Q & A

F.L. of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia writes:

I would like to know the age and the type of table this is. This was my Great Grand Father’s. It has always been covered in the yellow paint, according to my Father, who got the table and passed to off to me. My 5th Great Grand Father, James Logan, was a member of the 71st Fraser Highlanders, from Scotland. After being wounded in the American Revolution, he was posted to the Royal Garrison Battalion in Bermuda. After the war, most of the Battalion took land grants in Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia. He and his fellow solders were the founding fathers of Sheet Harbour in 1784. I am led to believe that this table may date back to him, as my Great Grand Father, was also purported to have a piece of the Black Watch (based on the description) Tartan, which would have been James' kilt. Could you shed any light on this table, and any advice on restoring it to a more reasonable condition?

We asked Jim Snowdon to respond:

This is an interesting case of family tradition and material culture not saying the same thing. The story of Loyalist origins is unfortunately not the case. This little table with the yellow paint actually dates from the late nineteenth century---a hundred years or more after James Logan arrived in Shelburne. It appears to have a full-length drawer----I would be interested in seeing whether it is constructed with dovetails and what vintage nails are used in the construction. My guess is that they are either cut or wire---not the hand forged “roseheads” characteristic of the 18th century.

The top appears to have a scalloped form. If you look closely at the underside you can probably see evidence of the circular saw marks left by maker who only finished the surfaces that show. Circular saws replaced the up-and-down saws, which left parallel sawmarks, after the mid-nineteenth century. If you look closely at the edge you can see where the yellow paint has chipped off showing a darker red or brown colour. This was probably the original finish----a pine piece made by a country craftsman during the late 19th century and finished in a red or brown, possible with black graining as was common during that era.

The trestle feet and legs also are telltale signs of what we call “cottage” furniture. This was probably a side table used in a bedroom and the form often accompanied a washstand, a commode and often a spool bed. The paint is twentieth century and there probably are several coats that hide the original finish. It is difficult to provide an evaluation, of course, since photos often hide interesting facts, but I would suggest that pieces of this form and condition bring between $100 - $300 in the marketplace.

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