For many, the piece of furniture called a “food safe” conjures nostalgic
memories of days gone by. Often called “pie safes,” these rustic pieces of
American furniture with punched-tin panels represent country charm and
awaken memories of a simpler time. In the 1800s, the food safe had a valued
place in most Shenandoah Valley homes. Safes of the Valley will shine new
light on the food safe and document the important regional role it has played
in the history and culture of the Shenandoah Valley. Organized by the Museum
of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV), where the exhibition will be on view from
May 11, 2014, through March 29, 2015, Safes of the Valley will explore the
regional variations that the food safe displayed throughout the Valley and its
many forms and decorative, punched-tin patterns. Guest-curated by Valleyfurniture experts, Jeffrey S. Evans and Kurt C. Russ, the exhibition will feature
more than 40 food safes, many on first-time public display. Safes of the Valley
is the first in a new MSV series of Valley-focused changing exhibitions.
Reverse: One-Door Food Safe, about 1830–1840, Augusta County, Virginia, maker
unknown, courtesy of Burt Long Collection. Photo: Ron Blunt.