Knife, Shoe

Object Name:

Knife, Shoe

Object ID:

1977.055.01.085

Creator:

Peverly, Herbert F. (1849-1925)

Place of Origin:

New Durham, NH

Date:

circa 1870

Description:

Shoe knife. Steel knife blade, 1.75" long, 0.55" wide at base, hafted in rounded wooden handle with one flat side, brass ferrule, nails wedged on either side of blade. Knife blade has straight back and a "hollow", concave cutting edge, extreme concave shape is the result of sharpening. Blade is flat on one side and bevelled at the cutting edge like shoe knife 1977.55.1.82. Stamped "H.P." on flat side. From shoemaker's bench 1977.055.01.1.

Material:

Metal
Wood
Steel
Brass

Dimensions:

W-1 L-5.75 D-0.75 inches

Provenance:

Acquired in the vicinity of Durham, NH by the collector James Cowan Sawyer (1872-1944).

Herbert Peverly worked for Franklin W. Coburn as a knife polisher.

A shoe sole pattern (1977.55.1.96) bears the names Wiggin & Newhall who are listed in the 1895 Dover City Directory as boot and shoemakers. They were successors to Smith & Wiggin (1892-93 Dover City Directory), who were in turn successors of Walton R. Shaw (1890-91 and 1892-93 Dover City Directories). Wiggin was later in partnership with Dudley L. Furber who made shoes until 1914. Several shoe sole patterns (1977.55.1.95-.98) bear the initials H.G., possibly referring to Henry Glidden of Glidden and Bennett, boot and shoe manufacturers listed in the Dover City directories for 1888-1893.

Credit Line:

James Cowan Sawyer Collection, Gift of George F. Sawyer and Charles H. Sawyer

People:

Peverly, Herbert F. (1849-1925), Coburn, Franklin W. (1834-1911), Bennett, Ellery I. (1850-1917), Furber, Dudley L. (1848-1914), Glidden, Henry P. (1833-1916), Newhall, Frank L. (1868-1949), Smith, Nelson H. (1864-19 ? ), Wiggin, Charles F. (1868-1931), Sawyer, James Cowan (1872-1944), Sawyer, George F. (1902-1992), Sawyer, Charles H. (1906-2005)