Portable Civil War Desk On View, Captain Bell

This portable desk was used in the Civil War by a 

native of Haverhill, Capt. Jacob Leroy Bell (1839-1916), who enlisted as a private in the  

11th NH Volunteers in 1862 at age 22. Two years later he advanced to the rank of

Captain. Family tradition holds that the desk was made for him by the men in his 

Company and that it was used to hold Company records. After seeing service at Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor and Petersburg, Captain Bell retired to Haverhill and kept store at his family home, the Montgomery House at Oliverian Brook. (See earlier posts on the General Montgomery home and Store.) The desk descended in the family and was returned to Haverhill by Capt. Bell's grand-niece, Winifred Merrill Howard of Hartford, CT in 1960.

Upon recent inspection, the desk was found to be in very good condition, and despite, its 

portable nature, shows little signs of wear.  The front of the desk opens to reveal a series of drawers and dividers. Two confederate bills were also found within the desk.  While the 

painting on the front of the desk is unsigned, it is possible to speculate that the work was 

completed  by one of the members of his company. It depicts soldiers and a watchtower in 

an cleared field.

The writing desk is on view at the Haverhill Historical Society Museum, Court Street, as 

part of commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. 

Hours: Wednesday and Sunday from 2:00-4:00.

For more information about the HHS, see www.HaverhillHistoricalSociety.blogspot.com 

Posted by KSA and AYM

1837 Henry Page Ledger Returns to Haverhill

Small Ledger, Henry H. Page, Haverhill, New Hampshire

The Haverhill Historical Society recently purchased a small ledger belonging to Henry Page.  Page must have been a traveling salesman as some of this ledger is devoted to a trip beginning in late September 1837 to Burlington (VT), to Whitehall (NY) to Albany, to Buffalow (sic), to Toledo, to Adrin (sic) (MI), to White Pigeon (MI), and so on.  Entries are mostly for food and lodging, but there are entries for the likes of "blackening boots" and an occasional whiskey. There are a few entries by a Nathl Bailey and Henry H. Page & Company.  Leather ledger measures approximately 3 1/2" x 5 3/4" with approximately 30 pages, unpaginated. A little more than half of the pages have entries, some text is easier to read than others.

Further research will commence later this year. The Haverhill Historical Society thanks Peter J. Michaud for bringing this volume to the Board's attention. It was purchased on e-bay from a collector in Rumney, NH, whose description is found above.

Costume Exhibits Open: Counting House Museum & Portsmouth Athenaeum

Gillian Cusack, co-curator of People, Places and Pantaloons 
at the Counting House Museum

People, Places and Pantaloons
24 May-31 October 2012
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120602-NEWS-206020319?cid=sitesearch

Height of Propriety: Fashions Through Time of the Proprietors of the Portsmouth Athenaeum. 
15 June- 8 September 2012
www.portsmouthathenaeum.org

19 JuneGallery talk by Sandra Rux, curator of the exhibition 

5:30 p.m. in the Randall Gallery. Call 431-2538 x2 for reservations. 

Sponsored by Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.

NH 4H: Fashion on Parade, A Short Film

http://animoto.com/play/nOrOAXHTjj7UGdPR0120WA#

http://animoto.com/play/nOrOAXHTjj7UGdPR0120WA#

Past Fashion Exhibition "Fridge List"

Historic Garment and Costume Exhibitions in the Seacoast, 2012 

Courtesy, Astrida Schaeffer, SchaefferArts.com

Thread: Stories of Fashion at Strawbery Banke, 1740-2012 

Strawbery Banke Museum

May 1- October 31, 2012

Rarely seen items from the museum’s costume collection are displayed alongside the creations of 15 contemporary designers in six of the museum’s historic houses, from the 1740 embroidered London Lady’s Shoe to the fanciful 2012 Emma Hope shoe it inspired. 

603-433-1100, www.strawberybanke.org

*****

War of 1812: What it Meant to Portsmouth

John Paul Jones House Museum

May 1- October 31, 2012

A story of privateers, privation, protection and a search for peace told through the stories of Portsmouth families. Includes some costumes from the period but is not specifically a costume exhibit.

603-436-8420, www.portsmouthhistory.org/john_paul_jones_house/

  

*****

People, Places, and Pantaloons

Counting House Museum

May 24- October 31, 2012

Four women from South Berwick Maine and Rollinsford NH between 1850 and 1890 are the focus of this exhibition including their dresses, underwear, accessories, life stories, and the homes they lived in. 

