| This thesis is an overview of the rocker beater loom. The purpose is to (1) identify the rocker beater loom as a specific category of looms, (2) to define the rocker beater component and the scope of its variations, and (3) to attempt to place the style in historic perspective, as to geographic location and time period.; A historical survey of loom development was conducted and twenty looms were examined in accordance with the purpose of the study.; Findings conclude the style to be an unusual form of Early American handcrafted loom equipped with an atypical beater. The beater operates from a standing (rather than hanging) position and is characterized by wooden rockers that rest on the base of the loom and facilitate the beating action.; Findings, while not conclusive, indicate the style was an Appalachian design developed shortly after the American Revolution, and that it was propagated by the western expansion movement which followed that war. |
