Jasmine Kilburn-Toppin 
Crafting identities 
Artisan culture in London, c. 1550–1640

Crafting identities explores artisanal identity and culture in early modern London. It demonstrates that the social, intellectual and political status of London’s crafts and craftsmen were embedded in particular material and spatial contexts. Through examination of a wide range of manuscript, visual and material culture sources, the book investigates for the first time how London’s artisans physically shaped the built environment of the city and how the experience of negotiating urban spaces impacted directly on their distinctive individual and collective identities. Applying an innovative and interdisciplinary methodology to the examination of artisanal cultures, the book engages with the fields of social and cultural history and the histories of art, design and architecture. It will appeal to scholars of early modern social, cultural and urban history, as well as those interested in design and architectural history.

Table of Content

1 Introduction: crafting identities
2 Artisanal identities and cultures of knowledge
3 The view from the building site
4 Rebuilding and adaptation
5 Material gifting: artisanal virtuosity and material memorialisation
6 Shaping artisanal and civic identities
7 ‘Outwarde walls’ and ‘publique workes’
Conclusion
Index

About the author

Jasmine Kilburn-Toppin is Lecturer in Early Modern History at Cardiff University