Leather is the dried and tanned hide of an animal, usually but not always bovine. It was the plastic of the 18th and 19th Century, made into anything that needed to be tough but pliable. Shoes, saddles, and other tack, of course, were leather, but so were fire buckets and hoses. Leather also provided a tough and decorative covering for boxes and books. For greater appeal, leather was often embossed or carved, dyed or painted. Our crafters are not tanners but decorators of leather who use these techniques.
