Bandbox
PeriodCirca 1835 - 1846
Place MadePossibly New York, New York, U.S.A.
MediumPasteboard, printed wallpaper
Dimensions12.88 × 20 × 16 in. (32.7 × 50.8 × 40.6 cm)
ClassificationsStorage & Display Accessories
Credit LineMuseum Collection
Object number2020.516
DescriptionA large rectangular bandbox with rounded edges, made of pasteboard and covered with a bold wallpaper design depicting "Clayton's Ascent," in shades of brilliant blue, dark green, pale pink, and pale yellow. A balloon, festooned with a pair of flags and bearing two occupants, rises above a small cityscape including houses, stores, fountains, walls, and leafy trees. The bandbox's lid is covered with a floral paper in similar shades of blue and green, with a contrasting border strip along the lid sides in bright yellow and brown.Curatorial RemarksPractical, lightweight, and decorative, bandboxes have been used since the seventeenth century in England, when pasteboard containers were needed to store the large, lacy collars or "bands" worn by both men and women. The earliest American reference to bandboxes was in the will of Ipswich, Massachusetts resident Sarah Dillington in 1636. Bandboxes were particularly popular during the first half of the nineteenth century in America, gradually falling out of favor by the Civil War. Bandboxes could be purchased at dry goods shops and from dressmakers, milliners, and fabric stores. Many wallpaper manufacturers produced these containers as well. Most often, the boxes were covered in a wide variety of brightly-colored and designed wallpapers, often with matching or contrasting trim strips or borders, as in the case of the "Clayton's Ascent" bandbox in the Association's Collection. Bandboxes were used to store hats, shoes, garments, decorative hair combs, and other clothing and personal accessories. The boxes also provided bright color and decoration, perched atop wardrobes, linen presses, and high chests. Bandboxes could also be used as lightweight luggage or traveling containers. The Association's bandbox has a simple handle made of twine, threaded through two crudely punched holes in one side of the box.NotesThe bold and bright wallpaper frieze glued to the bandbox celebrates the accomplishment of Richard Clayton (1807 - 1877). Born in England, Clayton worked as a watchmaker in Cincinnati, Ohio. Enamored of early balloon flight, Clayton became an "aeronaut," staging dramatic flights with his silk and hydrogen gas balloon. On April 8, 1835, Clayton lifted off from Cincinnati, Ohio and traveled 350, landing nine and a half hours later in Monroe County, Virginia. His adventure broke the world's record for the farthest distance travelled by balloon. Clayton continued his aeronautic career, staging demonstrations and flights in Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia for ten more years.
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