Hope chests are often thought to have originated in different countries around Europe, where they were a customary step between courtship and marriage: there is the French trousseau, the Italian cassone, the Dutch kast and the German schrank. The practice of keeping hope chests as marriage preparations carried on to European settlers in America, therefore bringing this tradition across the ocean to what would become the US shores.
Hope chests, traditionally, are chests where a young woman would store lots of clothes and linens in, as a sort of preparation for married life. Giving a young lady a gift of one was an important coming of age ritual for some countries.
Solid Wood Cribs
These chests were also sometimes called cedar chests due to the fact that they were usually lined with cedar along the inside, a measure that was undertaken in order to repel moths which often ate at the items made of cloth kept inside. This was of utmost importance, as almost all of the items inside these chests were made of cloth: dresses, towels, bed sheets, quilts and all manner of cloths that were to be used around the house were stored there.
Though not required, most cedar chests had intricate designs on them, possibly to emphasize their importance as part of courtship traditions of the time. Different decorations for these pieces of furniture included: carvings into the wood, painted designs, and even the now lost art of sulfur inlay along the surface of the chest.
Nowadays, cedar chests are used to store all sorts of things, not just cloth. The durability and convenience of these chests is something that almost anybody, whether that person is a woman about to get married or not. Also, if made from good quality wood, these chests can literally be passed from generation to generation.