A surprising window into a hidden world of craft and trade.
This book pulls back the curtain on brushmakers, their shops, and the communities that shaped a local industry.
With vivid scenes from Kent Street and the so‑called outsiders, it reveals how a skilled craft built on family tradition and hard work shaped a city’s commerce. You’ll encounter the daily rhythms, tools, and materials that defined brushmaking, from horsehair and bristles to the arrival of new fibers and the people who kept the trade alive.
- Learn how brushmakers learned their craft and why specialization mattered in a crowded market.
- Explore the social world of outsiders, hawkers, and dealers who moved goods through a bustling network.
- See how materials like piassava and whalebone entered the trade and changed the craft.
- Get a grounded look at the geography of the trade, street life, and the push for fair practice.
Ideal for readers of trade history and artisans’ stories who want a concrete, photographic sense of a long‑standing craft.