Blanket chest, walnut with dark brown stain, by Henry Slaugh, showing stylistic influences of Colonial Revival, Italian Renaissance and Arts & Crafts (per donor). Elaborate carving on front & two bottom drawers. Unusual tenoned dado joint used in case construction. Secured with nails.
Hinged lid is unadorned except for double string inlay on edges.
Front, at top, is a frieze with two 1.75"-wide panels of intricate relief carving on either side of a shield inlay keyhole escutcheon. Centered within each carved panel are the first and last names in overlapping letters of the attorney who commissioned the chest "REDMOND" "CONYNHAM". The date of 1916 is also carved at sides of names. In the top corners of the front are carved rectangular boxes with relief carved initials, "H" on left and "S" on right for the maker, Henry Slaugh. Within the relief carving are smaller incised letters, "F" and "W" on left and "E" and "R" on right." Henry Slaugh Workshop.
Center panel has a long rectangle of string inlay with hollow upper corners. Applied, carved ionic columns at extreme left and right are decorated with vertical string inlay. At the top and bottom of the central panel is a thin molding with double string of inlay. The bottom molding and inlay continue around the sides.
Below the center panel are two drawers with double brass bail pulls and central shield inlay keyhole escutcheons and string inlay around the perimeter of each drawer. Flanking the drawers are two inlaid oval paterae. There is a thin molding under the drawers that continues around the sides with a double string of inlay.
Chest has French feet with spurs. Interior contains two fitted sliding drawers.
Redmond Conyngham (1863 - Jan. 8, 1929) was a Lancaster lawyer whose longtime office address was 53 N. Duke. His home at 134 N. Duke was the same residence of his mother & step-father. Later it was 304 N. Lime some time before his death. The 1912 Lancaster Business Guide, p. 11, lists Conyngham, lawyer, and Wm. H. Hager, Dept. Store, at 134 Duke St. Mrs. Wm. H. Hager was his half sister Mary Wilson Hager(1871-1956). Their mother was Mary E. Miller Conyngham Wilson, M.D.; Redmond's father was John Redmond Conyngham(b. 5-26-1842 d.?).
Provenance
Donor purchased chest for $1,000 at the Mary Hager sale held by Horst Auction, Jan. 29, 2000. Chest passed to Conyngham's half-sister who died in 1956, Mary Wilson Hager (Mrs. Wm. H. Hager).
Horst records only say "From the home of Mary Hager." Many items were consigned this way, apparently by a bank that was administering the estate.
Moderate soil and abrasions overall. A 1-inch-long discoloration on top is11.75" from right edge and 22" from front. Chips along top edge of lid. Left column partially separated from chest. Wear near bottom of feet. Back left foot has large loss and some chipping. Chip on right front foot. Loss at left drawer escutcheon;some cracks in others. Scrape below carved numeral "9".
Object ID
G.00.05.1
Place of Origin
Lancaster
Credit
Gift of John J. Snyder, Jr. in honor of the Krote Cousins, Heritage Center Collection
Oil on canvas painting of Chickee's Rock and the Susquehanna River, depicting several modes of transportation. The left side is dominated by Chickee's Rock, with the Samuel S. Haldeman mansion (demolished 1911) at its base. The Susquehanna Canal runs along the base of the cliff, with a canal boat on it. A dirt road runs from bottom center off to the left with an oxcart hauling multiple sacks and driven by a man in a hat.
The river appears in the lower right quadrant. A man in a rowboat is rowing across the river and the covered bridge between Columbia and Wrightsville is in the far distance.
Mounted in a gold-painted modern frame (not original). Painting is signed "F. deB. Richards / 184[0 or 6]" on a rock at bottom right. A plaque attached to the bottom center of the frame reads "VIEW OF CHICKEE ROCKS / SUSQUEHANNA RIVER / by F. de B. Richards - 1840".
A red-bordered paper sticker attached to upper left of stretcher reads: "209 F. de B. Richards/ 1840 VIEW OF CHICKEE Rocks/ SUSQUEHANNA RIVER/ CANVAS/ 35 x 47 $3,500" The back of the canvas originally had the inscription: "View of Chickee Rocks/ Susquehanna River Painted by F deB Richards/ Wilmington/ 1840" This has since been covered up or replaced.
According to vendor, "Before 1856 (Richards) exhibited chiefly PA views" and was a landscape painter in NYC 1844-45 and in Phila. 1848-66.
Born in Wilmington, DE in 1822, Richards would have been 18 years old if he executed this painting in 1840. The Oxford Gallery notes that "By 1840, he was perfecting his skills as an artist as a student."
Provenance
Harry Shaw Newman of the Old Print Shop bought the painting from dealer Charlotte Sittig of Delaware, PA. She had purchased it at an antiques show at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, DE, in the early 1970s.
Crazed paint throughout. A grouping of small stains/marks in upper right, about 8" down from top and 13" from right. Frame has some nicks and paint loss along the edges.
