During and throughout the 19th century, a saltbox was an essential part of any household. The purpose of a salt box was to hold salt, which in this time period was used to preserve food that would otherwise spoil. Salt boxes were not only used for practicality but in some cases as decoration. People would sometimes paint and decorate their salt boxes. One example of this was Samuel L. Plank, an Amish folk artist in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, who decorated the salt boxes he made (Galler, Salt boxes: Essential yet rarely noticed 2017). This specific salt box was made in Pennsylvania in 1850 out of yellow pine wood (Salt Box – American).
Galler, M. (2017, December 10). Salt boxes: Essential yet rarely noticed. The Georgetowner. https://georgetowner.com/articles/2017/12/06/salt-boxes-essential-yet-rarely-noticed-2/
Salt Box – American. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (n.d.-a). https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/6944
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