Tool chest 1805 - 1815

Captain Eleazer Daniels, born in Massachusetts in 1788, created this tool chest of painted wood sometime in the 19th century. As a captain, Daniels was a man of authority, likely a landowner, and his identity was interwoven with the social hierarchy of his time. The chest is decorated with naive figures, one appearing to be a colonial gentleman, perhaps reflecting Daniels’ social aspirations or sense of self. But it also raises questions of who was represented and who was not. Where are the women and people of color, who also contributed to the making of 19th-century America? The chest is functional, yet also deeply personal; it invites us to imagine the lives of early Americans, their trades, and the objects they cherished. This tool chest stands as a reminder of the complex narratives embedded in early American life, and challenges us to consider whose stories are told, and whose are left out.