Figure 1: Hook (right) and Eye (left). (Photo courtesy of the NYC Archaeological Repository).
The Hook & Eye: Innovation and Labor in 19th Century Seneca Village
Ella Roundy
The design of this hook & eye set captures a period of innovation and affordability that the residents of Seneca Village likely experienced. My research aims to examine how practical this sew-in clothing closure may have actually been, and how its potentially flawed design may have limited its usage, allowing us to narrow down the kind of garments and occasions it would have been used in. I also consider the connection between the hook & eye and domestic labor, and how that relates to alternative African American family structures in the 19th century and forms of socializing in Seneca Village.