“When cabbage and peas were often our best meal.” A Letter from an 18th-century Journeyman Cabinetmaker &#8211

“When cabbage and peas were often our best meal.” A Letter from an 18th-century Journeyman Cabinetmaker &#8211

In late October 1716 Jacob Arend, a journeyman cabinetmaker, was 28 years old and at a crossroads. He and his fellow journeyman, Johannes Witthalm, had recently finished work on a writing cabinet. They both worked for Servacius Arend, Jacob’s older brother and the cabinetmaker to the court of Würzburg in Germany. The writing cabinet was a masterpiece…