AFA 20th Anniversary

Antiques & Fine Art 115 2020 Chest made for Maria Griesemer, Oley Valley, Berks County, Pa., 1797. Tulip poplar, white pine, paint, brass, iron. H. 30¼, W. 52¾, D. 24¾ inches. Collection of a descendant. Most Pennsylvania German men and women received a chest during their teenage years. Used for storing personal items such as clothing and books, these chests later accompanied their owners when they married and set up housekeeping. This vibrantly painted example was made in 1797 for Maria Griesemer (1781–1863), who lived in the Oley Valley of Berks County. She married Daniel Bertolet (1781–1868), with whom she had ten children. The chest has descended through many generations of the Griesemer-Bertolet family to the present owner. Remarkable for its extraordinarily original condition, the chest is part of a small group of related chests made for owners living in Berks and Lehigh counties. Previous page: Dewees Tavern, Trappe, Pa., built ca. 1740, renovated and expanded 1800, expanded 1830. The Dewees Tavern fronts on a centuries-old road that served as the colonial highway between Philadelphia and Reading, Pennsylvania. The oldest section of the building, at the far right, was erected in the 1740s for Andrew Miller, a joiner and bellows maker, and his wife, Anna Maria Ewald. It was renovated about 1800 with the addition of a grand Federal stair hall and parlor; the building was also enlarged to include what is now the middle section. Around 1830, it was expanded yet again. and from 1838 to 1855, it was operated by Mary Catharine Dewees as a tavern and boardinghouse. Since the 1960s, the Dewees Tavern has been the headquarters of the local historical society, which is now part of a larger nonprofit organization known as Historic Trappe. Immigrant’s chest, Germany, 1744. Pine, iron. H. 22¾, W. 40¼, D. 19¾ inches. Rocky Hill Collection. Most German immigrants made the long ocean voyage to the New World with a chest filled with such provisions as clothing, bedding, food, and medicine. This example, dated 1744, is one of only a handful known to have survived. It is outfitted with hasps for two padlocks in addition to an internal lock to provide extra security in transit.