Object Number 2015.0028.001 N

Object Name

Tool (for textiles) (Loom)

Category

Tools

Credit Line/Donor

Museum purchase with funds provided by Mrs. Jeanne L. Asplundh

Place of Origin

Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

Origin Notes

Likely Bucks, Berks, or Montgomery County

Date

1740-1800

Materials

Oak, red

Dimensions (inches)

3.375 (H) , 62 (L) , 13.75 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

8.573 (H) , 157.48 (L) , 34.925 (W)

Object Description

Web - 12/16/2016

This is part of a shaft loom that was made in the late eighteenth century in Southeastern Pennsylvania and used there for over two hundred years.This heavy oak ‘bench’ sits at the far side of the loom under the warp beam. The water bench, called the Wasserbanck in German, both provided a seat for the weaver or his apprentice as he warped up the loom, and could hold buckets of hot water to keep the linen warp threads limber during weaving.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Pritchard, M. E. 1954 A Short Dictionary of Weaving: Including Some Spinning, Dyeing and Textile Terms and a Beginner's Guide to Weaving and Dyeing. 196.
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