Category Archives: What is it?

This is a captain’s chair. Most were intended for the naval officer’s cabin. It’s made of heavy oak. The curved back lip is of bent ewe which binds the parts together securely. The wide seat and outward angled legs discouraged … Continue reading →

    This is an old Japanese bed warmer. Coals from the fireplace are put inside. It has a much shorter handle than the European bed warmer because they are used in Futons. The futons open on their side and … Continue reading →

This is a cast iron black enameled foot warmer. Coals from the stove or fireplace are put inside. It was in the apartment of Daniele’s aunt where Daniele lived from Monday night through the school day on Friday. The only … Continue reading →

This is a cast iron enameled wood burning parlor stove. It was used to warm the Parlor which was the room where families and friends spent their evenings together. These were one of the main products that were made by … Continue reading →

  This is an antique Irish Shillelagh. The original shillelaghs appeared thousands of years ago as heavy war clubs but over the years, evolved into walking canes and carrying sticks. In the Middle Ages and right into Charles Dickens’ times … Continue reading →

  This is a ceramic spittoon. Google identifies it as made by the American Bennington Pottery Co. probably in late 1800’s. During those times much of the consumed tobacco was done by chewing. This habit generated a lot of saliva … Continue reading →

The first photo is of a hand-carved horse and cowboy. He is wearing denims and leather chaps and has leather gear. I bought it at Salvation Army. It’s fairly old and probably carved in the West somewhere – maybe by … Continue reading →

  The first photo is a painted wood cow bell, which I believe is French. The high-pitched sound that it makes can be heard at a long distance. The second bell is cruder and is also made of wood. It … Continue reading →

The cabinet is an oak commode either English or American. Before indoor plumbing, a pitcher of warm water was placed on the top of the cabinet adjacent to a basin for washing at night. The drawers would hold wash cloths … Continue reading →