Church Truck Vintage ?

Can anyone tell me the vintage (age) of this Washington Church Truck ?

It measures 15x26 when opened

I know there are larger ones but was this size common back in the day ?

Thanks
 

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There wasn't really a standardized size until Americans started getting bigger within last couple decades. My vintage funerary collection has 18 different 1880s-1950s church trucks represented (mainly prewar) including two rarer child size. Without pulling each out I can relay that overall dimensions vary considerably.

A portion of those mentioned.

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wow what a collection you have, very cool

Is it true that the Church Truck or Bier was invented by a Virgina Undertaker in the mid 1800's ?
 
No idea. I can however fill in early examples through ownership and due diligence researching.

As far as church trucks, I am unfamiliar with any released prior to this solid copper(!) intricately cast Victorian folding bier that dates to 1870s. This example happened to trade hands in 1898 previously, so third owner. Looking forward to having restored.

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Folding child bier with cast iron verticals and claw feet dates to 1880s. Picked up just earlier this year.

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Both of these three sided biers were purchased new in 1880s. They're hand carved. Opening from reverse allowed for accessing/changing ice blocks. Acquired together, I stupidly sold brown example to a PCS member.

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These solid 4" African Mahogany Marsellus biers are from 1890s. They're masquerading as end tables in Simpson Funeral Museum - same place hundreds of funerary items from my collection have been loaned for display.

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Several funerary companies were putting out catalogs by 1880s. Perhaps as a mortuary archaeologist Jeremy W. Pye has the answer you seek. From his website (provided below) under Guide to Funeral Related Merchandise catalogs:

"For the past eight years, I have been amassing a union list of 1,606 extant funeral related merchandise catalogs to aid researchers in funeral material culture in locating useful resources. These catalogs advertise items representing three mortuary contexts: funeral/burial event, cemetery, and post-funerary mourning. They include things such as: burial containers, linings, robes, hardware, monuments and memorials, ceramic memorial portraits, hearses, mausoleums, memorial cards, funeral flowers, and many more. These catalogs are housed in museums, libraries, private companies, and personal collections throughout the United States and Canada. There are a few repositories left with undocumented collections, but once I feel as though I have exhausted most leads, I hope to have publish this list in printed form. Hopefully this project will be more or less complete in the next couple of years."

http://www.requiesaeterna.com/
 
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