Object Number 2015.0028.001 Q

Object Name

Tool (for textiles) (Treadle)

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

Possibly Berks, Bucks, Montgomery, or Lebanan Counties

Date

1800-1900

Materials

Oak; Iron

Dimensions (inches)

1.75 (H) , 46.5 (L) , 2.75 (W)

Dimensions (centimeters)

4.445 (H) , 118.11 (L) , 6.985 (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. It is one of two oak treadles used to control the shafts on the loom. When the weaver stepped on the treadle, it would cause half of the threads in the warp to be lifted, allowing the weaver to easily slide a shuttle between them. This treadle is heavily worn, showing decades of use. The iron chain that would have connected it to the shafts has been broken.

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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