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.

Search term: *:* Date: 1960s Clear All

Electric Percolator

Electric percolator, green molded plastic body and lid, with removable interior metal (aluminum) parts. Pitcher, (A), straight sides, flared bottom, pointed handle, long, pointed, pocket spout opposite, two prong plug underneath handle, no cord attached or accompanying.
Description
Electric percolator, green molded plastic body and lid, with removable interior metal (aluminum) parts. Pitcher, (A), straight sides, flared bottom, pointed handle, long, pointed, pocket spout opposite, two prong plug underneath handle, no cord attached or accompanying. Printed in serif and sans serif on front: “OSTER/INSULATED”. “OSTER” oval logo embossed on bottom, underneath embossed: “8 CUP AUTOMATIC/ELECTRIC PERCOLATOR/SERVICE NO./600 WATTS/120 VOLTS/A.C. ONLY/MODEL 622/ALWAYS START WITH COLD WATER/DO NOT IMMERSE BASE IN WATER/DO NOT PLUG IN DRY/JOHN OSTER MANUFACTURING CO./MILWAUKEE, WIS./PATENT NO. D207332”
Lid, (B), is circular, flat, with separate pointed finial in center, clear plastic. Flanged bottom edge.
Bowl, (C) aluminum, cylindrical, flat bottom, with small holes throughout, center column for aluminum main shaft (E). Cover, (D) aluminum, for (C), concentric ribs and holes on top. Coffee grounds would sit inside (C).
US D207332 S, April 4, 1967, John Oster Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for “Coffee percolator”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1967
maker
John Oster Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1988.0076.08
accession number
1988.0076
catalog number
1988.0076.08

Ceramic Tray

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date designed
1954
date made
c.1954
date produced
ca. 1960
designer
Kogan, Belle
maker
Gailstyn Company
ID Number
1992.0257.11D
catalog number
1992.0257.11D
accession number
1992.0257

Leaf Ornament

Large, stamped gilt-metal, red or pin oak leaf. No accretions. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.Currently not on view
Description
Large, stamped gilt-metal, red or pin oak leaf. No accretions. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800 - 1960
ID Number
DL.245425.0124
catalog number
245425.0124
accession number
245425

Psyche

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875 - 1880
Associated Date
ca 1860 - 1964
ID Number
DL.65.1314A
catalog number
65.1314A
accession number
255605

Leaf Ornament

Large, stamped gilt-metal, heart-shaped, lobed, palmate leaf with double-serrated edge. No accretions. Possibly the largest of three graduated leaves, DL*245425.0122-.0124. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.Currently not on view
Description
Large, stamped gilt-metal, heart-shaped, lobed, palmate leaf with double-serrated edge. No accretions. Possibly the largest of three graduated leaves, DL*245425.0122-.0124. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800 - 1960
ID Number
DL.245425.0123
catalog number
245425.0123
accession number
245425

Leaf Ornament

Large, stamped gilt-metal, water lily leaf. No accretions. One of two water lily leaves, DL*245425.0119-.0120. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.Currently not on view
Description
Large, stamped gilt-metal, water lily leaf. No accretions. One of two water lily leaves, DL*245425.0119-.0120. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800 - 1960
ID Number
DL.245425.0119
catalog number
245425.0119
accession number
245425

Minneapolis-Honeywell T852 Electric Clock Thermostat

The Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company manufactured this Honeywell T852 electric clock thermostat beginning in 1960. The thermostat had two external tabs for setting the temperature for daytime and nighttime.
Description
The Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company manufactured this Honeywell T852 electric clock thermostat beginning in 1960. The thermostat had two external tabs for setting the temperature for daytime and nighttime. The thermostat connected to the house’s electric system so that it did not have to be wound or set.
The ubiquity of thermostats in 21st century homes shrouds the decades of innovation, industrial design, and engineering that went into making them an everyday object in almost every home. In the early 20th century, a majority of American households still heated their homes with manually operated furnaces that required a trip down to the basement and stoking the coal fired furnace. Albert Butz’s “damper-flapper” system was patented in 1886 and allowed home owner to set the thermostat to a certain temperature which would open a damper to the furnace, increasing the fire and heating the house. Progressive innovations allowed for the thermostats to use gas lines, incorporate electricity, turn on at a set time, include heating and cooling in one mechanism, and even connect to the internet.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960
ID Number
2008.0011.10
accession number
2008.0011
catalog number
2008.0011.10

