Trinket Box, Chinese, circa 1840. 10.5 "l x 7 "w x 6 "d.
Brick Store Museum Collection, 74.19. Gift of Mrs. Ralph A. Stephan, 1974.

This intricately beautiful, carved and pierced ivory box is said to have been brought back to United States from Hong Kong by a Captain Ponsby of Haverhill, Massachusetts, on one of his first clipper ship voyages into Hong Kong's harbor.

The trinket box has a lock, hinged lid, and compartment boxes inside lined with green paper.

By the mid 1800s, clipper ships--known for their speed--had greatly reduced transit times on trans ocean trade routes. The fastest of these vessels could travel from Boston to Liverpool, England in a little less than 2 weeks, and from San Francisco to Hong Kong in just over a month.

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