Review by Tara Gleason Chicirda
Opening the Door: Safes of the Shenandoah Valley

Kurt C. Russ and Jeffrey S. Evans. Opening the Door: Safes of the Shenandoah Valley. Winchester, Va.: Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, 2017. xii + 136 pp.; numerous color and bw illus., selected bibliography, index. $44.95.

Kurt Russ and Jeffrey S. Evans’ recent publication, Opening the Door: Safes of the Shenandoah Valley, is an important “first chapter” in that region’s study of nineteenth-century punched-tin safes (see p. vi). Resulting from the Virginia Safe Project research for Safes of the Valley, a 2014–15 exhibition at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Opening the Door tackles the diversity in construction and design found in the safes of the Shenandoah Valley. While punched-tin safes are ubiquitous in certain areas of the Southeast and Midwest, only a handful of publications have focused on the form in any depth. Russ and Evans have identified regional and shop variations found in Shenandoah Valley safes through provenanced examples that remain in -family and local collections. The compilation and publication of this research greatly advances the scholarship of the form and provides a springboard for further studies.

Often called “pie safes” by collectors today, the period term for this ventilated storage form was “safe” or “food safe.” These cupboards were initially designed for the short-term storage of fresh or recently cooked foods prior to the advent of refrigeration. They allowed proper airflow for preservation while protecting the victuals within from a range of vermin, including rodents and house flies. Early Virginia examples with linen or wire-mesh sides date back to the beginning of the eighteenth century, but the form became popular throughout the Southeast and Midwest in the early nineteenth century with the introduction of decorative punched-tin panels.^[1] Over time, the use of these safes included general storage rather than solely foodstuffs.

The book begins with an introduction to the punched-tin safe form: its historical precedents in Europe, the evolution of the form in Virginia, and its introduction to the Shenandoah Valley. Within this framework, the authors include a survey of the literature and of exhibitions pertaining to American safes as well as a discussion of the form’s potential to convey cultural insights about consumers and producers. Although Anglo examples of early safes exist, the authors posit that the punched-tin versions originated with German artisans in the Valley. Because the area was settled by immigrant groups and their descendants from various regions in Europe and the British Isles, local safes reflected the multicultural nature of the area. The construction and design elements of these safes provide information “regarding ethnicities of the producers and consumers and evolving cultural relevance of the symbols and motifs they selected for their tins” (p. 15). The authors argue that the cultural origin of the German and Scotch-Irish Valley inhabitants affected some of the punched-tin patterns, the former favoring naturalistic motifs while the latter appreciated historically themed imagery that reflected concerns about national identity, law, order, and politics (see p. 9). Although an interesting and informative chapter, the various sections arranged by subheadings are relatively independent. In addition, citations for some referenced facts only appear during in-depth discussions later in the book and are without citations in the Introduction.

The importance of this book to scholars and collectors lies in the regional and shop attributions identified in the subsequent three chapters on the Kahle-Henson school of Lexington, Virginia, and the safes of the southern and northern Shenandoah Valley. The chapter on the Kahle-Henson school summarizes the basic facts about and most important objects from cabinetmaker Matthew Kahle and tinsmith John Henson that were previously published by the authors in American Furniture (2012). Additionally, that chapter includes new discoveries of fully signed tins that support and inform earlier attributions based on the initials of the makers. With the earliest reference to the sale of safe frames in the Valley documented to Henson in 1824 and the longevity of Kahle’s safe production over forty years, this shop group is an important starting point for the story of Shenandoah Valley safes (see p. 19). It is appropriate to summarize the American Furniture article on the Kahle-Henson school in Opening the Door; the story of the shop group and Valley safes is not complete without it. Anyone interested in understanding the entire story of Valley safes, and this shop group in particular, should certainly read the associated article.^[2]

The two chapters on the safes of the upper and lower Shenandoah Valley form a catalogue of examples in those regions. The illustrated safes document specific furniture forms and tin designs attributed to those counties and, in some instances, to makers or shop groups. Each safe entry includes information on the origin, date, materials, dimensions, and construction details. Brief and concise, these construction notes are useful for seeing both continuity in the form’s production as well as individual details that help identify location or shop groups. Detail illustrations of the safe tins as well as additional supporting examples round out the entries. Within the discussion of each safe, Russ and Evans include the provenance when known and particulars that identify each example as being from a certain locale. While some entries are packed with information about the people, cultural influences, tin patterns, or cabinet designs and others convey only basic thoughts on a regional safe type, all will be immensely useful to scholars and collectors who attempt to identify safes from these regions. The color photographs of the safes and tin details will also be invaluable. Despite the difficulties involved in creating clear photographs of punched-tin designs, especially on examples without much contrast, the photographers have done an excellent job in capturing these important patterns. While the details are small, they provide the information clearly.

Identifying the origin of a piece of furniture is not always simple, especially when the attribution is as tightly pinpointed as are those in Opening the Door. Known provenances are essential for this type of scholarship. It is a testimony to the Valley families and collectors that many of these histories are still known. Russ and Evans are to be commended as well for documenting these objects before further information is lost as Valley safes are sold out of the region and their provenances forgotten.

A chapter on the work of Phil Baker provides a capstone to the discussion of Valley safes. Working at the very end of the nineteenth century until the 1930s, Baker continued the tradition of punched-tin safes at a time when mass-produced, factory-made furniture had begun to usurp the work of local cabinetmakers. Because of the physical difficulties of importing furniture to the Shenandoah Valley during this period, the region continued its local cabinetmaking traditions longer into the twentieth century than other more accessible areas. Baker’s safes reflected national trends in furniture style and included factory produced punched-tins. But his work attests to the continued popularity of the form in the Valley and the adaptations craftsmen made to traditional production modes during the period.

The book’s concluding chapter sums up the importance of the form in the Shenandoah Valley, its evolution from a food storage cabinet to a general and decorative storage form found in prominent rooms, and its decline at the end of the nineteenth century due to various market forces. It also considers the evolution of the punched tins, discussing the process used in creating the tins, possible design sources for the patterns—including motifs from coins, stamps, quilts, and glassware—and the market pressures faced by Valley tinsmiths. In the authors’ final thoughts, Russ and Evans discuss new insights revealed by their research: the attribution of the punched-tin safe form to the German-Americans in the Valley rather than to other cultural groups; the cultural expression of the maker’s or owner’s background seen through the punched-tin designs; the documentation of safes in the Valley earlier than previously believed; the period nomenclature of various safe forms that did not include “pie safe” until the twentieth century; and the evolution of the furniture form throughout the nineteenth century.

The authors’ assertion that the Virginia Safe Project is ongoing and continues to explore other regions as well as Valley cabinetmakers and tinsmiths is heartening. Catalogues and databases with object photographs, provenances, and construction notes are essential for documenting what exists. It is through these formats that scholars can build on what is known in order to further our knowledge about the decorative arts and material culture of regions like the Shenandoah Valley. A quick search on the object database for the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts reveals only two safes, neither of which is from the Shenandoah Valley. The photographs and information found in Opening the Door would make a great addition to the MESDA object database, providing greater access for scholars and collectors. As Russ and Evans have written in their preface, they “hope this [book] will be considered the first chapter in the complete story of these unique furniture forms and those who produced and used them” (p. vi). The authors have made an important contribution to the field of furniture scholarship with their research, documentation, and interpretation. Now it is up to future scholars to build on this chapter and complete the story. Hopefully the glue for subsequent bindings will better retain the pages within the cover.^[3]

Tara Gleason Chicirda
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation