Dependent upon the knowledge of which way the wind was blowing and living too far from the church or town hall to see those vanes, most farmers made their own or hired the local blacksmith to construct one for them. In addition to the traditional rooster, arrow, or banner weathervanes, they began fashioning vanes after subjects that were part of their everyday lives. During the latter half of the 18th Century vanes representing native America themes, horses, wild animals, and angels turned with the wind atop farm buildings and on village halls and churches. Along the seacoast, vanes expressed concerns for nautical matters using as motifs sailing ships, fish and sea gulls. After the US Revolutionary War, many Americans favored patriotic themes for their weather vanes, including the Goddess of Liberty, likenesses of George Washington and of course, the Federal Eagle.
Weather vanes come in many styles and body shapes.
Style derived from pennants and flags, the basic parts are a point in front and a flat area in back. Many farmers would carve a piece of wood into a simple silhouette figure for use on their barns. A three-dimensional form of wind vane, most closely associated with the heyday of American weather vane makers. Molds are created and sheet copper is hammered into the mold. The two pieces are then trimmed and soldered together to produce a hollow form thicker in width than the flat silhouette style.