Artifact: Hinge
Materials: Metal
Dimensions:
Date: 1780s
Origin: Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Collection: Infrogmation of New Orleans via Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Ledger Entry: Hinge
Department: Building
Customer: Nathaniel Smith
Ledger Page: 111
Imported From:
Product Description
Hinges were crucial for including functioning doors in eighteenth century buildings. They were also markers of evolving tastes and opportunities. For example, scholars note that "H hinges" depend on more complex joinery. Other hinge types displayed taste through the use of decorative flourishes such as the mustache style hinge.
Citation: Cary Carson & Carl R. Lounsbury, ed., The Chesapeake House: Architectural Investigation by Colonial Williamsburg (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, in association with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2013).; Gabrielle M. Lanier & Bernard L. Herman, Everyday Architecture of the Mid-Atlantic: Looking at Buildings and Landscapes (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997).
Historical Price: 9 pence; Modern USD: $8.41
Product Variations
The databases record twenty-nine purchases of hinges, eight of which were dovetail hinges, five "H hinges," along with various other types. People purchased between one and eight pairs of hinges, though most only bought one, two, or three pairs. These range in price from four pence for two pair to one pound three shillings for two pair.
