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High Chest of drawers

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This high chest of drawers was owned by Mary Stratton Stebbins (1749-1830) of Belchertown, Massachusetts. It is believed to have been part of the "wedding outfit" when she married Samuel Hinsdale of Greenfield, Massachusetts, in 1772. This maple chest comforms to the style know as Queen Anne or Rococo. A departure from the heavy joined oak chests of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the high chest was made by a cabinet maker rather than the joiner of an earlier period. It was intended to store clothing and household linens. This square-head or flat top case of drawers is constructed of lightweight dovetailed maple boards and has a curvilinear skirt, delicately shaped cabriole legs, and thirteen drawers. It was originally painted red or grain-painted, but is now black. The carved shell on the center drawer of the lower case may be original. The pin-wheel on the upper section was probably added later.

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