Presidents, Andover, and Sea Shells, oh my!
What's It Wednesdays
ACHC #1955.051.1a
On Inauguration Day it is only fitting to celebrate Presidents. And what better way to pay homage than with seashells?!
We have a unique collection of 14 “presidential ”cowrie shells. Each is beautifully carved with a banner that reads “E. Pluribus Unum” and the name of a president and his terms of office. The largest shell (about 2” tall) is carved “George Washington, President of the U.S. of America from Ap 30 1789 to Mar 3 1797. It displays the U.S. Eagle symbol as well as the E. Pluribus" banner. The 14th shell is carved for Franklin Pierce with the term “1853 to .” Franklin Pierce was president from 1853-1857. The shell was never finished.
ACHC #1955.051.1n.073.14
Cowrie shells come from small to large sea snails found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Carving cowrie shells is traced to the Renaissance period where they were used for cameos. Cowrie shells were also widely use as currency in China, the West Indies and Africa.
Our cowrie shells are delicate and small, and it is unknown who carved them and under what circumstances. But we do know that the donor, Winslow L. Knowles, Jr. gave them to us in 1955. Paperwork states that the shell series were carved from 1853 to 1857.
We have other things in our collection from the Knowles family. Captain Winslow L. Knowles was a sea captain like his father, Winslow Lewis Knowles and his two brothers. His first wife and son died in childbirth. Devastated, Winslow left his daughter in the care of his family and began sailing with his father. Father and son sailed the route from Boston around the Cape Horn to San Francisco during the gold rush. He married his second wife, Henrietta Cheever of Andover, in 1859. Their son, also named Winslow L. Knowles, was born in Andover in 1861. Captain Knowles left Andover shortly after for a voyage to the East Indies. He traveled to Calcutta, India where he died of cholera in 1863.
Perhaps the shells were carved by Captain Winslow L. Knowles during his voyages. In any case, the talented carver left us a treasured reminder of the presidents who have gone before.
Happy Inauguration Day! E Pluribus Unum