Wood, 1860s, by Byron W. Stanton.

Carved by hand in the 1860s, the freehand methods used to produce this wooden chess set were quite dated when compared with contemporary developments. By the mid-19th century, wooden chessmen could be identically carved on lathes, and conventional templates such as the Staunton style had been popularized. These unique artifacts echo a long-preceding history of artisan production, displaying the flaws and inconsistencies from their single-handed manufacture.

Stanton, Byron W. Chessmen (30) and box. Holding Institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Image courtesy of the The Metropolitan Museum of Art. CC0 1.0.

Stanton, Byron W. Chessmen (30) and box. Circa 1863-1865. Wood. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/199908