Featured What is This Thing?

I have no idea from where I got this or how long ago, but I probably bought it at an estate sale. As I rummaged through baskets and boxes of things here I found this and have no idea at all what it was for. Can you help?

Thank you!

 

It can be identified via a Google Images search. And rather interesting it is. You'll want to count and see if it's complete.

https://www.criticaleyefinds.com/pr...bs-set-in-original-box?variant=44060109865214

Debora

 

Debora,

Thank you SO much for the speedy identification.

At your suggestion, I counted the combs and I do have twelve of them. Now to find a grain-painted box to show how they were used...and I might even find one of those buried in here, too.

This forum is an invaluable resource with remarkably knowledgeable members.

Many thanks!

 

Those are seriously cool. I'd bet anyone doing antique furniture restoration would be all over those.

 

Here is some information on the history and practice of graining -

https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/timber-graining/timber-graining.htm

 

My grandmother's house had grain painted doors and a staircase. When I was a kid, I used to marvel at them!

 

FYI, I researched Henry H. Taylor's business and found in the mid-1800s he was a merchant selling primarily cutlery. For much of the late 1800's, I saw pretty much just cutlery-related articles and classified ads for his business. I then saw mention of his business in Sheffield and in NY. As my prior home was in a bedroom community for NYC, I assumed I must have purchased this set at an estate sale in that area. Something I read of breakups of the business with his brother then led me to search for information on Henry Taylor Ltd. and I found the much-later ad you see here. This was the first mention of artists' tools I saw:



The partial label on my set looks older than 1932, however, but evidence is leading me to believe it may quite not be Civil-War era, as I first thought.

Thank you all again for the help with this rabbit hole...and time for bed now

 

On the other hand…I just found that Winterthur has the same set in their museum collection and they date it to 1830-1870.

 

Our first house, purchased in 1977, had a metal foam core front door. The builder painted the inside to look like it was wood. I assumed they faked the grain with brushes. After we lived in the house for awhile, I found an error toward the bottom of the door. That's what made me think they used brushes. Unless the painter had one of these sets.

 

Ugh…I am so sorry to read that…not because I want to sell mine (I don’t; I would like to donate it somewhere), but because of the lost history. That was why I was happy to see one in a museum collection.

 

How interesting! I hope you find a home for this set, @morgen94 .

 

Is yours stamped on the other side like this?

Debora

 

No, I recently saw that online, but in a quick look at mine I didn’t see that. The only confirmation of a link to Henry Taylor is the partial label, where you can see ‘Henry’ and part of what is surely ‘Sheffield.’

What baffles me are the letters above Henry: “…meba…” and “…ch time”

 

Only a guess but... I would think yours is earlier than those with stamped cases. Perhaps after the opening of the New York office when labels proved too fragile for cross-Atlantic shipping. The company is still in business. Why don't you ask them?

https://henrytaylortools.co.uk/

Debora

 

Fabulous idea. I will certainly do that, thanks.

 

Along with the tools, a specific skillset would be necessary to produce the desired effect...not something you could have without spending plenty of time in practice...an' in clean-up of the not-so-well accomplished early lessons!

 

In my business we have a Paint Department and Scenic painters. A big part of their skillset is painting things to look like what they're not. I imagine a set like this would be of curious interest to one of them. I'd certainly love to have one if that was my department, but the stuff I have to fake paint in my department is usually smaller....... I might keep an eye out for one anyway.