Scissors, Embellishment, and Womanhood
Finds
An image of a pair of scissors from the excavation at Belleisle, one of the settlements which is the focus of the article.
Name/Title
Scissors, Embellishment, and WomanhoodEntry/Object ID
2025.8.10Tags
scissors, history, design, sewingSecondary Title
The Material Culture of Acadian Sewing to 1755Description
This article presents a comprehensive review of scissor finds (and associated artefacts) from four Acadian settlements, and suggests that by "examining a tool like the simple scissor, we can see the emergence of new patterns of social hierarchies, gender relations, and division of labour". It is suggested that the presence of high status tools. demonstrates a "subversion of expectation, for a group often described by contemporaries as low-status peasants". As well as reflections on Acadian society, there are some useful thoughts about broader societal shifts, such as the emergence of gendered and class based divisions of needlework in 17th & 18th centuries in Europe, eg, the difference between "refined labour" vs "subsistence work". The article is illustrated by pictures of the finds as well as representative images of scissors from the period.Category
History, Sewing Scissors, Scissors