Name/Title
Hat box from Florence Roskein, 344 Millburn Avenue, 1954Entry/Object ID
2011.066.001BDescription
Round, lidded, cardboard hat box marked "Florence Roskein; 344 Millburn Avenue; Millburn, N.J." Lid is white with rose/pink lettering and pink around outside edge. Base is bright pink with a gold cord for carrying the box, threaded through the base. Bottom of the base is bright pink. The box has overall soiling and wear, especially at the edges. The lid is marked with some penciled words that seem to say "You I love" in childish writing. There is a ca. 4" split/smash in the cardboard of the base, at the bottom, near the point where one side of the gold carrying cord emerges through a brass rivet. There is a ca. 2.5" crease/split halfway down the base, to the right of that same point where the cord emerges from inside. A description of the other Roskein hatbox donation was posted to the Feb. 7, 2011 online Patch news website at:
https://patch.com/new-jersey/millburn/local-history-in-search-of-roskein
and stated: "...Because of Millburn's long history of millinery-related businesses, the society has a collection of hatters' diaries, hats, hat boxes and other items from Millburn Township businesses. But the Florence Roskein item was a new addition and name. Museum volunteer Anna Gracey looked through the society's collection of directories, which record all local residents and businesses, but the closest Roskein she found was David Roskein in South Orange in 1957. No Millburn business by that name was found in any of the directories...(but a search of) other online databases turned up a small 1999 notice of the death of Florence Roskein, "wife of the late David Roskein," so it seems the South Orange David Roskein was the husband of Florence." Note that since that Patch article was written, a reference to Florence Roskein's hat shop was found online in a 1954 Springfield newspaper.Acquisition
Accession
2011.066Source or Donor
Lynne Ranieri