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
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.
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.
Trinket chest of dovetail construction, hinged lid, turned feet and polychrome decoration. Bottom secured with square nails. Keyhole at front; key missing. On a burnt orange ground are 5 large decals (4 of fruit and 1 of flowers) and one small decal at front center of spread eagle, shield and banner. Chest sides and top have centered line decoration of 3 concentric rectangles with hollow corners (black, ochre, white). Feet are black. Edge moldings of lid and base painted black with yellow-green double line decoration enclosing leafy scrolling vines. Interior and underside unfinished.
Inked # 00.43.1 on bottom. Two old stickers: "65603" on back and "65625" on bottom.
Attributed to Joseph Lehn (1798-1892). South of Clay, Elizabeth Township.
Provenance
Transferred from the James Buchanan Foundation where chest was "found in collection" with history/provenance.
Paint soiled and darkened. Large scar on left end of lid molding. Arc scored into top at right front of lid. Wear/abrasions overall, especially lid and base molding. Loose left front foot and paint loss of right back foot. Pristine interior. One hing screw missing.
Object ID
G.03.35.1
Place of Origin
Elizabeth Twp.
Credit
Gif ot James Buchanan Foundation, Heritage Center Collec
Tin container, oval body, with fitted lid and printed paper laberl wrapping entire body: "HERSHEY'S PURE CHOCOLATE EXTRACT? POWDERED COCOA...MADE BY HERSHEY CHOCOLATE CO./ LANCASTER, PA. U.S.A." Tin lid is embossed : "GINNA & CO./ NEW YORK."
This tin was donated nearly full of sulfur powder, indicating it had been reused for storage. The container company operated 1874-1901. Thus, the container likely dates from when Hershey established his chocolate company (1894) to when the Finna & Co. ceased operations (1901), even though Hershey did not open for business at his Derry St. location until 1905.
The chocolate business was started by Milton Snavely Hershey (1857-1945) in Lancaster City in 1894 for the purpose of coating caramel candies, is current business then. He got the idea for making chocolate from a visit to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. He ordered German chocolate-making machinery at the fair and began making chocolate coatings the following year.
Product made in Lancaster; Tin made in New York, New York
Provenance
Donor states she purchased container at a sale in Lancaster City, perhaps 20-25 years ago (1980s). Donated to the Heritage Center .
Tin is hazed overall with light corrosion; base has slight distortion?dent. Paper darkened overall with dark brown speckles. Scattered paper losses, esp. at top and lower edges.
Container was emptied of the sulfur powder it contained when donated.
Object ID
G.08.6.1
Credit
Given in memory of John G. Sebelist by his daughter Susan Briggs. Heritage Center Collection
Redware vessel stands on a beaded base with sides that undulate upward as they flare slightly outward to a shoulder where the diameter is greatest. Neck curves in slightly and flares back out to form a moderately thin out-turned lip. Small strap handle applied to side.
Black glaze on interior and most of exterior where it drips toward bottom. Number "6.60" written in chalk on bottom.
Miniature stoneware crock made as an advertising piece for Steinman Hardware. Cylindrical body, molded rim at outside. Printed on side in cobalt blue is: "STEINMAN HDWE. CO./ LANCASTER, PA. Dark brown glaze on inside and top half of outside; bottom half is a tan glaze. Bottom unglazed with work marks over surface.
Crock w/ handle, redware, wheel-turned with applied strap handle.
Bulbous body is about 5" diameter at base and swells upward, curving back in to create a slight shoulder, capped with a thick, nearly vertical lip of about 3/4" high. Very dark brown manganese glaze on interior only.
Stamped "D.SWOPE & SON./ LANCASTER, PA." Father was Daniel (1812-1892) and son was George A. Swope.
"Lancaster Co. Pa. pottery," by Jeannette Lasansky, Magazine Antiques, Sept. 1982, pp. 538-547. Also her working list from 1982 Heritage Center Museum exhibit. 1869 and 1886 Directories. "The Makers of Pottery in Lancaster Co." by M. Luther Heisey, LCH
Height (in)
5.5
Width (in)
8
Diameter (in)
6.75
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2014-05-16
Condition Notes
Generally sound, but three hairline cracks extend across interior of bottom, two of which extend up the sides for no more than one inch. Several old chips on lip, one is larger and recent (about 2" from handle). Body is very good. Interior glaze has some spalling or chipping, esp. at bottom.
Object ID
P.01.33.1
Notes
Nice example of D. Swope letterhead in D.B. Landis Archive (P.04.14.1) in Metal Cabinet. Copy in this file.
Redware jar of square body with four sides, each press-molded with the same recessed oval having raised design of C-scrolls, flowers and leaves. Corners of body are chamfered. Round neck supports a wide round mouth with protruding lip. No recess for a lid. Bottom is recessed with an impressed marking: "D. OBER,S./ POTTERY." Dark brown body has lead glaze overall. Three furniture marks on bottom from the firing.
Very small redware jar, squat ovoid shape with small foot ring and flaring rim. Orange-brown body, decorated with random slanted swaths of dark manganese. Tin glazed inside and out except for bottom 1/5 of exterior and bottom.
Unique inscription: "A Bixler" is impressed on bottom with printer's fraktur typeface.
East Earl Twp. or Brecknock Twp. Attributed to Absalom Bixler (1802-1884).
Miniature redware storage jar, reddish-brown body with manganese decoration on neck and shoulders with side drips. Tin glazed overall except for bottom.
Body is tall and cylindrical with slightly flared base, shoulders that slope upward to a minimal plain neck and mouth. Mid-line impressed band of "beads" and additional band very faintly impressed 1/4" above base.
Coloring is typical of pieces made by Jacob Medinger (1856-1932). Jacob's father, William Medinger, operated a pottery in Limerick, Montgomery Co., which was taken over by his three sons. By 1900, Jacob alone ran the pottery.
Perhaps Montgomery County, PA by Jacob Medinger (1856-1932).
Redware Storage Jar with Image of George Washington and Diana the Huntress
Description
Redware storage jar with molded figures of Washington & Diana. Made by Henry Gast.
Square molded red earthenware storage jar. Overall brown lead glaze with manganese speckling. Chamfered corners and sloping shoulders with short neck and flared rounded rim. Each side of jar has a recessed, arched panel containing figures in relief. Two opposing sides depict Diana the Huntress and other opposing sides portray George Washington labeled at bottom "WASHINGTON." Impressed on underside is "H. GAST. LA."
Ovoid redware jug with molded foot, bulbous body and a small mouth with pronounced round lip. Applied ribbed stap handle; two-finger impression at bottom terminal. Brown glaze overall except for area at bottom and underneath jug.
Expected wear overall with small chips to glaze, abrasions, 3.5" long score mark at midpoint of side. Large chip at base. Underside has accretions and strong soil, Interior debris; overall soil.
Object ID
G.99.21.1
Credit
Gift of Drs. Irwin and M. Susan Richman, Heritage Center
Saltglazed stoneware jug has beehive shape, thick lips at mouth and applied handle attached to neck and shoulder. Cobalt decoration is a horizontal flower on side under the impressed name "COWDEN & WILCOX/ HARRISBURG." Daubs of cobalt decorate both terminals of handle. Tan body has dark blotches created in firing. Glazed overall except for underside, which is scored with comb-like marks. Pencil inscription on bottom is perhaps "Daniel Hartman."
