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Geography and History of Ames

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Name of the object

Máquina de coser Singer manufacturada en 1920.

 

Antón Abalo Santamaría · 11 noviembre 2022 15:31


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Date, historical event and historical period
 A máquina foi mercada polos meus tataravós, Francisca e Antonio, no ano 1920 como un regalo á súa filla, Manuela, a miña bisavoa. O evento histórico máis destacado de este ano probablemente foron ás eleccións xerais levadas a cabo ese ano baixo sufraxio masculino, que se viron fortemente marcadas polo malestar social causado polos disturbios en Barcelona e a guerra do Rif, en Marrocos. En canto á época histórica, poderiamos situar a compra entre o fin da primeira guerra mundial e o inicio da guerra civil española.

Explanation of the object
A máquina de coser, aínda que foi un regalo dos meus tataravós para a súa filla, realmente era para que comezara a traballar pola súa conta. Miña bisavoa tiña 15 anos cando recibiu o regalo, ela ata ese momento cosía na casa, pero impúxose o ir a coser a domicilio, “ir polas casas” chamábano.

As costureiras eran chamadas para traballar nas casas de familias podentes. Desprazábanse ca máquina de coser na cabeza ( levábana sen mans,apoiada nun pano ao que lle daban a forma da cabeza para non mancarse) xa que nas mans levaban o resto do material. Sorpréndeme o dato de que a máquina pesa 15 kg sen contar a tapa de madeira que a protexía , pero que non conservamos debido ao desgaste que sufriu a peza co uso diario durante décadas. Na casa en cuestión facían todo tipo de traballos de costura, dende amaños de roupa, ata bordados de mantelerías e xogos de cama . Pasaban o día na casa, pois a xornada incluía a comida, e volvían o día seguinte se era necesario. Raramente deixaban a máquina alí , xa que pola noite aínda facían máis encargas.

Miña bisavoa traballou nisto ata que casou. Anos despois, sobre os anos 50, a que se adicou a traballar ca máquina, foi miña avoa Filomena, aínda que ela coseu nas casas pouco tempo, pois especializouse en bordados, que era un traballo máis delicado e mellor pagado, pero que requiría moito máis talento, precisión e paciencia.Cando comezou neste novo modelo de negocio, adicouse principalmente á confeccionar manteis, sabanas e toallas, sempre baixo demanda. Isto último era bastante arriscado, pois dependía dos traballos que fixera, pero tamén tiña vantaxes sobre todo para os clientes, os cales podían personalizar completamente o resultado.

A día de hoxe, aínda que a máquina está na casa da miña madriña, miña avoa séguea utilizando, soamente para traballos que requiren precisión ou para detalles, pois a forma de manexala é a man, impulsada polo manubrio para coller velocidade. Isto fai que sexa fisicamente esixente utilizala, ademais, como leva máis de 100 anos na familia, úsase pouco para que poda continuar sendo propiedade da familia sen ter que ser restaurada outra vez. Porque si, a máquina foi restaurada recentemente, porque os gravados atopábanse desgastados e a madeira descolorida e raiada. Tanto miña madriña como miña nai aprenderon a utilizala, aínda que a modo de pasatempo e eu espero facer o mesmo proximamente.


O valor histórico que ten este antigo instrumento é o poder de reflectir o duro que era o traballo de costureira, que requiría ser forte, curiosa e paciente. Elas buscaban encargas e cando atopaban unha tiñan que erguerse cedo, transportar todo o pesado material e pasar todo día traballando ata acabar, sen descansar. Despois volvían á casa e remataban encargas máis pequenas durante a noite.

En relación ao valor patrimonial, penso que o seu valor principal e o antiga que é e o feito de que leva na miña familia moitos anos. É dicir, ten maiormente un valor sentimental e histórico aínda que descoñezo o seu valor monetario.

Secondary sources
(no especificado)

Name of the object

Ferrameneta de canteiro.

 

Inés Martínez Antelo · 28 noviembre 2021 22:06


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Date, historical event and historical period
Estas ferramentas foron mercadas polo meu bisavó cando era novo, aorredor de 1920.

Explanation of the object
Estas ferramentas foron mercadas polo meu bisavó Ramón na súa mocidade cando estaba comezando co oficio de canteiro. Estas, acompañarnno durante toda a súa vida laboral, xa que cando se gastaban ía a apuntalas nun ferriro pero nunca comprou unhas novas e nunca desempeñou ningún outro oficio que non fose o da cantería.
Con estos intrumentos picabase e pulíase a pedra que sería máis tarde empregadar par construir horreos, píos e ata casas; de feito, a maior parte das pedras que compoñen as casas da vila do meu bisavó e da miña avóa na actualidade, foron traballadas por el e os seus obreiros, e séguense a conservar en boas condicións ata hoxe en día.
A cerca da orixe das ferramentas non podo dicir que a coñeza, pero a miña avóa afirmoume que non deberon de ser moi caras xa que este traballo só era pagado con apenas uns cuantos reales, polo que non era posible invertir moitos cartos nestes utensilios.

