Date of Award
Summer 6-1-1997
Degree Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Professional Writing
Department
Department of English - College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
Abstract
The Wurfllein family, German gunmakers in nineteenth century Philadelphia, conducted business at a time when artisan craftsmen and their family-owned shops were giving way to the powerful tide of the American Industrial Revolution. This study synthesizes previously undiscovered archival and original - source documentation and reconstructs, for the first time, the lives, businesses, and social context of the Wurffleins. A profile of the family history traces its rise as a commercial entity, its success, and its eventual disappeara nce, a story that parallels the lives of many other artisan craftsmen. The Wurffleins' work has endured, long past any remembrance of its makers, to become prized by collectors for its artistic workmanship and long-lasting functionality.