Gutta Percha is made from a Malayan tree resin. It is pliable when heated but solid at room temperature. It came into use prior to the Civil War and was used for cases and picture frames to hold photographs as well as boxes for jewelry and various keepsakes.

This box was formed in the mid-19^th Century with a popular relief of Christopher Columbus and crew landing in the “New World” on the lid’s center.  The relief is surrounded by a border of floral accenting.  The sides of the body of the box are tiered according to size and the unfinished bottom has been covered with newer green felt.  The lid shows some chipping along the top edge, primarily at center and minor.

The interior retains a layer of paper – likely a period cotton blend wallpaper, with an area of material loss.  At some point, a purple material was glued to the inside of the lid and removed.  Traces of the same paper remain at the edges, along with a partial remnant of an antique cherub lithograph. Interior dimensions are 6.9” x 8.6” with the largest tier of the exterior measuring 8” x 9.9”.

An excellent and attractive piece for the collector of items important to civilians of the Civil War era.  [cm][ph:L}

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