Museum Catalog

Belt

Circular, solid-silver belt with gold shield clasp. The belt is engraved with a floral pattern that covers the outer surface. The front shield is chased with a floral border engraved with the inscription, "Champion of the World, presented by the citizens of New York". The belt is inscribed with the names of the previous world champions from 1877, 1880, 1884, and 1887 (John McMahon).

1977.40

Won by John McMahon of Bakersfield, VT, 1887.

Box

Wooden box with finger-jointed corners. The box has a lid that hinges upward at the back with two small, metal hinges. There is a metal clasp at the center front, attached to the lid. The interior of the box is unfinished.

1959.58.3

Likely made in East Calais, Vermont

Bracelet

Bracelet consisting of an intricately crocheted band and a jeweled clasp. The band is crocheted from several strands of straight, dark brown human hair. The clasp consists of a large, clear glass gem between two etched, gold-plated band caps. One cap attaches with a hinge, and the other attaches with an inserted tab. The back of the claps is engraved with the initials "LPF".

1937.5.2

Likely worn by Goldie Grace Ellis of Montpelier, Vermont, in memory of her sister, Lena Edna Fuller, who died in infancy. While the hair in the bracelet is certainly from an adult, both hair and completed jewelry could be purchased commercially.

Bracelet

Bracelet made of dark brown human hair. The ends are secured with gold mounts attached to a rectangular gold clasp engraved with the initials "C P". The hair is decoratively knotted using lacemaking or macrame techniques.

1952.16.1

Made from the hair of Clarissa Pollard of Plymouth, Vermont

Bracelet

Bracelet woven out of dark brown hair. It is woven tightly in the center with large, round picots around the edges. The ends are bound with metal, and one clasp is engraved, "MT".

1963.44.40

Bracelet

Bracelet made of a woven tube of human hair. The clasps are no longer present.

1968.44.1

Bracelet

Bracelet consisting of a plaited band and a jeweled clasp. The band is plaited from several strands of straight, dark brown human hair. The clasp consists of a large, pink glass gem with a blue enameled frame between two blue enamels mounts. One mount attaches to the gem with a hinge, and the other attaches with an inserted tab.

1954.11.3

Button

Round button. The background of the button is a light brown. The center is an image of a boy in a sled bring pulled by a black galloping horse. Above the image are the words "MAD / RIVER VALLEY". Below the image is the number "95". Around the bottom edge of the pin are the words "WINTER CARNIVAL." The back has a safety pin clasp.

2007.61.2

The Mad River Valley had a winter carnival for a decade or more, but as of 2021, it had been discontinued. No information was found on when it was started and when it ended. Below is a description of the Mad river Valley winter carnival from a list of winter carnivals in New England in the early 2000s.

"A ten-day winter Carnival that capitalizes on Vermont's famous winter and combines small town fun with big city activity. Lots of food, skiing, snow shoe races, as well as the Jeep King of the mountain Downhill series. The Mad River Valley is active Vermont, pastoral, but never passive. The Valley is best seen by doing."

Camera

Glass plate camera that folds into a box. When folded, the camera resembles a small carrying case, completely covered in highly textured leather with a short carrying strap on the top. The back side (b) detaches at both the top and the bottom with metal protrusions that slide into clasps. Additionally, a hinged door is placed in the center of the back piece allowing access to the glass plate. The front opens by pressing two concealed buttons at the top of the case. Once open, the lens and its attached purple leather bellows can be slid onto an extendable wooden track. A marker on the proper left indicates the focal distance, and there is a level on the proper right. A perioscopal viewfinder sits to the proper left of the lens, and a wider viewfinders sits on top of the case. A small plaque under the lens bears in the inscription, "TELE-PHOTO CYCLE-POCO C/ROCHESTER OPTICAL & CAMERA CO."

