Is this a salesman's sample or a jewelry box or something else?

What's your thoughts? It's about 16 inches high.

 

It probably is a salesman's sample. Many of those are misidentified as doll furniture. This is adorable.

 

Has anyone got any evidence that salesmen went round with crates of samples once printing and illustrations had been invented? Nowadays you could carry a hundred mini-masterpieces in your van, but imagine lugging half a dozen similar to this in a suitcase by train and horse and buggy.

There is some evidence that people made miniature furniture just for the sake of doing so.

Just call it Miniature Furniture', it is always way more popular than the real thing and the buyers can belive whatever they like about its origin.

 

My naïve two cents... the knobs would be so big if to scale, that I would guess doll furniture. Thanks for those ideas, AF.

 

The scale is off on the knobs and those shelves ,so i'd vote like AF said , just miniature furniture . It looks like its missing a piece on the top ?

 

it's a bit like calling them apprentice pieces, af. I'm with you: these were just nice miniatures.

 

Too out of scale for a salesman's sample. Almost looks like a modified spool cabinet.

 

looks like a jewelry box to me