Posts By: Heather Iannucci

John Jay’s Commission October 17, 1777 Sheepskin, iron gall ink, papier-mâché JJ.2005.11 This commission was the official document that made John Jay the Chief Justice of New York State. Jay served as New York State Chief Justice for over a year, until being elected President of the Second Continental Congress in December of 1778. There…

Argand Oil Lamps 1827-1848 metal, glass, gilt Baldwin Gardiner, New York JJ.2017.37   These two Argand oil lamps are Federal period pieces, made sometime between 1827 and 1848. The two rows of glass shades cover the top and bottom halves of the lamp, while still leaving the ornate decorations visible beneath. There are gold dolphin…

  Hanging Kitchen Scale c.1800 Brass, Iron European, possible French JJ.1963.79   Weighing scales have been around since Ancient Egypt. Early examples relied on balancing objects against known weights of stone to determine their weight. However, abuses to this design, especially in trade, and because merchants would often carry their own weights to use, accuracy…

Colonel William Jay (1841-1915) 1888 Oil on Canvas John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) JJ.1982.2.A.B   This portrait of Colonel William Jay was done by John Singer Sargent in 1888, when Jay was 47 years old. The painting is a traditional half-length portrait of Jay wearing a dark suit and grey pants. He has a snake head…

Drop-leaf Table c.1830 Mahogany JJ.1958.152 This mahogany drop leaf table was a common item in bedrooms of the period.  Made in New York around 1830, this breakfast table has many typical characteristics of the American Empire style. The plain appearance, spiral-turned legs and two drop leaf extensions support this. Meals were moveable in nature, and…

Sampler 1852 Wool, linen Anna Maria Jay JJ.1972.291 This child’s sampler is made of loose-woven linen, with numbers and letters cross-stitched with wool thread. There are two rows of alphabets cross-stitched, one row of upper-case and one row of lower-case, as well as the numbers 1 to 10. On the lower half of the sampler,…

     Clock with Bell Jar 1827 Porcelain, ormolu, metal, glass, wood, porcelain, velvet JJ.1958.77.a-.b   Made in Paris in 1827, this clock is made primarily of ormolu and other metals. Ormolu is a gold-colored alloy of copper, zinc, and sometimes tin which is cast into desired shapes and often gilded. It has a hexagonal…