C r a i k - pa t t o n h o u s e n e w s
A Newsletter of Craik-Patton, Inc.
Winter 2014
An Old Pair of Little Shoes
by Cailin Howe
In this issue:
Tucked away in the nursery at the Craik-Patton
House near the fireplace hearth is a child’s pair of
small, leather shoes. They sit quietly in their
place, and unless you are looking at the floor you
may miss them as you walk through the house.
Nevertheless they are a firsthand look to the past
and to a time when this pair of shoes was a luxury
to some, and a daily necessity for others.
Dressing and clothing an American family in the
1830s and early 1840s was a significant
responsibility. There was no such thing as a
sewing machine, as Elias Howe did not invent the
first until 1846, and the Singer sewing machine did
not come until 1850. Because of this all sewing
had to be done by hand. Ordinary people did not
have the large wardrobes we have today, and
many made do with only three outfits and parts of
others for seasonal changes. Even wealthy people
An Old Pair of Little
Shoes
1
Garden Planting at
the Craik-Patton
House
1
George Washington
Etchings Exhibit
2
Wish List of CraikPatton
2
When the Craik family lived in the house they
would have been wealthy enough to purchase their
clothes from stores in the area and from larger
cities. This included shoes like the pair we have in
the nursery. It was common during this time that
children would wear smaller variations of adult
clothes, and shoes were no exception.
Friends of CraikPatton Continues to
Grow
3
Letter from the
President
3
Donor Recognition
4
Continued on page 2...
George Washington
Visits Craik-Patton
House
4
2014 Holiday Open
House at CraikPatton
5
Calendar of Events
6
Illustration, circa 1836, depicting the simpler designs
of children’s clothing in the 1820s and 1830s
did not really have lots of clothes, though they
were able to purchase ready-made items from a
storekeeper, order them from a nearby town or
even from across the ocean, or hire custom
sewing done outside the home.
Garden Planting at the Craik-Patton House
Craik-Patton, Inc. would like to
thank Lakin Cook, Anne
Silbernagel, Jeanne Grubb,
Sally Shepherd and Will Jackson
for lending their time and
muscles to dig and plant the
tulip bulbs, spread mulch and
plant the pansies in the
parterre garden back in
November. Craik-Patton, Inc.
would like to send a big thank
you to the Kanawha Garden Club
for purchasing the tulip bulbs,
pansies and other supplies to
get the job done.
We cannot wait for the tulips to
make their appearance!
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George Washington Etchings Exhibit
This Fall, the Craik-Patton Collection
Committee accepted 20 etchings of
George Washington’s life from Priscilla
Lawson. These etchings were done by
popular artists of the 1920s and 1930s
and were sold in a portfolio. Because of
James Craik’s familial ties with George
Washington, these etchings will become a
permanent exhibit in the downstairs
conference room. Craik-Patton would also
like to offer the exhibit to other
institutions as a traveling exhibit.
Craik-Patton is currently seeking patrons
for the exhibit. A patron will donate $150
towards the conservation matting and
framing of an etching so that this
important exhibit can be displayed as soon
as possible. Ten etchings have already
been sent off to the framer. We need
fifteen more patrons to commit to framing
these impressive etchings. If you are
interested in being a patron or would like
to discuss this exhibit further, please
contact Bri Jackson at 304.925.5341 or
send a check for $150 to Craik-Patton,
Inc., PO Box 175, Charleston, WV 25321
with “George Washington exhibit” in the
memo line. Thank you all in advance!
Wish List of the Craik-Patton House
•a laptop computer for the AmeriCorps
Member and for digitizing the collection
($800)
•a digital camera for collection and
event use ($300)
•a bookcase for the office
•archival folders and boxes (all acid free)
and acid free paper and other archival
storage materials for proper collection
storage ($200)
•shades and curtains for the museum
windows for UV light protection ($2,000)
•a high quality vacuum cleaner that can
be used to properly clean the textiles and
upholstery throughout the museum
($500)
An Old Pair of Little Shoes continued from page 1...
Shoes were hand sewn and made entirely
from leather with soft soles because
there was no such a thing as rubber for
the bottom of your shoes. During this time
shoes for men, women, and children were
leather boots of various heights for day
wear as well as slipper like leather shoes.
Fashionable women could wear a heeled
shoe but the heels were very low. The
shoes that reside at Craik-Patton are
black leather high lace boots with eight
laces. They are very small, only about five
inches in length and two inches wide. It is
fun to imagine how small a child would
have been to wear these shoes!
