Maritime Provinces; nineteenth century; wood; 25.5 x 17 x 4 cm. CMC 79-810

Incised and chip-carved boxes made of wood and fashioned in the shape of books were in vogue in seventeenth-century Europe as snuff boxes. Canadian boxes of this type are usually larger and were made to contain small valuables, a prayer-book, or even spruce gum. They are commonly associated with lumberjacks, who carved them for their sweethearts. The carving on this love-letter box indicates that they were also known among seafarers.