Chest print

A chest print is a printed paper sheet, often coloured by hand, fixed to the inside of a chest lid. These single sheet prints carried religious or secular subjects and were widespread in Norway during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Printing and use

Chest prints were made as woodcuts or copper engravings. Their position inside the chest protected them while the lid was closed, but adhesive, moisture, wear and later repairs may have left clear traces.

Assessment

Examine paper, printing method, colour, text and attachment. A loose old print is not automatically a chest print, and a sheet in an old chest may have been added later. Preserve documented associations between print and chest.

Source: Store norske leksikon, Kistebrev.