Colonial Women at Work

By Jone Johnson Lewis, About.com Guide

A woman in the American colonial era spins while reading a book. A family in the 1700s produced its own yarn, which was then woven into cloth to make the family's clothing. An experienced spinner would know the feel and rhythm of spinning, and be able to read a book while still spinning the yarn.

This woman was probably taught to read at home or for a few years in a school, as there was no advanced education for women in that era. Even a home which could afford books and to teach a daughter to read, would have required the labor of women to spin yarn as part of the home production of necessities.

A reader points out that the woman is spinning flax to make linen, and that the spinning wheel is likely what was called a "parlor wheel," designed for use in smaller spaces.

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• Spinning and Reading
• Weaving

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