Art Institute of Chicago

High Chest of Drawers

Artist unknown (American, 18th century)

Date

1750–70

Medium

Mahogany with white pine, cedar, and brass

Culture

Salem

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Small-scale case furniture is rare. Too large to have served as a cabinetmaker’s model and lacking locks on the drawers to protect valuables, the piece was made for use by a child. The high chest bears an 18th-century inscription in one of the small drawers that identifies it as the one in which the young owner, Sally King of Salem, kept her clothing. Born in Salem in 1783, Sally King was likely the second owner of the chest.

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