Chest

Object Name:

Chest

Object ID:

2006.500

Date:

circa 1865

Description:

Storage chest for the papers of Gov. Joseph A. Gilmore. Wooden box, with a lock (steel or iron) and key; no escutcheon. Painted dark red on interior and dark green on exterior. Interior oak rod, which swings on a screw, to hold open the lid. Stenciled on front, "J. A. GILMORE'S / PAPERS."
Lid: sides and front are edged with added molding that has a bevelled bottom.
Box: dovetailed joinery; dovetails are particularly wide. Molding around rim of box (all 4 sides), has beaded edge. Molding at base of box (all 4 sides) has a flat front, 4.75" high. Swing handles (iron) on both short ends that fit flush into recessed iron plates. Lid is attached with two iron hinges. No visible interior features. Bottom is pine; the rest is unidentifed wood. Hinges for lid may not be original since there is another set of holes. On bottom is evidence of four casters, now missing. Pencil writing on the narrow strip of wood on bottom appears to be capital "R" or "B" followed by three lower-case letters, possibly "Rich". Molding applied with cut nails. Also has filled holes in molding.

Material:

Wood
Metal

Dimensions:

H-19.75 W-36 D-22 inches

Provenance:

Chest marked, "J. A. Gilmore Papers." Joseph A. Gilmore (1811-1867) was Governor of N.H. 1863-1865. This chest is likely the box in which Gilmore's papers were brought to NHHS by William D. Chandler in 1926. See manuscripts 1926-006 for the papers.

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Collection

People:

Gilmore, Joseph A.