Whiting Manufacturing Company
Table Bell

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Table Bell
Datec. 1873
Possible placeNew York, New York, United States
Possible placeNorth Attleboro, Massachusetts, United States
MediumSilver
Dimensions5 3/8 × 2 1/8 in. diameter (13.7 × 5.4 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Isabel B. Wilson and Maconda B. O'Connor in memory of Antonietta Borges-Hellmund
Object numberB.2000.12
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Metals Study Room
Exposé

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionA silver table bell suggests a well-equipped and orderly household with enough means to have domestic employees. The terminal of the bell’s handle is fashioned as a bird feeding its young in the nest, an emblem of the nurture and protection that were elements of the so-called cult of domesticity that praised a woman’s role as virtuous homemaker.
Provenance[Phyllis Tucker Antiques, Houston]; purchased by MFAH, 2000.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Gothic monogram engraved on the bell: C.E.B./ Dec. 2, 1873.; FROM/ Sister Julia.
Stamped on rim of bell: W [within a circle] 5 STERLING

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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