Branches of Woodworking: Labor, Learning & Livelihood, 1760-1860

This exhibition reveals the evidence that objects hold about their manufacture and the diverse scope of work practiced by different kinds of woodworkers. Artisans offered a variety of skills and services to satisfy their neighbors’ demands for everything from high-style furniture to agricultural implements. Their trade demanded a broad range of tools and varying skills to transform wood in timber framing houses, joinery, cabinetmaking, turning, wheelwrighting, coopering, carpentry, and repair work.