When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Groupof handwrittenChristmas gift lists dating from 1927 to 1931,preserved together and written on personalizedhousehold stationeryfor Mrs.Arthur Murray Sherwood Jr.and LydiaEmmet Sherwood,Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
The lists record family members, intended gifts, and revisions,with checkmarks, cross-outs, and changes showingactive use over multiple holiday seasons. Entries reflect real-timeplanning rather than retrospective copying, giving the group animmediacy often absent from domestic ephemera.
Together, the papers document upper-class family life inStockbridge, Massachusetts during the late 1920s and earlyyears of the Great Depression. The continuity across five years,combined with named stationery and consistent handwriting, makes thisa cohesive and evocative set of domestic manuscript material ratherthan isolated notes.
Such everyday records were rarely preserved in quantity,particularly with clear attribution and date range, and they offerinsight into household organization, social networks, and gift-givingpractices within a well-established family. These items show wearincluding discoloration, yellowing, bends, bumps, creases, rips, andsigns of age and use; there is wear to the included paper clips andstaples. Please see pictures for more
