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Candle Boxes
The old saying “necessity is the mother of invention” certainly rang true for Colonial and early-Victorian families. Homeowners demonstrated a lot of ingenuity in devising wooden containers for storing foodstuffs, cooking ingredients, and even candles to protect them from mice and other vermin.
Early on, candle making was an essential, labor-intensive process that involved creating tallow from animal fats. During the 1700s and early 1800s, candles were formed by pouring tallow into tin molds and allowing it to dry. Attempts were often made to improve the smell of the finished candles by adding waxy bayberries to the molds to scent them (and also to improve the steadiness of the flame). But despite efforts to mask the animal-fat odor, the candles still attracted vermin, so they had to be stored in a convenient place where the critters couldn’t feast on the tallow. Candles were a precious commodity in early New England homes, and wooden candle boxes, designed to hang on the wall or crafted with a sliding wood lid, served to keep the household supply safe.
Typically handcrafted by country woodworkers or the man of the house, wooden candle boxes were often made of pine or poplar, but cherry and walnut examples do turn up. Although often generically referred to as New England candle boxes, the boxes were also made in Ohio, New York, and along the Eastern seaboard prior to the 1860s, when factory-made boxes became available. They were often painted red, brown, yellow, blue, or green. Special paint techniques, such as graining or sponging, were also used on occasion to give the candle boxes a decorative and even stylish look.
Hanging candle boxes were constructed on a backboard between 10 and 28 inches in height. One or two storage compartments were dovetailed or nailed to the backboard. Boxes constructed with nails after the early 1800s should show machine-cut nails with a square head. (The wire nail with a round head was introduced after 1890.)
Dovetailed candle boxes also offer an excellent clue to their age since handcrafting resulted in larger and more irregular dovetails when compared to the smaller ones turned out by machine after 1860. The compartments on a wall-hung candle box, typically plain cut, sometimes will display scalloped edges indicating an effort to decorate the piece. Collectors should keep in mind that a candle box with two compartments would be a rare find indeed.
Slide-top candle boxes were also made of soft woods such as pine, but examples made of hardwoods do turn up. This type of box can range from 9 to 16 inches in length and 4 to 6 inches in width. Slide-top boxes were often painted or decorated with a special paint technique. They should also display dovetail joints or square nails used in construction. The top should fit a bit loosely in most cases, as wood tends to shrink over time. Finding circular saw marks on the wood indicates the box was made after the 1840s.
Early on, candle making was an essential, labor-intensive process that involved creating tallow from animal fats. During the 1700s and early 1800s, candles were formed by pouring tallow into tin molds and allowing it to dry. Attempts were often made to improve the smell of the finished candles by adding waxy bayberries to the molds to scent them (and also to improve the steadiness of the flame). But despite efforts to mask the animal-fat odor, the candles still attracted vermin, so they had to be stored in a convenient place where the critters couldn’t feast on the tallow. Candles were a precious commodity in early New England homes, and wooden candle boxes, designed to hang on the wall or crafted with a sliding wood lid, served to keep the household supply safe.
Typically handcrafted by country woodworkers or the man of the house, wooden candle boxes were often made of pine or poplar, but cherry and walnut examples do turn up. Although often generically referred to as New England candle boxes, the boxes were also made in Ohio, New York, and along the Eastern seaboard prior to the 1860s, when factory-made boxes became available. They were often painted red, brown, yellow, blue, or green. Special paint techniques, such as graining or sponging, were also used on occasion to give the candle boxes a decorative and even stylish look.
Hanging candle boxes were constructed on a backboard between 10 and 28 inches in height. One or two storage compartments were dovetailed or nailed to the backboard. Boxes constructed with nails after the early 1800s should show machine-cut nails with a square head. (The wire nail with a round head was introduced after 1890.)
Dovetailed candle boxes also offer an excellent clue to their age since handcrafting resulted in larger and more irregular dovetails when compared to the smaller ones turned out by machine after 1860. The compartments on a wall-hung candle box, typically plain cut, sometimes will display scalloped edges indicating an effort to decorate the piece. Collectors should keep in mind that a candle box with two compartments would be a rare find indeed.
Slide-top candle boxes were also made of soft woods such as pine, but examples made of hardwoods do turn up. This type of box can range from 9 to 16 inches in length and 4 to 6 inches in width. Slide-top boxes were often painted or decorated with a special paint technique. They should also display dovetail joints or square nails used in construction. The top should fit a bit loosely in most cases, as wood tends to shrink over time. Finding circular saw marks on the wood indicates the box was made after the 1840s.
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Latest page update: made by jsonderg
, Apr 19 2007, 1:41 PM EDT
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