Petersen, Christine The Tailor

Petersen, Christine     The Tailor  

 Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark  2012  48p   20.95 978-1-60870-417-0 

 elem  VG-BNes            

    “Explores the daily life of tailors during the colonial era in the United States.”  Elementary students will gain a better understanding of colonial life, specifically the colonial tailor.  Students begin to understand how wool is made through a production process to create clothing.  Becoming a tailor during colonial times usually was geared toward men and they had to learn the trade through an apprenticeship.  Some tailors were required to join a guild, which were organizations that controlled everything in their trade from sales to daily wages.  Women still learned how to sew, but few colonial women held paying jobs.  Colonists in general had just a few options when it came time to get new apparel.  Strict colonial dress code was typical during this period in time.  Students are presented with instructions and with a list of materials needed for making an apron.  Since the number of tailors was growing, many tailors decided to specialize their skills since more competition meant fewer jobs.  Details of a colonial tailor’s life is examined from owning shops to where one resides.  Highly skilled tailors in large cities did well if they specialized in certain types of clothing.  Some master tailors however earned similar to what a carpenter or bricklayer would earn, while journeymen tailors were often labeled as poor.

Includes color photographs, picture reprints, a glossary of terms, recommended books and Internet sites, and a comprehensive index.      Colonial People (MC)    Each title in this series explores aspects of everyday life, responsibilities, and social life as colonial Americans.  Titles include the doctor, glassblower, miller, tailor, and tanner.     Tailors--History.
      Charleen Forba-Mayer