Resources
Academic research into historical and natural hide tanning is limited, but we’ve curated a small collection here + continue to expand it.
Disclaimer: Sometimes the leather chemistry in historical articles is off; or the cultural knowledge in scientific articles is off. Read with a critical lens and open mind + think for yourself.
If you’re unfamiliar with the fundamentals of hide tanning, look to the descriptions of natural hide tanning on our Courses We Offer page or snag one of our quick online mini-courses to learn methodology.
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Fish and Chaps: Some Ethnoarchaeological:
Thoughts on Fish Skin Use in European Prehistory Essay from Open Archeology in 2020 -
On Tanning Leather.-- Preparation of Hides.
Article from Scientific American in 1850
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Products of animal skin from Antiquity to the Medieval Period
Manuscript compiled in 2016 by German academics focusing on European Medieval period
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Rural tanning techniques
A research project undertaken in 1960 by the UN Department of Food and and Agriculture -
Skin processing technology in Eurasian Reindeer cultures
A PHD thesis from Oslo University in 2007
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Vegetable Tanning Agent
An overview of the chemistry behind bark tanning, not written for hide tanning but applicable!
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Women’s Work: Skin Processing in Northern Hunter
Gatherer Settlements and the Archaeological Context
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Archaeological Invisibility and Forgotten Knowledge
This comprises Chapter 15 of the academic publication Archeological Invisibility and Forgotten Knowledge, from a Polish university in 2007
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The Case of Fishskin: A Historical Material Assimilated as an Innovative Sustainable Material for Fashion
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Activities of Tannins – From In Vitro Studies to Clinical Trials
Article from Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plant Unit, Medical University of Lublin, Poland -
Tannins and Human Health: A Review
Article in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
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Chemistry of Collagen
Book by Joseph Kanagay -
Tannins’ medical, pharmacological, and related applications: A critical review
Article from Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy
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Sheep Husbandry in Canada
Commissioned book by Ministry of Agriculture, 1937. Documents migration of domestic sheep and settler-colonial agriculture. -
Skin deep: an outline of the structure of different skins and how it influences behaviour in use
From book Why Leather?
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Cuir bouilli armour
From book Why Leather?