Miniature toleware tin box with hinged, domed lid fitted with a hasp at front and a pull ring at top. Red painted ground. Red striping separates upper and lower panels on front: above is a yellow ground with a stylized foliate design of red and green; below are yellow banana-like crescents which continue on box ends.
Strong paint losses overall, cracking and flaking. The left rear hinge is detached, despite the attempt to resolder it. Solder joint at right rear corner of lid is broken and joint separated.
Object ID
G.98.14.3
Place of Origin
Probably Southeastern PA
Credit
Gift of Drs. Irwina and M. Susan Richman, Heritage Center Collection
Tole painted tin box with hinged, domed lid fitted with a hasp at front and a large ring pull at top. Red painted ground overall except underside. Front painted with a stylized design of yellow and black leaves with a pink and white flower at each end. Ends have a "twisted rope" decoration in an X configuration. Lid top has similar twisted design of black and yellow bordering a central foliate design of yellow and black.
Interior solder repairs on hinges and pull ring. Extensive points of paint loss due to chips, scratches and other abrasions. Lid is especially weathered with oxidized paint. Inside strongly oxidized at bottom and sides.
Object ID
G.98.12.5
Place of Origin
Southeastern Pennsylvania
Credit
Gift of Mrs. S.R. Slaymaker II, Heritage Center Collection
Low rectangular softwood box with top and bottom boards extending beyond sides. Constructed with glued butt joints and square head nails. Painted black with large tulips of yellow, red, white and green decorated top and sides. Hinged lid attached with wire hinges and secured at front with handmade tin hasp. The initials "I R" are painted at upper center of lid. The unpainted bottom is inscribed in pencil, "Jacob H. Reist 1800." Interior unfinished.
Border of Lancaster and Berks counties.
Paper inside: "This box attributed to Heinrich Bucher 1770-1800/Reading, Berks Co."
Provenance
Unknown. Presumed to have been collected by donor at a sale in this region. Heinrich Bucher is now believed to have only been an early owner of this box type, not the maker.
Nov. 15, 2002 - Peter Seibert and Susan Kleckner compared about ten Bucher-type boxes & observed that this box is painted with larger flowers and also there is repetition in the use of flowers, unlike the other nine boxes. Perhaps this box was done later in the maker's career.
Roughly fashioned polychromed softwood miniature trinket box of rectangular form. Domed lid hollowed out underneath and ends fitted with conforming caps. Wire hinges and wire loop at front with missing tin hasp. Corresponding wire loop for hasp on box front. Box sides constructed of rabbet joints secured by two wood pegs at front and two at back. Beveled bottom board attached with two pegs and extends beyond box sides. Top and four sides each have a floral motif of dark green, cream, ochre and red all on a tan ground. Glossy varnish overall except for bottom and interior. Indecipherable initials painted on bottom.
Probably Lancaster County
Provenance
Purchased by donor at Lancaster County sale. At least four other examples known. See example in collection #1973.003.2
Possible maker is Peter Brubacher (1816-1898), shoemaker and woodworker in Clay Township.
Trinket box of softwood constuction covered by German newsprint outside and a coarse blue-green paper inside. Glued over the newsprint are strips of straw of various tones arranged in geometrical designs on domed lid and sides in a technique very similar to marquetry. Newsprint visible on underside as well as where straw pieces are missing. Lid has hinge of coarse linen under laminate. Bent wire hook on lid fits into wire loop on box front.
Provenance
Collected by donor in Lancaster Co. According authority Clarke Hess, these boxes are plentiful, but not usually with newspaper lining. Clarke owns two of these boxes, both with Lancaster German language newsprint, and believes these boxes were made 1820-1840 in PA.
John Tannehill, expert in iron, reports someone told him these boxes were made in prisons.
Oval tin box (A) with fitted, domed lid (B). Box has two raised bands on sides. Flat bottom of box is soldered to sides. Lid created by soldering a hammered, rounded oval top onto a 1/2" oval band. Interior of both A and B is tinned.
Used as a container for the miniature tea kettle G.00.03.1.
Lancaster County or region
Provenance
Ownership by donor's father, William A. Heitshu. Donor believes oval box was original container for teakettle.
Exterior surface has vestiges of an original finish, now oxidized with areas of corrosion. Abrasions over much of surface. Interior moderately rusted and corroded.
Object ID
G.00.03.2a-b
Credit
Gift of Martha Munster, Heritage Center Collection
Box of mourning pins. Paper matchbox covered in dark gray paper has top, fitted lid with a paper label. Label is priinted with scrolls at corners and a football shaped reserve at center has "80 MOURNING PINS / ASST / Germany." Black head pins with blue shafts within. Less than half this number remain.
Used for securing black clothing such as veils and hats during the time of mourning a death.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Sketch box made of brown alligator skin / leather over wood. Flat rectangular base w/ raised section at right end has two sunken containers. Top one is oval with ornate raised decoration on hinged silver(?) lid; beaded oval trim at base marked "PAT. March. 25.90." Oval well lined with suede. Lower container has alligator-covered round hinged lid leading to another hinged metal lid leading to a small ink jar within.
Place of origin is unknown.
Large part is a padded alligator-covered lid hinged at top. Underside of lid has pouches of light brown leather. Writing/sketching surface has a blue paper blotter secured by leather corners. Leather loop at hinge holds a metal pen decorated with raised beaded rings.
Inscription on underside is pencil script: "From Charles / Xmas 1890". Alongside is a sticker with name and address of donor.
Provenance
Donor acquired this and many other Mifflin pieces from the Mifflin estate and, then donated it to the Heritage Center in 1995.
The alligator skin and leather are cracked, especially along the spine and bottom of the folder. The box with the two compartments is uneven on the top. The lid of the oval shaped compartment is tarnished, and the snap is broken. The ink jar is staine
Object ID
G.95.36.2
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lamar L. Libhart, Heritage Center Collection
Tatting hook of bone handle shaft of iron hook set into smaller end.
Tool has handle of elongated teardrop shape, somewhat flattened in cross-section. Wire-like shaft with rounded hook on tip is set into handle. Shaft is thicker than hooked end.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
Set of tatting tools, nickel silver plated steel, has four pieces. Each piece has in common the shaped and decorated portions, the handles of the three tools and the needle case body. This feature is a flattened octagonal shape in cross-section, with successive divots ground out with a round grinding wheel. Handles and case all taper along their length.
A. Needle case is 2.75" long and .375" wide. At the heavier end of case is a fitted cap that slides onto a smaller male extension protruding from main body. Seam visible along sides where both halves of case have been joined.
B. Hook on handle is 4" long and .25" wide. Tapers from handle end down to where shaft is attached. Shaft has ball-and-ring at handle, a slight swell along length and a minute hook at tip.
C. Awl is 3.625" long and .25" wide. Same handle as above. Shaft is similar in shape except heavier and shorter and has a sharp tip.
D. Threading tool(?) is 3" long and .5" long. Same handle as above. Shaft is shorter and has a large open loop in a teardrop shape.
Provenance
Collected by Lillian Hollings Kiker, born to Scottish Americans who lived in New Jersey. Born (1912) and lived in New Jersey, last of Egg Harbor, she was active with quilting, sewing, knitting & crocheting. Collection inherited by donor when her mother passed away.
