Ceiling Hung Christmas Tree! Antique Snapshot Photo wood mold These are well loved

These are well loved

I believe it is an old saddle maker’s vise —it would have been attached to a bench with a lever below

which I love but which certainly make it less desirable to sampler collectors than if the colors were bright

8 11/16” t x 6 15/16” w x 3/4” d

Ceiling Hung Christmas Tree! Antique Snapshot Photo wood mold These are well lovedI hadn't realized that ceiling hung Christmas trees had become a thing again when I found this old photo; I guess they have but this photo captures a late 19th early 20th c. iteration of the phenomenon, rare and fun to see! It is speculated that the practice may have originally related to the representation of the Holy Trinity, but it seems to have become especially popular as a space saving device! Quite a wonderfully decorated tree here, with paper