Chest of Drawers
Chest with two banks of nine graduated drawers, Church Family, Mount Lebanon, NY
1825-1850
Description
Small case of eighteen graduated drawers in two banks of nine drawers each. Case made of pine but the proper right end has been modified by the addition of a layer of 3/16" plywood applied over the exterior surface of the end and the top is cut square rather than rounded over. Back not original to the case; it was probably built in at some time in its existence. Drawers dovetailed with butternut fronts, between-centers turned maple knobs, pine sides, backs, bottoms, and lengthwise dividers. Maple depth-wise dividers. On the larger drawers, backs and lengthwise dividers have beveled sections in the centers of compartments for labels.
Notes
This case appears to have originally been used in an infirmary, given the signatures of the three doctors. Later, it was removed for use in a workshop; the drawer fronts bear shadows of various kinds of hardware, including escutcheons, and Henry Clough inscribed it while "sortin' tacks". For more information, see the blog post on this piece: https://shakerml.org/untangling-baffling-inscription/
New York Mount Lebanon Church Family
