-
https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/45914/archive/files/0b5b5f0eb1aea203f81f5f4a29acd22c.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=XTRU8aS3jr88KlZyM-mozsP4EQfBdQ9u-J88XExYY5olxmOBehjnnfl%7EsMkuCE0HH4GTJiiWqWR%7E-H46ZE7LlA34zcG80-Bo0g8-NY9ubOKgK2X8lwhWudi2HiVdYquX7gUwhtm%7ERkZmgxg6B31REH5IJMYpBiJMZeecn0AGirNSOmtJMN1z80iaz7AaE5Zp3qOkpMo1pEVUxhidi8b0wWfZLMBR8ehjDhYFAiSSucvio-ByJNeryPhP9rzZ3hJbhf%7EZfM3CcVksk7b4QyI1WtJ9NMy7kJGdSvFPC6f2lXD7vpDneGMF0gEQIyzgal1V1zYFaIS9l8IXH%7Efi633Gzg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
84270452f93b4ec4f46073e9b61b51a4
PDF Text
Text
THE MECHANICK’S ADVISER
June 4, 2021
Apothecary – Sharon found additional Shop records that includes four more daybooks and a ledger for the GaltBarraud partnership. Mark was able to go to a local lavender farm and buy some fresh lavender. He distilled it to make
the essential oil of lavender. While the Shop garden has some lavender, there was not enough to complete the project.
Robin has been taking a look at the medications for melancholia and mania that are listed in the dispensatory that Galt
used.
The Apothecary Shop will be open on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.
Armoury:
Blacksmith – There has been much to do in the Blacksmith Shop this week, but much of it similar across the
workbenches. Ken, Owen, and Josh are all working on tasting spoons. Ken, Mark, and Broadus have been working on
carriage bolts, as well. Aislinn and Alex, meanwhile, have been working on slide bolts of different styles. Ken has been
hard at work on holdfasts for the Carpenters; Mark, a small furniture lock for the Cabinetmakers' apothecary chest; and
Aislinn, some small, staple-shaped dogs for the Cabinetmakers as well as a key swivel. Alex has been working on Garden
hoes and Farming hoes, Owen has been at work on hook and eye fasteners, Broadus has been finishing up cooking pans,
and Josh has been refining his nail making.
For research, the Shop has been reading a variety of books, including Coal, Iron, and Slaves, which examines the
central role of enslaved workers in ironmaking and coal mining, as well as their lives and conditions as industrial slaves;
R. R. Angerstein's Illustrated Travel Diary, the work of a Swedish industrial spy examining the state of iron production
and iron goods manufacture in England and Wales; and Masters and Men, a study of the metalware trades in the West
Midlands.
The Blacksmith Shop will be open Daily.
Tinsmith – The Tin Shop will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Anthony Hay Shop
Cabinetmaker – Tea tables are taking shape in the Cabinet Shop while we
excitedly welcome the return of Guests into the Shop again. Bill has made great
progress on the Robert Walker tea table, which he and Brian began prior to
Brian’s departure to the Joinery, with Brian having carved the feet as well as
turned and began carving the column. Bill has now completed the knee carvings
and any remaining work on the column, and the legs have been glued in
place. Over the next week, Bill hopes to be able to finish mounting the top to the
base and ready the table for finishing. Bill has also started researching the
carvings found on the Masonic ceremonial chairs in preparation for next year’s
Working in Wood Conference.
Jeremy’s rectangular tea table base has been fully assembled and shaped,
and he has now turned his attention to assembling the top in hopes of having the
table completed very soon as well, so that he and John can focus on their
upcoming desk and bookcase build. Some of Jeremy’s research time of late has
been spent experimenting with making and applying relatively simple mouldings
to his tea table. There are two different mouldings on this particular table. One
wraps around the apron of the table, recesses into and overlaps the legs with a
miter in the corners, which presented a few challenges very unique to this table. The other is a very simple rounded
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�stick which fits into a rabbet cut out around the outside edge of the tabletop. The first one is completed, the second is
soon to be.
