Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Trunk |
Date |
1790-1800 |
Description |
Oblong trunk with hinged lid. Cylindrical form made of wood and hair-covered animal hide with wrought iron hardware. Lid has initials ".R.C." spelled with brass tacks inside an oval shape; brass tacks also form decorative outlines and designs on the exterior of the trunk. Overall dimensions are 13 inches high x 31.25 inches long x 14 inches wide. (Keywords: Early American) |
Acquisition |
Gift of the Conner Family |
Ownership and History |
This type of trunk, sometimes called a hair trunk, was used for storage and for traveling. One Conner family descendent, writing in the twentieth century, relayed a story that this trunk had been used by Richard Conner (1723-1792) as a flotation device when he was shipwrecked on his way from Ireland to New York. However, the date and appearance of the trunk suggest its original owner may have been Richard's son, Richard Conner II (1763-1853). The trunk was deposited with the Staten Island Historical Society by Bertha Conner in 1934. In 2013, a formal gift of the object was made by E. Blanche Conner and Annamay Barnard in memory of Harold E. Conner (1918-2013). |
Earliest Date |
1790 |
Latest Date |
1800 |
Subjects |
Luggage |
Lexicon Sub-category |
Personal Gear |
Associated People |
Conner, Richard 2nd Conner, Richard |
Catalog Number |
F04.0063 |
Support Acknowledgment |
Online Collections Database record made possible in memory of Harold Conner, March 2014. |
Legal Status |
Images and text in this database are copyrighted by the Staten Island Historical Society unless otherwise noted. Items represented here are from the collections of the Staten Island Historical Society. Materials reproduced for personal non-commercial use must credit the Staten Island Historical Society. Commercial licensing is available. |