Trunk

1785-1825

Measurements

15 in x 20 in x 15 in

Materials

Unidentified conifer (possibly white pine), unidentified ring-porous hardwood (runners beneath the trunk), leather, brass (tack heads), iron (fittings), paper (interior lining)

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, The David Wilson Mansion, Inc.

Accession Number

1971.850

Inscription

A label affixed to the upper left corner of the inside of the lid says, "James & Deborah Jefferis / 1760 / Mary Corbit Wilson 1846 / Mary Corbit Warner 1876."

An applied "jelly" label says “Odessa / Museum / 8D.”

"C. Stump / Nashville" along with "No. 2" and other markings is painted on the outside bottom of the trunk.

Condition Notes

The original leather is very brittle and has crack and worn off large areas of the trunk.  Then lid hinges are old replacements.  The trunk now stands on two front-to-back white cleats that add about 3/8-inch in height.

Provenance

Ex coll. Mrs. E. Tatnall (Mary Corbit) Warner.  See "Comments" for additional information.

Comments

Hardened leather, of the type tanned in the 18th and early 19th centuries, covers this wood trunk made of boards nailed together and secured with iron straps at the corners.  Brass-headed nails help affix the leather to the wood as well as create a modest level of decoration (following a century-old tradition).  The tacks outline the rectangular planes and form interlaced arches in the lid.  An iron lock on the front, which appears to be original, secures the lid. Iron lifting handles at each side provide convenience in moving it.

A small leather tab nailed to the center top of the lid and another in the center of the outside bottom appear to be later additions.  They were intended to hold a leather strap to keep the trunk shut.  The strap was reported in 2001 to be brittle and broken in places; it is now missing.  The tabs and strap were likely added after the key to the lock was lost or after the hinges securing the top failed.

Inside, the trunk is lined with plain bluish-green paper (instead of the more common reused printed paper).  A label in the upper left corner was written by Mary Corbit Warner (1848-1923), who marked many objects that she inherited from her forebears.  The label gives a history of ownership by her mother and maternal great grandparents along with marriage years for herself and her mother.  The 1760 makes no sense in the family history inasmuch as James was 2 years old at that time and Deborah was born 2 years later.  Nonetheless, the label confirms that the trunk was part of Mary Warner's diverse inheritance of objects and that it was something she believed was owned by her forebears.  In addition, a small jelly label (so-called because labels of this type were used in the mid-20th century to marked home-made canned and jarred foods) references an Odessa museum, likely the Wilson house after it was opened in 1923 as a public historical house.

The inscription on the outside bottom referencing C. Stump and Nashville suggests that the trunk was once used for shipment to Stump in Nashville, Tennessee.  (For another trunk marked with a destination and person, although later, see accession no. 1959.3791.)  That inscription needs to be reconciled with the apparent provenance of the trunk.