The Jo Louise Brown Collection
Lot 73:
Description
Attributed to the Long family, possibly Tobias Long, Liberty Township, Hardin County, c. 1840-1850, poplar and chestnut. Paneled chest with turned feet, original paint, including pale panels with tulips and eagles, and the red and black on the rest of the case. 26" high, 47.5" wide, 20.5" deep. This chest is one of about a half dozen known chests that are associated with the Long family of Long Road, near the Hardin-Allen County line (not far from Ada). In the early 1970s, there was an auction at the Long family homeplace (an early log home), near the railroad tracks, in Liberty Township. One of these chests sold there, and a number of other decorated objects were in the house but were retained by the family. The folks at the auction were told that these items were made/decorated by Long family ancestors. In the 1879 Hardin County atlas, Tobias Long (1814-1892) is listed as the owner of a plot of land in Liberty Township, and a rail line ran through his property. Tobias was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. He and three of his brothers, John (1805-1889), Adam (1817-1881), and Jacob (1820-1895), all came west. Tobias was in Hardin County by about 1835, while his brothers did not arrive in Hardin County until the mid-1840s. Given that he was first to Hardin County, and it was from his farm that the first of these chests came, Tobias is the likeliest candidate as the maker. Long had two wives, Sarah Henney (1816-1863) and Melissa Ann Fisher (1837-1919). Between them, there were twenty children, eighteen who lived to adulthood. Two blanket chests of this group are illustrated in Hageman’s Ohio Furniture Makers, volume 2, and a couple more have appeared on the market in the past decade. This chest has arguably the most highly developed front panels, and the only chest of this group that is known to have front panels with a ground color that is not black. Provenance: the collection of the late Jo Louise Brown, Zoar, Ohio. Pickup or freight shipping is required for this lot. Please see our terms for details.
Condition: Paint is original, with some evidence of minor alligatoring in some areas of the red, the front panels have varnish that has yellowed in an uneven manner, the feet are original, the hinges are original and undisturbed. UPDATE: we have thoroughly blacklit this chest and nothing fluoresces and indicates that there is any inpainting or paint restoration. Please see additional photos.
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