Covered Basket
MakerMade by
Mohegan People
(Native American)
Dateabout 1840
MediumPlain-woven oak
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width x depth): 8 x 9 3/4 x 9 3/4in. (20.3 x 24.8 x 24.8cm)
ClassificationsEquipment
Credit LineGift of Albert C. Bates
Object number1950.358.4a,b
DescriptionSquare covered storage basket made of plain-woven oak. The square rim is double reinforced with half-round interior and exterior reinforcement. The warp and weft splints are medium to wide. Tight geometric and open geometric designs are colored with Mohegan pink and verdigris in varnish.
The interior of the basket bottom is lined with a printed broadside advertisement dated March 1839. In the advertisement, John R. Thayer informs the inhabitants of Norwich, Connecticut, that he continues his silk, cotton, and wool dyeing business at his stand opposite the P. Phillips Hotel in Greenville.
The interior of the basket lid is lined with a printed broadside titled, "Midnight Cry", issued in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, dated 13 July 1842. This broadside is a publication of the Millerites, a millenial religious sect, citing Bible passages to substantiate their view that Christ would return in 1843. It is written in question-and-answer format, with the name "Augustus Beach" appearing at the bottom.
NotesHistorical Note: Greenville was founded about 1829 as a manufacturing community, within the town of Norwich. (Schoelwer 8/3/2007)The interior of the basket bottom is lined with a printed broadside advertisement dated March 1839. In the advertisement, John R. Thayer informs the inhabitants of Norwich, Connecticut, that he continues his silk, cotton, and wool dyeing business at his stand opposite the P. Phillips Hotel in Greenville.
The interior of the basket lid is lined with a printed broadside titled, "Midnight Cry", issued in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, dated 13 July 1842. This broadside is a publication of the Millerites, a millenial religious sect, citing Bible passages to substantiate their view that Christ would return in 1843. It is written in question-and-answer format, with the name "Augustus Beach" appearing at the bottom.
Historical Note: William Miller (1782-1849) was a farmer, deputy sheriff, and justice of the peace who lived in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. After years of Bible study, Miller began preaching in 1831 that the second coming of Christ would occur in "about the year 1843". He developed a following that he estimated to be between 50,000 and 100,000 people. The Millerite movement had two primary publications, the "Signs of the Times" and the "Midnight Cry". When 1843 passed, some Millerites set 22 October 1844 as the date of the second coming; that date brough the group to a climax. The final general conference of the Millerites was held in April 1845 in Albany, New York. (Hudson 3/8/2007)
Status
On view
