Lane is a name today most people would recognize for furniture but there was a time they were best known for a specific piece of furniture - cedar chests. Cedar Chests were a part of everyday life and many if not most families had one. The reason, they repelled bugs specifically moths. So most would use them for storage of sweaters and other woolens that would become food for moths in the summer months. Many women also used them as a hope chest. A hope chest was where she would start gathering special things for the day when she had a family and home of her own. My mother came from a farm family in a very rural area of South Texas often referred to as the Rio Grande Valley. My grandparents did not get electricity until the 1950s and indoor plumbing about 1958. Oddly enough the only cedar chest my mother ever owned was this small one. Oddly enough my wife Pam is also from a farm family in South Texas though not as far south. Her mother (Alva) did have a cedar chest as did her aunts. While Alva's did not survive we do have one of her aunts and even after 70 years the inside still has the cedar aroma.
The lane company would make small cedar chests and give them to graduating senior (girls). I believe the practice stopped in the mid 1970s though Pam did get one when she graduated in 1970. The practice was most common in rural areas with the local furniture store distributing the boxes. Pam's was destroyed or lost in one of our moves. My mother's that she got in 1940 however survived. My sister brought it to me out of storage recently. Though it was not in the best of shape I manged to put it back together. I converted the box from hinges to slip in top. The old cedar had simply become to dry to hold the hinges. After some sanding being careful to retain the lane stamp and the furniture store tag I decided to carve the box. Sanding the box proved interesting as once the finish was removed the box still had a strong Cedar smell. It is amazing how many of our memories are triggered by smell however, that is another story.
Now the decision to carve the box was a risky decision as the wood was dry and brittle and I had to limit my designs due to the wood condition. I decided to put some of my mothers favorite things on the box. On one end we have a shell. My mother loved to collect shells. She and my father went to the beach in Corpus Christi often, he would use his metal detector and she would look for shells.
She also enjoyed feeding the seagulls. If you have never been to the beach in Corpus the seagulls are quite entertaining and will mob you if they think you have food.
For the top I chose a carved rose. My mothers name was Rose and she always enjoyed them as well.
The front has two angels and a heart. My mother was committed to her church and enjoyed it most when her children were together and attended with her and my father.
For the back I went with on of her favorite bible verses (which seemed appropriate) and her name and year of birth and year of death.
Inside the top lid you will see the manufacturer's mark
On the bottom the store that gave it out and most of the label that lane put on the bottom. I have also painted in the information on when my mother got the box and signed the carvings. I did little to the boxes bottom except add new pads. Small box turned into a family keepsake.
If you are thinking of doing something similar here are a few things to consider.
- Is the item worth more to you than a collector.
- Is the item sound enough to survive the process.
- Does the item contain is it finished in a toxic finish (Many old items can be finished with paints that are toxic or contain lead).
- Do you have a clear plan and have you tried the designs on scrap to insure they will turn out as you wish.
Go make some wood chips.
Bruce
