Decorative brass nails and tacks

From the exhibition:
Santa Fe Found: Fragments of Time

New Mexico History Museum

Brass nails or tacks, while not abundant in 17th-century archaeological sites, are often the main physical evidence left from trunks, fine furniture, bridles and saddles. Trunks and chairs were adorned with intricate and exquisite patterns of nails and tacks. Decorative and functional, their occurrence in 17th-century Palace deposits reflects reupholstering or refurbishing of goods rather than discard of whole items. Photo by Blair Clark, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.


Note: Representative image at left is often cropped for display purposes. Downloaded high-resolution images are not cropped.