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: 1870s

Sugar Bowl

Gold washed, ovoid bowl with two, reeded, horseshoe-shaped bail handles on four double-banded, splayed legs ending in pad feet.
Description
Gold washed, ovoid bowl with two, reeded, horseshoe-shaped bail handles on four double-banded, splayed legs ending in pad feet. Four repousse chased panels filled with a myriad of flowers and foliage cover body; handles have a compressed ball at center, circular lobed attachments and rosette-end pins. Flared rim with cupped inside edge. Domed and flared cover topped by ball knop has matching floral designs interrupted by an empty C-scroll reserve. Bottom underside struck incuse "MF'D & PLATED BY / REED & BARTON", "2795","PATENT APPLIED FOR" and "GILT". From a six-piece coffee and tea service, 1978.0922.01-.06.
Maker is Reed & Barton, Taunton, MA; 1840-present. William C. Beattie of Taunton, MA, assignor to Reed & Barton, received US Design No. 9,405 for this pattern on July 25, 1876.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1876 or later
design patent date
1876-07-25
ID Number
1978.0922.04
catalog number
1978.0922.04
accession number
1978.0922

Fluting Iron Roller

Large, conical, corrugated roller with removable slug or heater from a full-size patent model (U.S. Patent No. 122,607) of a fluting machine, made by Jacob F. Hayen on Buffalo, NY, and patented on January 9, 1872; missing its matching, flat, curved, corrugated bed.
Description
Large, conical, corrugated roller with removable slug or heater from a full-size patent model (U.S. Patent No. 122,607) of a fluting machine, made by Jacob F. Hayen on Buffalo, NY, and patented on January 9, 1872; missing its matching, flat, curved, corrugated bed. Roller frame has a wood handle with brass ferrule and a hinged arm at wide end with pawn-shaped knob secured closed by a flat spring riveted through the top of frame. Hollow, conical slug has an arched lifting handle for easy insertion and removal. No marks on object, but there are two torn pieces of a darkened paper tag printed "1871" along top that are taped together and tied through the knob with red or purple wove ribbon, and two more tags (a circular white paper tag tied to roller frame and a loose, old paper tag inside the slug) that are both inscribed with patent information.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1872-01-09
patent date
1872-01-09
ID Number
DL.089797.0099
accession number
89797
patent number
122607
catalog number
089797.0099

Grainger & Co. reticulated vase and cover

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1870-1879
ID Number
CE.P-165ab
catalog number
P-165ab
accession number
225282

Untitled (Landscape with harbor and town)

Colored print; landscape scene showing small town on a harbor with two steam ships on the water. Large mountain looms in right background. Several people stroll on a dirt road in right and left foreground. Palm trees at left and in foreground indicate a tropical climate.
Description (Brief)
Colored print; landscape scene showing small town on a harbor with two steam ships on the water. Large mountain looms in right background. Several people stroll on a dirt road in right and left foreground. Palm trees at left and in foreground indicate a tropical climate. Proof before letters.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870
maker
Schile, Henry
ID Number
DL.60.2468
catalog number
60.2468
accession number
228146

knife, dinner

Dinner knife. Straight steel blade with rounded tip. Blade and “yankee” style bolster are one piece fitted into the top of a flat ivory handle with rounded edges.
Description
Dinner knife. Straight steel blade with rounded tip. Blade and “yankee” style bolster are one piece fitted into the top of a flat ivory handle with rounded edges. Scratched and discolored overall, yellowed ivory, bolster and blade have pulled away from the handle.
Blade is stamped: “MAPPIN . BROTHERS/QUEENS CUTLERY WORKS/SHEFFIELD”
Maker is the Mappin Brothers, active 1810-1902 in Sheffield, England.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1840- 1872
ID Number
1986.0531.053
accession number
1986.0531
catalog number
1986.0531.053

