Stars, Moon, Sun, Arrow, ?, Fabulous Antique Heavily Decorated Folk Art Razors Box black woman plus death personified as skeleton

plus death personified as skeleton with scythe standing over a figure in bed

as it is perfectly embodies that history

(If only I had for each of the 31 states that existed in 1857

carved deeply into the face

and I think both pretty perfectly captured here

Stars, Moon, Sun, Arrow, ?, Fabulous Antique Heavily Decorated Folk Art Razors Box black woman plus death personified as skeletonOne of my favorite finds at the Rhinebeck show, purchased from a Maine based dealer who always has wonderful things. And the warm energy around this box is of a magical sort. I believe it was made as a box to hold folding straight razors, and I have a hunch it was the box of someone who delivered shaves for a living perhaps a train station barber, very common in the late 19th early 20th century, with the box feeling to me close kin to a folk art shoe