Part of a four-piece dress. Blue velvet laced belt; white mesh stiffener; lined in navy satin. 5/8" wide navy woven tape with tubular metal clamps at both ends for lacing belt closed using 10 round hand-stiched edged buttonholes, 3 metal stays, one in back, 2 at front opening. Velvet tab attached to inside folds across lacing hoes in front. Lower edge tapers to a slight "v" in the back and a deeper "V" in front.
Part of a four-piece dress. Jacket: Short sleeves with cuffs. Dark blue velvet fully-lined in cream-colored silk with batting between two fabrics. 2 small leather-lined pockets on left inside. Hand-stiched strip on linging at lower edge right front. 3 hooks and thread-covered eyes at waist front. Parallel lines of sticthing on body at sleeve openings and at waist and on 3 bands around neck as well as front and silk at opening. Blue velvet strips have buttons in back and at tabbed ends on front. 4 tabbed front closure peices have buttons. Machine and hand-stitching.
Part of a four-piece dress. Blue velvet bodice with pointed lower front edges. Raw edges at collar, sleeves, and along waist/ bottom edge. Fronts have two bust darts. Right front has 21 buttonholes finished in buttonhole stitch. Left front has threads where buttons (now missing) had been sewn on. Front has batting between velvet and lining. Finely finished interior with 11 places for contour stays -4 have stays; 2 each front and 1 behind each underarm seam. 4 1/2 inch long brown fabric piece with 5 hooks inside right front; piece with 5 eyes on inside left front, attached at waist to reduce strain of buttons/ buttonholes. Brown twill tape as backing for buttons.
With garment are two lined tabs, tacked together. Metal pieces inside tips. 3-parallel lines of stitching around outline of both tabs. Top edges are raw, unfinished edges, White mesh stiffener between velvet and lining.
Part of four-piece dress. Skirt: Deep royal blue velvet skirt. Machine and hand stiching. Vertical seams are machine-stitched as are parts of satin band/ tape at waist edge.
Closure back: 2 hooks and eyes one waist edge. 5 shaps on pleated placket.
Decortative band (7/8 inches wide) sewn on with 3 parallel rows of stitching. Interiror seams in back of garments have bound edges. Some other seam edges appear to have been overcast. Hem is lined with 20 inch (at rear of skirt) to 8 1/2 inch (at front) of navy satin. Back panel appears to be a different fabric. 2 black tape tabs sewn onto inside waist.
Tan card stock covered composition book with drawing of Wheatland on the front and Weights and measurement equivalents and multiplication table on back. Brown tape spine. White with blue lined paper pages stitched inside. Corners are rounded. Cover state
Provenance
Used by donor as a school girl in Lancaster in 1939-1941.
English mahogany chest of drawers. Hardware has a classic oval shape with ring pulls. Shell design at center of ring pulls. Federal style, with four drawers. Each drawer has their original oval pressed brass drawer pulls, two per drawer. At the top center of each drawer is a brass escutcheon key hole. The top of the chest and each drawer are decorated with satinwood inlay. The chest is supported at its base by four French feet, which feature a slightly outswept bracket foot combined with a valance skirt.Closely matches shaving stand, 95.108, also donated by Katherine Powell.
Top of chest of drawers is split. (Was split prior to the time of donation)
Object ID
W.1995.107.001
Notes
Came from the home of Dr. Alexander Speer, Washington, DC. Dr. Alexander Speer was James Buchanan's first cousin. Donated to Wheatland by Dr. Speer's granddaughter, Katherine Speer Powell.
Bowfront mahogany veneer chest of drawers in the Hepplewhite style. Four drawers have progressing depths from the top to the bottom, each with overpressed drawer pulls two per drawer. At the top center of each drawer is a brass escutcheon keyhole. The top of the chest and each drawer are decorated with satin wood inlay. Chest is supported at its base by four french feet which feature a slightly outswept bracket foot combined with a valence skirt.
Provenance
Dr. Alexander Speer (James Buchanan maternal cousin)
Linen edging around pale red frame. Adhered to a cream colored fabric within frame are eight (4 inch x 3 inch) watercolor paintings. 5 sets of Asian men (1 enthroned in middle) and 3 sets of women in Asian dress, mostly upper class.
One of three framed by The James Buchanan Society in 1938.
Date Range
1840s
Storage Location
LancasterHistory, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
DAC
Storage Wall
Island 5
Storage Cabinet
Unit 46
Storage Shelf
Shelf 4
Object Name
Picture
Object Names
Paintings of Asian Men and Women
Material
Fabric, Wood
Height (cm)
46.6725
Height (ft)
1.53125
Height (in)
18.375
Width (cm)
50.8
Width (ft)
1.6666666667
Width (in)
20
Condition
Fair
Condition Date
2000-08-10
Object ID
W.1938.004.003
Notes
Painted Asian people on small oblongs of bamboo pith. They are painted with heated paint with a small brush (perhaps only two or three hairs). The heated paint on the bamboo gives the raised effect that looks like embroidery.
Walnut chest of drawers. Two small drawers mounted side by side just below the top of the chest with three full-width drawers below; each drawer has two glass drawer pulls and a centered, brass escutcheon keyhole. The chest has recessed side panels with matching crotch-grain walnut veneer. The chest sits on four turnip feet for overall support.
