Box, Storage

Description

Oval box and lid, the headings glued into the rims. Swallowtails, 3 on the box and one on the lid, secured with copper points. The box and lid rims appear to be maple, the bottom heading pine, and the lid heading appears to be walnut. Circular inset on the underside of the bottom which bears a white paper label with black block text, "Genuine Shaker Work / Mt. Lebanon N.Y."

Notes

Brother William Perkins and Sister Lillian Barlow operated the Mount Lebanon Woodworking Company at the Second Family, Mount Lebanon. They made oval boxes, chairs, carved stools, picture frames, and other wooden novelties to sell in the Shaker store. Boxes made by Barlow and Perkins were usually made by gluing the bottoms into the rims, as is the case with this box. In "From Shaker Lands and Shaker Hands," M. Stephen Miller notes that a very few Barlow/Perkins sewing carriers were marked with a gold label, "Genuine Mt. Lebanon N.Y. Shaker Work". He does not mention white paper labels as appears on this box but the text and type on the labels are the same. Also in the museum's collection is sewing carrier 2018.36.1 which bears the same white paper label inset into its base.