Child's Tool Chest
- Description
- As illustrated in this child's tool chest from around 1900, children in the early 20th century encountered their society's gender expectations at a young age. The tool chest from R. Bliss & Co. declared carpentry to be boys' work. It came with a hinged lid and a sliding, removable top tray. Inside is a colored picture of boys building a house under a banner that reads "BLISS UNION TOOL CHESTS FOR BOYS." R. Bliss & Co., established in 1845, started as a tool company, making wooden screws and clamps for piano and cabinetmakers, before it became a leading manufacturer of toys by the turn of the 20th century.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- chest, tool
- Date made
- 1900-1924
- maker
- R. Bliss and Co.
- Physical Description
- wood (overall material)
- metal (overall material)
- paint (overall material)
- paper (overall material)
- ink (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 13 in x 17 in x 9 in; 33.02 cm x 43.18 cm x 22.86 cm
- Place Made
- United States: Rhode Island, Providence
- ID Number
- 1977.1101.0167
- accession number
- 1977.1101
- catalog number
- 1977.1101.0167
- subject
- Family & Social Life
- Engineering, Building, and Architecture
- Artifact Walls exhibit
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Hand Tools
- Artifact Walls exhibit
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Visitor Comments