Research the history of leather manufacturing
A short reading guide can help you approach industrial history without inventing dates or treating a product blog as a complete historical source. Begin with a research question and a record of the evidence.
Checklist
Choose a place, period or process to investigate. Distinguish tanning, manufacture and retail, since each concerns a different part of the material's history.
Look for dated primary records, museum collections and documented research. Note the creator, purpose and limitations of each source, especially when a business describes its own past.
Organise findings into confirmed points, interpretations and open questions. Write your summary in original language and keep quotations short and accurately attributed in your private notes.
Questions and answers
What if sources disagree?
Compare dates, definitions and the kind of evidence used. They may be describing different processes or places. Preserve the disagreement and identify the next document needed rather than filling a gap with a plausible historical fact.