The very earliest Salem knockers were no doubt of iron, usually in the form of a ring, and serving also the purpose of a door-pull—as in the case of the Parkman and Bradstreet mansions, of which pictures may be seen in the Essex Institute, or in that of the Rebecca Nurse house in Danvers, once a part of Old Salem.
The knocker, however, became gradually more artistic and elaborate. Brass was used instead of iron; and the effect of this against the paneled door of green or white, perhaps of mahogany, was effective and pleasing.
Knockers of the second type comprise the hammer form in all its variations; while those of the third type are marked by the representation of human heads, animals, birds, or fishes. These had their origin in Italy, in the best days of the Renaissance, and the examples found in Old Salem are true to artistic type.
OLD SALEM KNOCKERS
(See pages 90-93)
No. 1. A handsome example of the so-called ‘urn shape’ is found on the door of the Ropes house at 373 Essex Street. Its graceful curves are most pleasing to the eye and its beauty consists largely in the pure simplicity of its design.
No. 2. One of the many variations of the ‘hammer’ type of knocker. This one, quite simple in pattern, ornaments the door at the home of Dr. Kittridge, on Chestnut Street. This has the general shape of an old-fashioned thumb-latch door-handle, and might conceivably be used as a door-pull.
No. 3. When Mr. Eben Symonds bought his home on Lynde Street, he found upon the door an old knocker of most unusual design. Of the ‘hammer’ type, it showed a rectangular outline with a ‘striker’ in the form of a fluted shell, grasped at the upper end by a clenched fist. Knocker and door alike had been painted, but the former when cleaned was discovered to be of brass—an especially beautiful specimen.
No. 4. Another example of the ‘hammer’ type is at the residence of Mr. Charles P. Waters on Washington Square. The design is quite unusual, as both upper and lower plates are ornamented about their circumference with points somewhat suggestive of a star pattern.
No. 5. A not uncommon style of knocker had a blank space for the name of the house-owner. The one shown here possesses this feature, with a smaller space on the striker where the number of the house might be engraved. The pattern is the familiar urn, so often present in Colonial design.