Lanolin from Merino Sheep Wool on Shearer's Hands, Greenfield Village, April 2010
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Artifact Overview
The skin of Merino sheep secretes an excess of lanolin. Clumps of this protective waxy substance often remain in the fleece after shearing. A warm, soapy wash of the fleece removes lanolin, along with dirt and matted wool, before raw wool is processed into yarn or fabric.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Digital image
Subject Date
29 April 2010
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
EI.1929.652
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Technique
Digital imaging
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Keywords |
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Related Content
SetShearing the Merino Sheep of Firestone Farm
- 25 Artifacts
Heavy coats of fine wool made Merino sheep a popular breed among nineteenth-century wool producers. Every spring, shearers carefully navigated blade shears to remove each sheep's thick fleece -- a process that could take several hours. More than a century later, presenters demonstrate this labor-intensive blade-shearing process at Firestone Farm in Greenfield Village.