Artifact: Drawing of salesman with brooms and brushes
Materials: Pen, ink & watercolor over graphite
Dimensions: OH: 12 1/2" x OW: 9 3/8"
Date: 1759
Origin: London, England
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Brush
Department: Household
Customer: Joseph Chew
Ledger Page: 32
Imported From:
Product Description
Brushes were used in various types of cleaning chores. Within the house, clothes brushes were used to remove lint and so forth from clothing, hearth brushes were used to clean ashes from the fire, and various scrub brushes were used for general cleaning. In the stables, curry brushes were used to groom horses.
Citation: Seymour, John. Forgotten Household Crafts. (New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 1987.;
Historical Price: 2 shillings; Modern USD: $22.4
Product Variations
The databases record eight purchases of brushes. Three hearth brushes, two curry comb brushes, one clothes brush, one house brush, and one shoe brush. Their prices ranged from six pence for a clothes brush to two shillings for a house brush.
