Artifact: Man's Shirt
Materials: Linen
Dimensions: OW including sleeves: 76 1/2" OL: 41 1/2"
Date: 1775-1790
Origin: America or England
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Osnaburg
Department: Textile
Customer: Mr. McCarty's Stafford
Ledger Page: 233
Imported From: Most of the textiles sold in the Ramsay store were either produced and imported from England, or imported to the colonies through England. Osnaburg was produced initially in Osnabrück, Germany, but because of troubles securing the supply line from Germany, imitations were made in Scotland and Lancashire as well.
Product Description
Osnaburg is a rough linen or hemp fabric that was used primarily for work clothes. Osnaburg was purchased extensively at the Ramsay store, perhaps for producing clothes for slaves.
Citation: Florence M. Montgomery. Textiles in America, 1650-1870 : a Dictionary Based on Original Documents : Prints and Paintings, Commercial Records, American Merchants' Papers, Shopkeepers' Advertisements, and Pattern Books with Original Swatches of Cloth. (New York :Norton, 1984);
Historical Price: 3 shillings, 9 pence for 3 yds; Modern USD: $42
Product Variations
The databases record eighty-seven purchases of osnaburg fabric. Qualifiers used for osnaburg include best, checked, and No. 1-3. Two purchases of osnaburg were sold at a discount because there was a “little damage”. The prices for osnaburg range from six pence to seven shillings six pence per yard.