Painting was cleaned, revarnished and relined in the early 1970s.
Object ID
P.79.097.1
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Credit
Acquired through the generosity of the James Hale Steinman Foundation, Heritage Center Collection
Two-piece corner cupboard, white pine, painted with brown glaze over yellow (possibly a mid-19th century repainting). Bold cornice over a band of thin reeding in staggered blocks on fascia. Pilasters of thin reeding flank door sections. Upper section has large door with 12 lights (7.5" x 6.5") of old glass, hand-cut tin lock escutcheon and latch with brass pendant ring handle. with; staggered fluting on fascia. The bottom section has bracket feet with below carved sunbursts. Double doors with triple-raised panels and latch with brass pendant ring handle. The interior is painted off-white, and has four shelves furnished with plate moldings along back.
Pencil inscriptions at top inside rail of each bottom door. Left door appears to have "John Rentschler" or similar name, likely an owner. Rentschler name is found in Berks County in mid-19th c.
Lancaster County, possibly Strasburg area
Provenance
Purchased from Park Edwards at a Strasburg, PA sale in April, 1969. It was then purchased from a Walter Himmelreich sale in October, 1971 by Harry Hartman Antiques. Purchased by Museum Sept. 1979.
Scattered losses overall, with chipping and gouges. Evidence of most wear and damage is at cornice, mid-line molding and feet. Existing finish likely a late 19th c. repaint. Strong paint losses on molding at base of upper section. Large area of wood loss in lower left door adjacent to latch. Upper cupboard has wood losses along back edge of right side and reeding at fascia.
Object ID
P.79.101.1
Place of Origin
Lancaster County
Credit
Acquired through the generosity of the James Hale Steinman Foundation, Heritage Center Collection
A: Homemade awl or piercing tool with hand-shaped shank with turned up tip set into a crude wooden handle with no finish. L: 5.25"
B: Awl or bodkin with decoratively turned walnut or rosewood handle fitted with a foresection of bone set into handle that tapers to a sharp point. L: 5"
C: Section of cow's horn (thumb protector?) L: 3.25"
D. Section of cow's horn (thumb protector?) L: 3"
Provenance
These four items were designated as basketweaving tools by donor. Unknown origin.
Pen nib of gold. Marked on top is "MABIE / TODD & CO / NEW YORK / 4". This company had roots in the 1840s, but established as Mabie, Todd & Co. in New York around 1907. They were known for their gold nibs, pencils and pens.
Taped to card with "See Minutes" in pencil. Accompanying cut envelope is addressed to LCHS with postmark from Seattle, Washington 26 Sep 1976. In pen is written "Gold Pen Point Box 23." Crossed-out name below is "Ann Hoeck(?)".
Provenance
A present from Thaddeus Steven to Eli Lybe--with memorandum "Thaddeus Stevens pen. Presented to Eli Lybe by young Thad."
Lancaster Amish quilt is a Diamond in the Square patern, c. 1910. Herr writes: "The use of dark colors in similar tones suggests that this quilt was made in early 20th c."
Top: Plain- and twill-weave wool. Corners of inner border are pieced, and one of the four is comprised of two joined pieces. Blue binding.
Back: Black & white plain-weave cotton chambray.
Quilting: Interwoven feathers, each frond has a tulip at its end. Inner border has pumpkin seed flowers within a diamond pattern. At each corner is a 6-pointed star; all are double lined except on. Triangles are waffle quilted. Center diamond has a large star and 6 small stars within a feather wreath. Corners have a pattern of intersecting circles.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from the Holsteins for $9,000 on 6-12-80.
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square pattern w/ 9-patch variation. Early example of this rare 9-patch variation; one of the smallest quilts in this collection; uses rare double waffle/lattice quilting.
Top: plain- and twill weave wools. (9-patch pattern within center diamond has pieced blocks of gray, mauve, orange, purple, green and brown interspersed with solid purple blocks. Green diamonds, gray inner border and red outer border (woven of red wool and white silk, called henrietta cloth).
Back is pieced: two sections of plain-weave cotton chambray, one blue and white and one black and white.
Binding is faded into gray. Batting is wool.
Quilting: crosshatch in 9-patches, 8-petal flowers in blue blocks, rare (for Lancaster Amish) lattice (double waffle) in triangles, pumpkin seeds in inner border and feather scrolls in wide outer border.
Provenance
Purchased Nov. 12, 1984 by Esprit from Bettie Mintz of All of Us American Folk Art, Bethesda, MD. for $7,500.
Strong fading overall with significant dark liquid stains (mostly at one side). Binding worn with small areas of fraying, including three small sections (3/4", 2" and 4") repaired & protected by dark fabric sewn over them. Significant deterioration/thinning and breaking in green triangles and some holes. Red outer border has minor breaking as well. Condition report/sketch done by volunteer Aug. 2010. Note that many of small gray and two of the mauve and orange blocks in the Nine Patch unit are pieced from even smaller sections. Scraps used?
