This photograph suggests New England, and barrel size and construction call to mind whaling and whale oil barrels. The scene may be a Massachusetts whaling port, such as New Bedford or Nantucket, where a cooper is checking and repairing old barrels. A barque and a schooner can also be seen. Photographs of skilled craftsmen using hand tools from decades past are uncommon. Wooden staves were bound with steel hoops to form the fundamental construction of a cask. (Barrels were only one kind of cask.) "Coopering was an important trade in the 19th century. Over one third of all [American] exports were shipped in barrels. Wet coopers made tight barrels for liquids such as beer, wine, cider, molasses, pitch, tar, and vinegar. Wet barrels, made of oak, had to be leak proof and durable. Dry barrels, also known as "slack" barrels, were used for flour, hardware, nails, cement, cereals, fruits, vegetables, horse shoes, fish, glassware china and other dry goods " (Belluscio, L. 2000. Roll Out the Barrel. See also The Making of a Wine Barrel The photograph captured a "wet" cooper using a tool called a howel. The howel has a sharp blade embedded in a wooden stock and was used to cut a groove one inch below the top of the barrel. A croze then cut a groove inside the howel channel, into which the barrel head was forced into a watertight seal. A few cooper's still ply their trade today and some can be found working at large historic museums that recreate towns of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. These fascinating museums present the daily working life of the people and many trades of bygone days are represented and demonstrated. Such museums have become important tourist attractions in North America and Europe. Web sites for several of the few commercial coopers that ply their trade today may be found at Commercial Cooperage Firms

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