Lyman, Fenton & Co.
Soap Box

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Soap Box
Datec. 1849–1858
Made inBennington, Vermont, United States
MediumLead-glazed earthenware (flint enamel ware)
Dimensions4 1/8 × 5 1/2 × 4 1/4 in. (10.5 × 14 × 10.8 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.57.52.A,.B
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Maple Bedroom
On view

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

Today this item would be called a soap dish, but that name does not appear in the Fenton pottery price list of 1852. Instead there is a listing for "Soap Boxes,” which cost $4.00 per dozen.

Alternating rib pattern. Rectangular bombé shape with narrow foot rim and flared top rim. The top rim consists of a molded decoration of flowers and vines with leaves. The slightly bombé lid tapers upward to a flat surface with a branch-shaped handle and terminals of leaves and flowers.

Related examples: Barret 1958, p. 117, pl. 165c.

Book excerpt: Warren, David B., Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.


Provenance[George S. McKearin, Hoosick Falls, New York]; [Whimsy Antiques, Arlington, Vermont]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1957; given to MFAH, by 1966.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[no inscriptions]
Impressed on underside: Lyman Fenton & Co. / Fenton's / ENAMEL / PATENTED / 1849. / BENNINGTON, Vt. [Barret 1958, p. 14, fig. IXa]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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