207-384-0000, www.oldberwick.org

*****

Height of Propriety: Fashions Through Time of the Proprietors of the Portsmouth Athenaeum

Portsmouth Athenaeum:

June 15 - September 8, 2012

From the time of its founding in 1817, the proprietors of the Portsmouth Athenaeum were among the most successful people in Portsmouth. We rarely consider their contribution to fashion; this exhibit will show clothing belonging to past proprietors and their spouses, most from the collections of the Portsmouth Historical Society, and portraits from the Athenaeum and local museums. Samples include: the morning coat worn by Edmund Roberts in Macao while negotiating the first trade treaty with that nation, the wedding dress worn by Mary Morison when she married proprietor James Rundlett May, and an Irish lace dress made for Virginia Tanner for her presentation at the Royal Court in England.

603-431-2538, www.portsmouthathenaeum.org

*****

Afternoon at the Museum: 1912

Moffatt-Ladd House

July 8-October 3, 2012

Dresses and hats from the era of the house museum's opening, on loan from the University Museum of UNH and the Portsmouth Historical Society.


603-436-8221, www.moffattladd.org/

*****

Embellishments: Constructing Victorian Detail  

University Museum, University of NH

September 14-December 14, 2012

Twenty five historic garments plus accessories are on view from the Irma Bowen Collection. The exhibition and its accompanying book explore the aesthetics behind 19th c. clothing design and provide a detailed examination of how their decorative elements were constructed. The results of this project will inspire the contemporary needle worker, designer, garment historian and those who just love fashion.

603-862-1081, www.izaak.unh.edu/museum, www.TheBranchCreative.com

Footcandy Friday: Newly Discovered Maine Wedding Shoe

Jane Radcliffe and Ron Kley of Museum Research Associates (MRA), recently discovered 

this elegant pair of wedding shoes while conducting ongoing research at the Vaughan 

Homestead in Hallowell, ME. According to MRA, they are part of the 7 May 1849 wedding outfit of a mid 19th century proper Bostonian young woman -- Mary Eliot Dwight (who 

married Dr. Samuel Parkman and became the mother of Ellen Twisleton Parkman, who 

married William Warren Vaughan).

 
These Parisian white satin slippers are of particular interest as key elements of a well 

documented set of apparel. As MRA astutely observe, the charming and diminutive 

proportions of the (apparently original) pasteboard box in which the shoes were found 

(and on which their history is inscribed) is as interesting as the shoes themselves.

With wedding season upon us, sharing this graceful footwear from the past seems 

appropriate.

The author thanks Museum Research Associates, of Hallowell and the Vaughan Homestead Foundation for generously sharing this new information on New England footwear.

Coats & Clark - 200 Years

Coats & Clark - 200 Years

Thank you to Janith Bergeron for sharing this site.

4H State Activities Day - Fashion Revue

It is almost time for 4H State Activities Day at UNH, Durham. I am honored to once again have the opportunity to judge the fashion revue entries, which will culminate in a fashion show on Saturday 2 June. Show your support of these young talents. Applaud youth! http://extension.unh.edu/4h/4HSAD.htm

Another great site for historic garments

This lovely sleeveless bodice caught my eye on a recent search for historic garments. Great site for perusal or wish list purchases. 

Current Research: Developing Evidence on the Haverhill Shoe Trade

The very fist entry in the Daybook for 17 March 1793 is in fact for sole leather, purchased by Avery Sanders.  Given Sanders “jack of all trades” status in the community (he also hired out his services via indentures for labor) and the small quantity purchased, one may speculate that he operated as a cobbler, repairing local foot wear rather than crafting it. (The 1790 Census reveals that he was the head of household and the only male, with three females.)  On the other hand, large quantities of sole leather are recorded throughout the year by several different purchasers, including traders from Bath and Landaff.  There is the occasional mention simply of a cost for “tanning” (several times associated with the Ladd family) and random mentions of shoes (but thus far, no reference to boots) appear with some frequency. The well-established and respected Ladd family had a tannery on the Oliverian Brook, in close proximity to the General’s various concerns. (Indeed today, a short walk from the Montgomery Store across the Brook takes the visitor to “Ladd Lane” and “Tannery Road.”)

According to Whitcher, Deacon Ladd notes Phineas Swan (1751- 16 January 1829) as a cordwainer in a deed. Not enough evidence has yet surfaced to establish a tradition of shoemaking, but certainly there is ample information in the Daybook to support significant repairs in leather and the raw materials were available. Further, the Daybook reveals that special order shoes were sold, as in the case of Phebe Ladd’s purchase of shoes at 6 shillings (2 days of a working man’s labor), from the General’s store.

