Made in Boston, a relatively small town at the time, this dressing table (and the accompanying high chest [1993.30.A-B]) reveal the sophistication entering furniture design in the colonies during the first decades of

The squared-off forms, matched panels of veneer, ebonized trumpet-shaped legs, and delicate hardware of this high chest reflect the influence of northern Europe and Spain upon English furniture of the late 17th century and, in turn, that of colonial America.

Jacob Lawrence, one of the most significant and influential artists of the African American experience in the mid-20th century, was born in 1917 in Atlantic City. He studied at the Harlem Art Center with painter Charles Alston and at the American Artists School. Lawrence taught at the University of Washington in Seattle, Black Mountain College in North Carolina, and at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

Hiram Powers was born in Woodstock, Vermont in 1805 and grew up in Ohio. With virtually no formal training, he began his career as a sculptor modelling figures for a Cincinnati wax museum.

Used to store pipe tobacco, this Dutch earthenware tobacco jar features an Indian, tobacco plant, and ship, indicating European interest in the exotic qualities of Colonial America.

This bottle may originally have sat in a basin and would have held water for the washing of one's hands and face. It is particularly noteworthy for its Oriental-style decoration.

To "fuddle" means to make foolish by drink, and this novelty item assisted in that process. The drinker was challenged to empty the three compartments simultaneously without spilling any liquid.