The Legend of the Jelly Cupboard

   History records that a variety of cupboards were used in the kitchens of 19th century America. The story handed down for generations is that one of the smaller ones was the legendary jelly cupboard.

   To this day not all of the would-be experts agree. Some contend the term jelly cupboard was only used in the Midwest, and elsewhere it was merely a small cupboard. Some counter it was only a jelly cupboard in the eastern states and perhaps New England. Others attribute to sill other parts of the country.

   One British author went so far as to suggest that Americans had merely invented the term jelly cupboard to make small and plainly constructed pieces to seem more interesting to collectors and buyers.

   Such controversy has raged on for decades. Back in the 1970s author Dan D’Imperio noted, “the jelly cupboard or jam cupboard frequently suffers an identity problem with present day collectors.” D’Imperio concluded however that they were indeed properly identified, adding “these cupboard were always well stocked with jellies and other preserves in the autumn season.”

   Fairly large cupboards were used in early American homes. Narrow shelves were open in the upper section for display of pewter or other attractive tableware. Shelves in the lower section were closed by a single door or double doors and were used for storage of food stuffs.

   In some cases the cupboard was constructed with an overhanging shelf or middle section where dishes and food could be combined for serving. Not surprisingly such cupboards were sometimes referred to as servers.    Sometime around the first quarter of the 19th century a smaller door closing cupboard came into usage. The specifics of such pieces varied from craftsman to craftsman and from region to region, but their purpose most everywhere was to store jam and jelly.

   By the 1830s jelly was becoming a significant staple of the American household. Fruits were readily available, for one thing, throughout the abundant summer seasons of various parts of the country. The apple orchard or the strawberry patch was harvested to provide generous amounts of Jam and jelly. Elsewhere there were apricots, blackberries, blue berries, cherries, grapes, peaches, plumbs, raspberries, and in some places even oranges.

   Once the fruit was gathered the women and the girls of the house prepared to store it in vast amounts. The clear juice was combined with sugar to create jelly. Both the clear juice and the pulp of the fruit were combined with sugar to create jam. Because of the high content of sugar the jelly or jam could be readily stored at room temperature once it had been properly boiled. In terms of the rigors of the 19th century, preparing jelly and jam was a relatively easy job. A busy kitchen therefore could result in numerous containers being filled during the preserving process and set aside for the duration of winter and spring.

   Typically the beloved jelly cupboard had two drawers above its double doors which opened outward from the center. However the variations were understandably endless. Jelly cupboards were simply individualized by most everyone who decided to build one.

   The shelves themselves were originally not very tall which allowed for more of them to be fixed in stationary positions within the interior of the jelly cupboard. The cupboard’s doors could be fitted with a wood catch, although others had metal hardware. Accounts vary regarding how ‘secure’ the typical jelly cupboard might have been. Generally the doors were not locked, although some descriptions say the drawers above the doors sometime held spices including tea and sugar creating a need for locks.

   As a general rule jelly cupboards were kept in the kitchen of 19th century household where jelly and jam was earlier prepared for storage. However such cupboards were sometimes placed in the dining room. In the book Country Furniture author Ellen Plante suggests that the crafting of jelly cupboards and the choice of materials was based to a large extent on where the piece was to be ultimately located. Use in the dining room called for better quality construction and better hard wood according to Plante. Others suggest that jelly cupboards were simply made for use most anywhere in the house, and were in turn made from just about any available wood.

   Certainly surviving examples can be found in an amazing variety of woods. Pine is probably the most dominate, but others have been constructed with birch, butternut, cherry, chestnut, maple, poplar, oak, walnut and other woods. At times construction involved two different woods, such as pine and poplar, for the completed jelly cupboard.

   A pine jelly cupboard made in Pennsylvania during the 1830s was described as having the traditional two doors at the top but only a single two paneled door below. Moreover it was only about 25 inches tall, which was apparently much shorter than most jelly cupboards of that period.

   Some furniture historians have theorized that generally jelly cupboards more or less evolved from taller and narrower forms to shorter and wider versions. One early 19th century pine piece was measured as 45 inches wide and more than 66 inches tall. Others have been found extending up to 72 inches in height, but the majority were not as tall.

   A great number of the pine jelly cupboards, and some of other woods, were immediately painted in a decorative color to highlight its surroundings. Solid colors applied by craftsmen included blue, brown, green, red, gray, or even yellow.

   At their zenith the drawers of the jelly cupboard remained dovetailed and the shelves remained stationary. Some later pieces had adjustable interior shelves. As late as the 1920s Montgomery Ward’s mail order catalog and other retail sources were offering the basic jelly cupboard with a single drawer above two doors. At Montgomery Ward they were constructed of “seasoned hardwood” (oak) and offered “adjustable shelves.”    Their models were 34 inches wide and 60 inches tall, selling for a price of $9.95.

   Today vintage jelly cupboards are prized by collectors. Those with original paint, even though worn from use, are highly sought. Also attractive are original iron strap hinges, or other original latch ware.    Recommended reading: Antique Trader Furniture Price Guide edited by Mark Moran (Krause Publications).