Sailor's Sea Chest
notes: label: Description
content: Dating to the 1790s, this sailor’s sea chest would have been one of the owner’s most important possessions. The crew on sailing ships typically owned little property—perhaps only what would fit into a chest like this one. Not only did his chest store a sailor’s personal belongings, but it also served as his table, his chair, his bank and his bureau. These chests also gave a sailor an opportunity for personal expression through carvings, paintings, and decorations.
label: Description
content: Carvings, a name “Jan Smart” inside a heart, and the date 1799 decorate this pine chest. It is unknown whether the name refers to the owner of the chest or someone else. The chest is broader at the base than at the top, giving it greater stability at sea. Fancy brass handles at each end provide lifting points. The top displays fancy carving around the edge, and inside there are small compartments on either end.
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts
label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, New Bedford
topic: label: Subject
content: Maritime
label: Subject
content: Sailors
label: Subject
content: Sailing Ships
label: related event
content: Revolution and the New Nation
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: Clothing & Accessories
label: See more items in
content: Work
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.63.828
label: catalog number
content: 63.828
label: accession number
content: 245875
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Chest, Sea
label: Object Name
content: chest, sea
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paint (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: approx: 15 in x 36 in x 12 in; 38.1 cm x 91.44 cm x 30.48 cm