What a beautiful hand fashioned chip ~ carved Child's dresser that predates 1940 to the turn of the century, sporting unique detailed features throughout! I am sure the lucky recipient of this piece must have been thrilled beyond belief and I can only image the hours of fun she must have had playing with it!
When I found this dresser it was missing a knob so Harry carefully fashioned up another one to match the rest. This was not an easy task as there was carving involved and the knob had to be pegged as well to fit snugly into the existing hole. I color matched the paint, antiqued it and now this dresser is complete once again to be enjoyed for years to come. Can you guess what knob was replaced?
This dresser is all about detail as almost every square inch has interesting features. The front has beautiful chip carved detail done in a vertical position alongside each of the drawers. The sides portray a cut out area using a scroll design with a piece of wood backed behind it that lends dimension as shown in images 5 & 7. The top shelf has luscious scrolled details apparent on the protruding edges which creates artistic ingenuity to the design. There is also a small shelf or cubby resting on top with an opening in the front. What purpose this served is your guess as well as mine but I think we can all agree that it is adorable! We slipped a piece of cardboard inside to hold the stack of homespun and wool fabrics I used for a neat accent. This little stack creates a pop of color and also adds another textured element. A hole located on the top of the opening again is a mystery. However, I used a piece of old wool that was rolled up to insert in this area.
There are evident paper labels that line both drawers as referenced in images 9 & 10 and portray nice graphics. The drawers cannot be removed but do pull out all the way… almost to the back. On the top of this dresser towards the back there are clues (four nail holes) that indicate there may have been a back to this piece at one point. Image 3 shows some surface wear on the top, near the front but alas this area adds interesting character to the overall look.
Old cigar boxes have a gorgeous sorrel red color in the wood that is evident in most of the pieces created. This piece is no exception and this rich hue is really quite pretty. There are some minor cracks on the right hand side of the dresser near the recessed wood area as shown in image 5 but does not hurt the structure of this piece. There are no chips or other cracks to report. The nails have appropriate nail bleed as well. This piece is in fine condition and holds inherent qualities of childhood fun!
The back of this dresser holds yet another mystery as there is either a thick piece of paper or fabric that take up almost a quarter of this area. The surface on the dresser is a dry attic finish with indications of dark areas sprinkled randomly throughout and is quite wonderful!
A little Putz Sheep resides on the top where she can get a bird's eye view of the comings and goings on of her environment! She boasts a Robbins egg blue collar that is marked with the word, "Germany"…so she is absolutely authentic! Good girl! She is in very good condition as her legs do not wiggle and are nice and sturdy. Her ears don't have any chips either and what a great "lipstick" mouth! She has some faint black marks on the top of her nose. Her head is elongated which may suggest that she is of an earlier origin.
This special and unique, possibly one of a kind Child's dresser is just a fantastic gem to have and to hold! You can place small bottle brush trees on the top for holiday decorating or create a small Putz Sheep herd that can lend a fun and whimsical look! Either way this piece is sure to be a hit whatever you decide! Enjoy!
Overall height of the dresser is 7 3/4" Tall, measures 7" across (right to left) at the top detailed protruding edge, 5 1/2" across the area where the drawers are located, (Drawers measure 4 1/2" deep, 3 3/4" across (right to left) & 1 1/4" tall), dresser measures 5 1/2" deep (front to back), protruding edge measures 6 1/4" deep (front edge to back edge), cubby compartment measures 2" Tall and is 3 1/2" deep, protruding top on cubby measures 4 1/2" across (right to left) and is 3 3/4" deep (front to back). Putz Sheep stands 1 3/4" tall from the ground to her head, (body stands a little over 1 1/4", about 2 3/4" from her head to her tail and is almost 3/4" across her back.
