A Boston jeweler has been here with more than $10000 worth of jewelry of all sorts – rich or paste – for sale at Auction. We went in just to see the splendid array - & indeed, it was splendid – bid a little – co’dn’t help it. Hus. got a breast-pin knocked down to him w’h he presented to me with great ceremony. I bid off a ring w’h I keep myself.
–– Persis Sibley Andrews, Paris, Maine, February 10, 1850
The right piece of jewelry on most any article of clothing makes a statement and draws attention. Whether unique or a version of whatever is in fashion, jewelry means "dressed up."
Lura Beam, in A Maine Hamlet, wrote about her hometown of Marshfield at the turn of the 20th century: "To have jewelry was every woman's ambition, and every man's too because he wanted to give it. … Probably only about half the women had more than a single piece of jewelry."
"Costume" or "fashion" jewelry might emulate more expensive materials and sometimes is undistinguishable by a casual observer from the gold, diamond, or other pieces on which it is based.
Many of the higher quality pieces, worn infrequently, often remain in fashion and retain their elegance and value, and thus are passed down through families.
Susannah Cary (1814-1871) of Houlton sat for artist Albert Tracy on May 17, 1840. Her pose, with a long gold chain wrapped around the index finger of her left hand, shows off a gold and sapphire ring.
In 1840, Houlton was a sparsely settled town on the Maine frontier, the center of struggles over the border between Maine and New Brunswick.
Susannah and her husband, Shepard, were major landowners and heavily involved in the timber trade. Shepherd had served in the Maine House of Representatives and was later elected to the Maine Senate.
Tracy, who changed his name from Albert Tracy Haddock, was a decorated soldier and was in Houlton with the troops sent there during the Northeast Boundary Dispute. He painted portraits of both Shepard and Susannah Cary and signed and dated both on the back.
The carved coral and gold set of brooch, ring, and drop earrings probably was made in Europe in about 1800.
Emily Ilsley Cummings (1801-1870) was the daughter of Isaac Ilsley, who served as the collector of port in Portland from 1801-1829. She may have inherited the jewelry, given its age.
She married Nathan Cummings (1796-1878), a graduate of Bowdoin College. He was a director of Casco Bank for almost 50 years.
Poet Elizabeth Chase Akers (1832-1911), a native of Strong who grew up in Farmington, owned this long chain and locket that contains a tintype of her husband, sculptor Benjamin Paul Akers (1825-1861) of Sacarappa at age 20. They married in 1860; he died in 1861.
She had used "Florence Percy" as a pen name, but began writing as "Elizabeth Akers," a name she kept after her husband's death and her subsequent marriage to E. M. Allen of New York.
Many photographs and paintings of women in the 19th century show them wearing long chains that held lockets or watches.
Gertrude Akers, who died in infancy, wore this bracelet. She was the daughter of sculptor Benjamin Paul Akers and Elizabeth Chase Akers, a poet. Her father died in 1861 and her mother later married E.M. Allen.
Benjamin Paul Akers was from Sacarappa (Westbrook) and Elizabeth Chase Akers a native of Strong, grew up in Farmington.
Boston artist John Greenough (1801-1852) carved the cameo image of James Brown Thornton (1794-1873) of Saco "from life" on January 9, 1849.
Thornton was a merchant who was involved in shipping, mills, and real estate. He was the son of Dr. Thomas G. Thornton (1768-1824), who gave money to start Thornton Academy.
Cameo images of men – and of living persons – are somewhat unusual. However, the carved cameo may have provided an alternative to a painted portrait.
The silver vase, which can be carried at a ball or used as a standing vase, has its own leather case that is lined in satin.
A pin on a chain goes through a hole in the upper edge of the vase to hold the flower in place. A spring-loaded flap inside at the bottom secures a cloth or sponge with water to help keep the flowers fresh and to keep the moisture from spilling out.
The vase belonged to a member of the Thompson family of Kennebunk.
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Claudia Wigglesworth brooch and earrings, ca. 1860
Claudia Seddon Mary Isabelle Church Wigglesworth (1909-1993) owned this pendant brooch and earrings of amethyst that is carved and then inlaid with a gilt flower and rose cut diamonds, with seed pearls for highlights. The pieces are set in gold.
She married Arthur Aldred Wigglesworth on April 26, 1928. They had eight children and lived in Knox and Washington counties. While living in Princeton, she was active with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
She also was an active member of the Congregational Church, past regent of the General Knox Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, and a member of numerous historical societies.
Each piece has 466 seed pearls sewn onto a mother-of-pearl background and is quite delicate because of the sewn construction and the number of pearls.
The pieces came from the Thompson family of Kennebunk and may have belonged to Jane Nisbet Lawton Thompson (1849-1930), who was married to Joseph Porter Thompson (1840-1904). The couple married in 1870.
The box indicates the pieces were purchased at Bigelow, Kennard & Co. of Boston.