Covered Bowl

Clear, colorless, pressed and cut glass spherical bowl and cover; the bowl on a hexagonal baluster base with circular foot and the cover topped by a hexagonal obelisk or spire.
Description
Clear, colorless, pressed and cut glass spherical bowl and cover; the bowl on a hexagonal baluster base with circular foot and the cover topped by a hexagonal obelisk or spire. Exteriors have alternating panels of diamonds with radiating fans and single pinwheels cut with fine diamonds and scored arms; a radiating star is on underside of foot. Smooth interiors. No marks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960s
date used
1960s - 1970s
ID Number
1996.0201.09
catalog number
1996.0201.09A,B
accession number
1996.0201

Leaf Ornament

Large, stamped gilt-metal elliptic leaf with pointed tip, finely scalloped edge, and curved parallel veins. Waxy green accretions on front and back. Possibly of a pair with DL*245425.0111; from a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.Currently not on view
Description
Large, stamped gilt-metal elliptic leaf with pointed tip, finely scalloped edge, and curved parallel veins. Waxy green accretions on front and back. Possibly of a pair with DL*245425.0111; from a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800 - 1960
ID Number
DL.245425.0116
catalog number
245425.0116
accession number
245425

Electric Heater

Fan-style electric tabletop space heater. Metal base, bronze-brown colored, with adjustable arm (double-winged screw secures in place) attached to fan back: a domed, chrome-plated, circular bowl, heat reflecting.
Description
Fan-style electric tabletop space heater. Metal base, bronze-brown colored, with adjustable arm (double-winged screw secures in place) attached to fan back: a domed, chrome-plated, circular bowl, heat reflecting. Power cord attaches to back of fan, bronze-brown woven fabric cord, silver specks, brown molded plastic two-pronged plug. Front of fan has white ceramic heating element with metal coils. Wire guard in front, circular metal printed with: “MODEL No. 135.71600/UL®/Kenmore/650 WATTS 120 VOLTS/SEARS, ROEBUCK AND CO.”; top of base is scratched: “20694”.
This heater is from the Hoover Company Sample collection, North Canton, Ohio, including samples by Knapp-Monarch Company, St. Louis (Missouri), which was bought by Hoover in 1969. It is noted: “Hoover Company Collection tag Sample 20694/Rec’d. Dec. 1964/Serial 868/Model 135-71600”; this tag is no longer attached to the object, but the sample number referenced is scratched into the front of the base.
Maker is “Kenmore” brand for Sears, Roebuck and Company (1886-present), acquired by Hoover Company in 1969. In the 1940s, Sears Roebuck replaced the "Heatmaster" label for their kitchen appliances with the "Kenmore" name. "Kenmore" brand products were not manufactured by Sears Roebuck, but were made and labeled for Sears by a number of other manufacturers including Arvin Industries, Bersted Manufacturing, Chicago Electric, Proctor & Shwartz, and several others.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
before 1964
maker
Sears, Roebuck and Co.
ID Number
1991.0835.14
catalog number
1991.0835.14
accession number
1991.0835

Leaf Ornament

Large, stamped gilt-metal maple leaf. Thin red wash on back. Pierced hole in stem. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.Currently not on view
Description
Large, stamped gilt-metal maple leaf. Thin red wash on back. Pierced hole in stem. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800 - 1960
ID Number
DL.245425.0125
catalog number
245425.0125
accession number
245425

