Hair brush
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1885-1900
Maker
“J. E. Caldwell & Co.” (1839 to present)
Measurements
1-3/4 in x 9-1/4 in x 2-7/8 in
Materials
Silver, bristle, unidentified wood
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of Mary Corbit Curtis Meacham
Accession Number
2011.204
Inscription
“STERLING 925/1000 PAT. ‘92” is stamped into the bristle end of the brush. "SCC" in elaborate script is engraved on the back side of the brush.
Condition Notes
The silver is tarnished.
Provenance
Made for Sara Clark Corbit (1871-1952), the vanity set (accession nos. 2011.203-.206), of which this hair brush is a part, descended to Daniel Corbit Curtis and Georgia Ball, parents of the donor.
Comments
The ovoid hair brush has rich repoussé decoration--a silver decorating technique in which the silver is hammered into relief from the reverse and the details sharpened from the visible surface. The decoration combines C scrolls, webbing, and some vegetation. The brush is part of a vanity set assembled by Sara Clark Corbit. Each of the five objects in the set--a mirror (accession no. 2011.203), this hair brush, a lidded jar (accession no. 2011.205), and a brush and tray (accession no. 2011.206)--is manufactured by a different company, but all are unified by their provenance and by "SCC" initials on the mirror, the hair brush, the jar lid, and the clothes brush tray.
