Bidspirit auction | DECORATED BLANKET CHEST

DECORATED BLANKET CHEST - Probably Ohio, 1820-1840, pine. Dovetailed 6-board chest on bracket feet, the interior till with a secret drawer. Retains its original green paint and early address and later inscription inside. 22” high, 45” wide, 21.5” deep. Early blanket chests were often utilized as packing crates when moving households, and based on the slightly later labels on this early 19th-century chest, they were also sometimes used as shipping crates. Unfortunately, B.F. Smith is too common a name to track down in Cleveland, and neither the last name of James on the left side of the chest nor the first name of Mr. Jacobs on the right side of the chest can be discerned. According to one legend, the 'a' was dropped from the name of the city founded by Moses Cleaveland in 1830 when a newspaper couldn't fit the full name in the headline. Whether or not this is true, the use of ”Cleaveland” in the address suggests a pre-1850 date of the added label. Condition: One hinge is replaced, a small second lock was added, wear, minor loss