Yellowware Mug
American production of yellowware ceramics, named for the yellow hue of the clay used, centered on New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This nearly-complete mug was decorated by trailing bands of darker or lighter clay across the surface as it was worked on a pottery wheel.
Recovered from excavation prior to construction of Rutgers-Camden dormitory at 330 Cooper Street, Camden, N.J.
Rutgers University-Camden
c. 1830-1920; photograph, July 2018
Lucy Davis (Graduate Student, American Material Culture, Spring 2018); photograph by Jacob Lechner.
Collection of Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Affleck, Richard, George Cress, Ingrid Weubber, Rebecca White, Kimberly Morrell, and Thomas Kutys. Phase II and Data-Recovery Archaeological Excavations of the Smith-Maskell Site Cooper Street Development Camden, New Jersey. Archaeological Excavation Report, Burlington: URS Corporation.
Woman Cries Aloud with Joy When Rheumatic Pain Goes (1929)
Emma Jarvis, a boarding house operator at 417 Cooper Street, lent her name to a product endorsement.
Whiteware Tea Cup
London shape, chrome-painted whiteware tea cups were commonly imported into the United States. The flower vine pattern was commonly seen on nineteenth-century whiteware.
Recovered from excavation prior to construction of Rutgers-Camden dormitory at 330 Cooper Street, Camden, N.J.
Rutgers University-Camden
c. 1815-1880; photograph, July 2018
Ernie Ariens (Graduate Student, American Material Culture, Spring 2018); photograph by Jacob Lechner.
Collection of Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Affleck, Richard, George Cress, Ingrid Weubber, Rebecca White, Kimberly Morrell, and Thomas Kutys. Phase II and Data-Recovery Archaeological Excavations of the Smith-Maskell Site Cooper Street Development Camden, New Jersey. Archaeological Excavation Report, Burlington: URS Corporation.
ceramic demitasse cup, approximately 3" diameter.
White Granite Plate
White granite became a popular choice for dinnerware in the mid-nineteenth century because it had the appearance of porcelain but was less expensive and more durable. Pieces were often decorated with natural motifs.
John Maddock & Sons.
Recovered from excavation prior to construction of Rutgers-Camden dormitory at 330 Cooper Street, Camden, N.J.
Rutgers University-Camden
c. 1855; photograph, July 2018
Ashley Angelucci (Graduate Student, American Material Culture, Spring 2018); photograph by Jacob Lechner.
Collection of Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Affleck, Richard, George Cress, Ingrid Weubber, Rebecca White, Kimberly Morrell, and Thomas Kutys. Phase II and Data-Recovery Archaeological Excavations of the Smith-Maskell Site Cooper Street Development Camden, New Jersey. Archaeological Excavation Report, Burlington: URS Corporation.
White granite dinner plate
White Ball Clay Pipe
Both men and women enjoyed the sweet flavors and the soothing properties of tobacco through white ball clay pipes. Clay smoking pipes are some of the first mass-produced items. Because of this mass production, clay pipes served as an affordable alternative to those who could not afford the more expensive options made of brier wood or meerschaum. Serving as a cheap way to enjoy the pleasures of tobacco, factory workers purchased these pipes one or two at a time. After a couple bowls of tobacco, the pipes would be thrown away.
Excavation prior to construction of Rutgers-Camden dormitory at 330 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ.
Rutgers University-Camden
c. 1880-1890; photographs, March 2018.
Ernie Ariens (Graduate Student, American Material Culture, Spring 2018); photographs by Jacob Lechner.
Collection of Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Affleck, Richard, George Cress, Ingrid Weubber, Rebecca White, Kimberly Morrell, and Thomas Kutys. Phase II and Data-Recovery Archaeological Excavations of the Smith-Maskell Site Cooper Street Development Camden, New Jersey. Archaeological Excavation Report, Burlington: URS Corporation.
Clay pipe, 4 inches in length with a stem 0.1090 inches in diameter and 3.75 inches long.
Waters, Helen
Helen Waters, a widow, supported her family by operating a beauty salon on the second floor of 421 Cooper Street from the 1930s to at least 1950.
Typewriter Dusting Brush
Typewriter manufacturing companies of the early twentieth century often paired the machines with a manual and a cleaning kit, providing consumers with two cleaning brushes, an oil can, and a small screwdriver. This "Typewriters Companion" dusting brush, made in France, would have been paired with a shorter, stiff-bristled brush that was used first to remove the hardened grime from between the type keys. The dusting brush was typically used after the type brush to wiping the typewriter clean of loosened dirt and dust without harming it. The handle was originally threaded with horsehair bristles, creating a much softer surface than the wire bristles of its partner, the type brush. With its long, curved handle and its wide set of soft bristles, the Typewriters Companion played a significant role in maintaining typewriters in the early twentieth century.
Recovered from excavation prior to construction of Rutgers-Camden dormitory at 330 Cooper Street, Camden, N.J.
Rutgers University-Camden
c. 1880-1930; photographs, March 2018.
McKenna Britton (Graduate Student, American Material Culture, Spring 2018)
Collection of Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Affleck, Richard, George Cress, Ingrid Weubber, Rebecca White, Kimberly Morrell, and Thomas Kutys. Phase II and Data-Recovery Archaeological Excavations of the Smith-Maskell Site Cooper Street Development Camden, New Jersey. Archaeological Excavation Report, Burlington: URS Corporation.
Bone brush handle, 14.5 cm (length) x 0.5 cm (width).
Two Glass Syringes
Timothy J. Potero
Rutgers University-Camden
Copyright 2018 Timothy J. Potero; do not distribute or cite without permission of the author.
Truscott, Arthur
While boarding at 415 Cooper Street, architect Arthur Truscott launched his career in Philadelphia.
Toy, Matilda
Matilda Toy is an example of an itinerant boarding house operator, moving to different rented houses from year to year.