My mother had what we called a “quillwork” box that fascinated me. It held tea. The wooden box has glass covering a decorative design on each side. The design was made of rolled pieces of paper that looked like small cigarettes. They were put under the glass showing the end of the roll wasn’t a cut out. A reader told us this is a “paper filigree” or rolled paper work” tea caddy. Technically, “quillwork” is an Indian term for pieces using porcupine quills for decoration.

 

 

 

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