A Great Button Story and a Shirt Tale Too

     When one considers the vast world of antique buttons, even with the myriad of styles, forms, materials and eras to choose from, it's still hard to resist the charm of the humble, unassuming "china calico". These endearing and colorfully decorated china buttons were manufactured from the 1840's to the early 1900's, in hundreds of patterns ( 326 according to The National Button Society) and a multitude of colors and sizes. In their day, they were known as fancy agate buttons but their resemblance to the patterns of calico fabric eventually led to their current title.

China Calico Buttons
Image Courtesy National Button Society

     The briefest history of calicos I can assemble is that these buttons were first produced in England by Minton and Prosser, followed by a short-lived American version, courtesy of Charles Cartlidge & Co. But by far, the largest and most successful producer was Jean-Felix Bapterosse of Briare, France. At its peak, his factory was producing almost a million china buttons a day! Today's button scholars agree that the 10,000 calico buttons salvaged from the 1856 wreck of the Steamboat Arabia, were most likley made by Bapterosse. That large a number of calico buttons, on a steamboat heading to the American frontier, is an undeniable testament to their popularity and common use. The late period china calicos were produced in Bavaria by Gehr. Redlhammer and others, in limited colors and patterns but still resembled the earlier examples.

A Sample of the Thousands of Calico Buttons From
The Steamboat Arabia Museum in Kansas City.

     So, there's your calico button history lesson but what does this have to do with the theme of my blog, you ask ? What follows is one of the best success stories of reproducing an historical object that I'm aware of. This success was achieved by one of the most dedicated and driven people I know, my wife Lindy and can now be told, after the fact, with her approval. I was very fortunate to help in this project but the credit goes to Lindy Miller as the first person to successfully replicate and market new china calico buttons in a hundred years.

     Since the early 1980's, I had occasionally purchased original calico buttons when I found them at swap meets or antique shops. It wasn't a large collection but more like a nice sampling. After I became a docent at Columbia State Historic Park in 1991, my interest in period dress lead to my eventual co-chairmanship of the costume committee. My female counterpart was Lindy Dubner, who had a long history of interest in 19th century clothing. Lindy's first encounter with calico buttons came when I showed her an original mid-19th century woman's dress that I owned. The dress was made from a rather plain, brown cotton calico but it has all of its original green calico buttons. In addition to the dress, I also brought along my sample collection of loose buttons. It's fair to say she was forever smitten by those tiny charmers and the stage was set for what was to follow.

Our Original Chile-n-Cracker's Logo

      In 1997, Lindy and I became romantically involved and decided to redirect our destinys based on mutual love and respect for each other and history. Part of that new life was to move to Nevada and pool our creative ideas and talents, forming a history driven team. We founded Chile-n-Cracker's Reproductions as a new source for accurate replica goods for use in Living History. As you might have guessed, one of our first projects was to figure out how to reproduce calico buttons. Research had provided the information on how the "original" buttons were produced but we needed to find a way to create the same product with more available technology. Everyone we talked to in the ceramics hobby encouraged experimentation as the best way to develop a technique and formula for creating buttons in quantity.

      In the 19th Century, the buttons were formed by pressing powdered clay into metal molds under tremendous pressure, following Richard Prosser's 1840 Patented process. Lindy finally decided to make her version using clay slip that she could pour into a gang mold. Each of her button blanks were stamped or impressed on the back with the letter "L" to distinguish them from originals. The next step was the removal of the casting sprues and then they were set aside to air dry. After they were bone dry, each was hand drilled with four holes and checked for shape. Next came a clear glaze and then their first firing in the kiln.




One of the Sample Books of Lindy's Buttons
The Chile-n-Cracker's Buttons Catalog Sheet ( Printed by Will Dunniway)
and a Sample Card of Buttons
Photo Lindy Miller 2011



     In the original buttons' production process, colored patterns were applied using the transfer method that employed tissue paper, printed with the desired design. The tissue was dampened and patted down on the buttons before they were fired in the kiln. Lindy chose modern, water-transfered ceramic decals, created from her artwork. These tiny decals were applied to the button blanks before the final firing fixed the design. This careful and tedious 9 step procedure was repeated over and over and over for each button, regardless of their size.

