Chest of Drawers

Details

Descriptive Terms

chests of drawers
case furniture
mahogany (wood)
eastern white pine (wood)
Chest Of Drawers

Label

Taken from Boston to the wilds of the territory now known as Maine, this chest of drawers suggests the close ties people in the eighteenth century maintained with Boston even after they moved away. According to a surviving bill of sale, Jonathan Bowman, cousin of Declaration of Independence signer John Hancock, purchased the chest of drawers from cabinetmaker George Bright in 1770, the year of Bowman's marriage to Mary Lowell Emerson. Gentlemen often had new household furniture made during the year of their marriage. The chest bears a stylish mahogany blockfront façade, characterized by protruding and recessed drawer fronts. Bowman transported the chest to his home in newly-settled Pownalborough, Massachusetts (present-day Dresden, Maine), where he held prominent positions including collector of the excise and justice of the peace. This chest attests to Bowman's desire to live as a Boston gentleman despite having moved to the northern frontier.
"Cherished Possessions": This chest of drawers was made in 1770 by the Boston, Massachusetts, cabinetmaker, George Bright, for newlyweds Jonathan and Mary Lowell Emerson Bowman. Bowman had moved from Boston to Pownalborough, Maine, in 1760 to oversee his uncle's business interests there. The move proved lucrative. When he and his new wife set up house, they could afford the best available furnishings.
For George Bright, furniture making was a family business that included his father, brother, and all five of his sons. Clearly successful, Bright's tax assessment of $120 in 1780 was matched by only one other cabinetmaker. A contemporary noted Bright was “esteemed the neatest workman in town."

Associated Building

Original To Bowman House Main House,

Additional Identification Number

B-8

Maker

Bright, George, 1726-1805 (Cabinetmaker)

Location of Origin

MA

Dimensions

31 x 39 x 20 11/16 (HxWxD) (inches)

Credit Line

Gift of Miss Florence L. Bixby

Accession Number

1980.79

Places

Massachusetts (United States)
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)

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