Dummy boards a strange luxury

Editor's Note: The Athenaeum at 200 series celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Portsmouth Athenaeum by highlighting unique items, photographs and artifacts in its collection. One of only 16 member-funded libraries left in the nation, the Athenaeum marked its 200th birthday on June 21.

She looks down upon us from her post in the reading room on the second floor of the Athenaeum.

Dummy boards, fireboards, or “silent companions” were placed before fireplaces or in corners of a home, according to Proprietor Kimberly Alexander.

This figure was believed to be found by Dr. Charles Burroughs of Newington, N.H., president of the Athenaeum from 1829 to 1868. Tradition has identified the woman sewing as Mrs. Elizabeth Knight Janvrin Adams (1687-1757), the wife of the Rev. Joseph Adams of Newington.

Although it is a possibility, fireboards or silent companions generally took as their subject servants, children and pets, not the heads of household. If a family could afford a decorative whimsy such as a dummy board, chances are it could afford a painting or miniature of themselves or their loved ones.

One can speculate that if the Athenaeum’s figure had been a depiction of Mrs. Adams, she may well have been engaged in embroidery or lace-making, rather than the more humble task of repairing a shirt.

The Portsmouth Athenaeum is open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-4 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the nonprofit membership museum and library, go to www.portsmouthathenaeum.org or call 603-431-2538.

Compiled by Sherry Wood