Accessories such as “knit cotton hose” for Clark Woodward cost him dearly – at 5 shillings 9 pence – almost two days of a man's labor. Given the cost and description, plated shoe buckles were also in abundance in the town, standard during this time period, seen in the 11 June 1793 entries.

Courtesy, Smiling Fox Forge

Courtesy, Lynn Museum

For further information on period shoe buckles, see:

http://www.wmboothdraper.com/Buckles/buckles_main.htm

http://www.smilingfoxforgellc.com/shoe_buc.asp?Category=Shoe%20Buckles

Courtesy, Historic Deerfield

Footcandy Friday Visits the Warner House, Portsmouth, NH

MEHITABLE RINDGE ROGERS (1725-1803) & HER LONDON SHOES

 The Warner House in Portsmouth, NH has a small but excellent collection of 18^th century – early 19^th century ladies shoes. The shoes are going off rotation and into storage, so this is a perfect opportunity for examination. 

One pair of particular note are those proudly announcing that they were created by “James Davis, Shoemaker, nr. Aldgate, London.” If you have followed these pages, the name may be familiar to you.  As part of a larger project, the author, with the assistance of Tara Vose, Warner House Board Member, and Bridget Swift, Research Associate, TheBranchCreative, has identified some 10 pairs of shoes in North American collections by Davis or Davis in partnership with Thomas Ridout. This short entry forms part of a larger research and publication project, in collaboration with contemporary London shoe designer, Emma Hope,  which will appear in 2013.

The shoe shown here (Accession #743) was worn by Mehitable (Mehitabel) Rindge (b. 22 September 1725- d. 1803) who married the Honorable Daniel Rogers, of His Majesty’s Council for New Hampshire.  Ten years her senior, the couple were both born and raised in Portsmouth and are buried at the Proprietor’s Cemetery.

An especially elegant shoe of cream (or possibly another color, much faded) silk– note the higher than usual heel at 3” rather than the more typical 21/2” for the Colonial American consumer – it is very well worn.  In addition to the Davis label, the shoe also boasts a strip of subtle pink silk across the interior of the tongue, meant to be exposed ever so slightly as the wearer walked across the room or down a flight of stairs. The contrasting pale pink silk, in combination with shiny paste or jeweled buckles and the sheen of the silk would have created a refined fashion statement and, with the heel, a striking silhouette.

The couple’s oldest child, Mark, was born in 1762, so they most likely married in the early 1760s.  Given the style of the shoe and knowing its maker, a fabrication date falling between 1760-1770 would be appropriate. Further, the higher, courtly heel may have been favored by Mehitable earlier in life, prior to the birth of five children.

Known after the Revolution for his apothecary business, Rogers was examined by the New Hampshire Committee of Safety for “being unfriendly to the liberties of America,” on Thursday, November 23, 1775. No evidence was found against him and so he was dismissed without incident. He would subsequently resign his post due to the Acts of British Parliament.

Thank you to Carolyn Roy and Louis Richardson, Co-Curators, Warner House, and Tara Vose, Warner House Board Member, for their assistance.

For information on the house, its history and collections, see

The Warner House: A Rich and Colorful History. Joyce Volk, ed., The Warner House Association, 2006.

Kimberly Alexander, Ph.D.

Department of History

University of New Hampshire, Durham

The General's 1825 Probate Inventory

The Store Furnishings
Previous posts on the Daybook have focused on the denizens of Haverhill and the Oliverian

Brook, their lives and times as documented by their purchases and trade patterns.  The 

opportunity to review the  General's very thorough probate inventory, adds an entirely new

and much richer dimension to what we can surmise about the experience of living and 

working in northern New Hampshire in the early years of the young republic.

As noted earlier, due to a number of factors, the actual store building still 
survives in its original location. Indeed, recent inspection indicates that some 
original or at least early 19th century shelving with grain painting survives.

Among the items listed as in the store in 1825, the most valuable item was the 8 day clock, 

valued at $20.00. For the clerks who slept in the store, the accommodations were  
spacious if not sparse.  It is interesting to note that there was "1  bedstead 
feather and straw beds, 1 bolster, 2 pillow cases, 2 sheets, cotton, 1 wool 
quilt" valued at $13.50.  There was a counting room desk and a writing desk, a 
trinket box, 9 marking irons (?), a barrel and an old hogshead. The stove was 
listed as "much cracked" and may be the one which is currently in the storeroom.

The substantial stock in the store at the time of the General's death was sold to the 
subsequent owner of the house, Colonel Jacob Bell. Bell, successful in business, was a 

former clerk in the General's store and so was no stranger there or in the main house. 

The transfer of the store inventory, the property as a whole and the demarcation of his 
widow's dower rights will be examined in a later post.

