Rockingham style sugar bowl with lid. White china body with underglaze decor consisting of beige ground with scattered large scrolling yellow leaves edged in gold and occasional small branches with white berries and 3-leaf branch tips. Lower edge of beige ground defined with a thin undulating vine. Gilt highlights, flourishes and edging. Applied handles feature finger ring handles and a domed lid.
The tiger maple washstand's splash back has a scroll-cut design combined with a fleur de lis carving at its center. The sidewalls also have a scroll cut and a rounded corner at the front. Both front legs have an inward curve ending at the lower shelf terminating with an inward scroll design. The top shelf apron has a full-width drawer and two hexagonal molded clear glass pulls. The two back supports are vase-shaped legs with ring and ball turnings at the lower shelf. All four legs below the bottom shelf have ring and ball turnings that terminate on ball feet.
Smithgall family history tells us that the washstand passed to Charles Lee, the donor's son before the piece transferred to Wheatland's collection. Mary Smithgall Lee received it from her father, Charles Smithgall who received it from the estate of his grandfather, John Smithgall. John served as a gardener in the Quartermaster Department of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry under Breveted Lieutenant Colonel James Miles Moore in Washington D.C. during the administrations of James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln. John Smithgall died in Washington on 12 December 1865; his grave is at the National Military Asylum Cemetery. Mary Smithgall, a daughter of John Smithgall, worked as a domestic for James Buchanan at Wheatland.
Open 'Wicker' work bowl, scalloped edge, interwined vine stem handles; oak leaf and acorn motif along outer rim. White background with gilt on bowl; gilt, bright blue and salmon on open work base. Bowl oval-shaped.
Oval open-design ceramic pedestal dish. White ceramic dish decorated in blue and gold paint. The oval-shaped bowl (about 15 inches from handle to handle and 9.25 inches across) has sides with an open design. The base is outlined in gold and a hole in the center contains a metal flat-topped pin about 4 inches long that extends below the bowl and is held in place by a cork, threaded onto the pin secured by a wing-nut. The ornately decorated base has open spaces with cascading blue leaves detailed in gold with hanging white acorns. 4 curled designs form the feet for the base. Made in France.
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.
Balloon back walnut chairs with serpentine splat. Louis XV style back is rounded and finger molded with no additional carving. Flaring upholstered seat-black horsehair-with serpentine front with beaded molding at bottom of skirt. Cabriole front legs, rounded, with slightly curved square back legs terminating on flat feet.
Artifacts mentioned by Ara Hatch in New York Dalily Times 11/10/1856. Person had visited Wheatland.
Height (in)
34.312
Width (in)
18
Depth (in)
16.125
Condition
Excellent
Condition Date
2022-11-21
Condition Notes
Reupolstered; James Buchanan Foundation records indicate the seats were originally covered in green morrocan leather.
Object ID
W.1936.001.015.2
Notes
The chair was presumed to belong to James Buchanan by the James Buchanan Foundation representatives in 1936 when they bought certain furnishings that were still in the mansion during the Willson-Rettew Estate sale.
Mentioned by Ara Hatch in the N.Y. Daily Times (visited Wheatland 10 November 1856.)
Blown mold. Wide, flat, flared lip. Neck has three molded rings, getting wider from top to bottom. Body has diamond pattern. Flat diamond shape inside of which there is molded, raised small diamonds in pineapple-skin style. Raised diamond pattern also us
Wood sewing notion with Federal era ball feet supporting a three-tiered spool holder. Each tier is flat on the bottom with rounded top edges, round shape, descend in size. Metal rods on each tier to hold spools. Tiers graduate from large to small and are supported by a ball and ring-turned pedestal; the top tier is the smallest and capped with a pin cushion.
Provenance
Possibly Willson family. Obtained from the Willson-Rettew estate sale.
Commerically advertised as a 'Hat Tub,' this portable tin tub was typically setup for use near the kitchen range. The tub is circular and made of tin with a round center bowl. The sides slant up and out in seven sections; one of the sections is topped with a flat seat for the bather. Each of the seven sections is japanned with a gold stencilled geometric pattern decoration. The underside of the tub is painted green. On one side of the bather's seat is a curved tin strip that holds soap and a bathing sponge. A raised semicircular tin piece creates a seat back.