2020.4.2a-b

Used by George R. Bosworth in Berlin, VT

Camera

Glass plate camera that folds into a box. When folded, the camera slides into a small carrying case. The back side detaches at both the top and the bottom with metal protrusions that slide into clasps. Additionally, a hinged door is placed in the center of the back piece allowing access to the glass plate. Once open, the lens and its attached leather bellows can be slid onto an extendable wooden track. A small plaque under the lens bears in the inscription, "IMPROVED EMPIRE STATE MANUFACTURED BY ROCHESTER OPTICAL CO. Rochester, N.Y."

2009.51.1a-e

Used by Harry L. Chapman of Windham, Vermont

Campaign Button

Round white button with safety clasp. At the very top of the pin is a waving American flag printed in blue. Underneath the flag, in the center of the pin, are the words "VERMONT / RIGHT / WITH REAGAN" in blue. At the very bottom in tiny print are the words "By Barbara Cummings, Springfield, Vt."

2012.50.23

Produced for the presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan

Case

Tan leather rectangular camera case with two interior compartments for storing a camera and 6 glass plate negatives. The case has a short, leather handle at the top and two metal figure-8 attachments for a removable shoulder strap (no longer present). The case opens at the top and is secured at the center front with a metal clasp. The inside of the top piece bears the gold inscription, "Tele-Photo-Poco/G/Rochester Optical & Camera Co./Rochester, N.Y." The interior is lined in cotton.
B is a fragment, likely from the shoulder strap.

2020.4.4a-b

Used by George R. Bosworth in Berlin, Vermont

Change Purse

Small brown leather and velvet change purse with a metal top clasp.

1966.28.14

Clasp

Silver clasp or brooch with engraved and cut design. The clasp is in the shape of a circle with a hollow center. The central hole is rimmed with engraved sprigs. The outer edge and the middle are decorated with removed leaf shapes. The clasp is a hammered wire looped around a hold and spanning the center.

2017.3.12

Silver clasp made by French traders to trade with Indigenous Americans.

Corset

White cotton corset that is stiffened with cording. It is boned at the center front and back openings. It secures in the front with metal clasps and laces at the back. Each narrow boning channel is flossed at the top and bottom with cream-colored thread.

1966.47.66

Dominoes

Rectangular brown leather case containing 22 red double-6 domino pieces with white pips. The case hinges open and secures at the center front with a metal clasp.

1953.3

Given to William Chapin by Grace Ordway of Chelsea, Vermont, in 1890. Grace and William got married in 1899.

Drawing

A drawing of a clergyman with his hands clasped in prayer. He wears long robes and a cap. Signed only with “Paris 04.”

2021.36.26

Drawing

A woman sitting in a chair, full length. Her hands are clasped on her knee and she wears a white dress with puffy sleeves and her hair is up. She is cast in shadows. The chair is simple and not ornate. There is a sketch of one of her hands in the upper right hand corner. It is signed on the back and undated.

2021.36.35

Drawing

A full length portrait of a woman shown in 3/4 view from behind. She wears a white blouse and a dark skirt and her hands are clasped behind her. It is signed in the bottom right corner.

2021.36.78

Figurine

Unglazed white ceramic figure showing a child kneeling on a pillow. The child is shown wearing a chemise that has fallen off the shoulders and sits bunched above the child's waist. The hands are clasped between the child's thighs. The bottom is marked "171" in pencil.

1959.61.13

Fob

Watch fob with a hair chain. The chain is formed from crocheted loops of either horse hair or human hair. One end has a metal clasp, and the other end has a metal bar attached to a short length of metal chain.

1967.152.7

Fob

Metal watch fox with a central filigree disk. It has a chain looped around the disk with clasps at either end.

1967.68

Hatbox

Shaped leather travel case for a hat. The case has a round base, and the sides flare outward to the concave lid. A leather strap forms a handle across the width of the top. Another leather strap lays across the lid perpendicular to the handle and hangs over the front side to insert into a brass clasp.

1976.9.10

Knee Buckles

Metal knee buckles. The borders consist a circle and an hourglass shape intertwined to form an oval. The latch bar has a two-pronged, U-shaped latch on one side, and an inward-facing two-pronged oval clasp on the other.

1937.7.1a-b

Said to have been worn by David Williams at the reception and dinner held in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette's visit in Royalton, Vermont, in 1824.