It is also interesting to note that the
shoes are not made for right or left feet.
2
They were made on a straight shoe last.
Eventually, the straight shoes would be
worn and broken-in to accommodate the
foot comfortably.
Unfortunately the leather shoes have
sustained extensive wearing and
deterioration. At this point in time the
best course of action for preserving them
is to store them in an acid free container
so they are out of the light. We are in the
process of acquiring the materials needed
to store them to archival storage
standards. If anyone would like to
graciously sponsor the preservation and
storage of the child’s pair of shoes please
contact the Craik-Patton House!
2014 Holiday Open House at Craik-Patton
Shoes were hand sewn and made entirely
from leather with soft soles because
there was no such a thing as rubber for
the bottom of your shoes. During this time
shoes for men, women, and children were
leather boots of various heights for day
wear as well as slipper like leather shoes.
Fashionable women could wear a heeled
shoe but the heels were very low. The
shoes that reside at Craik-Patton are
black leather high lace boots with eight
laces. They are very small, only about five
inches in length and two inches wide. It is
fun to imagine how small a child would
have been to wear these shoes!
It is also interesting to note that the
shoes are not made for right or left feet.
They were made on a straight shoe last.
Eventually, the straight shoes would be
worn and broken-in to accommodate the
foot comfortably.
Unfortunately the leather shoes have
sustained extensive wearing and
deterioration. At this point in time the
best course of action for preserving them
is to store them in an acid free container
so they are out of the light. We are in the
process of acquiring the materials needed
to store them to archival storage
standards. If anyone would like to
graciously sponsor the preservation and
storage of the child’s pair of shoes please
contact the Craik-Patton House!
Giving Opportunity: Gifts of Stock
Your stock broker can assist you in
making a gift of stock via a direct
transfer to Craik-Patton, Inc. The gift of
publicly traded stock that has increased
in value and has been owned for more
than one year may provide greater tax
benefits than giving cash. The charitable
income tax deduction may be equal to the
fair market value of the stock and could
avoid paying the capital gains tax on any
increase in the current value over the
original cost of the stock. Savings will
5
also come from not incurring brokerage
fees by transferring ownership rather
than selling the stock. To discuss this
option, contact Bri Jackson at 304-9255341 or [email protected].
Calendar of Events
March 6 from 1 to 3pm - Collection
Workshop, “Quilt Cleaning Demonstration.”
This workshop will teach you everything
you need to know about Quilt Cleaning 101.
Quilts from the museum collection will be
“dry cleaned,” by vacuuming the textiles
with a suction-controlled, HEPA filter
vacuum and protective fiberglass screen.
RSVP by calling 304-925-5341 or emailing
[email protected]. Admission is $5/
Person and $3/Friend of Craik-Patton.
New Website
Give the Gift of Membership!
Craik-Patton, Inc. has a new (and very
basic) website, www.craik-patton.org. We
are hoping to be able to grow and develop
the website in the next year with grant
funding.
Support the Craik-Patton House by giving
the gift of membership to your friends and
family!
Please check out our blog posts!
And, don’t forget to find us on Facebook!
March 19 at 1pm - Docent Training. If you
are interested in being a docent, please
contact Bri Jackson at 304-925-5341 or
email [email protected]. The
docent training will include an in-depth tour
of the house and a question-answer
session. Non-docents are invited to attend!
April 22 at 5pm - Old World vs. New World
Membership is annual and starts at $25/
year for individuals. Membership offers free
tours of the Craik-Patton House Museum,
four newsletters a year, special invitation to
events and discounted admission to certain
Craik-Patt on, Inc .
PO Box 175
Charleston, West Virginia 25321
Tel: 304-925-5341
Website: www.craik-patton.org
E-mail: [email protected]
Like us on Facebook!
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Wine Tasting with Ted Armbrecht of The
Wine Shop. Taste 3 new world wines
against 3 old world wines and learn
everything in between! Friends are invited
for a special Champange and chocolate
toast at 5pm. The tasting will begin at
5:30. Tickets are $25/Person.
Reservations are required. Your check
is your reservation; send to Craik-Patton,
Inc., PO Box 175, Charleston, WV 25321.
events.
If you are interested in becoming a
member or giving a membership to
someone, please call Bri Jackson at 304925-5341 or email [email protected]. Thank you!