SubscribeBlack high schoolers & Lane mini cedar chest
About a month ago, two Lane mini cedar chests came up for auction at one of my favorite auction houses. They were lovely little trinket boxes no longer than 9″ that likely held someone’s treasured keepsakes.
When the auctioneer got around to them, he announced that they were “salesman’s samples” of the larger more popular Lane chests, and probably shouldn’t be in this regular sale. So, thinking he could get more money for them at their Decorative Arts sale, he pulled them.
Well, two weeks later, they were back in the regular sale. Apparently, he found out that they were not saleman’s samples but just regular little boxes given out by the thousand by furniture companies across the country to high school girls. Many were handed out during the 1950s and 1960s to girls at graduation, with the hope that they would be inspired to buy the larger size, which cost hundreds of dollars.
Inside the lid of each box at auction: Lane Cedar Chests, Altavista, Va. Presented by Jaffe Furniture Co., Tarentum, PA. The other one held the name B.E. Block & Bros.
In Googling, I found a lot of these small chests, and in some instances they were being sold as “saleman’s samples.” But even more were being sold as they were meant to be.
The Lane Co. began distributing the free chests, which came with locks, in the 1930s when young women fresh out of high school had marriage on their minds, according to Wikipedia. Some stores were giving still them to high schoolers up into the 1990s, although the Lane website says that it no longer has them available. A Lane Company official said in a Washington Post story from 2005 said the girls were required to pick up the chests from the local furniture store.
According to one website, the miniature chests were first made by the company in 1925, and five years later a sales manager thought it would be a good promotional idea to make them available through the furniture stores.
Hope chests are nothing new; they’ve been around at least since the 1700s and their purpose has changed little over the centuries. One of the best display of the workmanship is in a collection at the Smithsonian Institution, a sulphur-inlaid chest – called the Dietrich chest of 1783 - made by German immigrant cabinetmakers in Lancaster County, PA., between 1765 and 1820.
Women had been filling hope chests them for years as trousseaus for marriage. Mothers put aside linen, clothing, home furnishings and other niceties for their daughters. During World War II, Lane advertised the chests to GI’s, urging them to buy for their beloved back home. Shirley Temple became the model face for the company.
I came across testimonials from women who recalled going to a furniture store to retrieve the boxes. Or their mother or grandmother handed them down. One woman talked of storing letters from her first boyfriend. Another talked of keeping a daughter’s kindergarten tassel. Yet another kept a prom picture and graduation ring in hers.
They were nostalgic about the memories those chests evoked and what they meant to them. It made me wonder if any of the furniture stores ever gave them to black high school girls during those times. Do black graduates have those same memories or were they robbed of them?
Did a salesman ever bother to give them the free boxes? Or did a black mom have to pay for the chest if her daughter wanted one? At a time when black mothers and daughters were expected to use the back door to enter establishments, I suspect the answers are no and yes.
Am I wrong? Were you a black high school girl in the 1950s or 1960s (or earlier) and got a Lane cedar mini chest from your local furniture store for free? Do you recall the chests? Do you have any such memories to share?
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I started going to auctions to fuel my love for African American art – but at a bargain. I love the old masters: Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith. I wanted to find their works and discover other veteran artists whose works may have been hiding in an attic or basement, and forgotten.
Great info! I was surprised to see my little cedar chest pictured in this story. I have an identical one and it dates to the mid to late 1930′s. When it came to me- it had some Madame Alexander doll clothes and a prom corsage inside it. I’ve often wondered what it was for- thanks for the info!
Hi Maureen. You’re welcome. They are lovely little chests, and I enjoyed learning more about them.
Sherry
do you have an address for the Lane cedar chest co ? thank you ! Lila
Hi Lila. I don’t have an address for the company, but you can contact them through their website: http://www.lanefurniture.com/. There’s a contact form on the site.
Sherry
Was wanting to buy some of the small cedar chests for Christmas presents. I received mine when I graduated from Guthrie High School in 1964. All the girls got one. I don’t remember what if anything that the boys got. Several years ago I was able to buy one at Mathis Brothers Furniture store in Oklahoma City. I plan to contact them to see if they still are able to get any of the boxes.
