"Treasures of New Hampshire" Exhibit
A Look at Our Past
by Patricia L. Cummings
photos by James G. Cummings
Click on image for a larger view.
The “Treasures of New Hampshire” exhibit at the Museum of New Hampshire History in Concord, New Hampshire featured decorative art objects that have been carefully chosen from the thousands of artifacts owned by the museum. Wesley G. Balla, curator of the Museum, and our special guide on the day that we visited, was able to point out the qualities of some of these items, attributes that are sometimes unknown to the general public, and qualities that make these objects important relics of the past.
First of all, it is necessary to understand that a lot is known about certain objects. In other cases, perhaps in most cases, there is little documented information available and the object’s provenance has been “lost to history.”
John Dunlap High Chest of Drawers
The high chest of drawers made by John Dunlap, farmer, house builder,
and
cabinet maker is a prized possession now, as it was when it was first made.
In 1782, this very tall “chest on chest” style of furniture was acquired by
Jane Walker. This would have been a handsome item to add to a dowry. A full
ten years later, Ms. Walker married Josiah Gordon (1762-1824), also a
farmer, in 1792 (the same year that Dunlap died).
The top drawer would be unreachable without a stool. Four of the drawers possess locks, leading us to believe that items of value might have been kept there. In spite of this assumption, the chest of drawers was most likely used for household linens and clothes, just as any similar piece of furniture would be used today.
Several generations of the Dunlap family made furniture of this type in Bedford, NH. Originally the chest was painted red and green. However, a later aesthetic demanded that the furniture be stripped so that it could resume a more natural finish. The materials to make the chest of drawers are maple, pine, and brass (for hardware).
The decorative elements of lattice work motifs and half fans reflect the influence of Chinese design of the day, prominent in popular books, some of which John Dunlap may have seen.
Regional Differences in Furniture Making
Examples of three distinct types of early furniture making in New Hampshire can be seen in this exhibit. To the left of the tall chest of drawers is a sideboard that is quite elaborately crafted, and hails from Haverhill, NH in the Connecticut River Valley. The unique keyholes in this mahogany sideboard are surrounded by white, asymmetrical, diamond shape, mother of pearl coverings. The piece was custom made.
A number of examples appear from the Portsmouth area, including a table with claw feet, above which a mirror hangs which has ragged wooden edges, created in an exaggerated manner.
Examples from the Merrimack River Valley include a bureau that uses more than one type of wood, rendering it in two tones, in natural hues. More than one example is provided for each of the three regional areas of New Hampshire, known for their furniture making.
Elizabethan Chair
At the end of a workday, on June 23, 1860, a beautifully carved Elizabethan chair was presented as a gift to Lewis Downing (1792- 1873) by a group of 200 appreciative artisans in Concord, New Hampshire. These separate artisans who worked at a number of different trades were grateful to the man who allowed them the luxury of working under one roof. As individuals, many of them would have been unable to set up their own shops. Together, they worked to produce the famous Downing stage coaches. The elaborate chair was a “symbol of their respect and gratitude.”
Two Other Chairs of Note
Two chairs with elaborate finishing techniques are curiously made of plain pine wood. They both have cane seats, beautiful motifs that are stenciled and then shadowed, and vertical stripes alongside either piece of wood that runs parallel to the seat. This pair of chairs are known as the Isaac Hill chairs.
Clockmaking Flourishes from mid 18th century to mid 19th century
In New Hampshire, tall “Grandfather” clocks were usually custom-made for the wealthy. Other types of clocks made in the flourishing clock making trade include wall clocks, mantle clocks, and banjo clocks. The curator, Wes Balla, calls a NH mirror clock, “uniquely New Hampshire.”
Discovery Boxes for Children
Throughout the room, there are three study/play boxes for children. One centers on signs, one on woods, and the final one on textiles. While we were visiting, many school groups dropped by for a short visit. This museum seems to be a popular destination for the younger crowd.
Conserved, Embroidered Vest of Major General John Sullivan
on Display
John Sullivan (1740-1795), initially an attorney, was a Revolutionary War hero who helped to found the state of New Hampshire, according to Wes Balla. After serving as an officer in the New Hampshire militia, he participated in the First and Second Continental Congresses and then rose through the ranks and fought in many battles of the war. In appreciation of his leadership when Rhode Island came under British attack, the Marquis de Lafayette later presented Sullivan with this elaborate vest. The friendship they formed, under duress, lasted until Sullivan's death.
