On View
On viewComb
Dateca. 1813
Terms
- Combs
- Tortoise Shell
- Boston
Dimensions13.96 × 21.57 cm (5 1/2 × 8 1/2 in.)
MarkingsThe box is marked in pencil "Maria Thoreau, Concord, 1813."
Credit LineGift of Cummings E. Davis
Object numberTH55a
DescriptionComb and comb box (Th55a,b). Tortoise-shell comb. Plain face, 29 teeth; 5 teeth are broken. Belonged to Maria Thoreau, Henry Thoreau's paternal aunt. Semicircular tortoiseshell hair combs were not used to comb the hair but as an ornament. This comb is a relatively plain, though attractive, one. Several shops in Boston in the first half of the nineteenth century produced tortoiseshell combs and the boxes to house them.
Collections
- Henry David Thoreau Collection
- Historic Clothing
Object number: PER1128
Object number: PER1196