Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2023.11.1 |
Object Name |
Bucket |
Description |
North Family fancy bucket with lid, striped wood, brass hoops, and John Bradford inscription. The staves, head, and lid are made of alternating hardwoods that provide contrasting color and grain pattern. The staves are tongue and grooved, and turned with a smooth curve to the chime (bottom, inside edge of the staves) and the upper, inside rim of the bucket. The lid is made of the same contrasting woods as the staves with a brass rim nailed to the wood with copper tacks. The rim is joined with a single brass rivet, and the ends are trimmed to a "V." There are multiple sets of dog marks on the bottom of the lid - 3 sets with four 'points' and two sets with three 'points' on a smaller diameter. There is an inscription under the lid that reads: "John Bradford / Enfield NH / Aug 1900" The inscription has been written over - the lower pencil is very light and has been traced over with pencil very heavily. The head, or bottom, of the bucket is also two types of contrasting wood. There is a single set of 3 dog points where it was secured while being turned. There is a clear stamp in the center which reads "N.F. Shakers / Enfield, N.H." The hoops are brass, 5/8" wide, secured with two rivets and the ends trimmed to a shallow "V." The bail plates are brass and diamond shaped, secured to the staves with two clenched copper tacks. The bail is brass with a turned hardwood handle. There is no finish on the inside and a coat of what appears to be modern clear finish on the outside. |
Credit line |
Gift of Paul Dalton |
Date |
ca. 1869-1892 |
Dimensions |
H-8 Dia-9.75 inches |
Dimension Details |
Height is with the lid on, not including the bail. Diameter is measured at the lid. The diameter of the head is 8-1/8". |
Material |
Hardwood/Brass/Copper |
Place made |
Enfield, NH Shaker Village, North Family |
Lexicon category |
7: Distribution & Transportation Artifact |
Lexicon sub-category |
Container |
Interpretive information |
All three Enfield Shaker families produced buckets for sale at one time or another. The North Family's production cooperage in the second half of the 19th Century was the largest. We have several examples of North Family lidded buckets, a couple other lidded buckets with brass hoops, but this is the first North Family bucket seen with decorative, contrasting woods. |
Linked documents |
Watch a video about Enfield buckets on the museum's Youtube channel. |