Who? What? Where?

Week 22

This floral print hangs in the Knapp House parlor.
Artist and exact date unknown. Most probably c. Late 19th century to early 20th.

What artistic technique was used to create this image?

This is Reverse Glass Painting. The artist applies paint to a piece of glass.
The glass is turned over and the image shows through the glass. Several layers of paint are applied to the opposite side of the glass normally used as the side presented to the viewer.

Week 21

The first impeachment of a US President was in 1868.

Two questions this week:
Who was this President and what was the reason for his impeachment?
Was he removed from office?

Andrew Johnson, who vetoed passed congressional legislation to protect the rights of those who were freed by slavery.
He was impeached but remained in office through his acquittal in the Senate by one vote and remained in office.

Week 20

This handmade wooden object was used from 1700s to early 1800s and aided women in their household chores

This is a yarn swift or winder, sometimes called a spinner’s weasel
It counted the length of yarn which were made into skeins
40 turns=80 yards
“This yarn winder has a worm gear that pops the weasel as the arms go around”

Week 19

Can you guess what this Commemorative piece was?

Week 18

This woman was born into a middle class family in New Milford in 1908. By the mid 1940s she became very well known for what she did after graduating from Vassar College and for which political party she favored.
By 1945, she was testifying to Congress about something she was involved with that would have lasting effects on America and beyond well into the 1950s. Who is she and what is she known for doing?

Elizabeth Bentley pursued membership in the Communist Party of America and became romantically involved with the leader of this party, Jacob Golos, in 1938. He convinced her to become a spy and informant and she moved secret documents and information back to this organization. In 1945 she abandoned the Soviets after they tried to take away the spy network she had worked to develop and turned herself in to the FBI in New HavenCT.
Known as the “Red Spy Queen” she agreed to testify to Congress and was not charged with any crime. Her testimony ushered in the “Red Scare” of the late 1940s and the 1950s McCarthy era.

She died in CT in 1963.

Week 17

These tools were used for an important crop grown in New Milford in the early 1900s.
A metal tipped point was attached to a piece of wood and was used to store something that was commercially sold.

These are tobacco harvesting spears.
Tobacco stalks were stabbed and the poles were long enough for them to be hung in barns to cure.

Week 16

This piece of pine timber was used to support the roof of a famous American residence for 112 years before it was replaced in 1927.
Pieces of this wood were cut up and sold as souvenirs, perhaps to pay for the remodeling.
What building was this?

Week 15

This rather dangerous tool was used by women to help with an important household task.
This example is made of three rows of sharp metal spikes but sometimes this was made by nails pounded into a flat board.

it’s a handcrafted flax comb or hatchel, sometimes called a heckling comb.
Flax stems were pulled through this to make a type of thread used for sewing or being woven into a linen fabric.

Week 14

This is an aid for a special physical need.

An earpiece for the hard of hearing.
An early hearing aid!

Week 13

This cup and saucer were handcrafted from an unusual source of material.

HINT:It could never be used to hold any liquids because of the material used and was only made as a souvenir item.

Week 12

These two objects were made from the remains of a tree that blew down in a storm in 1856 in CT.

The Charter Oak Tree in Hartford CT from a legend of pre-Revolution hiding of our charter to keep it out of British hands!

Week 11

These were full-sized adult women’s gloves. What happened to make them end up less than 4 inches in length?

These gloves were recovered from a Bank St. Shop after the great fire of 1902.  

Week 10

This late 18th century to early 19th century cooking implement was used in the hearth.

An early toaster! The bread slips into the slots and held over the fire.

Week 9

This is a section of a hollowed out piece of wood that was first used in larger cities to carry an important resource into homes.

This piece was excavated in 1912 when this type was replaced with a more modern version

Week 8

What is this late 18th century to early 19th century household item used for an everyday chore?

An early washing machine. It was used in a bucket and operated by moving the handle up and down and side to side creating the future washing machine mechanism.

Week 7

Which New Milford building on the National Register of Historical Places was the inspiration for Edna Ferber's 1931 novel, "American Beauty"?

The Noble house on Rt7 that is currently home to "Just In Antiques"