Cabinet of Curiosities

What is a Cabinet of Curiosities?

Cabinet of Curiosities are wonders of the past- the original museums, before the museums we know and love were founded. They were collections of objects that were unique, interesting, bizarre, and the cause of universal fascination.

Cabinets were sometimes called “Wunderkammer”, “Cabinets of Wonder” or “Wonder-Rooms”, and were developed during the 17th and 18th century. They could be found in the homes of scientists, royals, elite members of society.

Eventually, Cabinet of Curiosities gave way to the curio cabinets of the middle class and the cabinets of the past became the museums of the future.

What's in Storrowton's Cabinet of Curiosities?

Why does Storrowton have a Cabinet of Curiosities?

Each year, Storrowton Village staff look around the museum at various exhibits to decide what will be updated, what will remain the same, and what needs to be moved to accommodate new exhibits and artifacts. Along with a special exhibit for The Big E, there's always one or two other changes that we make to highlight unique areas of our collections.

Though our collection has a plethora of artifacts just waiting to be showcased, there are some that simply don't fit into many exhibits. Take, for example, the coffin plates. While we do have multiple coffin plates (including one for Captain John Potter), those coffin plates do not constitute a whole exhibit. An exhibit needs to tell a story, give the visitor a chance to learn about 19th century life in a way that is meaningful to them.

That's why we've chosen a selection of ten artifacts for you to view. Each one will be listed below, with a variety of facts and stories related to their history. The story of our Cabinet of Curiosities shows the timespan of life- from birth to death, these artifacts demonstrate how people lived, what was important to them, and what their life in particular might have been.

To take a further look at our Cabinet of Curiosities and the artifacts within, please visit our online Collections Portal here!

The Artifacts In the Cabinet

Chosen by Samantha DePergola, Assistant Director

Stereoscope (2026X.02)

Stereoscopes are one of the most popular sources of entertainment in the late 19th century. Even today, they hold a unique sense of curiosity and interest. This part of our collection highlights not only a revolution in technology, but a revolution how people kept themselves entertained.
Though the history of this particular stereoscope is lost, it’s usage and important part of the past remain clear. The idea of the stereoscope began in 1832, with a patient being filed in 1838. When photographic technology was discovered, these two principles combined to create a novelty anyone could access.

Flash Salutes (1985.04.01)

A majority of artifacts located within Storrowton Village Museum range from the early 18th century to the late 19th century. It is rare for this section of our collection to be outside of those time frames, and usually these select pieces were donated before World War Two. This box of flash salutes is the exception to our rule, being made during, roughly, the 1920s.

Though we do have physical records on this piece, the exact history of these flash salutes and their maker, the National Fireworks Company, is a mystery. Upon further research, the National Fireworks Company is claimed to be one of the best firework makers in the country in court cases, yet it’s history is marked with building explosions and fires and causing dangerous environmental pollution at it’s test site.

Dare to Do Right (1977.35.01)

This needlework is made in perforated paper, a piece of heavy weight paper or cardboard that has evenly spaced holes punched in it. This type of needlework was most popular between 1860 and 1900, though the earliest examples found are estimated to be made in the 1840s. The earliest pieces featured larger punch holes, whereas the later pieces featured finer punch holes. This type of needlework is often called Berlin work due to the use of German wools for stitching on the more expensive canvas designed.

Many of the later pieces featured motto designs, such as the one featured on this needlework that says, “Dare to do Right”. These designs were often mass-made and not unique, with the design printed onto the punched paper for the person to embroider over. Due to this, perforated punch needlework was considered the poor stitcher’s pastime towards the end of it’s popularity. Earlier pieces, while still utilizing common designs, were more unique and featured materials such as seed beads, silks, and wools. This needlework in particular would have likely had an off-white background, the browning coming from aging and degradation.

