File
Gallery Location
Not on View
Maker
James Cam, Sheffield, England
Medium
Iron
Geography
Ontario, French River, Grand Parisien Rapids
Date
c. 1730-1850 AD
Period
Colonial (1700-1850 AD)
Dimensions
0.5 x 25.2 x 2.1 cm
Object number
962.258.25
Credit Line
[Not required]
Collection
Department
Art & Culture: Archaeology of the Americas
Description
This single-pointed file with a half-round cross-section (also known as cabinet style) was recovered from the French River (Grand Parisien Rapids) in 1962. It displays manufacturer James Cam's stamped mark, dating it to the eighteenth to the early nineteenth century. The current interpretation for these objects is that they sank to the bottom of the river during canoe accidents. In the fur trade context, files were valuable trade items as they allows the resharpening of other metal objects, such as axes.
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