I love boxes, all kinds of boxes, small, large, fancy, simple, old, new, silver, wood - all holding some sort of special appeal. There is just something so pleasing about their usefulness as containers for some possible treasure; and who can resist opening up a closed box? This one is a late 19th - early 20th century Swedish snuff box (snusdosa), measuring aproximately 3⅜" wide and 2⅜" tall. Made of thin layers of birch bark wrapped around a wooden base, attached with tiny wooden pegs, it is charmingly decorated with rows of little stamped designs, the central band having flowers accented with red and green paint, as is the heart-decorated joinery. A pokerwork phrase circling the edge translates to, "When the stomach has had its food the nose shall have its reward" (Thanks, Tua!), the wooden lid is decorated with a red and green pokerwork heart motif and has a folded leather pull tab.
An 1899 newspaper article mentions that Swedish handicrafts became more readily available here in the U.S. after the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The writer notes that most of the wooden wares, often decorated with paint and pyrography, were crafted by self sufficient Swedish women, it also mentions the use of quaint mottos and the popularity of the heart motif.
Here are a couple more birch bark snusdosas, this one in the Upplands Museum:
Digital Museum, and the other at the Nordic Museum:
Nordiska Museet.
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