Description:
standing young woman with long hair, flowing dress; woman; furniture

Label Text:
This stove figure, an unidentified woman whose youth, ideal beauty, and classical robes suggest that this is not a portrait of a particular individual but instead represents the allegorical Miss Liberty or Columbia, was originally designed to stand on a cast iron firebox. It radiated heat from the fire below; the body of the sculpture served as a large heating chamber. Parlor heating stoves were popular in the United States in the mid 1800's as a main source of heat. While some stoves were purely utilitarian, many displayed elaborate decorative motifs. This figure represents one of the most ornamental of stove designs, yet it was also effective in heating a home because of the large radiating surface it provided.

Tags:
women; allegory; costume

Subjects:
Costume

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1980.25

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.