Spinning Wheel, Flax

Object/Artifact

-

Windham Textile and History Museum

Flax Spinning Wheel: The image depicts a vintage spinning wheel, a device historically used for transforming fiber into yarn and thread, crafted from wood with intricate details and an elegant design, showcasing a large central wheel connected to a smaller spindle apparatus, positioned on a sturdy wooden base with intricately turned legs. The wheel's craftsmanship suggests a piece from a bygone era, reflecting the traditional methods of textile production. The number "62 51" is displayed beneath the wheel, possibly indicating a catalog or identification number for historical reference or museum cataloging. This artifact exudes historical significance, illustrating the dedication to craftsmanship and the importance of textile creation in past societies, serving as a tangible reminder of the evolution of manufacturing processes over centuries. The spinning wheel is positioned against a plain backdrop.
Flax Spinning Wheel

The image depicts a vintage spinning wheel, a device historically used for transforming fiber into yarn and thread, crafted from wood with intricate details and an elegant design, showcasing a large central wheel connected to a smaller spindle apparatus, positioned on a sturdy wooden base with intricately turned legs. The wheel's craftsmanship suggests a piece from a bygone era, reflecting the traditional methods of textile production. The number "62 51" is displayed beneath the wheel, possibly indicating a catalog or identification number for historical reference or museum cataloging. This artifact exudes historical significance, illustrating the dedication to craftsmanship and the importance of textile creation in past societies, serving as a tangible reminder of the evolution of manufacturing processes over centuries. The spinning wheel is positioned against a plain backdrop.

Name/Title

Spinning Wheel, Flax

Entry/Object ID

2017.01.03

Description

American Colonial flax spinning wheel. According to Blanche (Mrs. Walter) Eldridge of Jamaica Plain, MA, the person who donated it to the American Textile History Museum in 1962, it had been in the Hutchings family of Penobscot, ME, since 1764. Distaff assembly a replacement copied from a similar wheel in the Black House, Ellsworth, ME. The varnish is probably not the original. Constructed of oak, cherry, metal, and varnish. Features: Basket distaff held open by horizontal disc. So-called New England type, simple turnings.

Use

Spinning flax into yarn or thread.

Context

Preindustrial textile technology.

Collection

American Textile History Museum Collection

Made/Created

Artist

Unknown

Date made

1764

Time Period

18th Century

Place

City

Penobscot, ME

* Untyped Place

Maine

Continent

North America

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Wheel, Spinning

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Textile Manufacturing Equipment

Nomenclature Class

Textileworking T&E

Nomenclature Category

Category 04: Tools & Equipment for Materials

Other Names and Numbers

Other Numbers

Number Type

ATHM

Other Number

1962.51.1

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Length = longest horizontal (or warp); width = horizontal 90 degrees from length (or weft); height = vertical

Height

40 in

Width

21-1/2 in

Length

32 in

Material

Oak, Cherry, Metal, Varnish

Location

Location

Room

Dunham Hall Library Reading Room

* Untyped Location

Main Museum Building

Category

Exhibit

Date

March 25, 2025

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Condition Detail

Restored flyer, distaff assembly. New varnish applied at some point in time.

Date Examined

Mar 24, 2025

Provenance

Provenance Detail

In 1962 the object was donated to the American Textile History Museum by Mrs. Walter Eldridge of Jamaica Plain, MA. According to Eldridge, the wheel had been in the possession of the Hutchings family of Penobscot, ME, since 1764. In 2017, the ATHM donated the wheel to the Windham Textile and History Museum (the Mill Museum) when it closed. Eldridge also said, "When the wheel was received some parts were missing that these missing parts have been replaced by ones made from sketches of a flax wheel in the Black House Museum at Ellsworth, Maine." William Hutchings born in York, ME, 10/6/1764. Became a resident of Plantation #3 (Penobscot). Joined the Continental Army in 1781, aged 17. Died 5/2/1866, aged 101 years, 6 months, 26 days. Last survivor of Revolutionary War. William Hutchings begat Joel Hutchings, who begat Dorothy (Hutchings) Eldridge, who begat Walter H. Eldridge, donor and informant 1962.

Created By

historian@millmuseum.org

Create Date

March 25, 2025

Updated By

historian@millmuseum.org

Update Date

April 4, 2025