Category: Gems of the Archive

A deathbed confession

This Gem, an article from the 11th January 1899 edition of the Northwestern Miller, describes a hermit miller....

Birth of a millwright

This Apprenticeship Indenture marks the birth of a millwright. This Gem is an indenture between the millwright and engineer Thomas...

Trading wind

‘Everything changes, everything progresses…’ This Gem is a trade card, a business card for companies which would have been distributed...

The Wing Major

‘It consists of a windmill, but one totally different in appearance and principle from all windmills known hitherto.’ This is...

A handy mill

Feeding an army in the depths of a Russian winter requires some handy ideas. Handmills like this one were carried...

Ink is thicker than water

Using the power of wind to bring water to Wiltshire. This Gem is a series of designs which were drawn...

An explosive business

These tools of war enabled centuries of explosive bloodshed. This Gem is an adjustable copper measure for gunpowder and shot....

Up to snuff

A Pandora’s box that contained toxic tobacco. This Gem is a miller’s snuff-box, inlaid with a beautiful and intricate windmill...

Losing your marbles

An insight into a centuries-old childhood tradition. These marbles have been produced using the power of water. The way they are...

Rags to riches

Turning your shirts into books. This Gem is a picture that tells a story of its own origin: a sketch...

Catgerories