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THBc. 1800s Hand-Carved Bone Dresser Box Identified to Lieutenant Wm. Howard Allen
Lot 137
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About Auction
Live
By Early American History Auctions
Aug 21, 2021
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2021-08-21 12:00:00
2021-08-21 12:00:00
America/New_York
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Bidsquare : Autographs - Historic & Political Americana - Militaria & Guns
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/early-american-history-auctions/autographs---historic-political-americana---militaria-guns-7321
335 Lots of Rare, Historic Autographs, Americana, Civil War Era, George Washington, Revolutionary War Era, Colonial America, Federal Period, War of 1812, Colonial Currency & more... Early American History Auctions auctions@earlyamerican.com
335 Lots of Rare, Historic Autographs, Americana, Civil War Era, George Washington, Revolutionary War Era, Colonial America, Federal Period, War of 1812, Colonial Currency & more... Early American History Auctions auctions@earlyamerican.com
View Full Catalog (335)
- Lot Description
Post-Revolutionary War to Civil War
Elaborate Hand-Carved Bone Dresser Mirror Box Identified to US Navy Lieutenant William H. Allen who Lost His Life as Commander of the USS Alligator Combating Pirate Ships
First Quarter 19th century, Elaborately Decorated Hand-Carved Bone Dresser / Mirror Box, Identified with a pencil notation to U.S. Navy Commander "Lieut Wm. Howard Allen," Very Fine.
Identified to William Howard Allen (July 8, 1790 - November 9, 1822) who was a heroic United States Naval Officer and Commander. Uniquely designed, this ornate wooden Dresser / Mirror box is covered with thin lamination sheets and panels made of carved scrimshawed bone. Each thin bone panel is hand-carved with intricate patterns, some with coloring and at top added detail with small pearl-like beaded borders. This box measures about 8.5" long x 6" wide x 2" deep and opens up to reveal a similarly treated mirror and a fine panel cover that remains protected, in nearly perfect condition. The interior provides a glimpse of insight to the former glory of this ornate box. There is scattered loss on the exterior to some of the pearl beads at top, and the carved panel designs with some chipping to the exterior bone panels. Most breaks and damage seen around the brass hinges at the rear of the lid from use. The hinges are still attached yet both have loosened causing the lid to also be loose, which caused damage to the rear laminating bone sheets.
The interior has excellent eye appeal, having some reflective, green and red foil / metallic backing behind parts of the filigreed border. Its original interior mirror is present, appearing nice yet shows some light oxidation of the silvered backing from age. The top cover panel lifts upwards to reveal a paper-lined compartment at bottom with a pencil notation identifying this artifacts owner, reading: "Lieut. Wm. Howard Allen / 1809." An additional note is placed on the interior mirror at upper left and reads: "Loaned by Miss Mary H. Seymour 18--" (the year of the date scraped) obviously a treasured artifact placed on display in the 1800s. Note: William Howard Allen (July 8, 1790 - November 9, 1822) was a United States Naval Officer and Commander who was Captured by the British on August 14, 1813 during the War of 1812. He was held captive for 18 months. We suspect that the pencil date "1809" is in error as this unique item may have been a creation acquired by William Howard Allen during his captivity as an American Naval Prisoner of War. This ornately Hand-Carved Bone Dresser / Mirror box is more intricate yet similar to other game boxes known to be carved by Prisoners of War we have offered, those more typically attributed to the Napoleonic period. Overall, impressive, even considering its wear and noted scattered defects. An exceptional display piece, especially considering its provenance attributed to American Navy Hero "Lieut. Wm. Howard Allen."
William Howard Allen (July 8, 1790 - November 9, 1822) was a United States Naval Officer and Commander. He was born in Hudson, New York in 1790, attended school at the Hudson Academy for Boys.
He was appointed Midshipman in 1808, became a Second Lieutenant in 1811. During the War of 1812, he served aboard USS Argus and was Captured by the British on August 14, 1813, during a naval battle with a British Sloop-of-war. Allen was wounded, sustained a leg injury which required its amputation. His capture lasted 18 months, while he was kept interned in Ashburton, England.
Later Allen Commanded the USS Alligator was a schooner in the United States Navy built is 1820 at the Boston Navy Yard. Early in 1822, Alligator sailed from Boston to the West Indies to combat the piracy then rampant in the Caribbean. In April, she took the pirate schooner Cienega off Nuevitas, Cuba.
While at Matanzas in November of that year, she got word that an American schooner and brig had been taken by a group of pirates and were located about 45 miles east of Matanzas. She took the master and mate of the captured schooner on board and set sail to reclaim the American ships. She arrived at her destination at dawn on 9 November and found the pirates in possession of one ship, two brigs, and five schooners.
Alligator launched armed boats which gave chase to a heavily armed schooner that opened fire with five of her guns and commenced a battle. The boats from Alligator pressed home their attack and soon overhauled the schooner which they boarded in a mad rush.
In the short, but sharp, fight, Alligator lost her Commanding officer, Lieutenant William H. Allen, wounded mortally by two musket balls. Soon thereafter, boats from Alligator captured all the pirate vessels except one schooner that managed to escape. Most of the pirates fled ashore. On 18 November 1822, Alligator departed Matanzas escorting a convoy.
Before dawn the following morning, she ran hard aground on what is now known as "Alligator Reef" off the coast of Florida. After working desperately to refloat their ship, officers and crewmen gave up on a hopeless task. On 23 November 1822, they set fire to Alligator, and the young but battle-tested US Navy warship soon blew up.
Navy Lieutenant William H. Allen died heroically while attacking three pirate vessels in 1822. A monument to his memory has been erected in Hudson, New York.
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