Bellows for Clarissa C. Jones183111 1/4 × 4 1/2 × 1 3/4"Paint, bronze powder stenciling, and gold leaf on wood with brass and leatherGift of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration68.201550574471Artist unidentifiedTools and EquipmentThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain.United StatesConnecticutThree Dimensional WorksBellows, used to stoke or start a fire, were commonplace items in early American homes, which depended upon the open hearth for warmth and cooking. Hand-held domestic bellows were fashioned from two shaped wooden boards attached by a band of leather that was prevented from collapsing by a framework of wire or reeds. As the boards were pumped together, air was expelled with force. Air was taken in through a large valve on the backboard that opened inward and then was pushed out through a small narrow open tip that was often sheathed in brass.
As did other utilitarian items used in the home, bellows presented an opportunity for decorative treatments similar to those used for furniture and decorative arts. Many bellows were embellished with grain painting and stenciled or freehand elements in paint, bronze powder, and gold leaf. The smallest of the three bellows included here has all these features and is ornamented with freehand bronze decoration of fruit and flowers spraying from an etched gold leaf urn, which is also etched with the inscription “Clarissa C. Jones Southington A.D. 1831.” Clarissa C. Jones was the daughter of John Edward Jones, of Southington, Connecticut. She was born October 27, 1813, and died January 20, 1861.Object information is a work in progress and may be updated
with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art
Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org18311831 68 2 Object information is a work in progress and may be updated
with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art
Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org