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Hope Chest Heirlooms





Hope chests started out as one of the initial furniture pieces owned in most newly wedded couples households in Early America. These heirloom hope chests are as treasured as the family keepsakes which are stored inside.

Hope chests made in America were created from European styles in the 1600's and 1700's by wood workers formally known as cabinet makers. Some of the popular copied designs were taken from the Baroque Style, the Queen Anne Style and the Louis XIV Style. As time went by, these furniture makers began to create their own styles. These designs developed certain characteristics in different cities so that historians are able to state the city and sometimes the exact wood artisan of most hope chests. In some cities, some craftsmen would use only one type of foot style, joinery style, shell element design, certain stain colors and at times only one or two types of hardwood. Many of these wood chests are not signed or stamped by their creators.

Hope chests were highly valued by Early Americans, not only for their beautiful exteriors, but also for their strong construction. Many of the first hope chest furniture pieces were built to hold all of the necessary household items such as blankets, linen, clothing and kitchen items. Since all highly valued heirlooms that a family owned were also placed in these large wooden chests, many hope chests were made with drawers along the bottom or a tray which fitted onto the top lip for this purpose. Wedding dresses normally were placed in these special compartments since they were handed down for generations.

Mortise and tenon joinery was the first construction type used to create blanket chests. That was soon followed by dovetail joinery. Both construction types are extremely durable and long lasting forms of joinery. Most wood workers would agree that the glued joints of both of these joinery types are as strong as the wood itself, if not stronger. Every wood craftsman did pick a favorite joinery style for differing hope chest design styles. If he wanted to emphasize his corner construction, the wood artisan would have chosen dovetail joinery since it shows the detail of the hand chiseled cuts. If he needed a smooth looking edge for a painted design or carving design, the wood worker would have used mortise and tenon joinery.

Typically, in Early America, hope chests would be inscribed with the name of the person receiving the wooden chest along with the date of presentation. Many of these blanket storage chests were also given special designs either through carving or painting.The German immigrants that came to American in the 1700's and 1800's created the majority of the heirloom hope chests which are painted. Hearts, flowers, people on horseback and stars were favorite design elements. Some painted chest designs were hexes which would ward off evil spirits in the home. This was very important to many German immigrants. Hex designs range form the very simple to complex geometric styles. These blanket chests normally had the date of construction either on the outside or the inside of the lid.

These hope chests were considered too elaborate by other groups of people due to construction preferences or religious backgrounds. The Amish, the Shakers and the Mennonites,to name a few, developed styles that emulated their simple lifestyle. All of their furniture pieces were simple in style and construction without trying to create a 'beautiful' hope chest. Interestingly, modern day furniture collectors view these simple styles to be of much greater beauty than the elaborate styling of other hope chest makers in America.

Heirloom hope chests have retained their place in America over the years as cherished furniture to be handed down to the next generation and also for their great beauty. Blanket chest furniture is very versatile in placement and can be found in many areas of the home since they are showcase furniture pieces. Blanket Chest Heirlooms.com has a large selection of handcrafted hope chests for everyone to treasure.



About Author Charity Crouch :

Charity Crouch is an Art History major.
I recommend Blanket Chest Heirlooms.com as a place where you will find the best in handcrafted hope chests made with lasting joinery styles created from solid hardwoods. Their beautiful hope chestshave stain options and many styles from which to chose to fit your decor needs.


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Article Added on Friday, January 15, 2010
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