The Spring season releases so much beauty and color to our beautiful country landscapes and is also a reminder that "Spring Cleaning" is a way to cleanse our homesteads and spirit as well. I will be offering several items with this theme in mind that would compliment your laundry room, or "Necessary Room" (Bathroom) sprinkled with olde~fashioned primitive charm that I hope you will enjoy!
This Starch Box marked "Kingsford & Son, Oswego NY ~National Starch Company sports a nice graphic label and comes with a hand ~ fashioned wire soap dish, old Lye Soap, Early Blue fabric bundle and of course clothespins. :) These pieces will give you a head start to help fill the box and you can also add other laundry favorites to it as well.
This starch box dates right around the turn of the century. Further research indicates when Thomson Kingsford died in 1900, two years later "The Oswego Starch Factory" was under control of the "National Starch Company" as it merged with other starch industries. Image 15 shows a picture of the Kingsford factory in 1910.
The graphic label on this box is about 75% intact and boasts nice primitive colors. Both sides of the box are stamped with, "Silver Gloss Starch", and the above referenced company names as well. At one point there was a sliding lid on the box but it is now long gone. Overall condition is good and all of the machine dovetails on the sides are intact. Appropriate nail bleed is present on the bottom and there are also traces of silver paint limited to the middle area only.
Image 6a shows a crack in the middle of the box that runs from one end to the other. This crack is raised in the middle through the word, "Silver" and just below, "Gloss". The crack does not effect the box as it is still strong and durable thanks to the intricate dovetails on either side. This starch box has consistent wear and the medium nutmeg color in the wood with some darkened areas really adds character to the overall appearance. There are a couple vertical black streaks near the top as referenced in image 5. Just a neat box with plenty of primitive decorating possibilities!
The wire soap dish was specifically hand ~ fashioned for this box and hangs on the side. I added two pieces of old Lye Soap and joined them with brown homespun wool. A cute little feature that really enhances and customizes the look.
I chose a piece of early blue calico from a 1860's ~ 1870's quilt along with some clothespins. Two of the clothespins are old while the two others were dipped in wax and then rubbed with spices.
This primitive Laundry Gathering could also be hung on the wall by nailing a saw tooth hanger on the back. Wherever that special place is in your home, this Wash ~ Day gathering is sure to please! Enjoy!
The Starch box measures 11 1/4" across, almost 7" deep and stands 5 3/4" Tall. The wire soap dish is 3" across the front, 1 3/4" Deep and is approximately 2" Tall. Old Lye Soap measures 2 1/2" across, 1 1/4" Deep and stands 1 1/4" Tall. Early Blue Fabric Bundle is 4" by 4" & 1" thick. Clothespins measure 3 3/4" to 4 1/4" Long.