Paperweight

Figural paperweight featuring the bust of the Goddess of Liberty atop a column emblazoned with a legible, minute copy of the Declaration of Independence, complete with facsimiles of the signatures and framed by branches of laurel and oak leaves.
Description
Figural paperweight featuring the bust of the Goddess of Liberty atop a column emblazoned with a legible, minute copy of the Declaration of Independence, complete with facsimiles of the signatures and framed by branches of laurel and oak leaves. Square pedestal base bears symbols of science, art, agriculture, and commerce at the four corners of its cap, while the Landing of the Pilgrims (right), Signing of the Declaration of Independence (back), Battle of Bunker Hill (left), and (on the front) a business advertisement for "JAMES W. TUFTS / BOSTON MASS." are on its sides. Components are held together with internal rod secured with nut on bottom.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1876
patent date
1876-02-22
ID Number
1987.0262.1
accession number
1987.0262
catalog number
1987.262.1

chair

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1870s
ID Number
DL.295097.0001
catalog number
295097.0001
accession number
295097

Minton parian porcelain pâte-sur-pâte flask

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1873
ID Number
CE.P-989
catalog number
P-989
accession number
225282

Box

Repousse chased, cylindrical container with tall, snap closure, hinged lid engraved "EHS" in conjoined shaded script at center of its round top.
Description
Repousse chased, cylindrical container with tall, snap closure, hinged lid engraved "EHS" in conjoined shaded script at center of its round top. Continuous decoration of different kinds of flowers amidst leafy volutes covers rest of lid and body; a band of upright acanthus encircles base. Bottom underside is struck incuse "STERLING" in sans serif letters above "[B]LACK, STARR & FROST" in roman letters, and with trademark of a circled script "D" inside a five-petal flower crowned by a fleur-de-lis.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880 - 1905
ca 1876
ID Number
DL.60.1748
catalog number
60.1748
accession number
200122

St. Louis Paperweight

In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter.
Description (Brief)
In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter. By the mid-1800s, decorative paperweights produced by glassmakers in Europe and the United States became highly desired collectibles.
Decorative glass paperweights reflected the 19th-century taste for intricate, over-the-top designs. Until the spread of textiles colorized with synthetic dyes, ceramics and glass were among the few objects that added brilliant color to a 19th-century Victorian interior. The popularity of these paperweights in the 1800s testifies to the sustained cultural interest in hand craftsmanship during an age of rapid industrialization.
Glass production at Saint Louis was authorized by Louis XV in 1767. By 1782 the firm was creating high quality glass crystal, progressing into pressed glass in the 1800s. St. Louis produced paperweights from 1845 to about 1867.
Closely packed millefiori with six red, green, and white twists, a flower silhouette, and a depiction of a dancing couple, radiate from a central cane in this rare St. Louis glass paperweight. 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
1845-1870
maker
St. Louis
ID Number
CE.60.32
catalog number
60.32
accession number
211475

Trunk

Japanned, dome-top box with scrolled hasp lock on front, circular wire ring handle on top, and two hinges at back; asphaltum ground almost entirely gone from lid and upper part of box.
Description
Japanned, dome-top box with scrolled hasp lock on front, circular wire ring handle on top, and two hinges at back; asphaltum ground almost entirely gone from lid and upper part of box. Box front is painted with a right-leaning sprig of two, red, lobed-fanlike flowers with blue centers on a green stem with white-veined, serrated-edge green leaves; similarly-colored buds perch on green and yellow leaflets. Lid top and box sides each have a four-arm, red-and-green pinwheel; thin red and thick blue-green bands border lid top. Three-piece lid has a wire-rolled rim. Three-piece box has a top edge folded with a wire bead below and a flat bottom. Tinned interior. No marks.
Attributed to the New York Filley Tinshop, started by Augustus Filley (1789-1945), of Lansingburgh, NY, circa 1814-1870.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1814 - 1870
ID Number
1978.0119.13
accession number
1978.0119
catalog number
1978.0119.13

vase

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
avout 1870
maker
Union Porcelain Works
ID Number
CE.75.119A
accession number
317832
catalog number
75.119A

