- Bandbox lid by Hannah Davis
(1784-1863), of Jaffrey Center, New Hampshire, rigged to hang.
Dates to 2nd quarter of 19th century. Lid has a central cartouche
featuring a harbor scene, with a scrolled border and the interior
is lined with newspaper from the "New Hampshire Baptist
Register" dated March 31, 1842, bearing the "Hannah
Davis" label. 2 1/2" high x 18 3/4" long x 13
3/4" wide. Comes with a reprint of an article from the Boston
Evening Transcript, printed in 1925, chronicling the very eventful
life of Davis, a spinster, who was left penniless in the wild
woodlands of New Hampshire following the death of both parents
in the early 18th century, and proceeded to forge a very profitable
life making and selling bandboxes after inventing a machine run
by foot power, used to cut strips from large spruce logs, bent
when still wet for the sides of the box and nailed to pine boards
comprising the box bottom and top of the lid, She then surfaced
the entire outer surface of the piece, usually with wallpaper,
as with this box lid, and lined the interior with newspaper,
affixing her label on the underside of the lid. The boxes, ordinarily
oval in shape, were not used for hats, but rather for storage
or in lieu of suitcases for travel. She marketed the boxes herself
in nearby mill-towns and later in larger towns such as Manchester
and Lowell, using a horse and wagon or sleigh depending on the
season, and became quite wealthy. Beloved by the townspeople
of her hometown, she was known by all as "Aunt Hannah"
at the time of her death.
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- We created a device to hang
the lid, as shown, without using nails or glue to secure it to
the underside. There are losses to the wallpaper on the edges,
but the top is in very good condition and it displays beautifully
when hung, as shown in the photos. (CM-9)
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- $465
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- (additional photos
below)
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