A Close-up of the Sample Card
Photo Lindy Miller 2011

     After some nice publicity in Victoria and Threads magazines, the orders started to roll in. We ran several ads in reenactor mags but the response from the living history community was surprisingly cool. Most of the early orders were for modern use on contemporary garments and jewelry. It was a little discouraging that reenactors were slow to see their value but we knew our research was solid. In fact, this is where the shirt tale begins ( remember this post's title ?) as it is a very important part of the story.

Original Calico Shirt with Calico Buttons
Formerly in the Collection of Bill Brown III
Photos Courtesy of Whitaker Auctions

     Saundra Altman of Past Patterns was a champion of Lindy's repro calico buttons from the very start. She saw the value in their use as a wonderful period choice for garments made from her accurate patterns. Sometime before Lindy and I went back east in 1999, Saundra suggested that we contact the late Bill Brown at the National Parks Center in Harpers Ferry Virginia. Mr. Brown owned an original mid-19th century man's printed calico cotton shirt with its original calico buttons. This was a great opportunity to study the use of the buttons on men's clothing. When we got to Virginia, it was worth a shot to try and see this rare bird and after only a phone call introduction, Mr. Brown was kind enough to bring the shirt to the Center for us to view the following day. It was an amazing chance to study a rare survivor and even though we weren't allowed to photograph the shirt ( Bill Brown's book, "Thoughts on Men's Shirts in America, 1750-1900" hadn't been released yet), the owner kindly provided a picture for us to have. When Mr. Brown's book was released, not only was the shirt featured but he provided measurements as well.

Close-up of Original Shirt's Cuff
Showing the Calico Button
             

     Years later I decided that it would be fun to make a close-copy of this shirt if I could find a cotton print that was similar enough. I had already tucked away a set of Lindy's buttons and when I finally found some repro shirting that was at least in the same family of prints, I finally made my copy. The original shirt is completely hand sewn and rather casually constructed. The pleats in the bosom vary in width enough to be almost random. Thanks to Mr. Brown's attention to details and the accuracy of the drawings in his book, I was able to pull off a pretty sweet shirt. Having a "great" set of buttons didn't hurt.

My Version of the Shirt With Matching Replica Buttons

Close-up of My Shirt's Cuff Showing Lindy's Button

Bill Brown's Book on Men's Shirts
Photo Courtesy Amazon

     This is not where the "shirt tale" ends though, a few years ago, Mr. Brown's historic clothing collection was auctioned off and we were the lucky bidders on the man's calico shirt. It is an incredible piece of history and will be studied by us for many years to come. We continue to collect original 19th Century garments with calico buttons, even though they are few and far between. The common, everyday garments of the past are rarely found today.

     As far as the final chapter on Lindy's replica calicos, after 5 years of production and thousands of buttons made one at a time, by hand, she no longer produces them. One of her favorite customers was the gift shop at the Steamboat Arabia Museum and one of her best customers was Grandmother's Buttons, a jewelry business in Louisiana. She even made a pilgrimage to Briare France to visit the Bapterosse factory, still going strong but now making tiles. I told you she was dedicated ! For those that enjoyed Lindy's efforts and are lucky enough to have some of her buttons, we thank you for your support and appreciation.

The Devoted Dabbler Dusts Off His Artist's Hat for the County Fair

     Even though I was trained as an illustrator back in the 70's, I try not to take myself "too" seriously as an artist. That background has helped me in many creative endeavors but I never really pursued a career in art. Once in awhile though, it's fun to throw my work out there and see if it gets a response.

 Me and My Work at the 2008 Columbia Art Show
Photo Courtesy Kim Kyhl

     Back in 2008, I decided to take a chance with something I'd never done and signed up to show some of my drawings at the Columbia Fine Arts Show. It's an annual event held every September on the streets of Columbia State Historic Park. One of my favorite mediums is pencil on paper and for the show I produced a number of sketches with Gold Rush themes. Go figure!  For a novel approach to display, I pretended to be an itinerant artist of the period (there were many) and pinned my unframed sketches to the side of my historic wedge tent. It sort of worked, as long as the wind didn't blow. I sold some drawings to friends, met some interesting people and all in all had a good time.

