This is a piece of early Pennsylvania farm life that we just don’t come across anymore. To those of you who are unfamiliar, a tow grainbag was used to bring grain home from the local mill. The practice was that the farmer would leave his linen bag with the miller and pick it up at a later time. Bags were either signed with the owners’ names or initials, or stamped with a particular singular icon (horse, eagle, star, etc) that was only associated with the owner of that particular bag. It was both the farmer’s and the miller’s way of knowing what belonged to whom.

In our disposable age it is hard to imagine the preciousness of all hand-woven cloth and the articles made from them. While made from a coarser grade of linen, grainbags were as precious as any article of clothing and were mended and patched repeatedly. I have had some that had so very many patches on them that it was hard to tell what was left of the original bag.

The bag I present to you is made of a fabulous heavy homewoven linen tow that has a nice golden patina to it. Measuring 39 inches long by 20 inches wide, it is all hand-sewn. Condition is very good with some wear attendant with age and use. It is strong and supple with no holes, rips, or tears but it does have several wonderful mends on it, including the ones pictured that were done in a warm brown thread. Its tie is old, but not original to the bag as it is much lighter in color. These often broke after many years of use and had to be replaced. It is stamped “S. Unangst.” Under the signature there is a bit of embellishment, which is reminiscent of the directional on a weather vane.

Price: SOLD