Vanity from the Rock Rest Tourist Home
date: label: Date
content: late 19th-late 20th century
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Sligh Furniture Company, American, founded 1880
label: Owned by
content: Clayton Sinclair, American
label: Owned by
content: Hazel Sinclair, American
label: Subject of
content: Margeson Brothers Furniture Store, American
label: Subject of
content: Rock Rest Tourist Home, American, 1948 - 1976
notes: label: Description
content: 2011.12.20ab: A vanity with a detached mirror from the Rock Rest Tourist Home.
label: Description
content: 2011.12.20a: A vanity from the Rock Rest Tourist Home. The vanity is primarily constructed from burl wood with a dark finish. The bottom section of the vanity features a flat, rectangular surface with beveled edges and two built-in front drawers. The vanity also has four thin legs, that are squared at the top and taper towards the feet. The front legs are reinforced with carved, L-shaped, decorative brackets that reinforce the joint between the leg and the front bottom of the vanity. Plain, triangle-shaped brackets are similarly attached on the back of the vanity. The vanity’s drawer fronts are burl wood with a black, oval shaped inlays at the center. The inlays are embellished with two, painted, five petal flowers, orange and pink, framed by leaves. Each drawer has two, round, wooden drawer pulls. Between the front and back legs, on the sides of the vanity, are carved, arch-shaped, decorative leg braces. The back of the vanity is plain but has the two, small wooden pieces that attach the vanity to the mirror. The pieces are held in place with several metal screws.
label: Description
content: 2011.12.20b: The mirror section of a vanity from the Rock Rest Tourist Home. The mirror is constructed with four wooden pieces: a frame for the mirror glass, a base, and two carved brackets that flank either side of the mirror. All four pieces are medium and dark finished burl wood. The mirror is roughly tablet shaped and set within the thin wooden frame. The frame has a center flute that runs around the entire frame. The base is thin and extends beyond the mirror on either side. The carved brackets bookending each side of the mirror are L-shaped with carved wave shapes at the base. The back of the mirror is solid medium finished wood. Adhered to the top center of the wooden mirror backing is a blue and white adhesive label that reads [MARGESON’S / SPECIALISTS IN / HOME FURNISHINGS / PORTSMOUTH N.H.] in the blue section at the top and blank fillable lines for [No.], [Finish], [Lot], and [Style] in the white section below. At the base, there are two light patches to the left and right of the where there mirror detached from the vanity.
place: label: Place collected
content: Kittery, York County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
label: Place made
content: Michigan, United States, North and Central America
label: Place purchased
content: Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Black Enterprise
label: Topic
content: Black interiors
label: Topic
content: Business
label: Topic
content: Recreation
label: Topic
content: Segregation
label: Topic
content: Travel
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: The Rock Rest Tourist Home Collection
label: Classification
content: Furnishings, Housewares, and Décor
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Inc.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2011.12.20ab
objectType: label: Type
content: mirrors
label: Type
content: dressing tables
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: 2011.12.20a: paint and varnish on wood and metal
label: Medium
content: 2011.12.20b: varnish on wood and reflective glass
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (2011.12.12a): 32 1/4 × 46 1/8 × 19 7/8 in. (81.9 × 117.2 × 50.5 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (2011.12.12b): 30 1/2 × 40 × 2 in. (77.5 × 101.6 × 5.1 cm)