Wedding Cake Figure

Bride and groom standing arm-in-arm holding hands on an oblong platform base. Both figures have dark brown hair, ivory skin, fine-lined black brows and eyes, and coral-red lips.
Description
Bride and groom standing arm-in-arm holding hands on an oblong platform base. Both figures have dark brown hair, ivory skin, fine-lined black brows and eyes, and coral-red lips. She wears a pearlescent white, ruffle-necked, long-sleeved gown with gloves and a tiara or headpiece, no veil; a pearlescent white and aqua-green bouquet rests inside her left arm. He sports a black tuxedo with cutaway coat and white bowtie and gloves. Copyright and manufacturer's name incised at back right on base.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950
ca 1940 - 1960
ID Number
1992.0090.04
catalog number
1992.0090.04
accession number
1992.0090

Face Vessel

The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world.
Description
The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world. Some were probably used in burial rituals, others satirized the person whose features were captured in clay, and still others were made just for fun.
The earliest face vessels known to have been produced by white southern potters were probably not made until the end of the 1800s. White potters working in the Edgefield area in the mid-1800s may have seen similar vessels made by African American potters who were enslaved, and taken the idea with them as they moved out of South Carolina.
The piece on the left was made by Georgia potter Cheever Meaders (1887-1967) who produced a small number of face vessels. Although they were popular, Meaders felt that they were too much trouble to make. Meaders used pieces of broken, glazed plates for the eyes and teeth on this piece.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1967
maker
Meaders, Cheever
ID Number
CE.274459.02
catalog number
274459.02
accession number
274459

Face Vessel

The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world.
Description
The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world. Some were probably used in burial rituals, others satirized the person whose features were captured in clay, and still others were made just for fun.
The earliest face vessels known to have been produced by white southern potters were probably not made until the end of the 1800s. White potters working in the Edgefield area in the mid-1800s may have seen vessels made by African American potters who were enslaved, and taken the idea with them as they moved out of South Carolina.
Like many southern pottery families, the Brown family encompasses a line of potters generations long. The Browns began making pottery in west-central Georgia by the mid-1800s before migrating east to the Atlanta area after the Civil War. The family spread from there to North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. This face vessel, on the right, was made by one of many Brown family potters working in Georgia in the 1960s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960s
Date made
Mid-20th century
maker
Brown Pottery
ID Number
CE.74.22
accession number
313386
catalog number
74.0022

Face Vessel

The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world.
Description
The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world. Some were probably used in burial rituals, others satirized the person whose features were captured in clay, and still others were made just for fun.
The earliest face vessels known to have been produced by white southern potters were probably not made until the end of the 1800s. White potters working in the Edgefield area in the mid-1800s may have seen the slave-made vessels and taken the idea with them as they moved out of South Carolina.
This jug, on the right, was made by Georgia potter Cheever Meaders (1887-1967) who produced a small number of face vessels. Although they were popular, Meaders felt that they were too much trouble to make. Meaders used pieces of broken, glazed plates for the eyes and teeth on this piece.
Starting in the 1960s, a growing interest in southern face vessels as examples of 20th-century folk art prompted collectors, historians, and cultural institutions to seek out and encourage the potters who produce them. This piece was donated to the Smithsonian by Ralph Rinzler and his wife. Working for the Smithsonian's Office of Folklife Programs, Rinzler was instrumental in the rediscovery and popularization of face vessels.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1967
maker
Meaders, Cheever
ID Number
1981.0287.7
accession number
1981.0287
catalog number
1981.0287.07

Face Vessel

The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world.
Description
The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world. Some were probably used in burial rituals, others satirized the person whose features were captured in clay, and still others were made just for fun.
The earliest face vessels known to have been produced by white southern potters were probably not made until the end of the 1800s. White potters working in the Edgefield area in the mid-1800s may have seen the slave-made vessels and taken the idea with them as they moved out of South Carolina.
Like many southern pottery families, the Brown family encompasses a line of potters generations long. The Browns began making pottery in west-central Georgia by the mid-1800s before migrating east to the Atlanta area after the Civil War. The family spread from there to North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.
Starting in the 1960s, a growing interest in southern face vessels as examples of 20th-century folk art prompted collectors, historians, and cultural institutions to seek out and encourage the potters who produce them. This piece, on the left, was made by a member of the Brown family in North Carolina, and donated to the Smithsonian by Ralph Rinzler and his wife. Working for the Smithsonian's Office of Folklife Programs, Rinzler was instrumental in the rediscovery and popularization of face vessels.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1967-1968
maker
Brown Pottery
ID Number
1981.0287.6
accession number
1981.0287
catalog number
1981.0287.06

