Colonial American Trades and Crafts

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In colonial times, there were no factories. If someone needed a

wagon or a horseshoe, that object had to be made by hand.

Craftspeople made furniture, utensils for the home, and tools for

the farmer. Each of these important artisans was skilled in

one particular craft.

GunsmithThe gunsmith was always busy making and repairing

guns.

Long ago, almost everyone owned a gun

for hunting and protection.

Cabinetmaker Fine furniture was built by

cabinetmakers in colonial

cities.

Cabinetmakers also made items like cupboards, candle stands,

highboys, and chairs.

Coopers

The cooper crafted casks, barrels, buckets, and

pails.

These containers stored liquids from wine to milk and held flour, gunpowder, and tobacco.

Silversmith

The silversmiths used their talent to create

elegant serving pieces and delicate jewelry.

Forming a sheet of silver into a bowl required

experience and skill.

Examples of fine silver:

FOUNDERBrass founders melted both brass and bronze and poured them into molds. These molds helped to form andirons, bells, coach

and harness fittings, shoe buckles, sword hilts, furniture,

hardware, weathervanes, and many other things.

Pouring the molten into a mold was a

very dangerous job!

The founder had to do a lot of polishing and filing to finish.

Weathervanes let people know which way the wind was blowing: North,

South, East or West.

Blacksmiths

Blacksmiths fashioned items from iron and steel for the

their fellow tradesmen to use in their work and also made

things for household use.

From steel, he made cutting edges for axes and

smooth faces for special hammers.

From iron, he made

horseshoes.

WheelwrightThe wheelwright made wheels for carriages, wagons, and carts.Made of wood and bound with iron, the wheels of the carriages and wagons navigated rugged colonial roads. They had to be strong and tight. First and foremost, though, the wheels had

to be round.

Wheelwrights inspect the wheels they have made for a carriage.

Bookbinder The bookbinder bound a

book by sewing and fastening it to a cover. Bookbinders made fine leather bookbindings

that were tooled, stamped, and decoratedwith designs. They were

sometimes even rendered in gold leaf.

Brickmaker

The brickmaker made bricks from clay, which was found in the

soils of the land. Here, bricks are loaded into the drying shed.

Spinning

The clothing worn by the colonists was made from flax, sheep’s wool, or cotton. The yarn was spun on a

spinning wheel.

The Weaver

Weavers created the cloth by weaving the yarn on a loom.

This is a woven

coverlet made on a

loom.

Fabrics were dyed in a large iron pot

over a fire.

Milliners

Milliners sewed and sold – among other things – cloaks, mantles, hats, hoods, caps, gloves, petticoats, hoops, riding costumes, and

dresses for masquerades – all in the latest fashion.

Fancy dresses from the milliner’s shop…

Tailors

Tailors made clothes for both men and women.

And, yes, men sewed.

Shoemaker

A shoemaker made boots and shoes.

Ladies made quilts…

…and did needlework.

Here are some samplers…

…and pincushions.

Wigmaker Wigs were worn by those who could afford the expensive prices.

In the early days of the colonies, large wigs were considered fashionable. These hairpieces were available in horse, goat, yak,

or human hair.

CandlemakingCandles were made by dipping string into hot wax. Each candle had to be dipped at least 25

times.

candles

Potters

The potters made pots, bowls, and vases out of clay.

Pottery

Basket makers

Since baskets were used for carrying and storing a

wide variety of objects, the basketmaker was a busy

craftsperson!

Families made their own baskets, which lasted many

years. Long, thin, flexible pieces of wood were woven

together.

egg basket