Brass Kettle

Unknown artist

This brass kettle was manufactured during the mid-1800s. Kettles were sought-after cookware pieces that had a high value due to their usability and versatility. The Hudson Bay Company traded metal goods like this kettle to Native Americans in return for beaver pelts. In the early 18th century one beaver belt could be exchanged for one 3-quart brass kettle, by the early 19th century that price had risen to around 6 beaver pelts per kettle. Metal goods were prized by traders—after a kettle could no longer be used to cook, it was repurposed by into projectile points or knives