Description:
Man's incised, rectangular leather wallet with ink inscription on the inside pocket, "Ira Billings, Owner / Deerfield, Mass./ 1826." The son of Jesse Billings (1765-1849) and his second wife, Lucy Wright Billings (1771-1820) of Deerfield, Ira Billings (1792-1869) married Eunice Tryon (1797-1864) of Buckland, Massachusetts, in 1818. Sheldon listed Ira Billings as a wheelwright at Bloody Brook, and was in business with his father Jesse, and their business in wagons and carriages was extensive, extending as far as the United States Army post in Springfield, Massachusetts to Brattleboro, Vermont. Ira was listed as a Carriage Maker in the 1850 Federal Census, and a Wagon Maker in the 1860 Census. Wallets like this were an important way for men to carry around money and documents since men's garments did not regularly have pockets until the late 19th century. Before then, a man's coat may have had a single pocket hidden in the seam of a coat tails. Historic Deerfield owns two other leather wallets, one dating to 1777 (HD 95.009) and the other, a 19th century wallet (HD 76.217). There are two separate pocket areas for bills and notes inside the wallet are: one area has a pocket, and the other has two leather flaps. A very long, narrow folded tab or extension secures the wallet when closed. The wallet has patina from many years of use; there is some speckled soiling on the inside of the wallet and some other darker stains.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2009.3 |