Secondary sources
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_español

Name of the object

My great-grandfather's pocket watch

 

Icía Fernández Ferreiro · 18 diciembre 2020 17:13


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Date, historical event and historical period
This object is related to the Spanish Civil Post-War, around the 40s of the XX century.

Explanation of the object
This watch belonged to my great-grandfather (Manuel Fernández Tuero, 1910-1972) and my great-grandmother (Dolores López García) gave it to my dad several years after he died.

She did it because my dad is a bag-piper and when he plays the bag-pipe he wears the tradicional clothes (relates to the end of the XIX century) and a pocket watch. Until she gave it to him, he carried a modern pocket watch. She thought that he will be excited receiving the gift.

This pocket watch relates to some years after the Industrial Revolution. In the Industrial Revolution the watch was an expensive object and few people can bought one. My great-grandafather belonged to the middle class, he wasn't a labourer (he worked as a street sweeper) and my great-grandmother worked as a housewife in their house. They lived in a rent apartment.

This is a silver winding ("de corda") pocket watch and it's engraved at the back with color. It has arabic numbers and a small sphere in the watch face that shows the seconds ("segundeiro"). The watch brand is "ZEDA WATCH" (we can see it in its watch face). Nowadays, it has a silver chain that has about twenty one years.

We don't know the actual monetary value, but it has a very big sentimental value because it had been in the family about one hundred years.

As an anecdote, my dad carried this pocket watch when he got married.

Secondary sources
(no especificado)

Name of the object

The washing machine

 

Sofía Álvarez Castro · 18 diciembre 2020 17:26


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Date, historical event and historical period
The washing machine can go unnoticed because of its daily use nowadays; but it was definitely one of the most revolutionary invents of our modern history.
Before its innovation, people (especially women) all over the world had to clean their clothes with their own hands, which was an exhaustive and essential work: everybody have to clean his clothes, and, formerly, people had a bigger laundry necessity than us, because most of the people must be the whole day working the land, and, in the industrial revolution, workers from the factories got a lot of stains. Furthermore, they didn’t have disposable things like diapers, tissues or sanity towels, so women had to wash up everything.
Throughout the whole period of the contemporary age, this appliance had several phases in its development. The first idea about a washing machine was around 1690, and it was probably inspired by the laundry method in ships: they realized that water and currents could clean their clothes, so they started to use nets and throw their clothes inside it to the sea; because in a ship, fresh water was a valuable good, so they cannot waste it.
This appliance got a lot of models and innovations all along the contemporary ages. The first washing machines had the hole for clothes at the superior part and worked with a rotating drum which was moved by a hand-crank. After this, around 1900, electric washing machines were developed; it was attributed to Alva Fisher. They had some problems because water went out of the hole and caused short circuits, so they innovated a cover for it. Furthermore, this device didn’t have many sales until electricity started to be used by everyone. The following inventors added up different vantages to the appliance, such as automatic drying and centrifugation functions. Nowadays, and in our developed country, most of us have a modern washing machine with all of its new comforts.

Explanation of the object
Before the arrival of the washing machine, women used to clean their clothes in the river or in laundries and carry barrels with all the clothes from their houses to the laundry and from the laundry to their houses, which was so much more difficult, because wet clothes are very heavy. Furthermore, in these times, plastic objects didn’t exist, so barrels were made of metal materials. They also carried stools and soap. Many women developed physic problems due to this hard work: because of the bleach and the cold water, their hands resulted very damage; and, moreover, the posture they had wasn’t good when they had to wash and also when they carried the hard barrel over their head. And when women came back to their houses, they still had to work: they had to hang the clothes, then pick up them and after it, they had to iron the clothes and fold them.
Laundries were like the centre of the town, it was where many women met to talk, blabbing, and boys also went there to flirt with young women.
After all this time, we can think that currently this women lifestyle doesn’t exist, but it isn’t true. Although mostly people can afford to buy a wash machine and have electricity enough for it, many places in third-world countries (or not) sill have to realize this hard work everyday. It’s like they are trapped in the past.
In the hypothetical case that there were a list of technological heritage, in which probably appeared computers, the assembly line, the steam engine and many other inventions that changed our whole life of people, I think that the washing machine should have a deserved place in the list, for changing the whole life of women.

Secondary sources
https://www.eleconomista.es/empresas-finanzas/consumo/noticias/7589222/05/16/La-lavadora-el-invento-mas-revolucionario-para-los-hogares.html. 16/12/2020
https://www.xatakahome.com/n/primera-lavadora-ultima-historia-mejor-invento-para-hogares 15/12/2020
https://www.lainformacion.com/practicopedia/como-se-invento-la-lavadora/6508556/ 15/12/2020

Name of the object

La Revista Del Golpe De Estado

 

Celia Fuentes Fandiño · 11 noviembre 2022 16:56


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Date, historical event and historical period
Esta revista representa a cuando ocurrió el golpe de estado en España el 23 de febrero de 1981.

Explanation of the object
Este objeto tiene a parte de valor sentimental para nuestra familia ya que la revista era de mi abuelo y se lo regaló a mi madre y en el futuro será para mi. También fue un hecho histórico para España ya que fue el primer golpe de estado y único después de establecerse la democracia en el año 1975.

Secondary sources
(no especificado)
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