Artifacts in Focus: Dunham House Assemblage (April 1, 2020)

More from the ASNJ’s Dunham House archaeological excavation last summer! This is a selection of artifacts that date from the 18th century and are associated with the Samuel Barron household from 1750-1801.

They include (top row) two buckles, a pin, a bone fan blade for a lady's hand fan, a knife, a chisel, a fragment of Morgan Pottery stoneware with a watch spring motif and a tobacco pipe stem; (bottom row) North Midlands hollowware, white salt glazed stoneware plate, dipped white salted glazed stoneware mug, porcelain with landscape motif, manganese mottled mug, and tin glazed earthenware plate. 

The assemblage represents a mix of imported goods and locally produced ceramics. Items like the fan blade, also highlight a household of wealth. Pins, like the one in the image, were used to fasten clothing and paper together and represented the 18th-century equivalent of the modern-day paper clip and velcro. Buckles, like the two in the image, were abound in the 18th century and used to fasten pants, shoes, stockings, leather straps, satchels, luggage, etc. 

📸: Michael Gall

Artifacts in Focus: Pearlware Plate Rim (March 18, 2020)

This Pearlware plate rim fragment was discovered in a box of artifacts from an old collection that is being rehoused. Pearlware can sometimes be difficult to identify, but this piece offered us some nice hints with its generally blue-toned color and blue specks observable in the glaze, which are two strong pieces of evidence for its identification!

This particular piece is believed to have been produced sometime in the 1820s or 1830s, based on the presence of the embossed foliage motif around the rim, a popular decorative style in that period. Old collections can sometimes prove to be illusive in terms of provenience, as the paperwork associated with them is often missing or has not been read in so long that a bit of contextual untangling must be performed before conclusions can be drawn! With time, we will understand the story of this little fragment better. 😊

If you have found yourself with some new time on your hands, you can learn more about collections management here: https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1802/collections_mgt.htm.

📸: Alexis Alemy