Mogul Cigarette Silk featuring President James Buchanan
Manufactured in New York, circa 1912-1915
Interesting ephemera featuring James Buchanan.
The complete set featured 24 Presidents and were collected then and now.
Mogul was an expensive hand-rolled all-Turkish cigarette that was started by an independent maker in New York City and by 1914 was owned by the American Tobacco Company.
After an anti-trust suit ATC was split into smaller companies with a focus on “standard cigarettes” that could be more efficiently mass-produced and sold at a lower cost. As the tobacco industry became more competitive, finer brands of cigarettes struggled in the marketplace and resorted to marketing methods such as these silks to retain their popularity.
Provenance: Donor found in family items while cleaning.
Miniature reeded sewing basket of rectangular form but bottom rounding in and down to a stepped oval foot ring anchored onto a solid softwood oval base. Top has high arched handle rising above a strut lashed across center from rim to rim. Hinged to this strut are two lift lids furnished with ring closures at ends. Lift lids have light cardboard glued to undersides, one missing.
Tops of lids are decorated with applied balls of wool onto silk leaves or flowers, now nearly unrecognizable.
Decoration on lids is very worn with one detached wool ball kept in basket with other small sheets of wool batting. Inside bottom of basket has residue and remains of fabric and paper. Cardboard liner under one lift lid is missing. Ring missing on one lid where needed for closure.
Large pincushion, top fabric is a light brown velvet; bottom fabric is a stiff, glazed red fabric. The outline of the cushion is a scalloped edge to which has been added a protruding, stiff rust-colored fabric. Beaded fringes further adorn this edging.
The greatest effort is spent on decorating the top with a garish assortment of various types of clear bead roping and massed up "flowers" with added colored beads of green, red, amber, and blue. Snaking beadwork running across the center is a stem or vine terminating with beaded leaves. Additional beaded leaves are clustered around the scalloped perimeter of top. Various pins inserted into top, including one with a clear spiraling glass head and two with berry shaped heads of twisted red yarns and gold threads. Stuffing is quite heavy and dense.
Provenance
The pincushion was owned by the donor's grandmother.
Large, nearly square, cushion-shaped pincushion of red fabric, top and bottom with a seam around edges. Red fabric of bottom extends only part way underneath where an off-white, fine-woven cotton twill, covers the center of bottom. Red fabric is loosely hand stitched to it.
Realistic floral beadwork design extends across top with clear, green, amber and white beads. Design appears to be mounted on an adhesive paper backing and applied without stitching. Cushion is decorated at edges with a 1" wide beadwork fringe with a pattern of diamonds and edged with loops.
Small table mat with floral outline having 6 lobes or scallops and dense 3-D floral beadwork around perimeter. Clear round and tubular beads appear to have a paper substrate underneath. At center of beadwork is a circle of red velvet, 2.75" in diameter. Fringe of clear beadwork composed of strands of overlapping loops. Bottom is covered with a glazed light red fabric. Edges are finished with a white ribbon binding
Worn areas on red velvet, beadwork has heavy soil, dust and some candle wax drippings near one edge. Beaded fringe is detaching from edges. Binding ribbon is dark, soiled and very deteriorated with considerable loss above and some below.
Small child's scissors in custom leather case. Steel scissors, conventional shape, joined by a rivet and is 2.5" in length. Fitted two-part brown leather case comprised of an oblong single-folded leather piece lined with green satin and stitched at one side is a small leather scabbard that receives scissor blades. Black ribbon pull-string attached at fold. This folded case slides into open end of a brown leather sheath with cardboard interior. Multicolor flowers painted on one side.
Scissors has light corrosion overall. Pull string broken from one side of folded insert. Outer sheath is breaking along one side; bottom corner has small break; side with flowers is very faded with small stains and abrasions.
Object ID
W.2000.011.001
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Floral applique block quilt of cotton. Sixteen 15" floral applique blocks of flowers on white ground. Flowers have blooms of various greens & browns appliqued together to create two different designs that alternate block by block. Flowers branch out in curves with leaves of black & green print and intricate flower buds.
Sashing, 2.5" wide, separates blocks with white strips edged with thin green strips. Inner border of 1-inch wide brown strip encloses blocks. In large outer border of white with mitered corners are graceful grapevines of grape clusters, leaves of the same green & black print as leaves in centerfield,and tendrils of chain stitch embroidery. Wide red binding w/ mitered corners wraps to back and is hand stitched. White cotton back of four panels. Thin cotton batting.
Hand-quilted with a grid in centerfield except for bold cable that is superimposed on sashing and brown inner border. Outer border has slanting parallel lines. One distinctive round flower 2.5" in diameter with 10 petals is found in outer border near one corner, near edge.
Card originally sewn on quilt (handwritten in ink): "Quilt made by Rebecca Rynard of Line Lexington Penna. 90 yrs ago - it has taken many 1st prizes at the State Fairs in both Montgomery Co & Bucks Co - Penna." Below is "Property of M.D.S. Elwell 524 Cedar Lane Swarthmore(?)"
Provenance
Wheatland record states history of ownership is unknown between maker and donor. Research shows most Rynards lived in Cumberland Co.
Soil and multiple scattered stains overall, esp. on back. Significant holes on front. Wide binding is worn at edge and fraying. Many seams deteriorating and separated.
Japanese embroidered silk sash. Shaped like a necktie, 1.5in wide at one end, tapers to 4.25in wide at pointed end. Seamless white silk on one side, light turquoise silk on other side. 18in of sash is bordered in dark turquoisecording. On outside 15.5in is embroidered in brightly colored silk and gold metallic threads. Fine detail for flowers, two birds, butterfly and five people.
Japanese embroidered silk sash. Shaped like a necktie, 1.5in wide at one end and expands to 4.75in wide at pointed end. White silk on outside, light turquoise silk on inside. 18in of sash is bordered in dark turquoise cording. On outside, from seam, a length of 15.5in is embroidered in silk and gold metallic threads. Variety of bright colors like red, pink, yellow, orange, greens and blues. Fine detail for flowers, birds, spider and people.
Japanese embroidered silk sash. Shaped like a necktie, 1.5in wide at one end expands to 4.625in wide at pointed end. Seamed white silk on outside, light turquoise on inside. 18in of sash is bordeered in dark turquoise cording on outside. 15.5in is embroidered in birghtly colored silk and gold metallic thread. Fine detail for flowers, two birds, tree, clouds, large four legged animal and two humans, one juggling five round objects. At wide end a black wire loop with twisted end is sewn onto a corner with thread.
