Posted 14 years ago
Vestaswind
(49 items)
This was given to me by my Mother. It was a piece that was extremely important to her. It's at least old enough to be my Greatgrandmothers. I saw one close to it on Roadshow, for the life of me I can't remember what he called it. As I will never get rid of it I guess I wasn't interested enough to remember. As you can see the base color is the red milk paint.
I know they made salesmen samples of later made dressers, not sure they did of ones this age.
Anyway I thought you guys might think it was fun as I have not taken anything out of it since I got it in 2003. I emptied the one drawer so you could see the stuff better. I know some of you guys like to dig, and I know little to nothing about jewelry. I have container after container of the stuff.
How big is this thing?
It's 14"x 15"
I cant tell you a thing about the dresser but you have a nice selection of treasures in the jewelry looks like it spans a few eras as well. The fish and the majorette are great. Happy hunting!
Yes lots of different era's, it was owned by several generations. I even see my Peace symbol necklace in there, and a piece from Booby Trap. I have several pieces that need re-stung I haven't done anything with yet, and one day..who knows? ;)
Although often called salesman samples, a chest this size was made in quantity as "doll" furniture-- not "toy" or "doll house" furniture, that would be half this size or even smaller; and not child's furniture either, intended to be used by the child to store clothing, which would be about twice this size. Doll furniture was scaled to fit with dolls commonly available at the time to children in households of average or slightly above-average means.
Judging by the wood grain visible in the open drawers, your's is made of oak, chestnut, or ash, and probably was made within a decade of 1900. The pressed brass drawer pulls appear to be original, and point to the same period. The red paint on the backboard is a little too red to suggest the much earlier age of milk paint, but you can be certain that this size chest had been made, whether by cabinetmakers or grandpas, for at least a hundred years before this particular one.
Absent the dolls to sit nearby, the most common use of these chests is for just exactly the one pictured, to hold the dear trinkets accumulated by so many children, and more than a few of us adults, too.
Thanks!