17-18th centuries (Temporal Keyword)

DOCUMENT Citation Only Cathrine M. Davis.

Lead seals ("bale seals") remain some of the more mysterious artifacts found at colonial period North American sites, but they have an incredible potential to enrich our understanding of eighteenth-century textile consumption. This presentation will showcase results of the analysis of nearly 300 lead seals from three French colonial sites with different locations, purposes, and inhabitants: Fort St. Joseph, Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga), and Fortress Louisbourg. These varied sites provide a window...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Cathrine M. Davis.

This presentation will seek to highlight the use of lead seals ("bale seals") as documentary artifacts that reveal pertinent information relative to the varieties of cloth and merchant networks once connected with archaeological sites. Used in the 17-18th centuries to mark merchandise, especially cloth, these metal tags are found in Europe and at European colonial sites, where they remain as silent witnesses to the markets and consumers of the past. Their markings and imprints give us a glimpse...