Did You Know?

Did you know that a seaman’s chest not only spoke about his skill as a sailor but his life as well?

When a seaman set sail for distant lands aboard cramped vessels, he would stuff all his belongings in a small wooden chest.  Such chests would represent the entirety of a sailor’s worldly life including sentiments of family and home.  Sometimes a sailor would decorate the inside with a painting of home or his vessel, but always a sailor would display his seamanship in the rope handles he would tie on the ends of the chests.  Fore, no sailor was worth his weight in ballast if he could not tie a proper knot!

Take this fine example of a 19th century Welsh seaman’s chest with its finely tied rope handles and canted sides.  Such wonderful examples can only be found at Mill House Antiques.  www.millhouseantiquesandgardens.com.

Make Mill House Antiques a destination soon.