Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-16
MRS. STONES wARMING-PAN.

MRS. STONES wARMING-PAN.
A Collection Of Interesting Objects Pre-
scented to the National Museum.
In old Enslish novels and sketches of home
life the warming-pan plays q conspicuous part.
How many people are there to-day who ever
saw q warming-pan? The comparatively small
number includes STAR reporter, who saw his
first and only warming-pan yesterday in cor
| ner Of Mr.. Goodies Office at the national
| museum. 1t was one Of o number of interest
| ing objects just presented to the museum by
| the venerable Mrs. Elizabeth J. Stone, whose
| name and family are closely identified with the
early history and social life Of Washington.
This warming-pan IL q round brass pan, about
| ten inches In diameter and three inches deep,
with brass top or cover. II has a straight
| handle Of polished wood, about four feet long.
1t is one hundred and twenty years old and was
brought to this country from England by Robt
King, ST., at one time surveyor of Washington
city. when warming pans we're used, said one
OF the attaches of the museum to The SrAR
reporter, bedrooms were not heated as they
are now with stoves or CRATES or registers In
winter they were very cold So, before people
went to bed, the warming-pan, filed with hot
Goals, was taken 10 the bedrooms and rubbed
all over the cold sheets to make them warm"
AN oLD-TTME ToAsTxR.
Beside the warming pan stood toaster of
equal antiquity, and likewise brought to this
country by the late Mr.. King. This was used
in making toast before an open fire. 1t con-
sists OF a brass stand, on which the plate or
dish for receiving the crisp, Drowned slices
was placed, and a toasting fork with several
prongs, swinging vertically between two up
rights rising from either side Of the stand
1hls fork or toaster has a number OF prongs,
so that several slices could be exposed to the
fire at once. When they were toasted enough
the fork could be dipped down toward the
stand, SO that the slices could be easily trans
ferred 10 the plate
LACE LOOMS
Among other objects of interest in this COL
lection are two lace looms, ON which Mrs. Stone
worked herself upward of sixty years ago. One
OF these looms or "lace pillows," as they were
called. was OF somewhat rude construction.
The other was made Of better material and for
1t was constructed little round mahogany
workable with revolving top. The pillow
looks like a large pillow aproned with leather.
In the center are cluster of pins, around
which are wound the linen threads converging
to this center from semicircular row Of odd
little spools that reaches all around the front
of the cushion. A little strip of lace is on one
of the looms, showing the process of manu-
facture. With the looms also are shown speci-
mems OF lace made by Mrs. Stone. There is a
box containing exquisitely wrought beadwork
also illustrating woman's employment at
nome hall century ago. Among the
specimens are necklaces made Of wide bands
OF fine bead-work, such as were worn by fash
lonabls women between 1920 and 1910. There
are retcules having designs worked in fine
beads, having all the softness of effect of hand
painting on silk. Mrs. stones donation in
air S,fta,a t1ae t;o1a, 30
GUS interest. There are Indian moccasins ele-
gantly worked. an Indian work-bag, and other
specimens of aboriginal handiwork; boxfuI Of
walrus tusks, elegantly engraved or etched
pair OF Chinese sandals, ruler made Of iron
wood, which was taken from the timber Of the
old government house at st. Augustine, Fla,
the first house worthy OF the name erected on
American soil by Europeans, and paper-cut-
ter from Mexico, beautifully chased and en-
graved She has given also u fac smile OF the
husband, the late VIM. j. Stone, by order of
Congress, and bearing the approval Of John
Quincy Adams, Secretary of State, July 4, 1923.
AN OLD MAP
Another interesting object is a map Of WASH
ington city, engraved by Mrs. Stone herself
from surveys by n. and R. King in 1915 This
old map shows on paper the city very much as
it Is to-day, except meandering through its
center are various creeks, which have entirely
disappeared. There Is Pennsylvania avenue
stretching from one end to the other Mrs.
Stone and her sister, Miss Lenthau, remember
going along this avenue in their girlhood, part
of the way by fOotpaths through the bushes
Mrs. Stone remembers, too, when people used
to drive right through the old capitol between
the two wings Of the incomplete structure;
when Thomas Jefferson used to ride to attend
service at the old Christ church, Nayy-Yard,
and on returning tie his horse In front of her
fathers house, on Capitol HILL and entering,
stop to chat with her father. A contribution she
has made to the museum which is considered
of especial value as it viii help to complete the
series in preparation to illustrate the history
and development Of photography Is an inter
and transparent pictures representing views Of
Niagara. The stereOpticOn itself is . curious
affair. 1t is huge drum Of polished wood, ON
top Of which the eye-pieces are attached.
Within the cylinder is frame or wheel, to
which the views are attached. By turning a
knob this interior frame is made to revolve,
bringing each view In turn within the focus Of the
glasses The interest in it, from the scientific
point of view, is that it illustrates the applica-
ton Of the daguerreotype to the stereopticon
These views were taken about 1851. Modern
Photographic processes and double cameras
were then unknown. The double picture had
to be made by two exposures, and the skill Of
the operator was taxed to procure plates cor
responding In detail sufficiently for stereopti-
con purposes. At one end Of the drum the
daguerreotype views are shown, and at the
other end the transparent views made by the
alhuman DrOcAaa