Chest on Chest

This chest-on-chest descended in the Dodge family to Edwin Noyes Dodge, whose wife donated it to the Institute. While the object was made in New England, it came to the Midwest when the Dodge family immigrated to Minnesota in the 19th century. The style of this chest-on-chest suggests that it was made in New London County, Connecticut, and probably Colchester, as it displays characteristics of 18th-century furniture from that vicinity, including the block-and-shell front; the curled, beaded molding on the feet; the compass carving at the tops of the side pilasters; the rosettes on the broken pediment; and the whorl in the top center drawer.