Washstand

Object/Artifact

Saco Museum

Name/Title

Washstand

Entry/Object ID

1950.1.13

Description

Mahogany corner washstand with hinged splash boards that fold down on themselves when not in use (the locking pin to keep top in place now missing). The upper surface has one large and two small holes to hold a basin and cups. There is a storage area beneath with a rounded front and a central door with a beaded edges and oval string inlay; flanking panels have a similar decorative treatment. The plain skirt has stringing and a patterned band of veneer along the lower edge. Straight back leg, front legs splay below the flat, shaped stretchers.

Made/Created

Date made

1790 - 1800

Dimensions

Height

31-1/2 in

Width

27 in

Depth

15-1/2 in

Dimension Notes

Open 46.50 high

Material

mahogany, pine, mahogany and other veneers

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Object Label

Label

Basin Stand, 1795-1810 probably Maine or northeastern Massachusetts mahogany, mahogany and other veneers, pine John S. Locke Collection, gift of the estate of Almira Locke McArthur

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Plate 42 in Thomas Sheraton's Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book (1793) was the design source for this clever basin stand. The backsplash is hinged at the back and on one side so that it can fold down flat when not in use. The cabinetmaker that made this stand chose to use finely figured mahogany and minimal inlay instead of the more expensive crotch veneers and inlay patterns shown in the design plate. The stand originally belonged to prosperous Biddeford merchant Daniel Cleaves and his wife Sarah Fairfield. Daniel's 1818 probate inventory listed “2 mahogany wash stands $11.”