Itinerant Shoemaker's Cabinet

Item Information

Title:
Itinerant Shoemaker's Cabinet
Description:
A shoemaker's cabinet with nine drawers (each drawer 4'' long and 2'' wide), having a small circular hole in the middle (possibly a place where a handle once was). There is an 8'' strap (leather?) screwed to the left side of the cabinet. The top of the cabinet has a 1.375'' rim on three of the sides. It looks as though it was either painted or had a dark finish on it, but it is now faded. Each drawer is numbered 1-9 and corresponds with a number that is on the cabinet itself, just over the center of each drawer. Some of the numbers on the drawers are faded and cannot be read, and are also in the wrong spots. The numbers on the cabinet, however, can be read. The drawers are numbered in order, vertically, starting with drawer #1 in the top left corner and going down. Drawer #1 (a) cannot be opened, but by looking in the small gap, it appears to be empty. Drawer #2 (b) is the only drawer with a handle (a screw), and cannot be fully removed from the cabinet. Inside the drawer are several small wooden shoe pegs. In the 19th and into the early 20th century, shoe pegs were used to attach soles of shoes to the uppers, or the toe of the shoe. Drawer #3 (c) is empty, but opens. Drawer #4 (d) there is a nail inside and a note that reads: "Itinerant // shoemaker's kit // carried from town to town // and house to house, by the travelling // shoemaker, who stopped at homes to // repair the family's shoes." The drawer opens all the way and can be removed from the cabinet. Drawer#5 (e) opens all the way. Inside the drawer are four metal objects; a square nail about 2.75'' long with a .25'' head, there is also a slightly rusted metal ring with a 1.75'' diameter and .25'' thickness, a small pepg with a flat, round head about .25'' long, and finally a flat piece of metal about 1.75'' long. The largest par of the flat metal piece is in the shape of a square with a square cut out in the center. There is a flat, thin piece that extends from the square .75'' long. Drawer #6(f) has more wooden shoe pegs inside. There are also small pieces of metal (metal shoe pegs?) and small metal nails, or tacks, smaller than .5'' in length with a nail head about 1/16'' wide. Drawer #7 (g) has an off white/pale yellow power loosely in the drawer. There is also a metal hook that is about 4.5'' long with a loop on the top, all made from the same piece of metal. The drawer can be removed from the cabinet. Drawer #8 (h) has more wooden shoe pegs, and pieces of metal/nails, and can be removed from the cabinet. Drawer#9 (i) has a wooden divider in it, separating the front of the drawer from th back. The back of the drawer has more wooden shoe pegs and nails. The front of the divider has a piece of aluminum foil, more wooden nail pegs, and a 3.125'' long cylindrical wooden peg with a small nail sticking out of the end. http://ab.mec.edu/departments/techinteg/resources/students/newlife/shoemaking.htm http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/aboutlynn_shoemaking_history.shtml http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~jones/mckay/history.html
Format:
Objects/Artifacts
Genre:
Cabinet
Location:
Historic Newton
Collection (local):
Jackson Homestead and Museum Collection
Subjects:
Dorr, Marion
Furniture
Building Furnishings
Shoemaker's cabinet
Link to Item:
https://historicnewton.catalogaccess.com/objects/5549
Terms of Use:
Copyright Not Evaluated
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Identifier:
1809.140.1a-i
5549