Face Vessel

The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world.
Description
The tradition of shaping human likenesses on ceramic vessels is thousands of years old. Face vessels held different meanings in different cultures around the world. Some were probably used in burial rituals, others satirized the person whose features were captured in clay, and still others were made just for fun.
The earliest face vessels known to have been produced by white southern potters were probably not made until the end of the 1800s. White potters working in the Edgefield area in the mid-1800s may have seen the slave-made vessels and taken the idea with them as they moved out of South Carolina.
Like many southern pottery families, the Brown family encompasses a line of potters generations long. The Browns began making pottery in west-central Georgia by the mid-1800s before migrating east to the Atlanta area after the Civil War. The family spread from there to North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.
Starting in the 1960s, a growing interest in southern face vessels as examples of 20th-century folk art prompted collectors, historians, and cultural institutions to seek out and encourage the potters who produce them. This piece, in the middle, was made by a member of the Brown family in North Carolina, and donated to the Smithsonian by Ralph Rinzler and his wife. Working for the Smithsonian's Office of Folklife Programs, Rinzler was instrumental in the rediscovery and popularization of face vessels.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1967-1968
maker
Brown Pottery
ID Number
1981.0287.5
accession number
1981.0287
catalog number
1981.0287.05

Leaf Ornament

Small, stamped gilt-metal, ovate, smooth-edge leaf with almost straight, parallel veins. Waxy green accretions on front and back. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.Currently not on view
Description
Small, stamped gilt-metal, ovate, smooth-edge leaf with almost straight, parallel veins. Waxy green accretions on front and back. From a group of 27 leaves of different kinds, DL*245425.0098-.0125.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800 - 1960
ID Number
DL.245425.0106
catalog number
245425.0106
accession number
245425

Glass Tumbler

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date designed
ca. 1955
date produced
1961
Date made
Line: 1961 Shape: Introduced 1955
designer
Diamond, Freda
maker
Libbey Glass Company
designer
Diamond, Freda
ID Number
1997.0157.16D
accession number
1997.0157
catalog number
1997.0157.16D

Glass Footed Tumbler

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1960s
date made
ca. 1967
ca. 1963
designer
Diamond, Freda
maker
Libbey Glass Company
designer
Diamond, Freda
ID Number
1997.0157.04A
accession number
1997.0157
catalog number
1997.0157.04A

Freedom Magazine, October 1961

Korean language magazine with red-bordered front and back covers, the front featuring a color photograph of Seoul while the back has a sepia-toned image of two men harvesting crops in a field; bifold, stapled at left; 29 pp.
Description
Korean language magazine with red-bordered front and back covers, the front featuring a color photograph of Seoul while the back has a sepia-toned image of two men harvesting crops in a field; bifold, stapled at left; 29 pp. Accompanied by an typescript English translation; bifold, stapled at left; 28 pp. Article on Holt Adoption Program is on pp. 6-8 in magazine and pp. 7-10 in typescript.
Maker is the United States Armed Forces in Korea.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1961-10
ID Number
2003.0261.14
accession number
2003.0261
catalog number
2003.0261.14

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

Glass Tumbler

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date designed
ca. 1955
date produced
1961
Date made
Line: 1961 Shape: Introduced 1955
designer
Diamond, Freda
maker
Libbey Glass Company
designer
Diamond, Freda
ID Number
1997.0157.16B
accession number
1997.0157
catalog number
1997.0157.16B

Glass Tumbler

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date designed
ca.1955
date produced
1961
Date made
Line: 1961 Shape: Introduced 1955
designer
Diamond, Freda
maker
Libbey Glass Company
designer
Diamond, Freda
ID Number
1997.0157.16C
accession number
1997.0157
catalog number
1997.0157.16C

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