Following the Pattern: Using Transferprints to Refine 19th Century Site Chronologies

Summary

Refining site chronologies on predominantly nineteenth century sites is a goal of many historical archaeologists. This paper analyzes transferprint colors and identified patterns recovered from Andrew Jackson’s The Hermitage plantation as one analytical solution. The dataset consists of thousands of sherds excavated from yard spaces and structures built when Jackson acquired the property in 1804, in an area known as the First Hermitage. Using the same approach outlined in the DAACS Hermitage chronology paper, I extract transferprinted pearlware and whiteware sherds from the ware type samples and consider them as separate "ware types." The known introduction dates of printed colors, such as purple, red, and brown, and the known manufacturing dates of specific patterns narrow the longer production range of pearlwares and whitewares. This method facilitates the definition of additional chronological phases for fill layers and features and thereby a comparative analysis of the structures and their use over time.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• The Past, Present, and Future of Archaeological Research at The Hermitage: Legacies of Larry McKee and Sam Smith

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 526