Friday Footcandy: 1730s English Shoe

Courtesy, Meg Andrews, Historical Textiles

http://www.meg-andrews.com/

This site is visually stunning and has many useful links for the aficionado of historical garments, textiles, and of course, shoes.  Perfect for weekend browsing!

English Shoes
Early 1730s of silver gilt woven with pink and coral flowers, green and silver leaves and gold circles, the deep tongue with curving top edge, lined with pale blue finely ribbed silk, the latchets tied with green silk grosgrain ribbons, lined with white kid, the rand of white kid, the straight soles of brown leather, heel to sole 7 3/4 in or19 cm; heel height 2 1/2 in or 6 cm.edge,lined with pale blue finely ribbed silk, the latchets tied with green silk grosgrain ribbons, lined with white kid, the rand of white kid, the straight soles of brown leather, heel to sole 7 3/4 in or19 cm; heel height 2 1/2 in or 6 cm.

Comments

For similar see: Pratt, Lucy & Woolley, Linda Shoes p 45. Silver-gilt braid became very popular in the 1730's and 40's. They were known as 'laces' and could easily be added to or removed from the shoe to suit the costume or occasion. The braid would match the braid on the stomacher

Condition

Excellent. There is slight wear to the toes, but I had to use a magnifying glass to see it! The green ribbons are a little dusty. The soles reveal these were well-worn shoes. The inside kid is very slightly marked. SOLD

Inspiration Film: Iconic New England, Haverhill NH

http://video214.com/play/VX27Ah70E0fYSjbTVpzC0Q/s/dark
Iconic New England: Haverhill NH
at (almost) 250, 1763-2013

Shoe Files: Mrs. Elisebath Johnson's Shoe, Lynn Museum

Mr. Ambros Talbut had the Banns for his upcoming marriage to Mrs. Elisebath Johnson (1745-1825) posted on October 2nd, 1768. 1 They were married on Thursday November 24th, 1768, which was a particularly "cald" day according to a contemporary account of a birth found in the Newhall genealogy. 2 The summer and fall of that year were filled with uncharacteristic lightening storms which lasted into early November in some parts of the region.3

While a Thursday wedding may seem odd to modern readers, during the 17th and

18th century in New England, the actual announcement of intent to marry was generally more important than the celebration. Hence the day of the nuptials was frequently

based on the abilities of family members to be present and a reasonable hiatus taken

from the family businesses.

The clothing of the bride and groom would of course have been their finest. And the

survival of Mrs. Johnson's shoe is a testament to that. Originally the silk brocade would

have displayed a shine and luster, which, in combination with sparkly paste buckles,

epitomized Georgian taste in shoes.  Once vivid polychrome, with a floral motif which may have matched the color ways of her gown, no doubt Elisebath's ensemble was eye catching.

Despite the fact that cordwainers had set up business in the region by mid -century, shoes of London fabrication were in high demand by the well off and stylish women of the

American colonies along the New England sea coast.  Married at the age of 23, she would have four children - Sarah, Ambros, Enoch and Bethiah. 4 She died in 1825 at the age of 80. 

The survival of only one shoe of a pair is not uncommon for it is easier to give one shoe each to heirs than to divide a dress or gown.

Notes:

1. "Publishments, Octr. 2, Mr. Ambros Talbot & Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson," in

Commonplace Book of Richard Pratt of Lynn, MA. Introduction by Nathan M.

Hawkes. (Lynn, MA: The Nichols Press, 1900.) 60.

2. Newhall Registry details intermarriages & connections with the Johnson Family.

3. Historic Storms of New England, Sidney Perley, 1891

4. Vital records of Lynn

All photos courtesy of the Lynn Museum

Thank you to Kate Luchini, Director and Abby Battis, Curator, for sharing the richness of their collection.

Accession #3129 

Elizabeth (Elisebath) Johnson’s (1745-1825) Wedding Shoe, #3129

Worn for her 1768 marriage to Ambrose Talbut

London-made shoe, maker unknown

No separate right or left, evidence of a shoe buckle

Silk brocade with polychrome floral pattern, leather sole and fabric covered Louis style heel

8 1/2” long x 3” wide x 4 1/2” high

A Reflection on Louis I. Kahn's Exeter Library at 40

It has been nearly 20 years since I first visited Louis Kahn's masterwork at Phillips Exeter Academy, and now, at the building's 40-year anniversary (1967-1972), the experience was equally awe-inspiring.  Much has been written about the Library over the decades, but I was pleased to see that there are also several excellent short films available including the breathtakingly well-lit and photographed piece by Alex Roman, which is posted below.

