Inaugural Historic Trades Blog
It’s the beginning of the academic year and like many other people I have spent the last few weeks considering purchases of notebooks, office supplies, lunch containers and even gym shoes which my children grow out of with shocking speed. Though we make use of hand-me-downs and conserve many supplies from year to year, I am still struck by how many new things we have to buy.
Working at a history museum has caused me to ponder an interesting question as I shuffle from store to store- what if I had to make some of these things myself? Or what if I had to barter something else that I made in exchange for the work of a specialized craftsperson – for the crafting of gym shoes for example? What could I make that would be of enough value to barter for the shoes? When would I order them from the shoemaker so that they would be ready in time? (Would having hand-made gym shoes increase the likelihood that my kids will take good care of them, and not immediately tromp through a mud puddle?)
I don’t want to romanticize the past or pretend that it was free of commercial influences however I do want to note how much we contemporary folks take for granted the immediate availability of store-bought factory-made goods. Contemporary people aren’t generally able to make either the things they need, or a thing that they could use for barter. It is not simply a matter of available time but a matter of skill. Lacking these skills I am honestly amazed every time I see shoemaker Peter Oakley turn shapeless bits of leather into form-fitting shoes. I am curious not only about the process and tools he uses, but about how Peter, who lives today in Webster, MA learned how to do this.
The process of handcrafting objects is at risk of being a lost art and is in need of preservation. Historic Deerfield is fortunate to present tradespeople who work in historical traditions, and who are actively saving these lost arts, their tools, and techniques. Come to see our series of Historic Trades demonstrators work on Saturdays from September 24 through November 12. Visitors will be able to observe the historic tools and methods they use to craft practical and decorative objects out of cloth, leather, metal, wood and clay.
Each week I will be talking with these historic tradespeople to find out their story – in this modern world what got them interested in doing this, and how did they learn how to do it? Visit our blog, or our museum to learn more about historic trades.