100 years – 100 artefacts
In the traditional village from the beginning of the 20th century, many crafts were practised that satisfied the different needs of the local communities, such as the case of whitewashing from Baru, Hunedoara county, where “whole families were working to collect and break the limestone from Măgura, and they would burn it with wood in the kilns, thus obtaining a high quality whitewash” (Ioachim Lazăr, Ion-Pilu Tămaș, Monography of Baru Mare, Emia publishing house, Deva, 2003, p. 397).
Limestone production increased in the traditional village as the stone and brick construction boomed. The negative on glass was made by Romulus Vuia, in 1913, in the area of Baru, Hunedoara county, Hațeg country and it presents a limestone kiln (“varniță”), dug into the ground (where the kiln’s hearth is located) and raised with stone. The ovoid kiln, with walls built from river stone, has frontally displayed the wood supply mouth and the mouth through which the ash was removed. The front of the kiln is built of river stone of different sizes (fire resistant), being flanked with earth and gravel filling.
In order to increase the kiln’s resistance, the stone wall is reinforced with a round wooden post. The kiln was used to burn limestone, from which whitewash was obtained, and the combination with water resulted in a paste that was used for painting houses, trees, decorating, and masonry. Near the kiln’s mouth, on the left side, there is a man dressed up in a specific folk costume: hat with large black felt brims; the long cloth shirt has very wide sleeves that start from the collar and end with wristbands (“pumnași”) decorated with fine white stitches; wide leather belt with buckle; open breastplate with buttons; simple aba socks, worn inside boots.
The cliché, registered with title “Limestone kiln”, with inventory no. 29, is made in the gelatino-silver bromide technique on glass support, with dimensions of 9 cm x 12 cm.
Photo: MET archive