Medicine Case

Black leather doctor's bag with short handles and brass clasp. The bag contains paper envelopes, glass vials, glass bottles, and a metal tube filled with various drugs.

1966.44.1

Used by Doctor John Whitmore in Hebron, New Hampshire.

Membership Pin

Silver hexagonal lapel pin with a safety clasp on the reverse. The front is molded with a stag's head in the center of an enameled green circle with the words, "CAMP MAPLE KNOLLS". The back is marked, "sterling". The pin was originally attached to a square piece of cardboard printed with the words, "STERLING SILVER".

2006.17.1

Camp Maple Knolls for Boys was located in Northfield, Vermont, from 1953 until 1963.

Membership Ribbon

"NEA LIFE MEMBER" badge with pin attached. (a) Octagonal gold pin with engraved image of a schoolhouse with capitol dome in background. Printed across top: "Life Member" and at bottom: "N E A" Gold content engraved on back. Pin and safety clasp attached. (b) Purple ribbon with gold lettering: "NEA LIFE MEMBER"

2004.72.11a-b

NEA stands for National Education Association. Pin belonged to A. Fern Souther (1907-2004) who was born in Orleans, VT, grew up in Lowell, VT, was an elementary school teacher in Burlington, VT.

Mug

Dark blue ceramic coffee mug decorated with gold. The gold decoration consists of a rectangle across the bottom of the mug that says "SHARE POWER" with a semicircle at the center with an illustration of two clasped hands and the words, "CENTRAL VERMONT PUBLIC SERVICE CORPORATION".

2014.51.7

Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (CVPS) was at one time the largest electricity supplier in Vermont

Old Gal

This portrait depicts an elderly woman seated in a green Windsor armchair with a yellow cushion, while a pink cushion rests against the chair's back. She is dressed in a blue dress with a white collar, accompanied by a darker blue jacket or sweater. Her head is adorned with a black hat decorated with pink flowers, secured by a loose black ribbon beneath her chin. The woman's hands are clasped together in her lap, and she wears a serious expression on her face. The background of the portrait is gray, and the artwork is unframed.

2006.46.5

Entitle, "Old Gal," this portrait depicts Zana Bradley Small of Truro, Massachusetts. Dated 1938, the portrait was probably completed as part of Wright's work with the WPA. Zana Small was born in Highgate, Vermont but moved to Massachusetts at the time of her marriage in 1888. Little did Wright know at the time of the painting, that he would later become a full-time Vermonter and a great influence on the growing art community in that state.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Stan Marc Wright showed an early and consistent aptitude for art. Though he planned on following his father into the field of law, a trip to visit his aunt at an artist colony changed his life plans. He attended the Pratt Institute and graduated with honors in 1933, soon joining the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration.

By the 1940s he was a sought-after portrait painter, famously depicting Ingrid Bergman. He enlisted in the army and served as a camouflage artist and portrait painter, ultimately earning a Bronze Star.

After the war he opened a studio and art school in New Jersey. After marrying Carolyne Hartke in 1949 the couple purchased an old farm in Stowe, Vermont. He moved his studio and school to Stowe and continued as a successful portrait artist.

He helped found the Northern Vermont Artists Association, the Helen Day Art Center, and curated many exhibitions. His portraits of Vermont politicians of the time are displayed in the Vermont State House. In addition to his Vermont portraits and scenes, he traveled the world painting interesting people and places.

Paper Doll

Paper doll cut from a clothing catalog. It is printed in black and white and shows a woman in a thigh-length coat and skirt. She is wearing a hat with a upturned brim and pointed crown. The coat secures across the front with four long frog clasps.

The back shows a text descriptions of suits with line drawings of skirt suits seen from the back.

1967.156.12

No VT connection.

Paper Doll Dress

Printed paper coat dress for a paper doll. The red coat is trimmed with brown fur and has a large black frog clasp at the center front. The back is labeled in ink, "Winter Girl."

2004.72.131f

Owned by A. Fern Souther of Burlington, Vermont.

