Interact with The Henry Ford’s Expanding Digital World
SEARCH, WATCH, DOWNLOAD Textiles might be seen as a predominantly feminine sphere — from the preindustrial era, when women made clothing for their families and crafted quilts to keep them warm; through the Industrial Revolution, when women made up a great deal of the booming textile factory workforce; and even today, when many women enjoy textile-based hobbies such as quilting, needlework and weaving. Textiles also provide a historical lens through which to explore ways women have pushed the envelope.
WATCH This video to learn how a blouse, made for women working on farms or in factories, and other wartime clothing can represent the wide range of roles women played in World War IIc
PHOTOS FROM THE HENRY FORD ARCHIVE OF AMERICAN INNOVATION
ONLINE Hear architect, professor and “perpetual student” Toshiko Mori share why she’s fascinated by the way textiles and traditional textile techniques like weaving might be used in buildingsc
SCREEN TIME
FIGHTING INJUSTICES In the early 20th century, the Kalamazoo Corset Co. employed a workforce of mostly women. These workers gained national attention when they formed a local chapter of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union and went on strike to protest unequal wages, unsanitary working conditions and sexual harassment. Learn what happened on our blog.
PORTFOLIO OF PATTERN Ruth Adler Schnee designed colorful textiles for homes and offices at a time when those interiors were predominantly white — and at a time when most designers were men. Explore dozens of her fabric designs in our Expert Set.
QUILTER WITH A CAUSE
Today, some women choose to use their textile skills to recognize causes they believe in or activists who inspire them. Selftaught artist and retired schoolteacher Yvonne Wells created this pictorial quilt honoring Rosa Parks in 2006.
Visit our Digital Collections to zoom in on the details illustrating Parks’ story and the common indignities and dangers that faced African Americans.
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