My Sketch of a Nisenan Man
From a 6th Plate Daguerreotype
in the Collection of the Southwest Museum
Photos by Lindy Miller 2011

     Recently, I thought it might be fun to enter some of my work in the Tuolumne County Fair. My friends Floyd and Danette Oydegaard were kind enough to let me borrow two drawings, one of which they had purchased from me back in '08. I still had a portrait of a Chilean sailor I had done for the Columbia Show and decided to enter the three drawings in the Fair's Fine Arts category. I was pleasantly surprised to win 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in my Division and Best in the Division with my portrait of a Native Californian. I've promised that I won't let any of this "Big Fish in a Little Pond" stuff go to my head but it's fun when people like what you've created and I hope that includes the readers of my blog.

On the Left is My Portrait of Josephine Spier, Columbia Pioneer
From a Carte de Visite in the Collection of
Columbia State Historic Park

Lastly is My Sketch of a Chilean Sailor
From a 9th Plate Daguerreotype
in the Collection of Stanley B. Burns, M.D.

Eureka Moments Revisited Part 1, a Peek Inside a Gold Miner's Cabin Starts a Quest

Nice Digs, But What's Inside ?
Image Courtesy The Daguerreian Society
From the Collection of Matthew R. Isenburg

     While researching the lives of Gold Rush miners, I routinely find contemporary descriptions of what they needed to sustain life. Many journal keepers were constantly complaining about the inflated prices paid for basic necessities like food, clothing and mining tools. While I have a working knowledge of mid-19th century American / California material culture and might even conjure up a mental image of what they were writing about, in many cases, I'm just guessing. What I really want is a "visual" primary resource to help me understand and guide my choices for recreating their world. This post is about one of the better resources I've found.



William D. Peck in His Cabin
A Material Culture Gold Mine
Image Courtesy The Oakland Museum
Oakland California

     Period photographs are amazing documents but among surviving Gold Rush images, the relative absence of interior views leaves a gap in the record. Luckily, an upstate New York folk artist and lithographer by the name of Henry Walton, helped close that gap a little. Henry came to California, swept up in the "Rush" but still found time to ply his trade as an artist.

      His 1853 painting and subsequent lithograph of William D. Peck in his miner's cabin in Rough & Ready, California, is an amazing document of those elusive details and "stuff " of daily life. I have been studying this painting for years since I first saw it in Time /Life's The Old West series edition of "The Forty-Niners". I've seen the original print on display at the Oakland Museum but it's rather small and when I saw it last, hard to view. Lucky for me, thanks to the generosity of my friend Dwain Baughman, I have a very nice reprint of my own.

Close-up View #1

Top Shelf, Left to Right - Rolling Pin /?/ Tin Grater / Retort.

Second Shelf Down -  Wood & Tin Grater (?) /?/ /Spice Box /
Champagne Bottle /?/ Small Tin Cannister /  Large Tin
Cannister /?/  Ginger Jar (?)

Third Shelf Down - Flour or Pepper Box / Wooden Pantry
Box / Sugar or Flour Box /  Small Tin Kettle /  Wine Bottle /
Adam's Grinder / Stoneware Crock (?) / Crock With Loop
Handle and Knobbed Lid (?) / ? on Top of Crock

Close-up View #2

On the Floor,   Clockwise  From the Top of the Picture

Cast Iron Teakettle /  Large Tin Kettle /  Cast Iron Dutch
Oven /  Sheet Iron Frying Pan  /?/  Wash Bowl ( Gold Pan)







Here are a few pieces I've found so far.

