Wooden cabinet from Early Childhood Center

Content Description

A handmade wooden cabinet with door and two shelves inside. The door is decorated with a drawing of two young girls and a small maker's mark in the lower left corner. Inside, the back of the cabinet is signed "John Ettlinger". The piece of wood used for the back appears to have been salvaged from a shipping crate for an RCA Victor Victrola.

Acquisition Type

Transfer

Provenance

This cabinet hung on the wall in the hallway of the Early Childhood Center until the Center closed in 2024. It appears to date back to the original preschool that was housed in Mendel Hall and probably hung on the wall there, although it does not seem to appear in any extant photos of Mendel. It was made by a German immigrant carpenter named John Ettlinger, who was working at CSC at the time of the 1930 U.S. Census. At that time, John and his wife Rosa (also employed at CSC, as a maid) were living at 1993 Randolph Avenue. Ettlinger was originally from Munich, Germany. The cabinet was delivered to the archives on February 4, 2025 by Bob Lee (Facilities).

Restrictions Apply

No