Harpsichord-maker – We’re enjoying the hustle and bustle of the Shop being open – it’s wonderful to be able
to visit with Guests in the Shop again. Work continues on the keyboard assembly for the new spinet. Ed and Melanie
have been working on the cut-aways under the heads of the natural key levers, one of many steps to balance the weight
and feel of the keys. We have returned to the arcades, as well. Arcades are the decorative bone plates that cover the
front of the natural key levers. The bone is soaked in vinegar overnight to soften the incredibly hard material enough to
cut the decorative pattern into the slips.
After positive feedback from Danny, we can call the work on the Redstone harpsichord complete. (We may still
go back and “tweak” a few things … it’s hard to stop!) We’re happy when we can make improvements so that our
Musicians have more instruments in good working order to utilize in practice and performance.
Melanie has been reading and preparing a project for her apprenticeship curriculum – a keyboard rule. This is a
sort of story stick for laying out the keys that will be based on the Cawton Aston keyboard that the current spinet is
modeled after.
Keyboard, keyboard rule, and arcades
The Cabinetmaker and Harpsichord-maker Shop will open on Sunday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Either the
Cabinetmakers or the Harpsichord-makers will be in the Art Museum Gallery on Wednesday.
Brickmaker – This week, the Brickmakers have ventured outside the comfort of the Carpenter's Yard into the
outside world of the Historic Area, to begin some restoration work on the Courthouse. Upon close inspection of the
attached photograph, the discerning eye will observe a distinct lack of mortar between the bricks. In the late
1980s/early 1990s, repair work was done to replace failing original mortar. Unfortunately, the type of mortar that was
used for these repairs has not held up well to the mortal enemy of masonry: moisture. As a porous building material,
bricks soak up water from the ground. This moisture then travels up the bricks, where it eventually evaporates, slowly
taking the mortar with it. What we have now is a slew of powdery, failing mortar joints. It is the sacred duty of the
Brickmakers to replace this failing mortar to further preserve the building. First, we chiseled out the damaged mortar
joints to make room for the new material. Next, Kenneth used an air compressor to blow out any remaining powder
from the joints (see photo). We will then mix up a new batch of our 18th-century lime mortar and begin repointing.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�In other Brickyard-related news, the Carpenters have received the first of the materials for our new drying shed
to be built in our new location. The beginning stage of processing the wood to be used as posts is now underway. As
clearly demonstrated on the face of Carpenter Matthew Sanbury in the accompanying photo, the Carpenters are
absolutely thrilled about the prospect of the Brickmakers' impending arrival.
Carpenter – The Carpenter’s Yard will be open Daily, weather permitting.
Colonial Garden – Rain! Beautiful, amazing, and much-needed rain! The Gardeners have been celebrating the end
of the nearly month-long drought, and the plants are looking healthier and happier than ever. We’ve harvested the
remaining broad beans and sent a basket of them, along with peas, onions, and herbs, down to Foodways in the Palace
Kitchen. After clearing away the broad beans, we turned and prepared the soil for our Amazon Tomato. This tomato, in
addition to being delicious, is an absolute show-stopper of a plant. It will become massive in size and will easily take
over the entire bed. This means it needs a very sturdy and tall frame to grow on in order to support its weight. We used
sycamore sticks and twine to build the frame and drove the supports about a foot deep into the ground, similar to how
our other trellises are constructed except this one is shaped more like a table rather than the A-frame style we use for
beans. This table structure will provide much-needed support for the large branches this tomato will put out. We
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�planted Case Knife Beans in the Sankofa Heritage Garden, and they germinated in about six days, thanks to the wet
weather. Weeding and pathway maintenance are ongoing as usual, as is the deadheading of spent flower blooms. We
removed the large majority of the corn poppies since most of them had finished blooming. A short strip remains along
the fence, which we will allow to fully mature and then collect the seeds from for the fall planting. Sweet potatoes will
be planted where the corn poppies were. The soil has been turned and chopped, and we are hoping to have them in the
ground by this weekend. Finally, our Ranunculus flowers have bloomed after a very long wait. Ranunculus, meaning
“little frog” in Late Latin, are a rather large genus of flowering plants, of which the familiar buttercup is a member. We
plant ours in pots in the fall and let them overwinter. Once they finish blooming in summer, we wait for the greens to
die down, then we remove the corms and store them in a cool, dry place until it is time for fall planting. The beautiful
blooms are definitely worth the wait!