My Top Shelf, View #1

Original Retort for Processing
Gold Amalgam


 

My Third Shelf, View #1

Left to Right, Reproduction Pantry Box, Flour Box and
Tin Kettle. Original Bordeaux Bottle and
 Adams Patented Grinder

      It's easy to be engrossed by the picture, as all the things that surround Mr. Peck are carefully rendered and as important to the portrait as the man himself. The array of objects bear witness to the simple miner's life, covering cooking needs, storage, bedding and mining. Mr. Walton's detailed study has challenged me to identify every element in the picture to the best of my ability, not just for the knowledge but for the purpose of replication or the purchase of similar examples ( what a surprise !). My goal is to display a recreation of the cabin's interior some day, somewhere. In the mean time, I'm just glad to be adding to the collection of objects towards that dream.





My View #2

Reproduction Tin Kettle, Original Dutch Oven,
Original Skillet, Reproduction Gold Pan






    

      It would be great if readers of this post would comment on what they think the various elements in the painting are. Some of them are pretty straight-forward and some not so. Feel free to voice an opinion or correct my assumptions, as any help would be greatly appreciated. Just remember that the date is 1853 and give it your best shot.
   





 

Tea Kettle From the Steamboat Arabia Collection

A Match to the Kettle in the Painting and On My
Wish List

    

19th-Century Ginger Jar
courtesy ehow images

Another One On My List

    I've included some late research on two objects in the picture. One is the Cast Iron Tea Kettle and the other is an Antique Ginger Jar that resembles the object at the far right of the Second Shelf. On with the quest !

Yeah !!! I just won this cast iron kettle in an online auction.
 It's a nice early one and very close to the one in the image.
One more for the collection !

My Replica of Patty Reed's Doll Celebrates the Courage of a Pioneer Girl

Patty Reed
A Few Years After the Tragedy
Image Courtesy donnerpartydiary.com

     Most people with an interest in Western American History, have heard about the Donner Party tragedy of 1846. Through a series of mishaps, wrong choices and pure bad luck, a Wagon Train of emmigrants, running late after taking Hasting's Cutoff to the California Trail, found themselves stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They were halted in their tracks by the onslaught of one of the worst winters on record. Earlier, as they approached the base of the mountains and knowing well what might lay ahead, it was agreed that everything deemed unecessary should be tossed to lighten the load on the wagons. Even the children were told to leave their toys and that's where this story begins. Nine year old Martha (Patty) Reed could not bear to throw away her little doll she called "Dolly" and secretly tucked it in her dress.


The Original "Dolly"
Photo Courtesy Sutter's Fort SHP
What a Sweetheart !





An Original Mid 19th-Century Peg Doll
Similar to "Dolly", Note the Details
Image From Online Auction

 

     After the entrapment was certain, the pioneers needed every ounce of courage and determination to face their pending fate. During the worst of what would follow, Patty Reed's love for her little "Dolly" helped her through the months of near starvation and kept her from despair. In the end, 41 people died and 46 were rescued.

     Patty was one of the lucky ones and ended up living a full life in California to the ripe old age of 85. During her entire life, she never parted with her little "Dolly" and in the end, generously willed it to the State of California. It's been one of the most visited relics at Sutter's Fort State Historic Park in Sacramento since the 1940's. It left the State briefly in 1996 to be featured as part of the Smithsonian's "1846 Portrait of the Nation" exhibit. That's how important this tiny doll is. California 4th graders who read Rachel Kelley's "Patty Reed's Doll, The Story of the Donner Party" and are lucky enough to visit the Fort, consider seeing the tiny plaything as the high-point of their trip.






My Replica "Dolly"
Photo Lindy Miller 2011



Another View, Note the Hair
Photo Lindy Miller 2011



     My wife has always been fond of  Patty's little peg-doll "Dolly" and her history, which is all the motivation I needed to surprise her with a replica.  A peg-wooden or peg doll is a category of historic dolls based on a construction detail that involves tiny wooden pegs to hold the joints of arms and legs. In the past I had made a couple of similar dolls but I wanted this replica to be as faithful to the original as I could make it. After a visit to the Fort, I learned a little more about the doll's details, having a chance to see her from the side. I'm still unsure if her head is Papier Mache and molded or just carved wood with a coat of Gesso. I decided to go with the gesso, as the doll's clothing hides the evidence of a shoulder plate ala a molded head. The only other info I had is that she is 3 1/2" to 3 3/4" long depending on who you believe. She is a funny little thing with her ungraceful clubby arms and her simple garments but her appeal is undeniable and her importance to our history unquestionable. I hope the viewer enjoys the way my replica turned out. My wife certainly does.

