THE PIECE: A wooden campaign chest, from the late 19th century
THE OWNER: Lou Shanks of New Orleans acquired this chest several years ago from a friend who had bought it at an antiques shop in north Louisiana. The antiques dealer suggested that it is a captain's chest, but its origin is unknown. Chests have been used since early times to store personal belongings and household items, and often served additional duty as extra seats or tables. While some were designed as pieces of furniture, others were outfitted with handles so they could be moved from place to place, serving as a form of luggage. Many of these chests were banded with leather or metal straps for extra durability, especially when they were to be used for frequent traveling or rough conditions, as in the case of a sea captain's chest. Portable chests usually included a lock so that personal possessions could be kept secure. In the days of stage-coach transport, chests with dome-shaped tops became popular among travelers who wanted to be assured that their luggage was placed on the top of the pile, rather than the bottom.
BLANKET, HOPE, CAMPAIGN OR SEA: Any wooden box with a lid used for storage can be referred to as a chest, so types of chests are usually named for their intended purposes. Decoration and construction can provide a clue: aromatic woods, like cedar, often were used to make chests for blankets and linen storage; hope chests might have ornate carvings and embellishments, such as initials or romantic symbols; and sea chests typically have straps and bands and were sometimes outfitted with rope handles instead of metal ones. Because of the finely executed dovetail construction of Shanks' chest, his piece is identified as a "campaign" chest, made for use by traveling armies. Made of tiger oak and outfitted with square-head bolts, heavy handles and a skeleton-key lock, this piece is probably English in origin and built in the late 19th century. It is typical of the style made by fine British furniture makers for soldiers of the British army, who traveled the world during the rise of the British empire in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who wanted to take an upscale standard of living with them.
WHAT IT'S WORTH: Because such chests are still fairly plentiful in antiques shops, Bettine Carroll of Neal Auction Co. speculates that Shanks' piece would probably be priced for auction at $100 to $200.
-- JILL ANDING