Flax Spinning Wheel
date: label: Date made
content: 1694
label: date made
content: 1694 ?
name: label: Associated Name
content: Beck, George
label: Associated Name
content: Beck, Adeline
label: Associated Name
content: Beck, Margaret
label: maker
content: Beck, George
notes: label: Description
content: Spinning is the simple act of drawing out a few fibers and twisting them together to form a yarn. The process predates written history, and was first done by hand and with sticks. Spinning wheels are believed to have originated in India between 500 and 1000 A.D. By the 13th century, they were seen in Europe and were a standard piece of equipment for those making fiber into yarn. By the 17th century, they were commonly found in homes in the colonies of North America, where the production of fabric was a cottage industry. Spinning was generally seen as a woman's job. Women spun yarn at home, as well as with friends at "spinning bees," where food was served and prizes might be given to the person who produced the most or best yarn. The Industrial Revolution brought mechanization to the textile industry, and eventually spinning was done on large machines in textile mills.
label: Description
content: This vertical flax wheel was made in France by George Beck, in 1694. Mr. Beck gave it to Adeline Beck, who passed it onto Margaret Beck in Paris, France in 1807. In 1822 she brought it to the United States and she used it in Cincinnati and Muskingum, Ohio, for spinnng fiber into yarn. It was given to the Museum by one of her descendants in 1886.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: France
topic: label: maker
content: French
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Work
label: See more items in
content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Mr. Charles Beck
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.02507
label: accession number
content: 17300
label: catalog number
content: T2507
objectType: label: Object Name
content: spinning wheel, flax
label: Object Name
content: spinning wheel
label: Object Type
content: hand tools
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: ivory (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)