Chest

This chest was made to commemorate the marriage of the artist’s daughter Sirid to Ola Iverson Lo. Ornate feather-like patterns frame each of Sirid’s initials, SIDQ—for Sirid Ivar’s Datter Quallen (Kvalen)—and the date, 1777. A dowry chest such as this would have been filled with clothing, linens, and valuables. In 1858, Sirid’s descendants brought the chest with them when they emigrated from Norway to Wisconsin.