LEATHER WORKERS, BOOK BINDERS
Working with leather or heavy sailcloth required strength not credited to women. Larger, heavier needles, sometimes curved, were needed for these heavier materials.
Saddles and harnesses, saddlebags, pouches, and wallets were some of the leather items requiring sewing.
Wallet, 1770-1840, Leather and paper, gift of Ermina Elizabeth Newton, 1875
Book, 1790, The Juvenile Tatler, leather and paper, gift of Virginia Louise Byrnes, 62.148
Sail maker’s needle and case, mid-19th century, steel, wood, Friends of the Museum Purchase, 2009.51.1-2