Hemp (Rope)

Museum Object Number 1980.0171.009 B

Object Name

Hemp (Rope)

Category

Textiles

Credit Line/Donor

Gift of Katherine H. Cole in memory of Wilford P. Cole.

Creator (Role)

Lenape (Probable maker)

John Fanning Watson (Compiler)

Date of Birth

1779

Date of Death

1860

Place of Origin

Delaware, New Jersey or Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

Origin Notes

The hemp was discovered in Philadelphia but could have been made in many places.

Date

1750-1800

Subjects

John Fanning Watson; Native American; Indigenous peoples

Materials

Hemp

Dimensions (inches)

1.5 (H) , 4.75 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

3.81 (H) , 12.07 (W)

Object Description

Web - 05/30/2024

This loosely twisted coil of fibers has been kept together inside a folded piece of paper bearing an inscription indicating it was brought to Philadelphia antiquarian John Fanning Watson as a relic of Native American hemp (Virga) often used for fishing nets and other purposes. According to Watson's undated record, the coil was unearthed at a depth of 18 feet while a well was being created for the prison at Arch and Broad Streets. Watson kept the fibers and this historic account with other artifacts in a wooden chest.