Ranunculus blooms
Case Knife bean emerging.
Amazon Tomato plant and table
The Colonial Garden is open Daily, weather permitting.
Cooper – The Cooper Shop will be open on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Engraver – Well, the Engravers had a great start this week! Even unadvertised, we have had a nice turnout our first
three days open. Those days flew by. William is making great
progress on his apprenticeship drawings and still wading
through a sea of monograms. In the next week, he will be
putting the finishing touches on his prepared program on the
HMS Centurion print engraving talk at the Hennage on the
17th. Lynn has completed two custom orders: two memorial
plaques and a brass cane top with a requested 18th-centurystyle monogram. The design source for the RH monogram is
Bowles Book of Cyphers.
This weekend, she will have a new sterling tray setup
complete and ready for engraving a Frenchman’s Map. (Tray
made by Bobbie at the Silversmith.) She will also continue a
small copperplate and put finishing touches on the skull print
for the Apothecary Shop. Hopefully, we will be printing soon
to test it out.
Take care folks! Have a great week!
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�The Engraving Shop will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The Engravers will be in the Art Museum
Gallery on Thursday.
Fifes & Drums – On Tuesday, June 8th, at 4:30pm in the Hennage Auditorium, Fifes & Drums will present “From
Manuscript to the Street: Bringing Early Music to a Modern Audience”. Get a behind- the-scenes look at how the Fifes
and Drums of Colonial Williamsburg take a musical manuscript from the 18th century and bring it back to life. This
program will include discussions of music history and music theory as well as performances on a field snare drum.
Foodways – This week, Historic Foodways invited Guests back into their Kitchens at the Public Armoury and at the
Palace. Groups’ Interpreters commented how excited they were to tell their groups “not to touch the food” as they
brought people back inside. These changes took some getting used to, but the team has worked together, and they
are getting back into the old rhythm of things. Barbara conducted a small experiment on one of the hams from the
smokehouse. The pigs were butchered and salted in December of 2019 but were never smoked after un-salting in
March of 2020. Instead, the meat has hung in the smokehouse for the last year. After soaking the ham for 24 hours and
cutting into it, Barbara determined that the salting was successful, and the meat was perfectly preserved. It was then
brought to a boil and simmered for three hours. Both Barbara and Frank taste tested the ham and said even though it
had not been smoked, it still tasted like our classic Virginia Ham. The smokehouse itself has been used for about 20
years, so the smokey buildup inside the building might have helped flavor the meat. Even though this experiment was
not planned, it was an interesting result from the Museum’s closure in 2020.
Brendon did a presentation at the Hennage Auditorium about chocolate for over 50 people! Multiple members
of the Kitchen staff have started watching a new Netflix documentary called “High on the Hog”. This documentary
discusses how African American Foodways has impacted America. It is excellent, and they highly recommend it to
anyone who likes to eat! The Kitchen Staff are also looking forward to a visit from Food Historian Michael Twitty during
the week of June 13th as part of the upcoming Juneteenth celebrations.
The Foodways Staff will be at the Palace Kitchen on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, and at the Armoury
Kitchen on Friday.
Foundry – The two Summer Interns will start on June 6th at the Foundry, so come on by and say hi to Leanne and
Drew. They will be out and about this coming week to check out other Trade Shops and to get a chance to see different
interpretive techniques. Also, Mike is still archiving the Shop's manufacturing techniques and researching the colonial
brass founder.
