Sprague Carleton Chest

SPRAGUE & CARLETON PATRIOT MAPLE CHEST OF DRAWERS WITH TALL ARCHED CHEVAL MIRROR Narrow Colonial-style hard maple chest of drawers with a matching tall arched mirror on a scrolled harp, made by Sprague & Carleton of Keene, New Hampshire under its Patriot label. The case has a molded top edge, five drawers - two shallow drawers at the top with round brass knobs, then three deeper drawers with applied raised-panel fronts, the upper of the three divided into three panels and the lower two into two panels each - all fitted with brass campaign-style bail pulls on plain plates, over a molded plinth and a scalloped bracket base. Drawer interiors are clean solid light maple with machine-cut joinery. The mirror is a tall arched-top panel in a molded maple frame supported between two S-scrolled uprights bolted to the case back. A gold-and-black foil label inside a drawer reads "Sprague & Carleton" over "Patriot", and the case back carries pencil-written factory markings reading "21-1073" and "27-9 K". The chest shows honest use: light surface scratching and dulling on the top, scuffs and rubs along the plinth and base molding, wear and darkening to the brass pulls and knobs, a nick along one applied panel edge, dust and light debris in the case back and on the back panel, and a few small spots and speckling in the mirror silvering. The mirror was NOT removed from the harp and the drawers were NOT fully dismantled or checked for smooth travel under load. Sold as one chest with its mirror. Description Form: 5-drawer narrow chest of drawers with separate tall arched mirror on a bolt-on scrolled harp Construction/Finish: solid hard maple case and drawer fronts in a warm medium stain, applied raised panels, molded top edge and plinth, scalloped bracket base, light maple drawer interiors, plywood back panel with staples and screwed harp uprights Hardware: brass campaign-style bail pulls on rectangular plates on the three lower drawers, round brass knobs on the two shallow top drawers Marks: foil label inside a drawer reading "Sprague & Carleton" and "Patriot"; pencil markings on the case back reading "21-1073" and "27-9 K"; no serial-number plate or date stamp is shown Size: approximately 26 in across the top per the tape photograph and about 36 in tall to the chest top; the mirror panel measures roughly 38 to 40 in tall on the harp per the tape photographs; overall height with the mirror standing is estimated near 68 to 70 in and case depth. Attribution note Sprague & Carleton was founded in Keene, New Hampshire in 1899 by Frank L. Sprague and William Carleton, starting with rock maple porch rockers and settees in an era when Keene was called the porch chair center of the United States, then broadening into solid rock maple Colonial and Early American case goods and dining furniture from the late 1920s onward - history recorded in the City of Keene's own published business history, a National Register of Historic Places registration form for the Beaver Mills complex, and antiques columns carried by the Everett Herald. Patriot Industries acquired Sprague & Carleton in the late 1960s and continued producing under the Sprague & Carleton name, with the Keene factory closing in November 1988 in the face of imported competition, per that same Herald column and dealer references including High End Used Furniture and Chairish. Because this piece carries the combined Sprague & Carleton and Patriot label, it most likely dates from after that acquisition, roughly the late 1960s through the 1980s, and the pencil numbers on the back read as factory model and production notations rather than a datable serial. These identifications are offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and are not guaranteed. Bid on the item(s) as pictured. Notes for bidders Move this as two pieces - lift the mirror and harp off, or carry the assembly upright with the mirror supported, since the scrolled uprights carry all the glass weight on two bolted joints. Lift the case by its base rather than the top, and remove the drawers before moving to keep weight down and stop them sliding out. Clean the maple with a dry or barely damp cloth and a light paste wax at most; skip silicone sprays, oil soaps and solvents, which cloud an older lacquer finish. Wipe mirror glass with cleaner on the cloth, never sprayed at the frame, so nothing wicks behind the silvering. Check and snug the harp bolts before setting anything on the top. Only the item(s) pictured are included in this lot. Terms Sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty expressed or implied. All sales final. Please ask any questions before bidding. Buyer is responsible for pickup or shipping arrangements per auction terms.