Hi Jo. Interesting that you were able to find one a couple years ago. I didn’t think they were still being made. There seems to be a lot of folks with fond memories of them.
Sherry
February 10, 2011
I was just doing some research on Cedar Chests when I came across your site.
I am a proud AA lady of 50′s……
Yes indeed, as a high school graduating senior in late 1960′s , my little city did give us certificates for a free complimentary mini Cedar Chest!
I value it yet today, and I will pass it down…..
Blessings to you! A nice blog!
Elane
Thanks, Elane. I’m glad to hear that they were being given to African American girls, too. What, may I ask, little city was it?
Sherry
I am also an African American lady close to 50 years old. I, too received a small Lane chest when I was a senior in high school (Ohio) . I still have the little chest filled with memories
Lovely, Allison. I’m glad you’re still enjoying it.
Sherry
I have one like pictured above, but it says presented by M C Thomas. Any input?
Hi Keith. Unfortunately not. My basic research showed that they were given out by furniture companies. Maybe MC Thomas was a furniture store owner or someone who gave them out as gifts.
i stil have the one i got in 1964 at graduation in michigan
Hi Mary. It seems that everyone who got one of the chests still has it. They must have been very special.
Sherry
Sherry,
I have one of the little Lane chests that you pictured. Do you happen know the model name of the chest? I was unable to match it to a full sized model on the Lane website.
Any information about that style/model would be helpful.
John Young
Hi John. Unfortunately, I no longer have the chest.
Sherry
Have been discussing these mini Lane cedar chests on Facebook with the different alumni from my HS… It seems either that people weren’t aware of them and missed out or as the majority (although a few have somewhere lost theirs) -they still have the “keepsake” box.
I also put my tassel, old letters and a few other “treasures” in mine. It’s so interesting to find that it wasn’t just a local tradition but seems it was across the USA.
Found your article here when we were all wondering if the boxes were still available …sad to know they are not beyond Ebay or other such sources.
Tori
Hi Tori. Yes, they seemed to have been a national tradition. It was good marketing on the part of Lane – even better because the little chests were functional.
Sherry
Hi Sherry,
I have 2 lane cedar chests that were my Mothers’ her paternal uncle Baltimore Arnold worked for Lane in Alta Vista VA .One was given to my mother upon her engagement to my Father.I have pictures of the chest filled with her wedding gifts and linens.I can’t find any information on African American employees of Lane.I’m guestimating he worked there at least in the 40′s.Do you know how I can research this? I loved your post. Many Thanks to you for this information.
Yvette
Hi Yvette. That’s a tough one, so I googled Lane and came up with a site that accumulates business records of VA companies: http://www.vahistorical.org/rbhc/main.htm. I’m not sure how detailed their records are – especially when it comes to employees – but it’s one place to check. You should also talk to family members who knew your uncle and remember him working at Lane. Check to see if there’s an historical society in Alta Vista that has historical documents on the company. Lastly, maybe there are some Auction Finds readers out there who could offer other suggestions.
Sherry
I too have a little Lane Chest that I was given by a furniture store in Phoenix, AZ when I graduated from HS. It is special to me because I now have lived in Altavista, VA (one word) for 12 years. I see the old smoke stack from the Lane factory each day. I wanted to let you know that the majority of people who lived here in the 40′s probably worked at Lane. Mrs. Lane is still alive and still lives in town. The best way to find information on someone who worked here is to plan a visit! We are a little town where everyone knows someone or knows someone who knows them. Our library has lots of historical information, but you get the best from the people who are still alive! Check out our town at http://www.ci.altavista.va.us/home.htm
Hi Lori. A trip to Altavista. That sounds like fun. I’ll try to plan a visit this summer for a follow-up blog post about a little town that produced a product that touched a lot of people.
Sherry
I just found this post while trying to find out if Lane still offered these little cedar chests to graduating girls. My mother received on in 1955 and believe it or not I was still able to get mine in 1988. I was hoping to be able to get one for my daughter.
Hi Kelly. I don’t think Lane makes them anymore. But you can find them on eBay.
Sherry