Paper Doll Dress

Blue and yellow Edwardian dress for a paper doll. The pink-skinned arms are bare and clasped in the front. The back shows a portion of a sales catalog page.

2004.72.129b

Owned by A. Fern Souther of Burlington, Vermont.

Pelerine

Cream or pale green pelerine with lace collar. The short cape opens at the center front and has no clasps to secure it closed. The hem extends downward dramatically at the center front. There is a wide fall collar of self fabric, and a multi-layered ruffle of lace netting around the neckline and front opening (left side). The pelerine is lined and stiffened with heavily starched buckram gauze.

1963.62.2b

Worn by Caroline Betsy Weaver of Plymouth, Vermont

Pince-Nez

Metal framed pince-nez glasses with clear oval lenses. The nose clasp is cushioned with cork. They are accompanied by a black leather case embossed with an illustration of an eyeball surrounding the label, "DR. HICKS OPTICAL CO. 137 CENTRAL ST. LOWELL, MASS."

1965.57.2a-b

Pins

Three ribbon-wrapped pins awarded to Kenny Lindner for service as part of the Waterbury Cub Scout Pack 711. The pins are horizontal bars wrapped in green grosgrain ribbon. Each pin has a corresponding number of gold vertical stripes to the year of service, and a hard white plastic printed plaque affixed to the front for the year. Each plaque has "1ST YEAR," "2ND YEAR," or "3RD YEAR" written in red on the white plastic bar. There are one, two, or three gold stripes behind the white bar corresponding to the number of years. Each pin has two press-fit metal clasps on the back.

2025.8.17a-c

Political Button

Vermont Women are Valuable in dark blue letters on a white background. The center has a dark blue background with a white bird and the female symbol. The pin on the back is of the clasp variety.

2015.50.12

Rita K. Edwards, the donor of this pin, was on the staff of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women and active in the women's rights movement in the 1970s. In advance of the Vermont Women's Town Meeting in 1977, Rita Edwards and Faire Edwards (not related) of the Vermont Gray Panthers came up with this pin. An account in the Burlington Free Press on March 2, 1977, gives a brief history of the pin and the event.

Promotional Button

Barre/ The Granite Center 1895-1995 pin. White pin with blue graphics of a male granite cutter with tools in hand central. Around him is an oval of text "1895 BARRE 1995 THE GRANITE CENTER" With a safety clasp pin back.

1995.22

Here is some history to explain the tag "The Granite Center" associated with Barre, Vermont, provided by the Barre Granite Association. (http://barregranite.org/BGAmobile/index.php/pid/5)


" Barre Gray Granite was used extensively in the early 1800’s for millstones, paving stones and home and building construction. It was at that time that Robert Parker became Barre’s first professional quarryman and the first granite manufacturer. Slowly, but steadily the granite industry grew, causing Barre’s population to expand to 2,012 by the year 1830. A few years later the industry would get a tremendous boost with the contract for a new Vermont Statehouse to be built of Barre Gray granite in Montpelier, VT. It was the first major building project to use Barre granite. Then, in 1875, the railroad came to town, giving Barre access to the markets of the world.

In the 1880’s, Barre experienced a technological boom. Emery L. Smith, who later became the first mayor of Barre City, pioneered new quarrying technology, including a permanent derrick, electrically detonated explosives, the steam drill and the pneumatic plug drill. Electricity came to the region in 1885, giving rise to power cutting, polishing, surfacing, carving and stone transferring with overhead cranes.

With rapid growth in the granite industry, immigrants began flooding into Barre, and by 1890 the population had more than to 6,790. The first workers to arrive were Scots, followed by Italians, Scandinavians, Spanish, English, Irish, Greeks, and French-Canadians. When an order for 10 million hand-cut paving stones for the city of Troy, New York, was received, this gave Barre’s granite industry a big boost in the 1890’s. At that time about 40 quarries were cutting granite, primarily for monuments and memorials, and by 1902 Barre became the Granite Center of the World, with 68 quarries producing granite valued at more than $1.5 million."