The Foundry will re-open on June 13th.
Gunsmith – The Gunsmith Shop will be open on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�Historic Farming – The life-giving rain has returned! The tobacco and corn have perked up, and the cotton should
be up soon. There is a balance, as often the case, in Farming. About thirty percent of the wheat patch has become
“lodged” by the hard rain. Lodging is the tilting of the straw of the wheat plant, causing a sort of tangling. The historic
varieties of wheat are more suspectable to this because of their long straw, which is about three-feet high. This is
compared to modern wheat, which is about eighteen-inches high. The straw is valued in the 18th century as a lowquality feed for cattle. This, of course, is not the case today. Lodging of small grain crops like wheat is not a good thing.
It puts the seed head into the surrounding stalks (or in severe cases, on the ground) which causes mold or rot, and the
grain is no good. The wheat will be dry enough to cut in about two weeks. Hopefully on our small patch, we can salvage
some of that which is lodged. Such is farming. George Washington, a noted wheat farmer, would be standing on the
edge of the field kicking dirt and shaking his head at a lodged field of wheat.
In other news, Historic Farming had its Facebook livestream on Tuesday. The subject was “Weedkilling for
Farmers the 18th-century way”. Featured subjects were the hoes that we use, and an implement pulled by a horse.
These were tangibles to share the 18th-century techniques and nuances of killing weeds. Hopefully, viewers were able
to translate some of these historic techniques to their modern practices at home. Rachel West, longtime Farming
Volunteer, helped Ed out with the presentation, while Volunteer Mike Cecere worked the fence, interpreting to Guests.
And, of course, Eli the Horse was a big part of the program. This livestream brought together in one place other
discussions on the subject, including a blog and two video shorts filmed and produced by Robert Weathers.
A great team of Rachel and Eli during the livestream
The result of the life-giving rain
Lodged wheat all tangled up
The Farmer will be at Prentis Field Tuesday through Saturday.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�Joinery – The Joinery will be open on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. The Joiners will be at the Art Museum
Gallery on Saturday.
Milliner and Mantua-maker – It’s been an incredibly busy week around the Margaret Hunter Shop! We’re
overjoyed to return “home” and spent our first five interpretive days back in the Shop sharing that enthusiasm with our
Holiday Weekend Guests. To celebrate, we’ve revived a special project that began months ago: making clothing to
dress our two wooden “Hagar Tyler” dolls that were made for us last year by Amanda and painted by Lynn. To honor
the skill of those ladies and the Trades they practice, we’ve decided to fashion one of the dolls to reflect the Trade of the
Joiner and the other the Trade of the Engraver. The Engraver’s wardrobe is nearly complete. She’s been to the Milliner
for her shift, underpetticoat, pocket, pocket handkerchief, cap, cloak, and two sets of aprons with matching kerchiefs
(obviously, she needed a work apron and a fashionable one!). Her mantua-maker has also supplied her with a quilted
petticoat, a linen petticoat, and a chintz jacket. Lynn and William plan to make her a miniature engraved copperplate to
ensure that her Trade is easily identifiable!
Our Joiner doll’s ensemble is well underway, too. Our scrap-saving tendencies have paid off in abundance for
this project. We had saved remnants of the brown and gold striped linen from the “gown in a day” we made for
Amanda several years ago, so our miniature Joiner can perfectly match her maker! Like her Engraver sister, she’ll also
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�have some tools of her Trade to carry to identify her skill. The plan is to create a series of “Tradeswomen dolls,” making
one or two a year, and to offer them as part of the annual Trades Auction at Grand Illumination.
It was also brought to our attention that the aprons of our lady Blacksmith and Tinsmith were in rather
desperate need of some patching and darning. Janea spent Tuesday afternoon tending to that maintenance and then,
as soon as they were returned, began working on two new aprons to replace those that have seen much use in their
labors of love over the past few years!
