Bottle Case
Roanoke River Basin, North Carolina, 1795-1805
Black walnut with yellow pine and holly
Catalog no. 163

Unlike many contemporary bottle cases, this example shows no evidence of the refined, fully concealed joinery found on most urban case furniture. The large dovetails that join the front, back, and side panels are fully exposed, and the top of the lid was simply nailed in place. Assembled without dovetails, the drawer was nailed together like a box. All of these features suggest that a carpenter or house joiner produced this bottle case.

Click on image to see qicktime detail of the Bottle Case opening and the inside.