Craftsmen in Colonial America

There’s hardly any of us who, as children, have not heard the memorable poem about Paul Revere and felt the stirring excitement of waiting for the signal from the Old North Church “One if by land, and two if by sea”, and the furious ride to warn the countryside that the Redcoats were coming. With it, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ensured Paul Revere’s undying fame as an American patriot. But how many of us are aware of that other Paul Revere, the craftsman and silversmith? If you’ve had the opportunity to see some of his work, such as that in the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, then you know there are other reasons for him to be famous. And he was not alone. Paul Revere was part of a colonial crafts tradition that was more than a hundred years in the making.

When colonists first came to America, they had to be extremely self-sufficient. Anything that they couldn’t make for themselves had to be imported from Europe and the costs of transportation made such imports expensive. Shoes, nails, pots, bottles, guns, tools, clothing, and most of the necessities of life, were, at first, brought over on ships. But even on the early ships, craftsmen were coming over with the other colonists.

At this time, long before the Industrial Revolution, everything was made by hand of artisans who often specialized in a single craft such as barrel making, glass-blowing or carpentry. The conditions of the first colonies though required a lot more flexibility on the part of craftsmen who were often forced by circumstance to expand beyond their initial areas expertise. Populations were small and scattered, which limited the market for specialized products. Thus a barrel-maker might be forced into making furniture and a carpenter, barrels, etc.

This was true to a certain extent even in later times. Bostonian Paul Revere did not only make silverware, he also engraved seals, copper plates (for instance, there is a very famous engraving of the Boston Massacre done by him), and even did some dentistry! Because the well to do preferred to import finer goods from Europe, the colonial craftsman concentrated on getting out a product quickly and cheaply. Even then, the limited market often forced the craftsman into some other trade as well, such as farming. As Robert Beverley observed of his fellow Virginians at the end of the 17th century:

“They have their Cloathing of all sorts from England, as Linnen, Woollen, Silk, Hats and Leather. Yet Flax and Hemp grow no where in the World, better than there; their Sheep yield a mighty Increase, and bear good Fleece, but they shear them only to cool themâÂ?¦ The very Furs that their Hats are made of, perhaps go first from thence; and most of their Hides lie and rot, or are made use of only for covering dry Goods, in a leaky House. Indeed some few hides with much adoe are tann’d and made into Servants Shoes; but at so careless a rate, that the Planters don’t care to buy them, if they can get others; and sometimes perhaps a better manager than ordinary than ordinary, will vouchsafe to make a pair of Breaches of a Dear Skin. Nay, they are such abominable Ill-husbands, that tho’ their Country be overrun with Wood, yet they have all their Wooden-Ware from England; their Cabinets, Chairs, Tables, Stools, Chests, Boxes, Cart-Wheels, and all other things, even so much as their Bowls, and Birchen Brooms, to the Eternal Reproach of their Laziness.”*

While this may be a slight exaggeration, it is indicative of the state of affairs in the American colonies at first. Fine craftsmanship was not beyond the skills of the artisans who came to America. They were trained in England or Europe and brought their skills with them. Some made goods as well as any Europe could offer but, because of the prejudice for European products, this was the exception until fairly late in the Colonial Period.

The rise of cities began to change things for the Colonial craftsman. The local markets became larger. Recognition of the skill of local artisans rose and demand for their work increased. By the time of Paul Revere, it was recognized that their work was the equal of its European counterparts. In some cases, such as that of Philadelphian Joseph Richardson, they even surpassed it. Though he is not as famous as Paul Revere, ownership of a pair of Richardson knives is a prime goal of any knowledgeable modern collector. Even prosaic every-day articles such as buttons are a desirable collectable. German-born Caspar Wister, who settled in Philadelphia in 1717, manufactured such a solid and original product that they became known throughout the colonies as “Famous Philadelphia Brass Buttons”.

These are only a few examples of the craftsmen who were instrumental in turning a colonial backwater into a new center for crafts and developed a uniquely American style for their work that is still evolving today. You can go to the re-created workshops of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia to see what American crafts were like then, but you need only go to the art shows, fairs and swap meets to find the inheritors of the colonial tradition today. Even in the assembly-line world of today, there are still American craftsmen making things beautiful, functional, and in styles all their own.

*Robert Beverley “History And Present State of Virginia”, 1705