We’d also like to welcome the first of our two interns, Kate. Kate began on Tuesday and spent the last couple of
days listening to our interpretation, familiarizing herself with the Shop, and visiting other Shops and sites to experience
the work of our colleagues. Now that she’s just completed her first project – a workbag – she’s all set to embark upon
her summer adventure as a Milliner!
The Millinery will be open on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�Music – Greetings from The Governor’s Musick! “The Musick that Binds” continues, and performances are going very
well. Jenny and Brady continue to practice their “ninja tuning” but, as the weather seems to be staying humid, their gut
strings are a little less rebellious than they were last week. May the next few Tuesday evenings stay dry!
We are in the Raleigh Tavern Apollo Room on Fridays at least through the summer – huzzah! Modeled on the
Raleigh Dining Room interpretive programs for Historic Trades that were in place during the partial reopening, we have
expanded the time allotment between groups to 15 minutes to allow for more music, and we can feature more
ensemble programming in the larger space. The Wilson harpsichord has been moved in, we have figured out our
repertoire, and we are good to go!
Preparations for our Phillis Wheatley program, currently scheduled for July 3rd at 4:00pm in the Hennage
Auditorium, continues apace. Rehearsals have begun, and Karol is working on timings in order to finalize the
program. It is such a wonderful feeling to have the entire ensemble working together again. Brady (viola da gamba) is
researching solo repertoire to perform in the Museum Galleries on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He has been working on
music written in viol tablature, which tells the player where to put his fingers rather than what notes to play. Viol
tablature uses a six-line staff, one line for each string of the instrument, and the frets to be used are indicated by letters
("a" for open string, "b" for first fret, etc.). Jenny continues her research on Scottish music, which was known to have
been very popular in England and Colonial America in the 18th century. Her research was joined by Karol this week as
they tried to track down the earliest known iterations of “The Flowers of Edinburgh.” Thomas Jefferson is said to have
played this particular song with his future wife, Martha Skelton, so it has a special place in Williamsburg’s musical
history--besides being quite lovely. Amy is still digging into places and people for her walking tour, currently musician
and entrepreneur Anne Neill. Mrs. (indicating her financial independence, not marital status) Neill taught, played, and
had a day job or two to support herself--just like most musicians today. We hope all are well and flourishing. Best-The Musicians will be in the Art Museum on Wednesday and Saturday. On Thursday, June 10th, at 4:30pm in
Hennage Auditorium, the Music Department will present “Is that a cello? Or a viol?”. Similar-looking, but from two
different families, the cello and the viol coexisted for centuries side-by-side - cousins locked in a bitter popularity
contest that only one could win. Explore the history, construction, and repertoire of these two bowed stringed
instruments, and hear them both in action!
Musket Range – The Musket Range just finished May as one of its best months ever. We sold a higher percentage
of our tickets than at almost any other time in our history! With all the changes in Covid protocols, guests of the Range
are still required to sign a Covid waiver, and all shooting participants are still required to wear a mandatory mask. This is
due to the proximity of the shooters to their Instructors and the fact that they put their faces on the firearms. However,
observers at the Musket Range follow CW's new standards of masking unless they move up to the shooting areas where
they could come into close proximity to staff.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�Printer and Bookbinder –
Printing Office – Presswork started in front of our Guests this past Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. The
Pressmen are nearing the end of production of the final two forms in a run of 1500 copies of Every Man his Own Doctor:
Or the Poor Planters Physician. Stitched copies of which are for sale at Prentis Store. Work continues on the Clementina
Rind Gazette, only four more pages need setting.
The Printing Office will be open on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. The Printers will be at the Art Museum Gallery on
Tuesday. The Bookbindery will be open on Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Public Leather Works – Jan finished an officer’s sword belt for Mark Schneider and even repaired the scabbard!