Purse

Small, black velvet purse with silver-toned metal beaded embroidery. The purse is decorated with a design of an urn of flowers above two leaves or branches. The bottom is edged with fringe formed of the same beads, and the sides are decorated with tassels of the same beads. The top opening is secured to a metal clasp that is attached to a silver chain.

1974.2.4

Used by a relative of Ina Eschenheimer in Montpelier, Vermont

Purse

Small beaded purse or handbag. The white, gold, and silver colored glass beads are stitched to yellow fabric in a bow and leaf design. The top opening is finished with a silver clasp, and there is a silver chain.

1988.25.9

Owned by Marguerite Edson McKee of Montpelier, Vermont.

Purse

Black satin purse with short strap and rhinestone and gold clasp. Inside is lined with black silk, are there are two side pockets.

1988.25.12

Owned by Marguerite Edson McKee of Montpelier, Vermont.

Purse

Silver mesh evening bag with silver clasp and chain handle.

1988.25.13

Owned by Marguerite Edson McKee of Montpelier, Vermont.

Richard G. Wood

Oil painting, showing a middle-aged white man with brown hair. He is shown sitting from the waist up with his crossed legs visible at the bottom edge. He has his hands clasped in his lap. He is wearing a suit consisting of a dark blue jacket, vest, and pants, a white shirt, and a blue tie. The man has light brown hair and blue eyes. The background is blue with a beige curtain in the back left. The painting is within a gilded wood frame.

1967.170.1

Richard G. Wood was a former director of the Vermont Historical Society.

Royall Tyler

Oval miniature in gold frame. Domed glass front and back. Portrait of Royall Tyler wearing a high collared black coat and powdered wig with hair pulled back. Long silver sideburns.
Case is brown leather with a push button clasp. The gold velvet interior of the bottom is built up with a recessed area to fit the miniature. The lid is lined in beige satin.

2010.29.1

Senator George Edmunds

This oval portrait depicts a man who appears to be middle-aged. He is wearing a white shirt, a black stock or bowtie, a vest, and a jacket. He has a high forehead and a full beard. Additionally, he is wearing a pocket watch, which is attached to a chain that is clasped in the buttonhole of his vest. An ornament on the fob is heart-shaped in design.

1938.11.1

Shoe Buckles

Silver-toned metal shoe buckles. The buckles are rectangular with rounded edges. The borders consist of two stripes of metal connected evenly with round dots. The latch bar has a two-pronged, U-shaped latch on one side, and an inward-facing two-pronged quadrilateral clasp on the other.

1948.7.2a-b

Worn by 2nd Lieutenant Joseph W. Waldo of Royalton, VT who served in Co. A, 16th Vermont during the Civil War.

Shoes

Small, brown leather Mary Jane style shoes sized for a young child. Each shoe secures at the ankle with a strap held by a silver clasp. The insole is stamped with the word "FRANCE". The sole is soft leather. One shoe is missing its sole.

1966.47.61a-b

Sketch

A drawing of a man sitting in a chair with his hands clasped and his legs spread slightly apart. He wears a long coat and long pants and appears to have white/light hair. He is looking down at the ground between his feet. Signed in the bottom right corner and undated.

2021.36.7

Skirt Lifter

Black-painted metal tension clasp with an applied hand. The clasp is shaped like a safety pin and culminates in two round loops. The far end is attached to a short length of chain that culminates in a bent metal bar.

1954.24.3a-b

Owned by a member of the Dewey family in Montpelier, Vermont

Snowshoe Bindings

Pair of snowshoe bindings consisting of a shaped plastic base and cotton webbing straps. The base is shaped with vertical extensions on both sides and a tab that curls over the toe. There are two straps, both of which are adjustable with plastic clasps. One strap strings through the toe tab and connects to the front side extensions. The other strap connects to the back side extensions and is much longer than the front strap. The base is labeled, "TUBBS" and "TD|91".

1995.3a-b

Used by William Osgood of Northfield, Vermont.

Sporran

Horsehair covered leather pouch with a chased silver top clasp. There are two black horsehair tassels on the front of the bag, and it is attached at the back to a narrow leather strap.

