• Leather comes from animal hide, which is treated to make it hard-wearing and resistant to decay. Most leather comes from cattle hide, but many other kinds of skin are used too. The skin is first cured, via a drying process or the application of salt. It is then washed and prepared for tanning, a process that usually consists of treating the skin with a solution of chromium salts or plant extract ( tannin ). Other processes include dyeing, oiling and the application of various finishes, such as varnish .
• Just as leather today is a by product, our ancient ancestors hunted animals primarily for food, but once they had eaten the meat, they would clean the skin by scraping off the flesh and then sling it over their shoulders as a crude form of a coat. |
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• Primitive people, who lived during the Ice Age some 500,000 years ago, were likely the first to use the skins of animals to protect their bodies from the elements.
• The main problem that primitive man encountered was that after a relatively short time the skins decayed and rotted away.
• As centuries passed it was noticed that several things could slow down the decay of leather. If the skins were stretched out and allowed to dry in the sun, they lasted much longer. Various oily substances were then rubbed into the skins to soften them.
• As certain leather characteristics began to emerge, men realized leather could be used for many purposes besides footwear and clothing.
• it was discovered that water would keep fresh and cool in a leather bag.
• It was also found suitable for such other items as tents, beds, rugs, carpet, armour and harnesses.
• The Egyptians made leather sandals, belts, bags, shields, harness, cushions and chair seats from tanned skins.
• Right up until the early 18th century, the shield carried by soldier were more likely to be made of leather than metal.
• In Medieval England Leather was used to cover books. In those days, when the horse was the principal means of transport, saddlery and harness making were important uses of leather.
• Until the later part of the 19th century, there were relatively few changes in the methods used to produce leather. In fact, the process had changed very little in over 200 years.
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