Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Child's Rocking Chair, c. 1850 |
Object Name |
Chair, Rocking |
Description |
Child's Rocking Chair, c. 1850. Small wicker child's rocking chair with wooden frame and basket seat and back. Back and arms are curved. Back has an intricate braided design. |
Date |
c. 1850s |
Catalog Number |
0000.030 |
Dimensions |
H-23.5 W-14.5 D-23 inches |
Collection |
3D - Furniture |
Provenance |
Childhood posession of Ernest Cowell, son of Henry Cowell, owner of the Henry Cowell Lime and Cement Company of Santa Cruz. When Ernest outgrew the child's rocking chair, Mrs. Henry Cowell, his mother, gave it to Mrs. Patrick Dorsey who treasured it during her lifetime, and gave it a place of honor in the family parlor (livingroom). In later years, the Dorsey grandchildren were allowed to admire Ernest's rocking chair but never permitted to sit on it. Upon the death of the older Dorseys, their daughter, Helen Lynch [donor], cared for the chair at her home in San Mateo. When the Historical Museum opened, Mrs. Lynch donated Ernest Cowell's rocking chair to the Museum where Dr. Stanger assured her it would be valued for its historical background and memory of Ernest Cowell whose life was devoted to the history, wealth and educational institutions of the State of California. [Eloise Lynch Schillig] |
Notes |
According to note from Eloise Lynch Schillig in donor file: ...[the] child's rocking chair...was the childhood posession of Ernest Cowell, son of Henry Cowell, owner of the Henry Cowell Lime and Cement Company of Santa Cruz. The family home, lime kilns and vast land holdings included the present-day campus of University California Santa Cruz. Patrick Dorsey was in charge of the lime burning kilns and production of lime for commercial use for 52 years. His home was on the corner of High and Bay Streets across from the Cowell property. When Ernest outgrew the child's rocking chair, Mrs. Henry Cowell, his mother, gave it to Mrs. Patrick Dorsey who treasured it during her lifetime, and gave it a place of honor in the family parlor (living room). In later years, the Dorsey grandchildren were allowed to admire Ernest's rocking chair, but never permitted to sit on it. |
Search Terms |
Furniture Children's Furniture Cowell, Henry |
Subjects |
Chairs Rocking chairs Children Furniture |
People |
Cowell, Ernest |
Credit line |
Courtesy of Mrs. Helen Lynch |