2009.41.1c

Owned by Frank Chalmers, Jr. of Barre, Vermont, and later John L. Black, Jr. of Barre, Vermont.

Susan Elizabeth Griggs Dewey

Oval portrait of a woman seating wearing a blue gown with a pink central bodice and black, fur shawl. Her dark hair is curled close to her head and held in a chin-length style and she has a small smile. Her dress is embellished with self-fabric ruffles along the center edges. She is draping her right arm on a white marble table and loosely clasping her hands in front of her.

1989.23.3

Susan Dewey lived in Montpelier and was the mother of Spanish-American War hero Admiral George Dewey.

T-Shirt

Whit t-shirt printed at the center front chest with a logo consisting of two clasped hands within an oval. The oval has cow spots. It is surrounded by the words, "KaReLiA-vErMoNt / BrOtHeRs & SiStErS / BuSiNeSs ExChAnGe / FoUnDeD mAy 1991".

1991.66.1

The Karelia-Vermont business exchange was a partnership set up by the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation and the Soviet Information Service. It consisted of 24 people from Karelia touring businesses across Vermont.

Tassel

Green silk graduation tassel. The tassel has braided strands and a gold clasp at the top with a gold charm. The charm is round and is stamped with a laurel wreath border and a bell in the center with "76" on it to commemorate the United States' Bicentennial.

Worn by a member of the Class of 1976 at their graduation from the Austine School.

2024.16.49

Austine School for the Deaf Brattleboro, VT

Tassel

Cream-colored silk graduation tassel. The tassel has braided strands and a gold clasp at the top with a gold charm. The charm has the year "66" enclosed in a rectangle with a decorative drop at the center of the bottom edge.

Worn by a member of the Class of 1966 at their graduation from the Austine School.

2024.16.48

Austine School for the Deaf Brattleboro, VT

Tassel

Green and white silk graduation tassel. The tassel has braided strands and a gold clasp at the top with a gold charm. The charm is the number "10" in stylized script for the Class of 2010.

Worn by a member of the Class of 2010 at their graduation from the Austine School.

2024.16.50

Austine School for the Deaf Brattleboro, VT

Toilet Kit

Rectangular black leather case that unfolds to reveal several interior compartments. The main compartment is a leather-covered tin box with dividers that contains a miniature basket made from a hazelnut, two combs, an emery book, a crochet hook, and a glass needle. The two other sections of the case consist of central straps stitched at regular intervals to create channels, and protective flaps at the top and bottom.

The case secures with a round brass clasp. To open, the center button is pulled downward with no key.

1953.9.1a-s

Owned by Susy Taylor Pollard of Ludlow, Vermont

Toilet Kit

Boxed gift set containing grooming objects for a baby. The box consists of a base and a hinged lid; the lid makes up the top and sides of the box and hinges open from the back. The top is labled, "Baby Toilet." The interior is lined with light blue satin. The base is shaped to hold the objects inside, including clasps that are hidden beneath the lining fabric. Contained within the box is a cylindrical powder box with an illustration of a white baby wearing pink, a white hair brush with soft white bristles, and a white comb with 2 widths of teeth.

1966.47.57a-e

Tribute to Vermont (study 3)

The drawing is on brown paper. On the entire picture there is a grid. Numbers line the vertical axis, they go up to 25 in red ink then start over from 1 in yellow ink. On the vertical axis there are letters up to G. When these two axis meet they create a square inch box; these boxes are all along the picture. In the far left corner there is a scene of Native Americans paddling a canoe, and to their left is supposedly Samuel de Champlain. To the right of the Native American scene is a picture of a man with his fist raised wearing a colonial hat. Below him there is a man chopping wood and two horses pulling something. To the right of these scenes the sketches get darker in shade. There is a picture of a church with hands clasped in a prayer position. To the churches right there is a picture of a man and woman holding each other. Under them is a man holding a piece of paper, and below this man is a picture of the state house. To the right of the state house there is a large scene of sap collecting. Two trees frame this scene. To the right and a bit above that scene there is the front of a building, below the building there is a group of people, some of them are waving their hands. Next to the group of people and the building, on the right, there is a tree, to the right of the tree begins a new scene. This scene is of farmers. Miking cows, taking care of horses. Above the farm scene there is a granite workers scene. A man waving his hand to another man working in the granite quarry. To the right of these two scenes is another tree. To the right of that tree, in the upper right corner is a scene of a college graduation. Below that is a drawing of people skiing.

