A remnant from the era when people grain painted boxes and furniture, originally in order to emulate the appearance of more expensive woods, this is a set of pre-Civil War wood graining hand combs made by Henry Taylor Co., Sheffield, England. As found, in their original case with paper label remaining, and with 10 of what I believe was an original set of 12 combs present, representing four different sizes with various degrees of fineness. I love these not just as great looking objects (with a nice weight to them too), but also as mark making tools that could be put to use once again in all sorts of ways. I also love the design of the case, which is divided into sections to separate each size of comb, and into which they slide in quite a satisfying way. Grain painting was done with vinegar and different color stains and/or tinted lacquers, using these combs to rake the surfaces creating wood grain effects and variegated color on the wood surfaces.
Case: 5 5/8 x 3 3/4 x 1/4. Substantial, with a nice weight to them. General wear and aging to the face of the gold painted case and label, which I find quite beautiful. Combs in very good condition.
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