Two Essentials in the Quest for Fire and a Matchsafe with a Twist

The Original "Kindle"
Image Courtesy Camp Augusta

    Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated with the ancient practice of creating fire from a spark. I can still remember as a boy scout, watching my Dad start a fire from a piece of flint and a file. He would make charcloth from cotton flannel by igniting a scrap and then smothering it in a shoe polish tin. After showering it with sparks, the now smoldering scrap would be surrounded with fine shavings and gently blown into a flame. Dear old Dad had nothing against matches but he had every intention of infecting me with the "wonder" of primitive firemaking.

    Even as late as the mid-19th century, when matches were commonly available, people still relied on flint and steel as a fire source. It just makes sense when you consider a little dampness can render matches useless. When I'm at a Gold Rush living history event, I always have a proper flint and steel kit in my belongings and since I'm an early riser at sleep-over events, that morning fire is my baby. For me it's just fun once in awhile to start a fire in a way that takes me back to my childhood but also reminds me of our self-reliant ancestoral past.




 

Original Flint Striker
Image Source Online Auction

 
  

My Replica Flint Striker



     Several years ago, I stumbled on an interesting 19th-century variation of a flint-striker that I felt would be fun to reproduce. The steel is suspended on a rod from the bottom of a gusseted, leather pouch. The pouch was no doubt intended to hold the flint. The original example had needlework panels on both sides, which certainly elevated it beyond the ordinary. For my replica, I chose a plainer path but kept it faithful to the original form, including the cord loop closure and early waistcoat brass button. For the steel, I ground and polished a scrap of an old file. For the steel's suspension loops, I shaped a tab at each end and then after the tabs were annealed, they were bent into loops. I think it turned our nicely and it's a pleasure to use, as the pouch gives you something to grip while you strike the steel with the flint.

Original Tinder Horn
Image Courtesy the Penlee House

My Replica Tinder Horn
With Tinder Fungus and Brimstone Matches

     There's an ongoing discussion these days as to which tinder is period appropriate. Charcloth is out and organic plant matter is in. Lately I've been experimenting with some tinder fungus I purchased from Jas. Townsend & Son. but I'm also interested in ways to store and keep that tinder dry. I'm sure any period style, moisture resistant box with a tight lid would suffice but I was intrigued by what is called a "tinder horn". Just like it sounds, it's basically a section of cowhorn with a plug at one end and a large cork at the other. How simple is that ? Luckily I found a photo of an original on line and similar containers are illustrated in Neumann and Kravic's "Collector's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution".




Original Matchsafe on the Left
My Replica on the Right

 


      Last in this post is my matchsafe with a twist. Mid 19th-century tin matchsafes are pretty common as many have survived but this particular version has an extra feature. I've always wanted one of these since I saw the first one in "Antique Tin & Tole Ware" by Mary Earle Gould. It's a matchsafe with a fold-out candleholder. Pretty darn sweet.  A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to purchase an original from an online auction. This opportunity gave me the chance to make a careful replica. With such a small candle, it must have been intended as an emergency light, maybe to help you find your way to the privy or something like that. Either way it was a fun and challenging little piece of tin work with three hinges and lots of tiny bends.  It really comes in handy when I'm crawling into my tent in the dark mumbling let there be "period correct" light !!

How Not to Build Your First Flintlock Rifle or a Lesson Learned My Way

" Creek warriors, hear me "
Classic Fun

Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Productions

     Growing up in 1950's and early 60's, I was your typical all-American kid with heroes like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. They were larger than life characters to me and through the magic of TV, their adventures were my adventures. Even though history was only the theme in those early shows and many times it was filtered or even sacrificed for the "story", I still to this day, love it all, corny or not. That "coon-skin" capped kid also noticed that Davy and Daniel were never very far from their flintlock rifles. I can remember thinking , "wouldn't it be bitchin' to have one of those some day."

