Bandbox, Made by Hannah Davis, 1832
THF160986 / Bandbox, Made by Hannah Davis, 1832
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Artifact Overview
Hannah Davis (1784-1863), a Jaffrey, New Hampshire, entrepreneur, created colorful, wallpaper-covered bandboxes. Davis sold many of her bandboxes to the young, migrant women who worked in the textile mills in the surrounding New England villages. Davis's attractive and affordable bandboxes were ideal for the millworkers. The boxes could hold clothing and accessories and they served as useful storage cases when the women traveled home.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Bandbox (Container)
Date Made
1832
Creators
Place of Creation
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
2001.0.18.6
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Wood (Plant Material)
Wallpaper
Newspaper
Color
Green
Blue
White (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 10.75 in
Width: 16.5 in
Length: 13 in
Inscriptions
Maker tag on inside lid:
WARRANTED / NAILED / BAND-BOXES / MADE / BY HANNAH DAVIS / JAFFREY, N.H.
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Related Content
SetBandboxes
- 12 Artifacts
In the early 1800s, bandboxes stored clothing, hats, accessories, and other small items for a growing number of American travelers. Box makers covered their products with swatches of colorful wallpaper or papers with vivid images and scenes specifically made to decorate the outside of the box. Bandboxes were affordable and expressed the traveler's taste. Today, we appreciate them as markers of travel, style, and the lives of early Americans.