The Cabinetmaker’s Account: John Head’s Record of Craft & Commerce in Colonial Philadelphia
Join us for an evening with historian Jay Robert Stiefel as he presents his new book, The Cabinetmaker’s Account: John Head’s Record of Craft & Commerce in Colonial Philadelphia, 1718–1753 (American Philosophical Society Press, 2019).
Stiefel has been analyzing and dissecting Head’s life and career for more than 20 years. His publication is the culmination of his work on Head and his account book, giving a detailed, thorough, contextual and sophisticated look at Head’s life as well as the cabinetmaking trade and social history of life in Philadelphia during the first half of the 18th century.
Head’s account book is one of the earliest and most complete records of a cabinetmaker’s work to have survived in either North America or Great Britain as well as the first related to production in Philadelphia, making it an invaluable archival survivor of historical significance. With thousands of meticulously recorded entries for hundreds of clients, the book is a concise overview of how colonial Philadelphia artisans operated within a barter economy.
Reception at 5:30 pm
Lecture at 6:00 pm
Members free; Non-members $10
To register call 401-847-0292 or online.
