Blanket Chest

About the Art

This wooden blanket chest was created by German immigrants in southeastern Pennsylvania. Chests like this were gifted to teenagers to hold their belongings and would have been taken along when they began households of their own. Painted on the front are details indicating the date it was made (1790) and the name of its original owner (Darina Kleinin). Blanket chests were meant to hold linens, clothes and other personal possessions.

The decorative shapes that adorn the front of the chest were scribed into the wood with a sharp tool before painting, creating a crisp outline. Paint was added using a technique called texturing, which contributed both an interesting surface and color. Texturing was done by painting over a first layer of paint with a contrasting color and, while the second color was still wet, running a hard object across the surface, such as a brush, corn cob or feather.

Adornments here are thoughtfully and intentionally placed, including two shapes meant to imitate the appearance of recessed panels in English cabinetmaking. Each drawer features three brass drawer pulls and in the painted plaque with name and date you will notice three painted tulips in the center. Tulips are a popular symbol in the Pennsylvania German folk art tradition.

FEATURED IMAGE
Artist(s) unknown (American), Blanket Chest, 1790, pigments on poplar, brass, 26 3/8 x 50 1/8 x 21 inches (67 x 127.3 x 53.3 cm). Gift of the Estate of Mr. Elmer R. Webster and Mr. Robert A. Titsch, 1995.52