a master craftsman/tinsmith...
From his humble beginnings as a teenaged broom maker at Living History Farms in Des Moines, Iowa, Patrick, (P.M.) Cunningham learned to make tin for living history museums such as Old Sturbridge Village, MA and Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA.
When he moved to Madison, Indiana, Patrick worked as a master tinner for Maintenance and Restoration of Indiana State Museums and Historic Sites. As a master tinner, he replicates everything from original architectural pieces to everyday 19th century kitchen items. Mr. Cunningham has gone so far as to build a camp stove according to the patent record of 1864, by George A. Higgins of New York.
Mr. Cunningham creates one-of-a-kind, hot-dipped-by-hand, tin wares, specializing in mid-nineteeth century reproductions for individuals, museums, educational institutions and re-enactors. His tin goods have appeared in the movie "Gangs of New York".
Hot-dipped tin, such that he prefers to work with, was made prior to the invention of electroplated tin in the early part of the 20th century. A few examples are pictured on this page.
The picture below shows goods Mr. Cunningham made for the movie Gangs of New York. |