Lancaster Amish quilt, Diamond in the Square, Sunshine & Shadow variation, c. 1910. Machine assembled, hand-quilted with black thread, now brown.
Top: plain- and twill-weave and sateen wool and cotton. Multi-colored blocks including black. Outer border of deep cranberry. Patches reverse typical arrangement; in this example, teh solid field is the diamond and the surrounding triangles or "square" include the Sunshine and Shadow pattern. Light red binding is machine stitched to front, turned and whip-stitched to back. No inner border and no corner blocks.
Back: Three machine-joined widths of a tiny cotton check of brown printed on a cream ground. This type of cotton fabric was popular with Lancaster Amish quilters.
Quilting: Unusal motifs at centerfield and outer border. Center has a double-line 8-point star and pumpkin seeds, followed by a feather circle. Tiny baskets in each corner. Grid quilting on small squares. Outer border has corner lyre pattern as well as the accompanying fat feather or fern fronds around edges is unusual and suggests an early 20th c. date. Also the choice of cotton for the top is not common for this tiime.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from America Hurrah for $900 in April 1976, making it one of Tompkins' earliest quilt acquisitions. It was hung in the executive office's lobby at Esprit Corp.
Some fading to outer border; extreme fading to front side of binding. Black quilting thread is now brown at front. Backing has been torn at the gaps between 2"strips of velcro that had been sewn directly onto quilt.
Object ID
P.02.51.26
Notes
Published in "A Gallery of Amish Quilts", p. 65.
POSSIBLE ATTRIBUTION:
Fieldwork: Rachel Pellman visited Sadie Esh (Mrs. Elmer D.) of Harvest Drive in Ronks on 2-27-04. Sadie identified plate 28 in Esprit book as her quilt that Mary Stoltzfus Lapp had made for her when she (Sadie) was 15 or 16 yrs. old (in 1935 or 36). Sadie was born 1920. As a widow, she sold the quilt in the 1970s to finance a new stove, not recalling to whom or for how much. Pellman made a follow-up visit Dec. 1, 2004 with Sadie L. (Beiler) Esh, #2482 in Fisher book. Sadie believes "Grossmommy" Mary S. Lapp #3219, 1875-1955 made this quilt.
Sunshine and Shadow quilt, circa 1910. Symmetrical & square; machined assembled. Unusual segmented inner borders; there is a small body of S & S quilts with these borders, likely made by family members or close friends. See "A Gallery of Amish Quilts" p. 53. The use of fern quilting & hernrietta cloth (2-tone silk and wool) suggest early 20th c.
Top consists of plain-weaves, twill weaves and henrietta wool and silk. The back is a black and white printed polka dot plain-weave cotton.
Center field is multicolored 1 1/2-inch squares. Largely symmetrical except for a scattering of dark blue squares. Quilted across the diagonal of small blocks. Many of these tiny blocks have pleats/tucks along one edge (problem with fitting?). Unusual addition of one dark purple square near center.
Inner border (4 1/2" wide) is red with green corner blocks. Grouping of segments (either 5, 6 or 7) at center of each inner border. Cable quilting is unusual for use in narrow inner borders. Corners have pumpkin seeds with parallel lines running diagonally at corners.
Outer border (10 1/2" wide) is a gray-blue with orange corner blocks. Quilted with a fern motif and scallops along inner edge. Corner blocks have stylized 3-bloomed tulips.
Binding is dark green, 1 3/4" wide and in poor condition (sides splitting, thin and fragile).
Maker quilted the intitials "JE" in large block letters at center of one outer border. "JE" is likely Esh or Ebersol(e).
Provenance
Esprit purchased from America Hurrah in Nov 1989 for $14.500.
Published in Bishop & Safanda's "A Gallery of Amish Quilts", 1976, p. 53, at which time it was owned by Phyllis Haders. It had been found in Indiana.
Overall fading, multiple liquid stains esp. within outer border. Binding deteriorated: thin, fragile & splitting throughout & fractured at corners. Expertly overlaid by conservator Linnea Davis in 1990 with a green silk crepeline to prevent further damage and then supported by a cotton backing/foundation due to the attachment of the velcro strip. Linnea Davis condition report.
Wooden ruler of 5-inch length, natural finish, printed both sides. On front side, at left, above the inches scale is "CORKS / OF ALL KINDS"; at middle is "M.W. WARREN & CO., / LANCASTER, PA."; at right is "TRY OUR XXX QUALITY. / THE BEST." Reverse side is divided roughly in half, left side is printed "U. S. STANDARD / "DIAMETER" / CORK MEASURE" and at right is "M W. Warren & Co. / CORKS. / Manufacturers. LANCASTER, PA."
Marshall W. Warren ran a cork business at 617-19 N. Lime St., Lancaster.
