Tester bed. American Empire Style. Heavy vase and ring-turned legs, carved posts with acanthus/tobacco leaf design that terminates in long plain tapered top. Plain slat tester frame. Low, plain foot board that's carved at top. Headboard is high with inse
Donor writes that bed was used by William Norris at Wheatland, where he had 'bachelor quarters' with James Buchanan. This is unlikely because Wheatland was not a boarding house. Norris was a classmate of Buchanan's at Dickenson.
Mahogany sleigh bed. Sleigh-shaped bed with a headboard higher than footboard. Outcurved top rails. Cyma curved footboard. Headboard has side pieces with cyma curves. Low to ground. Side rails have curved top edge. Feet are rounded blocks that are caster
Provenance
Buchanan, James
to Johnston, Harriet Lane (niece)
to Kennedy, May (cousin)
to Taylor, Mrs. Edmund R. (Julia) (May's sister)
to Taylor, Mr. Edmund R. Taylor Jr. (Julia's grandson)
Walnut bed finish bleached by sun exposure, especially on back & headboard and footboard. Minor scratches on the wood througout.
Object ID
W.1989.344.001
Notes
Belonged to James Buchanan and Harriet Lane Johnston. According to letter from donor's wife, 'there is no written authentication of its origin, but my husband received the bed from his grandmother, Mrs. E.R. Taylor of Charles Town, Jefferson County, W. V
Mr. and Mrs. Edmund R. Taylor, Jr. donated a set of 8 linen handtowels marked with Harriet Lane Johnston's monogram and a letter from Francis Scott Key to James Buchanan at the same time of the bed donation. A campaign card was also donated at this time.
The matching sleigh bed is currently (2022) owned by Evelyn Byrd Hutton (evelynbyrdhutton@gmail.com), a sister of Betsy Henry Lehman & daughter to Reginald Buchanan Henry, Jr.
Contoured brown satin vest has standing collar of brown velvet with floral motif. Long sleeves have velvet cuffs attached. Center front embellished with velvet. Back flaps have velvet between two sating flaps. 16 hand-finished buttonholes; 13 cicular (5/8") bronze-colored shank/loop buttons with figure and silver-colored crescent moon. Inside, 2 loops of brown fabric tape sewn at underarms. Fully lined. All seam edges hand overcast. There are pockets for 10 stays: 2 each side for bodice darts; 2 either sied of underarm and 2 to contour back.
Year Range From
1800
Year Range To
1815
Storage Location
Wheatland, Lancaster, PA
Storage Room
Butler's Pantry
Storage Wall
East Wall
Object Name
Bodice
Material
Mahogany
Length (cm)
48.26
Length (ft)
1.5833333333
Length (in)
19
Width (cm)
34.29
Width (ft)
1.125
Width (in)
13.5
Dimension Details
Width measurement is shoulder seam to shoulder seam.
Condition
Good
Condition Date
2022-07-07
Condition Notes
Left cuff loose. Some seam wear at underarms & right sleeve exterior; some underarm stains from wear. 2 buttons are sewn with white thread & one is upside down. One button hole torn.
American Sheraton bookcase has a flat overhanging molded cornice. Upper cabinet enclosed by a pair of glazed doors, each with six oblong panes set in straight molded mullions. Doors flanked at sides and center by narrow plain stiles, hung with butt hinges. The lower cabinet has two raised panel doors flanked at sides and center by narrow plain stiles and hung with butt hinges. The lower cabinet has two center swing raised panel doors that surmounts four bracket feet at the corners.
Grained pine bookcase. Ring and bun feet. Has bottom cabinets with double doors, butt-hinged, not knobs or handles. Plain keyholes, central rectangular panels on each door. Upper case has sliding doors with glass, 12 panes each. Six shelves on each side.
This artifact was accessioned twice [36.20 and 89.150]. 89.150 accession form said that artifact has Buchanan ownership, however, only criteria used for this declaration was the Leslie Illustration.
Bookcase composed of two sections. Cabinet with glass doors at top and cabinet with wooden doors at bottom. Two glass doors have square mullions holding the panes. Doors give access to moveable shelves inside. Two doors at bottom of each have simple rectangular recessed panels.
Thomas Potter - 2nd owner of Wheatland
Sold to William Morris Meredith 3rd owner of Wheatland
Sold to James Buchanan 4th owner of Wheatland
Inherited by Harriet Lane Johnston 5th owner of Wheatland
Bequeathed to John Newton Lane, Harriet Lane Johnston's nephew
Bequeathed to Mrs. Patty Lane Fay daughter of John N. Lane
Bookcases sold to Meredith in 1845 by Potter then Meredith sold them to James Buchanan in 1848. Letter dated 9/27/1848 to Buchanan from Meredith: 'In addition to the $6750 which you mention, I paid Mr. Potter for the bookcases in the library, I think $75.00.'
Blue cobalt toilet bottles. Opaque glass ball-topped stopper with gold dot on top. Flattish lip, long neck with foliate / berry painted design in white and orange. White wreath painted around shoulder with gold line band below.
Blue cobalt toilet bottles. Opaque glass ball-topped stopper with gold dot on top. Flattish lip, long neck with foliate / berry painted design in white and orange. White wreath painted around shoulder with gold line band below.
Greenish-brown glass with kick in bottom. Cork sealed in mouth of bottle with pinkish wax ('Red Seal') and copper wire. Old torn tag around neck 'Dennison Mfg. Co. Tag Mfrs. 25 & 28 Franklin St. Boston'. Label on bottle printed with '1827 Red Seal Madeira'