Art Express with the Curator – August 2026

And it was after a long searching that I found a carpenter’s tool chest which was a very useful prize to me, and much more valuable than a shipload of gold would have been at that time.
– Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, 1719

Tools for building and finishing a house were specific to the role of carpenter, joiner, master, journeyman, apprentice, and the unskilled labor force, which would have included slave labor. Craftsmen of the 18th-century learned to construct many of the tools they would need for practice in their trades such as gauges, wood planes, saws, and other devices for framing, construction, and finishing details.

Join Hammond-Harwood House Curator Lucinda Dukes Edinberg to learn about the history and function of the tools used by these craftsmen to build a house like the Hammond-Harwood House.

This lecture is offered free of charge. Please consider making a donation to support Hammond-Harwood House or becoming a member.