This page documents decorative copper alloy or white metal alloy ornaments used primarily on leather. These artifacts generally have a cast molded face and at least two tines on the back. Copper alloy tacks used for attaching furniture upholstery, decorating trunks and coffins, etc. are not discussed in this section, though these may have been used on leather, and the items listed here as leather ornaments may have occasionally been used to decorate furniture. For a more detailed discussion of the relationship between furniture tacks and leather ornaments Click Here

Terminology

Different terms have been used to describe the leather ornaments discussed in this section. Archaeological catalogs have used terms such as: Leather Escutcheon, Clasp, Rivet, Attachment Plate, Adornment, Stud, Tack, and Mount. Those experts who still make leather goods by hand, however, will generally refer to the metal ornaments in terms of the items on which they were used. For example, “winker bosses” are metal ornaments on the winkers, or blinders, that shielded a horse’s eyes, and “keepers” are metal ornaments that act much like a belt loop to secure long strap ends. More often than not, however, the metal ornaments were purely decorative and might have been placed on just about any leather strap, bag, saddle pad, sword hanger, etc. The term “leather ornament” has been adopted for this web page because it is broad enough to include all types of metal leather attachments.

Chronology

This website pictures all of the leather ornaments that have been located in the MAC Lab’s collections. The sample size for each ornament style is too small to assign definite chronological ranges to certain shapes, but context information and site summaries are provided for each artifact in order to supply what chronological information is available.

How to Navigate the Leather Ornaments

The leather ornaments can be searched by style category or by viewing all photos. Click on a thumbnail for a larger version of the photo, a view of the back of the artifact, and details on site context, date range, tine length, and the thickness of the leather that could have been gripped by the ornament. Click on any site number or name to link to a page summarizing that site’s history and excavation.

Authorship and Acknowledgements

The Leather Ornaments section of the Diagnostic Artifacts in Maryland webpage was written by Sara Rivers Cofield, Curator of Federal Collections at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab). Conversion to web format was completed by Sharon Raftery, MAC Lab Administrative Assistant.

The author thanks MAC Lab staff members Patricia Samford, Ed Chaney, and Rebecca Morehouse, who provided editorial assistance and aided in locating artifacts. The author is also grateful for the expertise offered by five Colonial Williamsburg Foundation staff members: Richard Nicoll, Director of Coach and Livestock Programs; James Kladder, Journeyman Saddler; Jay Howlett, Journeyman Saddler; Mark Hutter, Journeyman Tailor; and Al Saguto, Master Boot and Shoemaker. The willingness of these individuals to look at the artifacts and offer insight into how they might (or might not) have fit their respective trades was invaluable.