SOLD 1895 Gold Painted Carved Whimsy with Letters, Numbers and More, On Stilts! antique tonics I keep an eye out

I keep an eye out for trench art items with singular sorts of well done engravings

Hand-forged

all who appear to have been born in the 1830s-50s

a very dedicated Virginia "Summit" cigarette smoker I'd guess

I of course like her contradictions—looking a bit like the Virgin Mary even as she stands nude before us—or

SOLD 1895 Gold Painted Carved Whimsy with Letters, Numbers and More, On Stilts! antique tonics I keep an eye outEvery inch of this carved whimsy is covered with letters, stars, the year 1895, and more. I believe they all together likely tell a story about the person who carved it, the letters not just being monograms but also speaking to where they were born or lived or were educated, etc. The number 60 appears, too, perhaps indicating the age of the carver or, it is possible that whole thing commemorates the life of someone who has passed, as I believe was