Earthenware pottery and mother-of-pearl buttons

Crafts and pluriactivity in the village of Favières (Meurthe-et-Moselle), from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

The village of Favières shows an interesting variant of the proto-industriali- sation process and of its consequences. Located on poor agricultural land, it owed its development only to the growth of a craft industry turned towards export. In the 18th century, this was based on local resources (wood, stone, clay, hemp) and essentially supplied the surrounding countryside, sometimes quite far away. In the 19th century, new productions were introduced as part of the putting-out system. They went through contracts with urban entrepreneurs and were partly intended for a more urban clien- tele (embroidery, passementerie, mother-of-pearl buttons). This change was accompa- nied by a greater permeability between the worlds of agriculture and crafts, but also by mediocre salaries which penalised women in particular. This situation accelerated the departure of young adults to the industrial area of Nancy and led to a demographic decline.