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The raw skins of animals were first used by primitive man to protect their bodies
from severe weather, cold winds and rain during the ice age some 500,000 years ago.
It was not until centuries later that man began to stretch out the skins and dry
them under the sun to keep them from rotting. Some of the fluids from the animals
were rubbed into the pores of the skins to soften the hides and make them more comfortable
against human skin. It was discovered much later that parts of some trees contained
an acid-like substance called tannin (or tannic acid), which could convert raw hides
and skins into what we know as leather.
The bark of oak trees was the main material used. Some countries did not have oak
trees so vegetable tanning materials like sumach leaves and other plant leaves were
used. If the raw material was extremely thick, hides were soaked in the tanning
liquid for as long as two years.
Once the tanning process was discovered, people began using leather for such things
as footwear, clothing, saddles, holsters, bags, bindings, buttons, and many other
things.
During the time of the industrial revolution, innovation and travel brought huge
new opportunities for the makers of leather. Horse drawn carriages, luggage, trunks,
upholstery and fashion all became important consumers of leather.
Nearly a century later, furniture design in the 1950s required softer, more pliable
leathers for seating. This was accomplished by incorporating chromium salts in the
tanning process.
Today, the leather industry continues to improve its methods and processes through
aggressive technology but with an additional emphasis on protecting our natural
environment. Similarly, with very few exceptions, animal hides are a by-product
of the meat industry; almost all leatherproducing animals in just about every country
are reared for the food they provide, not for their hides.
Leather tanning has come a long way from its primitive beginning. Early leathers
were made primarily from ordinary cowhides, calfskins, pigskins, deerskins, and
goatskins. However, today’s fashion-driven furniture, apparel, and clothing industries
incorporate many exotic skins such as alligator, crocodile, and lizard, as well.
In a world of man-made materials, natural, elegant leather continues to command
interest and appeal. Nothing says quality, fashion and style like leather
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