Patty Pan

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1830 - 1870
ID Number
DL.130319
catalog number
130319
accession number
21135

vase

Date made
1876 - 1878
date made
1876
maker
Gillinder & Sons
ID Number
1990.0255.03B
catalog number
1990.0255.03B
accession number
1990.0255
1990.0255

Edison "New Year's Eve" Lamp

Thomas Edison used this carbon-filament bulb in the first public demonstration of his most famous invention, the first practical electric incandescent lamp, which took place at his Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory on New Year's Eve, 1879.As the quintessential American inventor-
Description
Thomas Edison used this carbon-filament bulb in the first public demonstration of his most famous invention, the first practical electric incandescent lamp, which took place at his Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory on New Year's Eve, 1879.
As the quintessential American inventor-hero, Edison personified the ideal of the hardworking self-made man. He received a record 1,093 patents and became a skilled entrepreneur. Though occasionally unsuccessful, Edison and his team developed many practical devices in his "invention factory," and fostered faith in technological progress.
Date made
1879
used date
1879-12-31
user
Edison, Thomas Alva
maker
Edison, Thomas Alva
ID Number
EM.181797
catalog number
181797
accession number
33407

Container

Tall, square, lidded box or container painted flat red with the back-slanted serif initials "J.F.S." above three dots, all in blue outlined with white on front; no handle. Two-piece, flat lid has a wire-rolled rim, scrolled hasp lock, and one hinge.
Description
Tall, square, lidded box or container painted flat red with the back-slanted serif initials "J.F.S." above three dots, all in blue outlined with white on front; no handle. Two-piece, flat lid has a wire-rolled rim, scrolled hasp lock, and one hinge. Two-piece box has a flat bottom and a plain top edge with a square bead soldered below on front and sides. Tinned interior. Area above initials with faint black printing "JOHN F. SHE[P]ARD / E[XE]TER, N.H." in italicized, sans serif letters.
Individual needs to be researched. There is a John F. Shepard living in Hampton Falls, NH (same county as Exeter) in the late 19th century who held several patents.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1840 - 1870
ID Number
DL.238049.0077
catalog number
238049.0077
accession number
238049

dish

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
about 1879
ID Number
CE.75.125L
catalog number
75.125L
accession number
317832

New England Glass Company 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 New England Glass Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts was founded about 1818 by Deming Jarves along with three wealthy businessmen, and probably began producing paperweights by the mid 1850s. In 1888 the business moved to Ohio, under the name Libbey Glass Company.
This New England Glass Company paperweight feature an three cane flower on an irregular white latticinio (latticework) basket ground, and blue canes with a running dog silhouette in white.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1852-1878
maker
New England Glass Company
ID Number
CE.60.122 [dup1]
catalog number
60.122
accession number
211475

Fluting Iron Rocker

Rectangular piece of plain sheet metal with a corrugated piece riveted to its face that is then bent into a semicircle and screwed into a turned wooden handle or grip. Inscribed "#7" inside rocker. Shadow of square label or tag at top center of handle.
Description
Rectangular piece of plain sheet metal with a corrugated piece riveted to its face that is then bent into a semicircle and screwed into a turned wooden handle or grip. Inscribed "#7" inside rocker. Shadow of square label or tag at top center of handle. No other marks.
Maker not known; highly likely it was on the corresponding bed or plate. The rocker is identical to that depicted in U.S. Patent No. 128,168, for a "fluting-apparatus" granted to Francis B. Perkins of Elgin, IL, on June 18, 1872 (the "Elgin Fluter"). It is also made of non-ferrous metal; Perkins advocated using brass sheet based on the metal's ductility and his belief brass would not soil fabrics (see Berney, Pressing Irons and Trivets [1977], no. 92C, p. 50).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1872
ID Number
DL.307541.0009
catalog number
307541.0009
accession number
307541