2016.39.4

When National Life laid the cornerstone of its headquarters on the ridge overlooking Montpelier in 1958, their CEO approached well-known-muralist Paul Sample to create an iconic work of art to evoke the past, present, and future of Vermont as a centerpiece of the new structure. Sample worked closely with National Life to choose scenes and topics that reflected both Vermont's story and that of the company's rich Vermont roots. As he got closer to a final design, Sample produced scale drawings, called cartoons, of the mural in both pencil and paint for company approval. When he was ready to transfer the design to the full eight by fifty-foot canvas, he partitioned the final cartoon into numbered blocks to ease the enlargement of scenes. Notice how the composition and content of the mural changed from the bottom sketch to the top working design.

Paul Starrett Sample (September 14, 1896 – February 26, 1974) was an American artist who portrayed life in New England in the middle of the 20th Century with a style that showed elements of "Social Realism and Regionalism."

Sample was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1896. After having moved across the country with his family on several occasions, Sample attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. There he studied architecture and graduated in 1921 after a year in the Naval Reserve during World War I. While visiting his brother, Donald, at a sanatorium in Saranac Lake, New York, Sample contracted tuberculosis. He stayed for treatment of that disease in Saranac Lake for four years. There he met Sylvia Howland, whom he married in 1928.

At Saranac Lake, Sample studied drawing and painting under Jonas Lie. He then studied at the Art Students League of Los Angeles, and the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, California. There his work reflected social issues connected with the Great Depression with two noted paintings in 1931. In 1926 Sample joined the faculty of the University of Southern California in the school of architecture, where he remained until 1938. In 1938, he returned to New Hampshire to become the artist in residence at Dartmouth College, a position which he held until 1962. In addition to his social and regional paintings, Sample produced artwork for various magazines during World War II.

Trinket Box

Trinket box made from birdseye maple. It has machine dovetailed joints, along with a metal hinge and clasp. Its exterior is coated with a light varnish, while the interior remains in its natural state.

1976.43.133

Likely owned by a member of the Kent family of Calais, Vermont.

Tumbler

White plastic cup printed with two long-faced beasts, one dressed in a suit, the other in a dress and veil, clasping hands through a large ring. The ring is printed with the words "JEFF" and "TRINI" with the word "AND" in the center. The date "AUGUST 6 1994" is across the bottom.

2011.29.7

Wallet

Leather trifold wallet for holding a medal. At the center of the top flap is a small metal clasp in the shape of a horseshoe. The interior is labeled with the name, "GENL. WM. SMITH."

1952.11d

Owned by Major General William "Baldy" Smith of St. Albans, Vermont

Wallet

Small red leather wallet with a red lining. It secures with a metal clasp at the center of a front flap. The label, "Mary A. Templeton, Montpelier, Vt." is printed inside the from flap. There are calling cards inside.

1980.5.2

Owned by Mary A. Templeton of Montpelier, Vermont.

Watch Chain

Gold-toned watch chain with round, hinged locket. There is a metal clasp at either end of the chain. Another short chain is attached on the long chain with an eye ring, allowing it slide along the long chain. The short chain terminates in a straight metal bar at one end, and a round, hinged locket on the other. The face of the locket is engraved with a shield and floral flourishes. It opens to reveal a glass- or mica-fronted frame that has not been filled. There is a partial link welding to the center of the chain. One clasped has the stamped mark, "SP", and the other clasp has a larger, illegible mark.

1967.98.2

Owned by Oliver Dobey in Montpelier, Vermont

Watch Chain

Gold-toned metal watch chain. The links alternate between flat circles and twisted braid. There are two chain sections connected by two circular clasps.

1982.24.88

Likely owned by a member of the Goodhue or Coolidge families of Burlington and Plymouth, Vermont.