Lecture – Bits in Pieces: Uncovering Colonial Horse Culture

The speaker will be Sara Rivers Cofield, Curator of Federal Collections, Maryland Archaeological Conservation (MAC) Laboratory. Fragmentary metal artifacts related to 17th- and 18th-century horses can be difficult to recognize, but making the effort to do so reveals the significant role of horses the colonial Chesapeake. Drawing from collections at Historic St. Mary’s City, the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, this presentation will connect fragmentary metal artifacts to the saddles and bridles they represent, illustrating an important part of social interaction in the colonial Chesapeake. Analysis of equestrian artifacts can reveal much about the tastes and interactions of Maryland’s colonists.