     A few decades later, I thought I would start to put that dream to work. One style of longrifle that had always appealed to me was the unadorned and iron-mounted Southern Mountain Rifle. Maybe it was my family's Southern roots or the fact that mountain folks were some of the last to give up their flintlocks. What ever it was, I was determined to build a Southern inspired gun. I had no idea what I was getting into but that never mattered to me. I knew I didn't want a kit gun and decided to research the available options for building a more custom rifle.

Research and Inspiration and a Very Young
Hershel House
Photos Lindy Miller 2011

    Years before, I had discovered a basic rifle building tutorial in Foxfire #5, one of the series of books by Eliot Wigginton and his students, published in the 1970's. This particular volume has tons of information on gunmaking with an emphasis on flintlocks but what I had feasted on was the step-by-step instructional by Hershel House. The Foxfire crew had stayed with Hershel for a week, while he built a rifle from scratch. Lots of drawings and close-up photos helped melt away the many mysterys of early rifle building. Thanks to that tutorial, I understood  "cast-off", "drop" and "pull" and could even see myself inletting a lock with candle soot. Heck, I even felt I could make my own hardware some day. Continuing on this road, I discovered "Guns and Gunmaking Tools of Southern Appalachia" by John Rice Irwin, 1983.  John's book is full of photos of early rifles in the Museum of Appalachia's collection.  I only wished the book had close-ups but it was helpful as I continued to study this regional style.

An Original Rifle WIth Classic Southern Mountain Lines
Image Courtesy
North Carolina Museum of History

       When I purchased a set of full-size drawings of Southern Rifles from Dixie Gun Works, it was suddenly within reach to understand and transfer the scale and lines of an original rifle to my planned replica. I fell in love with the rifle by William McBee because it was just one great looking gun. I especially admired the "deep" crescent buttplate and the graceful lines but I had unknowingly set myself up for the next wave of challenges.




My Replica Southern Mountain Rifle

        Even though some Southern style hardware was available from muzzleloader suppliers in the late 1980's and early 1990's, I couldn't find everthing I wanted, so I ended up purchasing only the major components. From Golden Age Arms (no longer in business) I bought a W.L.Cochran Lock Kit in flint (no longer available) and from Dixie came a 42" Green Mountain barrel in .45. Also from Dixie I bought a roughly profiled and semi-shaped walnut stock with a partial inletted barrel channel and a breechplug with an extra long tang that I could reshape. The last thing from Dixie was a double-set trigger with a low profile. I was determined to build everything else. What was I thinking?

Back-side View

      I knew I couldn't cold-bend steel to any desired degree so I had to improvise some kind of forge. It now strikes me as hilarious when I think back, but it actually did work. I used a Japanese Hibachi to hold my charcoal briquettes ( yes...charcoal briquettes) while a hair dryer with an aluminum foil extension, acted as my blower. It ate-up the charcoal pretty fast but allowed me to heat the steel to a plastic state. I scratch-built the barrel lugs, sights, ramrod tubes, toeplate, buttplate, patchbox and triggerguard, pounding them out over a piece of railroad rail I used for an anvil. I'd never heard the old saying that "time well spent at the forge saves time at the vise and file". I spent a "lot" of time at the vise and file.

Top View Showing Lollipop Tang

Underside View Showing the Triggerguard

     The stock work ended up being a chore as I was never 100% pleased with the existing profile. There was little I could do to change it and finally ended up adding a small piece of walnut to extend the comb. The lesson here was, on any future rifle, I would want more control on the shape I started with.

       All in all, I think the rifle turned out okay, considering it was my first attempt. Luckily, it ended up being a pretty good shooter too, thanks to that Green Mountain barrel. My only advice to any beginners contemplating doing this, is to build your expertise through pre-planned projects like the many fine kits available today. You will enjoy it more and probably get a better product. One thing I know for sure, it's a lot easier today with DVDs teaching you how to build and plenty of support on websites like American Longrifles or the Contemporary Longrifle Association.

