Footstool

1800-1860

Measurements

10 in x 16-3/8 in x 8-1/2 in

Materials

Tulip poplar* seat, hickory* legs

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of H. Rodney Sharp

Accession Number

1959.3862

Condition Notes

The footstool has a thin coating of some kind, but it is difficult to determine what it is and if it was pigmented.  Water or moisture has wicked up the lower ends of the legs.

Provenance

Ex coll. H. Rodney Sharp

Comments

Few pieces of furniture could be simpler than this footstool.  It is a sawn board with partially rounded corners and edges into which four rough-hewn legs are inserted.  It appears to have some kind of finish on it, but its nature is unknown. Fortunately, the woods have been microanalyzed for identification, which suggests a likely geographical area of fabrication.  Cast nails now fix the legs firmly to the underside of the top board.  Those nails may have been added at a later date.