Chosen by Jordan Maiolo, Youth Ed Coordinator

Famous Number Puzzle (2026X.01)

This artifact was imported from Japan and sold at a woman owned toy store in New York city called B. Shackman & Co. Bertha Shackman, owner of the toy store, had offices at first on Broadway.
According to Syracuse University, A 1923 catalogue in its collection claimed the company was "the largest favor and novelty house in the world" with over "10,000 novelties to sell for all year round." B. Shackman & Co. was known for offering novelty items in a wide variety of materials, including celluloid. These were often purchased from a wide variety of suppliers, and supplied department stores and other retail outlets.
Bertha Hackman outlived her husband her husband by 40 years, owning and running Shackmans, until at 76 she died after being knocked over by an automobile. Her store was open until 1998, after being run by her son and eventually employees of the company, after he sold it to them before he too passed away in 1985.

Memorial Coffin Plates (1981.12.07 and 1975.10.01)

I chose these artifacts due to the immense meaning they would have had to the families of the Sohpia and Bertha. Coffin Plates would have marked a coffin or were kept by the families as a way to remember their lost loved ones. While types of photographs existed, these coffin plates would have preserved the memory of the individual.
Also known as breastplates by the Victorians, the design of this piece of coffin hardware could tell you how wealthy a person was, how they wanted to be remembered by the living, and was vital in identifying coffins. This sort of remembrance of an individual and reflection of their live is similar to the way in which death masks and paintings were used in mourning practices.

Hygiene Kit (2026X.03)

This is an 1800’s hygiene kit or vanity box. It is a traveling, handheld hygiene kit that, due to the beautifully carved and hand painted leather case, would have been expensive. This item is in excellent condition, suggesting it was well cared for. This artifact highlights a part of society that is rarely thought of.
The history of hygiene, personal grooming, and bathing is riddled with rumors of people prior to the Civil War being incredibly dirty, smelly, and overall unhealthy. There's a lot of truth to this rumor- though not in the way that Hollywood tends to portray. Prior to the Civil War, people believe that bathing was unhealthy and removed a layer of oil that protected them against miasmas.
After the Civil War, germ theory became more popular and there was a greater emphasis placed on hygiene. Cleanliness became important, even with a lack of clean water that allowed this to be widely adopted. Grooming kits like these mark the growing emphasis on cleanliness as well as keeping up personal appearances while out in public.

Chosen by Owen McIntosh, Program Assistant

Game of Beauty and the Beast (1983.09.02)

Disney’s adaptations of popular fairy tales have become extremely pervasive, so I think it’s very interesting to see references to their earlier forms. That interest drew my attention to this artifact. This rare game, published in 1905 by Milton Bradley, actually has little to do with Beauty and the Beast. It is likely that the reference to the fairy tale was a simple marketing tactic. The game is a simple race to the finish on a spiral board. The board is printed inside the box, and up to four people can play with small wooden game pieces, using a spinner to move.
Milton Bradley, founder of the game company now owned by Hasbro, Inc., was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, recognized for his impact in creating a new age of parlor games. Born in Vienna, Maine in 1836, Bradley worked as a mechanical draftsman, patent agent, and became proficient in lithography. He used these skills to open his own company, Milton Bradley, in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1860.

Wooden Cage (1981.12.06)

This form of model bird cage, likely too small to house a live bird, has proven difficult to research. The torn label is, obviously, rather challenging to interpret, although it may have read “Made in Germany.” The Hendryx company, based out of New Haven, Connecticut, produced similar examples to the one displayed here, although I was not able to find references to them selling imported cages. While pet birds are still kept in cages today, of course, there is still something nostalgic about this strange, small model birdcage.

Badminton Rackets (1981.12.09)

According to the Badminton Museum in the UK, early predecessors of the game were played in ancient China. By the 18th Century, they had inspired a game called “battledore and shuttlecock” played in the UK, in which at least one player would simply use a racket to juggle the shuttlecock, with additional players helping to keep it in the air for as long as possible. A competitive version, where players would hit the shuttlecock over a net, developed by 1863, and took its name from the Badminton House in Gloucestershire. Battledore and shuttlecock, and later badminton, was often played in Badminton House’s North Hall. The dimensions of North Hall, roughly 44 by 20 feet, were used to standardize the size of typical badminton courts.