Colonial Crafts (Historic Communities) - Softcover

Kalman, Bobbie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0865055106 ISBN 13: 9780865055100

Publisher: Crabtree Classics, 1992

Synopsis

Describes the work of colonial wheelwrights, coopers, founders, shoemakers, millers, gunsmiths, and others, and explains how artisans learned their trade

About this title

From the Back Cover

In colonial times there were no factories. If some needed a barrel or a chair, that object had to be made by hand. Crafts people made furniture, utensils for the home, and tools for farmers. Each of these essential artisans was skilled in one particular craft. The wheelwright, for example, made wheels.

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Taken from Chapter 13: The Wigmaker Wigs were worn by those who could afford their expensive prices. Wealthy children as young as seven years old were fitted for wigs. In the early day of the colonies, large wigs were considered fashionable. The most expensive wigs were made from human hair. It was not uncommon for people to have their hair cut off to be woven into wigs. Cheaper wigs were made form horsehair or silk. To keep them clean and neat, wigs needed to be powered with fine sand or flour dust and then shaken and combed. The powder absorbed the oils that built up from the person's own hair underneath. People did not wash their hair very often in those days!

Edition details

• Publisher: Crabtree Classics
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0865055106
• ISBN 13: 9780865055100
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32