If possible, the Library struck me as even more monumental and timelessly classical than I had remembered from that first visit. This may be due to my own changing interest in architecture over time, seeking an ever simpler, reductivist yet harmonious style. Perhaps it may be that the materials, concept, the embrace of the printed word and the celebration of both private space (study carrels which ring the upper perimeter) and quiet gathering space corresponds to my own needs and interest over time. To reflect on the core of Kahn's library with its soaring almost Étienne-Louis Boullée-like interior is symbolic of allowing one's intellectual curiosity to fill the expanse.

 Once protected within, with light filtering through various openings, diffuse and warm, the building radiated welcome despite the hard surfaces – concrete and brick- due to the honey tones of the wood throughout.  One instinctively lowers one’s voice as one would in a Library. And yet, on this Sunday, there was plenty of activity within the building. Small groups of students occupied the first floor reading rooms, the library reference student staff chatted, a librarian asked if my colleagues and I had any questions. We were allowed to wander freely - no doubt gawking visitors walking around the building is a common occurrence.

While the function of a "traditional" library has altered much in the last decade, Kahn's Library has not lost its purpose, remaining true to its function.  While I do not know what current faculty and students think about the library and possible (technological?) shortcomings, it would nonetheless appear that the Library is conducive to thinking, learning and concentrating in many formats, whether from a book, laptop, iPad, or other device.

If you have not visited recently or ever, you may want to put the Exeter Library on your architectural “pilgrimage” list. The Academy has been excellent stewards.

As noted by Paul Heyer in American Architecture: Ideas and Ideologies in the Late Twentieth Century. (279.)

"Elemental in its contemporary directness and built also with the sense and durability of the great monuments of history is the Library at Philips Exeter Academy. In the spirit of the grand, classical tradition of the focal organizing space, the reading room is a central hall encircled by balconies containing the stacks and study alcoves. It is a space diagonally overlooked through giant circular openings in the interior screen walls that define the central area. In keeping with the campus tradition, the exterior of the building is a repetition of brick piers, wider as they approach the ground where the book loads are greater, cut back at all four corners to subtly articulate the building's exterior square form. The perimeter study carrels are illuminated from windows above the reader's eye level; smaller windows at eye level afford views to the campus or conversely can be closed by a sliding wooden shutter for privacy and concentration. There is contact with and building upon origins in both the library and the [Kimbell] museum. They span time as an architecture of basic fact and of progression as we move onward, aware of both where we have come form and where we are."

The Library received the American Institute of Architects 25 Year Award in 1997

A Film by Alex Roman:

http://vimeo.com/5407991

Addendum to Montgomery House Site

The site plan and house dimensions shown here, in concert with the General's 1825 Probate Inventory and the Daybook, continue to round out the life of the family in the early years of the young Republic.  In addition to the buildings currently noted, the inventory mentions a 2nd barn (with "5 swine, 5 pigs and 1 bay horse") and a blacksmith shop, as well as the contents of the store. Not surprisingly the most expensive item listed was an eight day clock valued at $20.00 ( New post to follow.)

All images courtesy Haverhill Historical Society

Celebrating General Montgomery's Georgian House, c. 1790

It was one of those very special days when past and present come together in a powerful and meaningful way. I had the opportunity to tour the Montgomery House in Haverhill at the Oliverian Brook, store, barn and grounds with the generous owners and a colleague. The day was sunny and the Montgomery site, with it's some 4 acres of land, was spell binding. I have been in the house several times over the last 15 years, but not since beginning work on the 1793 Montgomery Store Day Book (Haverhill Hisotrical Society Collections) and with the General's 1825 probate inventory at hand. It was possible to see the entire Montgomery family project in a new light and with countless avenues for research. As my colleague commented recently on the allure of these past life experiences "it is wonderful to be happy in several centuries." Still processing this magnificent day, I wanted none the less to share some views of this remarkable North Country survival. It has been home to only four owners since construction.

The house was completed by the early 1790s and one of the most remarkable aspects is the sheer size and scale of the rooms, with floor heights well over 10 feet, even on the second floor. Simply but well detailed, deeply carved molding is also present throughout the house.  Little expense was spared.  The stair treads and risers permit a gradual ascent or descent, with ample room between the wall and the well-appointed stair rail, with three balusters per stair. The front entry is capacious and the 1825 inventory reveals the presence of "1pair dining tables, 1 mat and 1 pair firebuckets."

The second floor retains the elegant cove of the ballroom, once a common feature in the Haverhill houses and taverns which accommodated gatherings during the twice annual court weeks. The second floor ballroom was an uninterrupted expanse, but it could be easily divided with the hinged doors shown above, intact.