Syrup Pitcher Stand

Circular stand with beaded rim and concave gutter rising to a flat-top, inverted trumpet-shaped extension at center. No marks. Used with syrup pitcher, DL.60.1146B, for catching drips; from same service as teapot, DL.60.1146A.Currently not on view
Description
Circular stand with beaded rim and concave gutter rising to a flat-top, inverted trumpet-shaped extension at center. No marks. Used with syrup pitcher, DL.60.1146B, for catching drips; from same service as teapot, DL.60.1146A.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1862 - 1877
parent company
Meriden Britannia Company
ID Number
DL.60.1147
catalog number
60.1147
accession number
56985

"Centilitre" Measure

Lidless, bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with a spouted, sloped collar and molded base; incised around collar and bottom of body.
Description
Lidless, bracket-handled, cylindrical metric measure with a spouted, sloped collar and molded base; incised around collar and bottom of body. Stamped on front of body "CENTILITRE" in incuse serif letters below a small clasped hands in a circle and "199"; on face of handle with another small clasped hands; and along top of inside rim with an indiscernible number of small raised letters. Flat bottom struck once with touchmark "VC" in a lozenge or diamond shape. One of an assembled set of eight metric measures, DL*67.0326-.0333.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1873
ID Number
DL.67.0333
catalog number
67.0333
accession number
250853

Hot Water Urn

Flat-chased, two-handled, ovoid urn with plain, incurved neck and low-domed conical cover topped by an upright flower on short, conical or tapered circular base mounted inside four, cast, S-curve, strapwork legs with a bearded man's face at the knees and scrolled acanthus feet.
Description
Flat-chased, two-handled, ovoid urn with plain, incurved neck and low-domed conical cover topped by an upright flower on short, conical or tapered circular base mounted inside four, cast, S-curve, strapwork legs with a bearded man's face at the knees and scrolled acanthus feet. Decoration includes a low-relief band of plumed birds amidst flowers and urns at the shoulder and asymmetrical, Japonesque or oriental-inspired designs on the body featuring two angled bands with geometric-patterned semicircles. Vertical, square tapered, bracket handles with C-curve terminals. Twist spigot handle with bone knobs. Circular frame attached to interior of legs holds a removable, single-wick spirit burner. Underside of tapered base is struck incuse with an oval mark for "SIMPSON, HALL, MILLER & CO / +" encircling "TREBLE / PLATE" at center.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
maker
Simpson, Hall, Miller, and Co.
ID Number
DL.219034.0013
catalog number
219034.0013
accession number
219034

Gunpowder Tin

Screw-top, flattened oval container with a milled-edge, flat cap, two raised pointed shields on its rounded shoulders and small D ring soft-soldered to side of body at its vertical lapped seam. Shoulder and flat bottom have soft-soldered folded edges.
Description
Screw-top, flattened oval container with a milled-edge, flat cap, two raised pointed shields on its rounded shoulders and small D ring soft-soldered to side of body at its vertical lapped seam. Shoulder and flat bottom have soft-soldered folded edges. Threaded opening is soldered in place. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840 - 1870
ID Number
DL.257491.0053
catalog number
257491.0053
accession number
257491

Trunk

Japanned, dome-top box with scrolled hasp lock on front, circular wire ring handle on top and two hinges at back.
Description
Japanned, dome-top box with scrolled hasp lock on front, circular wire ring handle on top and two hinges at back. Box front is painted with a right-leaning sprig of three, fan-shaped, red flowers and pairs of buds, all overpainted with shaded or fingered-off blue-to-white; white-veined, serrated-edge, green leaf at center surrounded by green, yellow, and translucent white leaflets. Box sides have a four-arm, red-and-green, X-shaped pinwheel. Lid top has a yellow leafy wreath around handle and is bordered by thin yellow and thick green bands; a red line is on the lid front and sides. Three-piece lid has a wire-rolled rim. Three-piece box has a folded top edge with wire bead below and a flat bottom. Tinned interior. No marks.
Attributed to the New York Filley Tinshop, started by Augustus Filley (1789-1945), of Lansingburgh, NY, circa 1814-1870.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1814 - 1870
ID Number
1979.1143.04
accession number
1979.1143
catalog number
1979.1143.04

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