He and Andrew are continuing work on leather breeches. Andrew is also looking forward to a virtual workshop that he
is taking this weekend on band box making. Jay has worked on a variety of projects this week, including putting a lining
in a leather cap, edging a new stock of leather, and guiding the Intern Victoria in making her next projects. Victoria is
currently making a tool tote and researched original key baskets for design and handle inspiration. She also researched
and met with the Gender and Sexual Diversity Research Committee.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�The Public Leather Works will be open on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Sunday, June 6th, at
4:30pm in the Hennage Auditorium, Andrew Warren will be presenting “Learning to Learn: Apprenticeship Then &
Now". Using his own apprenticeship as a case study, the Apprentice in the Public Leather Works discusses
apprenticeship in the 18th century and how Colonial Williamsburg's apprenticeship program is informed by it, and
how it differs.
Shoemaker – For research, Nicole has finished her pair of woman’s shoes and did an excellent job. Being that they
are made of white silk, keeping them clean was quite a challenge.
For production, Nicole continues work on Owen Kelsey’s shoe and is building up a last for Janea Whitacre’s
slippers. Belew, Nicole and Rob are reviewing Janea’s measurements to pick the best last for the job.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�Rob continues reading A Slave Counterpoint by Phillip D. Morgan and is reviewing the notes for patterning halfboots. For production, he has finished a pair of shoes for Jan Tilley, and fitted Amanda Doggett’s shoes and modified
them for ties (as per her request). He is also rebuilding an instep leather and re-heeling a pair of pumps for Mike
McCarty.
Two views of Rob’s common shoes for Jan Tilley
Val is writing up the notes for channels pumps, covered heels, and the process of making the pesch heel (which are
leather scraps mixed with paste, which are then pressed into a mold). Val is also getting everything ready for the Shoe
Shop’s Intern, Kathryn Lade, who will be arriving next week. He will also be doing a little wiping down in the Shoe Shop,
to guard against mold. For production, he has almost finished resoling a pair of stock shoes for CDC, and then he will
start on repairs for Jay Howlett. He has also picked out a last for Ren Tolson and will start building it up for their halfboots.
Val’s repair nearly done for CDC
The Shoemakers will be at the Armoury on Tuesday, Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday.
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�Silversmith – The Silversmith Shop will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The Silversmiths will be at
the Art Museum Gallery on Friday.
Tailor – The Colonel finally has his summer suit! Daniel Cross, who portrays Colonel Washington, stopped by the
Tailor Shop to pick up his new linen suit. We hope it will help him stay cool as a cucumber this summer. Colonel
Washington was not the only one to visit the Shop this last week; plenty of Guests were welcomed in when the Shop
opened up to the public for the first time in fifteen months. We Tailors are happy to be interpreting in our own Shop
again!
On CW’s “Trades’ Tuesday” Facebook livestream, Journeyman Mike presented on the variety of accessories of
men’s dress in the 18th century. While he was busy in front of the camera, the rest of the Shop, Master Mark,
Apprentice Tim, and Summer Intern Morgan, visited the Collection to study women’s waistcoats. Apprentice Tim will be
making several women’s waistcoats for demonstration in the Shop and for use in the Historic Area.
The Tailor Shop will be open on Sunday, Thursday, and Saturday. The Tailors will be in the Art Museum
Gallery on Monday.
Weaver – The Weaver Shop will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Wheelwright – Joel has continued to plane several white oak billets into spindles for the siding of a horse cart during
this busy week. After cutting the outer curves for all ten felloes of a carry log cart, Michael is learning from Paul how to
use an adze to chop out the inner curves. Paul’s research of the wagon roads of the Shenandoah Valley has shed light
on just how poorly some of those roads were maintained, and the difficulty and cost it took to traverse them, while Joel
and Michael are looking to flesh out the few names of black tradesmen working as Wheelwrights and in Wheelwrightadjacent trades in Williamsburg.
