation spot-hammered or planished exterior. Gold washed interior has two retainer bars with small hooks, one in each half.
Description
Spring-hinged, rounded wedge-shaped, rectangular case with a small oval cutout on both sides near the small end. Imitation spot-hammered or planished exterior. Gold washed interior has two retainer bars with small hooks, one in each half. Printed instructions for "SAFETY FIRST MATCH BOX" stored inside. Exterior of one side is struck incuse with trademark "W&H / CO" in a heart outline, "STERLING" and "PAT.APLD.FOR", all in sans serif letters. One of two matchboxes, DL*60.2125A-B.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1850
ca 1920
ID Number
DL.60.2125A
catalog number
60.2125A
accession number
200122

Match Safe

Rounded rectangular case with serpentine side-hinged lid and bottom featuring a mythical, chimera-like creature with dragon's head, snake body and leafy scroll tail wrapped around its flat sides (repousse on front and applied on back); head faces left and has one small ruby-color
Description
Rounded rectangular case with serpentine side-hinged lid and bottom featuring a mythical, chimera-like creature with dragon's head, snake body and leafy scroll tail wrapped around its flat sides (repousse on front and applied on back); head faces left and has one small ruby-colored eye. Strike plate on bottom. Collar above creature's head is struck "STERLING" in incuse raised sans serif letters next to a figural mark of a fish or arrow, facing right.
Attributed to Fishel, Nessler & Co. of New York, NY (1893-1937) on catalog card, but mark needs further research to verify (unlike other marks illustrated for that firm).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1850
ca 1900
ID Number
DL.60.2156
catalog number
60.2156
accession number
200122

Foot Warmer Patent Model

Patent model (U.S. Patent No. 24,813) of a foot stove or warmer, made by James H. Maydole of Eaton, NY, and patented on July 19, 1859.
Description
Patent model (U.S. Patent No. 24,813) of a foot stove or warmer, made by James H. Maydole of Eaton, NY, and patented on July 19, 1859. Consists of a perforated covered pail fitted with a ring on its inside bottom to receive a single-wick, oil-burning lamp constructed with plaster of paris around its reservoir; a removable flat plate rests near the pail rim to radiate the heat. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
patent date
1859-07-19
inventor
Maydole, James H.
ID Number
DL.251434
catalog number
251434
patent number
24,813
accession number
48890

knife, dinner

Dinner knife. Straight steel blade with rounded tip. Blade and bolster are one piece of silver-plated steel. Scroll motif around bulbous bolster. Cylindrical silver-plated steel handle with blunt butt.
Description
Dinner knife. Straight steel blade with rounded tip. Blade and bolster are one piece of silver-plated steel. Scroll motif around bulbous bolster. Cylindrical silver-plated steel handle with blunt butt. Heavily scratched with pitted areas on handle, silver plate is worn off in areas. Butt is dented.
Blade is stamped: “V [Image of crown]R/JOSEPH RODGERS & SONS/CUTLERS TO HER MAJESTY”; with trademark star and Maltese cross.
The bolster is stamped: “MFG CO/N”
Maker is Joseph Rodgers & Sons, active 1682-1971 in Sheffield, England.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850
maker
Joseph Rodgers & Sons
ID Number
1986.0531.056
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.056

Handle

Knob-shaped walking stick handle relief-decorated with a large chrysanthemum flower on top encircled by leaves against a textured ground. Collar is engraved "LAK" in conjoined foliate script with a French curve wrapped around rest of exterior. No marks.Currently not on view
Description
Knob-shaped walking stick handle relief-decorated with a large chrysanthemum flower on top encircled by leaves against a textured ground. Collar is engraved "LAK" in conjoined foliate script with a French curve wrapped around rest of exterior. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1850
ID Number
DL.69.0290
catalog number
69.0290
accession number
280127

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