Glass Manufacture in New Hampshire
Keene, Suncook, and the Stoddard area of New Hampshire are areas where glass has typically been manufactured in New Hampshire. There is a large enclosed glass case which shows examples of the products created, everything from an ink well to a flask to a glass cane, and more.
Also on display is an elaborate seventy two piece silver service which was presented in 1908 by New Hampshire’s Governor Charles M. Floyd to the U.S.S. New Hampshire when it was a newly commissioned battleship. According to Balla, the service includes: “a punch bowl, plateau, ladle, punch cups, salad bowl, loving cup, bowl, vase, service plates, finger bowls, bon bon dishes, candlesticks, and compotes.” The set is composed of silver, granite, silk and celluloid and is on permanent loan from the United States Department of the Navy.
Quilts
Currently, there are seventy eight quilts owned by the NH Historical Society/ Museum of NH History. For this exhibit, there were three on display.
The first featured quilt is an original appliqué design and is perhaps
the
most unique New Hampshire provenance quilt that I personally have seen.
Referred to by museum staff as an “Appliqué Geometric“ Quilt, it was made by
Nancy Simes Nutter Hoit Kaime (1793-1875) in Barnstead, NH. The quilt was
made between 1861 and 1865 and appears in full color on the cover of
Historical New Hampshire, V. 52, Nos. 3&4, a back issue of which may
still available in the gift shop. More information about the quilt is
available on page 96, as part of an article entitled “Piecing the Story
Together: Quilts at the New Hampshire Historical Society,” 96-111,
written by Hilary Anderson, former NHHS curator.
An all cotton Centennial Friendship (Signature) Quilt, “1876,” made by
Hannah C. Kendall (1823-1900) contains diamond shapes of the
following
colors: browns, a (repeated) madder peace & eagle Centennial print, black
and black and white gingham, mauve, blue, red & white print, double pink,
and gray. With all of those colors, one would suspect that this is a quilt
of the scrap bag variety but which was well-planned. (See page 107 of the
same publication listed above).
A Log Cabin “Show” Quilt circa 1890 made by Emily Jacobs Gillingham
Pierce Hadley (1817-1906) was created with primarily silk and satin cloth,
and is decorated with elaborate crazy quilt style embroidery. Emily no doubt
acquired beautiful scraps of “fancy fabrics” through her own
dressmaking
business. She portrays elements of the natural world such as flowers, a
butterfly, a sheath of wheat, goldenrod and similar, cheerful decorative
motifs in her embroidery work. This style of quilt is typical of the
Victorian Age in which this quilt was created for its own beauty, not for
utilitarian reasons. (See page 109.)
Hooked Rug
A Centennial Hooked Rug is also hanging on the wall, near the quilts.
Composed of wool, burlap, and cotton, this rug was made by Elsie Tucker
Hardy (1831-1920). The dates on the rug are “1776-1876.”
According to the
maker’s granddaughter, the wool used for this rug came directly from the
Amoskeag Textile Mills where her grandmother worked. It was not uncommon for
mill workers to pick up scraps of cotton or wool from the floor, at the end
of the day, and there was also a mill store (at least in Lowell, MA) where
yard goods could be purchased by the workers for their own use.
There are other discoveries to be made at this exhibit. There are beautiful objects of dinnerware and examples of silverware on display, several melodeons, and other one-of-a-kind objects. Included in that broad statement is the Indian box, typical of an Algonquin design, but made by an Abenaki Indian in the early nineteenth century.
Last, but not least, we should mention that the original wooden State Seal, painted in 1819 by John S. Blunt (1798-1835) of Concord, NH, is on display.
This current special exhibit ends on July 2, 2006. We hope that your appetite has been whetted to visit the Museum of NH History. There are so many more items that we simply did not have space to describe here! After touring this special exhibit, you will want to visit the permanent one downstairs. You definitely will want to drop by the gift shop to enjoy seeing all of its tempting treasures!
Many thanks to Wes Balla who was ever so gracious and patient in showing us around the new exhibit, and who shared some written information about these objects. We thoroughly enjoyed this visit to the Museum of New Hampshire History!
To visit the NH Historical Society/Museum of NH History on the web, please click the following link: http://www.nhhistory.org/museum.html
©Copyright 2005. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. Contact us at: pat@quiltersmuse.com