Bandbox, circa 1835
THF160954 / Bandbox, circa 1835
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Artifact Overview
In the early 1800s, Americans used bandboxes to store clothing, accessories, and other small items. Bandboxes were handy containers in the home or when traveling by stage, boat, or rail. Manufacturers covered these inexpensive pasteboard or wooden boxes with colorful papers. This bandbox's paper depicts an idyllic scene with a towered home and mill.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Bandbox (Container)
Date Made
circa 1835
Place of Creation
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
29.257.2
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Cardboard
Wallpaper
String (Fiber product)
Paper (Fiber product)
Color
Beige (Color)
Brown
White (Color)
Yellow (Color)
Red
Dimensions
Height: 11.75 in
Width: 17.25 in
Length: 13.25 in
Inscriptions
Handwritten on bottom of box:
G. Wh-t--
Keywords |
|---|
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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.