28 Kant: A Biographyproduced harnesses for horses, carriages, and sleds as well as other imple¬
ments having to do with transportation. In Prussia they also were respon¬
sible for the outfitting of the carriages themselves. The main material they
worked with was leather, and the most important implements of their
trade were similar to those of the saddle makers. Kant's father, like most
tradesmen, had his workshop at home. While the harness makers were not
among the most prestigious of the guilds, they were part of the system. As
members of this class, the Kants may not have been rich, but they certainly
had a certain kind of social standing that demanded respect, and they took
pride in their honor. Kant, as the son of a master, had special rights, since
he was a member of the guild by birth.
The family first lived in a house located in the outer city, which had once
belonged to the stepfather of Regina Reuter, Kant's grandmother.^12 It
seems to have been inherited by Kant's grandparents, and it was owned by
them rather than by his parents. The house stood on a narrow but deep
lot. It was typical for Königsberg — three stories high. There was a shed,
a garden, and even a meadow. Though the living quarters were not luxu¬
rious, they were comfortable at least by eighteenth-century standards.
Emanuel's father appears to have earned a fairly good living, although
harness making was never a way to riches.^13 It was not as prosperous a
trade as that of the butchers and bakers, for instance, but it supported a
family well. Emanuel's father may have employed an apprentice or a jour¬
neyman at times, although it would not have been unusual had he worked
mostly by himself.^14 The Kants almost certainly had at least one maid¬
servant, who also would have lived in the house. The young Emanuel was
constantly confronted with his father's business.
Emanuel was the fourth child of the Kants, but when he was born his only
surviving sibling was a five-year-old sister. At his baptism, Anna Regina
wrote in her prayer book: "May God sustain him in accordance with His
Covenant of Grace until his final rest, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Amen."
Given that she had already lost two children, the name of the new son
appeared most auspicious to her as well. It answered a real concern and
expressed a heartfelt sentiment. It was not just a pious wish. Indeed,
Emanuel's chances of living to a ripe old age were not very good. Of the
five siblings born after Kant, only three (two sisters and one brother) sur¬
vived early childhood. In other words, four of the nine children born in
the Kant household died at an early age. While this was not unusual in the
eighteenth century, it could not have been easy for Emanuel's mother.
While the Kant family lived fairly well during Emanuel's early childhood,