From the Age of Letters, My Recreated Traveling Porte Folio and Penner

Crowds Line-up During the Gold Rush, Eager for Their Mail
Image Courtesty The Museum of San Francisco

    In this day and age of emails and texting, it's hard to imagine a time when all letters were hand written with a pen and ink. During the19th-century, people loved to write letters. In California, in 1849, 18,000 to 45,000 letters arrived by steamer to San Francisco every month, not to mention the thousands that were sent back home. Today I feel like a dinosaur, since I can still remember composing letters in grade school in long-hand with a fountain pen !  Wow, was it really that long ago?



Miners "Feasting" on a Letter From Home
Image Courtesty The Oakland Museum



     The following projects involve recreating two mid 19th-century portable writing tools that were considered useful for keeping up your correspondence.

Traveling Porte Folio Illustration  From "The Workwoman's Guide"

My Replica Porte Folio in Closed Postion
Photos Lindy Miller 2011

    In an earlier post, I had mentioned "The Workwoman's Guide" as an incredible resource for recreating early 19th-century material culture. On page 208, Plate 24, there is an illustration (Fig 41) for a "Travelling Porte Folio". The accompaning text on pg. 215 states, "This is convenient for traveling, when there is not sufficient room for a desk; it is made of card or book board, and covered with black silk or paper. Under the part marked A, is a porte folio for paper, the two parts being connected together by means of a wide ribbon all around. The four flaps lay over and tie across with ribbon. On the part A. are places for sealing wax, pencil, pens, knife and paper knife, all in one, and at the corner a piece of ribbon sewed on in a circle, and made to draw up like a bag, to contain wafers."

My Replica in the Open Postion
Showing Tools, Wafers etc.

    I felt this was going to be a worthwhile project as long as I paid attention to the details of construction and used appropriate materials. Over the years I have observed many mid-century artifacts that used various printed or marbelized papers in their construction. For my porte folio, I opted for a nice period style overall geometric patterned paper for the outside covering. From the sample I had, my local print shop was kind enough to make up several sheets in red ink on yellow paper. I thought the inside should be less busy so I used my favorite unprinted robin's egg blue paper. For the cloth hinges connecting the cardboard panels, I chose a small check cotton. I think it gave the piece a nice honest home-made look. In order to secure the writting tools, I used a strip of cotton elastic, stitched to the board in loops.

     Finding all the right tools took some time. The hardest was the antique paper knife, which is intended to scape away mistakes written in ink. My only deviation from the original description was to add a small piece of gum-rubber eraser, tied to a length of cotton tape. I felt it was a nice compliment to the pencil that was mentioned in the original description. The goose quill pens, stripped of most of their feathering, were easy to acquire as was the plain cedar pencil. Figuring out what 'wafers' meant led to some interesting research. In the period I am working in, wafers were small, gummed discs of paper that were sometimes embossed with various designs. Basically, they served as an alternative to sealing wax. A man named Edward Law has done extensive study on what he calls "Adhesive Wafer Seals."and his research is available on the web.  I found some embossed paper that I painted red on top and then gum coated the underside. A good gumming medium is liquid hide glue, available at most hardware stores. After it dries, it is easily moistened back to a sticky state. With a 5/8" round punch centered on the embossed design,  I cut out a disc and voila, out popped my version of a wafer.



My Replica Penner in Opened Postion
and Some Mail I Created for Past Living History Events



     The next project was to recreate a portable inkwell. There were many styles during the timeperiod but I finally settled on what is commonly called a penner. The original version that I selected to copy is basically a protective slip-case for a small, corked, glass ink bottle. The ink bottle is usually accompanied by a small dip-pen. Many wonderful original examples from the collection of John C. Loring are available online for viewing. Just look for the category of "19th Century & Earlier Western Writing Instruments". For my re-creation, I used thin cardstock, layered and glued for the body. The ink bottle (a small vial), sits in a protective wood base with only the bottle's neck showing. The shoulder of the bottle helps keep it in place in the hollowed out wooden form. For the outside covering I used some " faux red morrocan" cloth that I had a large scrap of.

     I would recommend both of these fun projects to anybody who is interested as neither requires highly specialized skills and materials similar to what I used are readily available. After that, you might just have to write a letter or two. As my grade school teacher would say, keep practicing your penmanship !