Small brown leather covered wooden sewing box with compartmented interior. Leather-hinged lift lid with metal clasp at front, now detached at both clasp and hinge. Underside of lid has 3 leather strap holders, each holding a paper packet of needles. Gold-stamped mark at top center of underside is "CROSS/ LONDON".
Interior has additional fitted lid covering the front section of 3 small compartments. On top of cover are two leather loop holders. Small right rear compartment has fabric-covered padded bottom. Contents include two Bakelite? buttons, nine mother of pearl buttons, two cards of fabric covered buttons, a spool of brown thread and two early black safety pins. Each corner on bottom of box has a brass stud foot.
Very worn, particularly the exterior leather which is strongly abraded with cracks and losses at corners and edges. Leather hinge and clasp are both detached. Two dark circular stains on lid top.
Object ID
1977.007.2
Place of Origin
New York, New York
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Needle case of orange glass, cylindrical with rounded closed ends. Two-piece case has short and long sections that pull apart to reveal inner lining - a tube of marbleized paper. Glass case has identical bands of painted decoration at open ends of each section. Short section has "Forget" painted in stylized script and an adjacent "M" (?). The "M" is also found near painted band of longer section with additional decoration (?) along side of case. Case contains 3 very fine needles of differing lengths.
Forged Brass three part sewing bird. Top surface of bird has a molded diamond pattern. Bird mounted on a C-clamp with threaded turn screw with heart-shaped handle.
Pair of knitting needles (A & B) made of hand-carved hardwood, perhaps hickory. Both are gently curved throughout length, with B having a stronger curve. Pointed at one end and a crudely and abruptly carved enlargement at other end. No apparent finish, although slight polish from use.
Rectangular pincushion or needle cleaner constructed of block-printed green and tan velvet fabric with foliate design over a pyramidal base covered with a teal-colored glossy paper stock. Filled with heavy, dense, abrasive called emery.
Long, thin, wood shuttle, flat torpedo shape, loaded with a thin cotton cording. One end of shuttle forms a point and opposite end is deeply notched. Cutout body near pointed end has needle-like finger within. 3-ply cording is wound between needle shape and tail end.
Tatting shuttle of mother of pearl, loaded with white thread. End of thread has two tatted rings. Tatting shuttle is torpedo shape with two thin plates of mother of pearl shell positioned 1/8" apart and held in place with two iron rivets. Exterior of both plates have engraved checkerboard pattern except for sprig of flower within a central circle and two bordering bands at perimeter, one a chain of dots and alongside is a running cable pattern. Two drilled holes at each end of each plate with unknown purpose.
Paper label accompanies shuttle with "TATTING SHUTTLE" written in ink in a caligraphic hand.
Some soil on mother of pearl. Several small nicks on edge. LIght scratches on engraved surfaces, some created at time of manufacture when rivets were smoothed.
Child's thimble of non-ferrous metal classic form with domed top. Dimpled exterior with plain and textured bands above base. Marked "2" on plain band near base.
Note inside reads: "Used by 3 yr old Alice Reynolds Ehler deceased child of Charles and Laura Ehler Lancaster Penna."
Charles Leland Ehler (3-6-1858 to 3-5-1904) is buried in Woodward Hill Cemetery and his wife is "calculated" to be Laura B. Trout Ehler, born 1859, according to Findagrave.com. Charles is listed as a bookkeeper in various City Directories. Found no evidence of progeny.