Chopping a felloe with an adze
The Wheelwrights will be at the Armoury on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Wigmaker – This week, we worked to get a special display ready for presentation in the Shop. In celebration and
support of Pride Month, we put up a display of wigs celebrating the many colors of the modern Pride flag, utilizing
proper 18th-century styles and fantasy shade powdering techniques. In the pictures, you can see we used blue, light
blue, pink, violet/purple, and a Verona green supplied by our Joiners (thank you!). Fantasy shades were definitely the
exception, not the norm, though. Our research this week has consisted of documentation of fantasy shades and
confirming that black ribbon was indeed the color of choice for men. Debbie confesses, she was hoping to find some
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�men that went outside the box with their hair adornments. And they may be out there, we just haven't found them
yet!
Starting this week, we'd also like to include some updates that we've made to our interpretation and clear up
some misinformation that has made its way back to us. If anyone has a question or concern or needs clarification on
something, please feel free to reach out to Debbie (dturpin@cwf.org), and we'll add it to the next Adviser. If you're
curious, it's likely others will be, too!
Many people ask about the number of side curls, called Buckles, on men's wigs. The number of buckles is a
completely personal choice to the individual. Portraits show 1, 2, 3, or as many as 6 buckles on each side of a man's
style. Some have no buckles at all! The number of buckles has more to do with personal style than with the expense of
the wig. The expense comes from the color (the lighter the color, the more expensive the hair) and the amount of hair
(more hair involved means more expensive). The simple fact that he's wearing a wig will already set him apart from
those not wearing them at all.
You may also notice if you come to visit us, that we've removed all the ladies' wigs. Edward Charlton, whom we
represent, has no ladies' wigs listed in his account book. We've also found no lady within Williamsburg wearing them.
We would ask our Nation Builders and Actor Interpreters to correct us and offer us any documentation they may have so
that we can continue to update this information, as well. But for now, we'll leave them off display. We continue to
discuss hairdressing and ladies' attachments such as side buckles, crown braids, and chignons, of course. And if our
Interpreters have need for wigs, we will continue to supply them.
Note: The Toilet of Flora lists a Flaxen-coloured Powder... "Add to the White Powder, a very little Yellow Oker. The
White Powder may be tingled of any colour, by adding ingredients of the colour you fancy."
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�The Wig Shop will be open on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The Wigmakers will be in the Art Museum Gallery
on Sunday.
The Mechanick’s Adviser is a publication of the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Historic Trades & Skills.
Editor: Shari Monaco
Contributors: Apothecary – Robin Kipps, Armoury – Alexander Hinman (Blacksmith), Anthony Hay Shop – Jeremy
Tritchler (Cabinetmaker) and Melanie Belongia (Harpsichord-maker), Brickmaker – Nicholas White, Colonial Garden –
Megan Cantwell, Engraver – Lynn Zelesnikar, Foodways – Megan Sirak, Foundry – Mike Noftsger, Historic Farming – Ed
Schultz, Milliner and Mantua-maker – Rebecca Starkins, Musket Range – Justin Chapman, Music – Karol Steadman,
Printer and Bookbinder – Peter Stinely (Printing Office), Public Leather Works – Victoria Tolson, Shoemaker – Val
Povinelli, Tailor – Michael McCarty, Wheelwright – Michael Nikolich, Wigmaker – Debbie Turpin
Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Volume 7, Issue 12
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Mechanick's Adviser
Description
An account of the resource
The Mechanick’s Adviser is a weekly newsletter produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Department of Historic Trades and Skills beginning in September 2015 and continuing to the present. The word “mechanick” is an alternative spelling of “mechanic” and is used here in the more archaic sense meaning a skilled tradesperson or artisan. Some weeks the newsletter was not produced and there is a significant months-long gap in the 2020 newsletters reflecting the pandemic-related limitations and closures of the department. The newsletter relates employee news and the current work projects and research of the various trades’ shops belonging to the department as well as other groups described as “skills” including military, music, and dance programs.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Mechanick's Adviser. Volume 7, number 12, June 4 2021
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Department of Historic Trades and Skills
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2021-06-04