TidesNet—Online Collections Entry Detail

DescriptionA late 19th century century table piece called an epergne. It comes from the Wells-Shober Cottage on Campobello Island, New Brunswick. The Cottage is now part of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines an epergne as: “an often ornate tiered centerpiece consisting typically of a frame of wrought metal (such as silver or gold) bearing dishes, vases, or candle holders or a combination of these.” In this example from the Wells-Shober Cottage, the epergne consists of a brass frame structure with a wonderful round open top etched glass bowl in the center and then two delicate etched glass vases on either side. The epergne was donated to the Tides Institute by a donor whose father was in the real estate business and once handled the sale of the Wells-Shober Cottage in the mid-20th century. Many of the original furnishings of the Cottage were still there at the time and he was able to bring many of them to his family’s home in Eastport including the epergne. The Wells-Shober Cottage was built in 1884 for Samuel Wells, a Boston lawyer and president of the Campobello Company that developed many of the hotels and surrounding land for summer cottages on Campobello at the same time. In 1912, the Cottage was purchased by the Shober family of Philadelphia. From: https://www.rooseveltcampobello.org/daily-programs-and-tours Built in the late 19th century for Samuel Wells, a Boston-area lawyer and president of the Campobello Company. This cottage was acquired in 1912 by the Shober family of Philadelphia. Classification: Furniture Old Accession Number: 2202 Description: Originally from Wells-Shober Cottage, Campobello, New Brunswick. From Joyce Emery Kinney, Eastport, Maine. From the Emery family Elm Cottage, Elm Street, Eastport, Maine. Her father had once purchased the Wells-Shober Cottage including contents. Joyce tells of her father and brother bringing a truckload of furniture from the Cottage over to Eastport.