Brass Key (Archaeological Find)
Files
Title:
Brass Key
Subject:
This key likely dates to the mid-nineteenth century and is of a type known as a bit key (the bit being the “tooth” at the end of the key) (Hume 2001:246). When the key is inserted into the lock and turned, the bit lifts up one or more levers that release the bolt, and then slides the bolt inward. For added security, bits would often have grooves cut into them that corresponded to projections attached around the key hole (known as wards) or they would have different levels cut into the edge that corresponded to differently shaped levers within the lock (Blackall 1890; Eras 1957; Hopkins 1928;). This particular example features a plain bit that would have corresponded to a lock that afforded little security. Coupled with the small size of the key it is likely that it was a furniture key, unlocking a cabinet or drawer, or the key to a small box or chest (Taylor 2010). Given the lack of security, the use of this key and lock would have been connected to a demarcation of private space—a declaration of privacy rather than a deterrent of theft.
In Victorian America, the importance of private contemplation and an emphasis on individual rationality were already aspects of the culture that stemmed from both Protestant and Enlightenment ideals. The Industrial Revolution further reinforced the idea of private individuality by highlighting the separation between “home” (private) and “work” (public) (Lears 1981). It also led to overcrowded lodgings and tenements which forced people to find privacy at a more individual level by keeping locked chests and boxes of personal belongings (Vickers 2008). Although mid-nineteenth century Harvard was not part of an urban setting, many students who could not afford private lodgings still had to share living spaces (Morison 1936). The wish for more privacy would have likely led students to use locked drawers, cabinets or chests to store some of their more valuable or sensitive possessions.
Creator:
Norman R. Storer
Source:
References:
Blackall, Clarence H.
1890. Locks. In Builders Hardware: A Manual for Architects, Builders and House Furnishers, pp. 168-236. Ticknor and Company, Boston.
Eras, Vincent J.M.
1957. Locks and Keys throughout the Ages. Lips’ Safe and Lock Manufacturing Company, Amsterdam; U.S. edition.
Hopkins, Albert A.
1928. The Lure of the Lock. The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, New York.
House of Antique Hardware
n.d. Antique Barrel Key for Furniture Locks. House of Antique Hardware. Accessed April 5, 2017. http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/antique-barrel-keys-skeleton
Hume, Ivor Nöel
2001. A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Lears, T.J. Jackson
1981. Roots of Antimodernism: The Crisis of Cultural Authority During the Late Nineteenth Century. In No Place of Grace: Antimodernism and the Transformation of American Culture, 1880-1920, pp. 4-58. University of Chicago Press.
Morison, Samuel Eliot
1936. Three Centuries of Harvard, 1636–1936. Belknap Press. Reprinted, 2006.
Pach Bros.
1885. College Room of Jesse Maxwell Overton. Harvard University Archives HUPSF Student Rooms 121. Accessed April 5, 2017. http://id.lib.harvard.edu/via/olvwork445744/catalog
Taylor, Fred
2010. Furniture Detective: Unlock the Secrets of Furniture Locks. Antique Trader. Accessed April 5, 2017. http://www.antiquetrader.com/antiques/secrets_of_furniture_locks
Vickery, Amanda
2008. An Englishman’s Home is His Castle? Thresholds, Boundaries and Privacies in the Eighteenth-Century London House. Past and Present 199:147-173.
Object Name:
Brass Key
Inventory Description:
Bit key. Cast brass, simple bit (non-warded, no steps), solid round shaft, partial bow (design is likely three circles in triangle formation). Likely a furniture or box key.
Peabody Number:
2016.29.407
Culture/Period:
Mid 19th century (Post 1840)
Intrasite:
H935 Level 4
Depth:
73-83cm
Class 1:
Metal
Class 2:
Hardware
Class 3:
Key
Quantity:
1
Height (cm):
5.7
Width (cm):
1.9
Depth/Thickness (cm):
0.6