Art & Artifacts Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Hatchel |
Collection |
Artifact collection |
Object ID |
M1985.368.1 |
Year Range from |
1800 |
Year Range to |
1899 |
Dimension Details |
4 1/4" H x 24" W x 6 3/4" D |
Description |
Rectangular wooden board with rounded corners and narrow holes cut near each end, dense grid of narrow metal spikes protrudes from wooden frame at center of board, portion of handle missing; used for separating flax fibers. |
Place Names |
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |
Subject Headings |
Farming Flax industry Slavery |
Curatorial Notes |
From the early 1600s well into the 1800s, Long Island farmers grew flax. While never the region’s most lucrative crop, the hardy plant had a variety of saleable uses. Flax seeds could be harvested for international sale or used to manufacture flaxseed oil. Additionally, the plant’s strong internal fibers could also be used to make linen cloth, which many families turned into household textiles and clothing. Carried out largely at home, small-scale linen production was labor intensive and involved the effort of many people, including enslaved people and women. This tool, called a hatchel, was used to smooth and prepare the flax just before it was transferred onto a spinning wheel. Spinning yarn was one of many critical economic contributions made by women in colonial households, the significance of their work long concealed since it took place in the privacy of the home. "Homespun" linen production in America became obsolete beginning in the 1820s, when inexpensive cotton cloth flooded the market. |