The cabinetmaker's account : John Head's record of craft and commerce in colonial Philadelphia, 1718-1753 / Jay Robert Stiefel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stiefel, Jay Robert, author.

Contributor:

American Philosophical Society, issuing body.

Series:

Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society ; v. 271.

Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia for promoting useful knowledge ; volume 271

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Head, John, 1688-1754--Archives.

Head, John.

American Philosophical Society.

Cabinetmakers--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--Archives.

Cabinetmakers.

Account books--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Account books.

Cabinetwork--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--History--18th century--Sources.

Cabinetwork.

Philadelphia (Pa.)--Commerce--History--18th century--Sources.

Philadelphia (Pa.).

Philadelphia (Pa.)--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775--Sources.

Genre:

Account books.

Physical Description:

xxi, 298 pages : illustrations ; 32 cm

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia, PA : American Philosophical Society, 2019.

Summary:

"English joiner John Head (1688-1754) immigrated to Philadelphia in 1717 and became one of its most successful artisans and merchants. However, his prominence was lost to history until the author's discovery of his account book at the Library of the American Philosophical Society. A find of great historical importance, Head's account book is the earliest and most complete to have survived from any cabinetmaker working in British North America or in Great Britain. It chronicles the commerce, crafts, and lifestyles of early Philadelphia's entire community: its shopkeeping, cabinetmaking, chairmaking, clockmaking, glazing, metalworking, needleworking, property development, agriculture, botany, livestock, transport, foodstuffs, drink, hardware, fabrics, furnishings, household wares, clothing, building materials, and export trade. Jay Robert Stiefel, historian of Colonial Philadelphia society and its material culture, presents the definitive interpretation of the John Head account book and introduces many other discoveries. The culmination of nearly 20 years of research, this new volume serves as an essential reference work on 18th-century Philadelphia, its furniture and material culture, as well as an intimate and detailed social history of the interactions among that era's most talented artisans and successful merchants. Profusely illustrated and in large format, the book includes a foreword from furniture historian Adam Bowett and an introduction by historian Patrick Spero, Librarian and Director of the American Philosophical Society Library" -- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

British Library not licensed to copy 0.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Rosenlund fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9780871692719

0871692716

OCLC:

1090437581