Linum ("Flax") and oleum ("oil") - Fashionable and Affordable As a Historic Preservation student at the University of Mary Washington, I’ve grown to appreciate almost all aspects of materiality. Over the past four years, my education has taught me to look closely at the built environment around me. Two years ago, I stumbled across a … Continue reading Lovely Linoleum and Other Historic Floor Coverings – Two Hot Takes
18th Century Crafts
The Women of Silver: 18th-century English Silversmiths
We have a lot of silver in our collections, ranging from candlesticks to teapots to spoons. With all the silver, I have become familiar with eighteenth-century silversmith marks, but I have never explored the artisans behind the marks. I was pleasantly surprised to find at least four women silversmiths represented through various pieces. These four … Continue reading The Women of Silver: 18th-century English Silversmiths
No Nails? No Problem! The Construction of the Great Oak Pavilion
What do you get when you have a canoe, tools, and a dream team of builders? The Great Oak Pavilion! Okay, maybe the canoe wasn’t completely necessary, but it is a very interesting part of the construction of the Great Oak Pavilion. Many visitors at Ferry Farm have questions about this building and how it … Continue reading No Nails? No Problem! The Construction of the Great Oak Pavilion
Cowrie Shells: Cultural and Economic Ties in the 18th-Century Atlantic World
Figure 1: Ferry Farm cowries Many readers will undoubtedly recognize these two artifacts (Fig. 1). Known as cowrie shells, these artifacts have become synonymous with slavery and serve as identifiers for the presence of free and enslaved Black individuals in the Americas. Still, the role of cowries in the 18th century goes far beyond that … Continue reading Cowrie Shells: Cultural and Economic Ties in the 18th-Century Atlantic World
Where is Whieldon? Survey Says: Probably Not on Your Table
Archaeologists tend to have strong feelings about ceramics. Ceramics can play a major role in interpreting a site, as their materials often reflect their function. This can be helpful when determining how a site was used. For instance, finding an abundance of redwares and stonewares could indicate a primarily utilitarian site like what would have … Continue reading Where is Whieldon? Survey Says: Probably Not on Your Table
Stop Collaborate and Listen TD is Back with a Brand New Edition
A quick refresher from part one of the TD marked pipe saga - Clay tobacco pipes with the mark TD are a ubiquitous item at historical archaeology sites dating from the mid-18th through the 20th century. While at one point the mark represented a specific maker, it later became a mark synonymous with clay tobacco … Continue reading Stop Collaborate and Listen TD is Back with a Brand New Edition
You Down with Old TD? Yeah, You Know Me!
TD Marked Tobacco Pipes That Is! Clay tobacco pipes are a hallmark of historical archaeology. Grandma smoked, the enslaved smoked, the elite smoked, children smoked, just about everyone smoked. Smoking was one of America’s favorite pastimes, and there are plenty of pipes left in the archaeological record to prove it. Tobacco pipes were not only … Continue reading You Down with Old TD? Yeah, You Know Me!
Seeing The Big Picture: How Excavated Ceramics Informed The George Washington Foundation’s Acquisition of Complete Pieces for Display
The archaeology and curatorial departments for The George Washington Foundation have long worked together to furnish the reproduced Washington house with historically accurate items that resemble as closely as possible the ones that George and his family would have lived with daily. These pieces are not originals, which means visitors touring the house can handle … Continue reading Seeing The Big Picture: How Excavated Ceramics Informed The George Washington Foundation’s Acquisition of Complete Pieces for Display
Spoooooooooky Teapots?
There’s plenty to be frightened about in the colonial period. But teapots? Not exactly. However, aesthetics change as time passes. We see things through different lenses. As I type this, my substantial black cat with big yellow eyes stares at me, demanding attention. Poe, the big black cat with yellow eyes. Black animals are currently … Continue reading Spoooooooooky Teapots?
Catherine of Braganza: How the copy of a 17th-century plate tells the story of design, consumer consumption, and the Washington Family
The concept of buying items to remember certain events or travels is commonplace today. Who goes abroad without bringing back a trinket naming the location? Is it possible to go antiquing without seeing an item that commemorates the wedding of Charles and Diana? Even the smallest item has the ability to tell a story through … Continue reading Catherine of Braganza: How the copy of a 17th-century plate tells the story of design, consumer consumption, and the Washington Family
Lives & Legacies 