Barn Loom

Object/Artifact

-

Windham Textile and History Museum

The loom assembled and mostly conserved; still missing the bench, reed, and heddles, and the treadles are not fully attached.: The image shows a large, wooden handloom situated in a softly lit room with light pink walls and burgundy carpeting. The loom, constructed of sturdy wood, features various components such as beams, levers, and dowels, indicative of traditional weaving technology used in crafting textiles. Positioned near a large window, the loom benefits from natural light, which would be essential for a weaver to see the intricate details of their work. To the right, a person is partially visible, likely participating in or demonstrating the use of the loom. A folding chair rests in the foreground, suggesting that this area might be part of a demonstration or exhibit space, possibly within a museum or educational setting, where visitors can observe or engage with historical weaving practices.
The loom assembled and mostly conserved; still missing the bench, reed, and heddles, and the treadles are not fully attached.

The image shows a large, wooden handloom situated in a softly lit room with light pink walls and burgundy carpeting. The loom, constructed of sturdy wood, features various components such as beams, levers, and dowels, indicative of traditional weaving technology used in crafting textiles. Positioned near a large window, the loom benefits from natural light, which would be essential for a weaver to see the intricate details of their work. To the right, a person is partially visible, likely participating in or demonstrating the use of the loom. A folding chair rests in the foreground, suggesting that this area might be part of a demonstration or exhibit space, possibly within a museum or educational setting, where visitors can observe or engage with historical weaving practices.

Name/Title

Barn Loom

Entry/Object ID

2024.83.01

Description

18th-century Swedish wooden barn loom. Marked with the initials AS and the date 1717. Held together with wooden pegs, joints, and wedges. One iron or steel gear. Working condition. The loom as found was nearly complete. Museum staff replaced a splintered front beam and some wedges; constructed some new wedges, a new lever bar, and new seat, string heddles, and a few other parts. The loom was minus a reed, so Museum staff inserted an antique wooden reed manufactured in the 19th century.

Use

Weaving thread or yarn to make cloth.

Context

The following handwritten document was found in the Museum's files, ostensibly written by the donor: "The loom was made in southern Dalarna in Sweden 1717 by a local carpenter with the initials AS. The first owners ar[e] unknown. About 1840 it was owned by a family Dehlgren in a town named Sala in Vasfermanland. It was a welthy [sic] family with interests in corn, lumber and charcoal. The wife was daughter to a french blacksmith who was invited to the mine town Sala. Among the children they had a dauter [sic] named Anna Fredrika (1845-1894). She met, fell in love and run away with a traveling teatcher [sic] named Jakob Petrus Rentstrom (1846-1927)[.] They married 1864 and imediatly [sic] got skolded [sic] by her father. They setled [sic] down 1872 in Billingsfors, Dalsland, When the father died 1873 Anna was accepted in the family again and got this loom among other things. Anna and Jakob got 10 children, number eight was Fredrik Feofil (1880-1967), also a teacher. He married Edit Lovgren (1882-1955). They setled [sic] down in Frollhaltan, Vastergotland and married 1902. One of Fredriks [sic] sisters Sofia lived with the family for a couple of years and she brought the loom with her. When she left she put it in the attic, where I found it 1974, when the children of Edit and Fredrik devided [sic] the home. Number four of the six children is my mother Astrid." The above was written in blue ballpoint pen on lined notebook paper.

Collection

General Collection

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

A.S.

Role

Carpenter

Date made

1717

Time Period

18th Century

Place

Country

Sweden

Continent

Europe

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Country

Sweden

Continent

Europe

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Makers Mark

Location

Beater bar

Transcription

AS 1717

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Loom, Hand

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Loom

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Textile Manufacturing Equipment

Nomenclature Class

Textileworking T&E

Nomenclature Category

Category 04: Tools & Equipment for Materials

Dimensions

Height

64 in

Width

58 in

Depth

63 in

Materials

Material

Wood, Iron

Material Notes

Except for an iron gear, the loom is made entirely of wood, held together by wooden pegs, joints, and wedges. The wood reed and and string heddles were added by Museum staff, along with several wooden parts. New parts are made of unfinished new wood, so that they are easy to identify.

Location

Location

Exhibit Room

Bev York Room

* Untyped Location

Main Museum Building

Category

Exhibit

Moved By

Team of volunteers

Date

June 6, 2024

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Date Examined

Jun 6, 2024

Examined By

Peggy Church

Conservation

Conservation Purpose

To make functional

Treatment

Acute Treatment

General Repair

Date(s)

Jun 2024 - Oct 2024

Conservator

Mahony, Michael, Church, Peggy

Provenance

Provenance Detail

The following handwritten document was found in the Museum's files, ostensibly written by the donor: "The loom was made in southern Dalarna in Sweden 1717 by a local carpenter with the initials AS. The first owners ar[e] unknown. About 1840 it was owned by a family Dehlgren in a town named Sala in Vasfermanland. It was a welthy [sic] family with interests in corn, lumber and charcoal. The wife was daughter to a french blacksmith who was invited to the mine town Sala. Among the children they had a dauter [sic] named Anna Fredrika (1845-1894). She met, fell in love and run away with a traveling teatcher [sic] named Jakob Petrus Rentstrom (1846-1927)[.] They married 1864 and imediatly [sic] got skolded [sic] by her father. They setled [sic] down 1872 in Billingsfors, Dalsland, When the father died 1873 Anna was accepted in the family again and got this loom among other things. Anna and Jakob got 10 children, number eight was Fredrik Feofil (1880-1967), also a teacher. He married Edit Lovgren (1882-1955). They setled [sic] down in Frollhaltan, Vastergotland and married 1902. One of Fredriks [sic] sisters Sofia lived with the family for a couple of years and she brought the loom with her. When she left she put it in the attic, where I found it 1974, when the children of Edit and Fredrik devided [sic] the home. Number four of the six children is my mother Astrid." The above was written in blue ballpoint pen on lined notebook paper. // Laura Knott Twine, the Museum's Executive Director 1985-95, recalls that the loom was given to her by a person she taught to weave, and that she (Laura) donated the loom to the Museum. However, Knott Twine recalled the loom was a Devereaux loom, which it does not appear to be, so she may have confused it with another loom the Museum owns.

Created By

historian@millmuseum.org

Create Date

December 29, 2024

Updated By

historian@millmuseum.org

Update Date

March 25, 2025