Textile History Museum

Required Excursion #3

American Textile History Museum

            Visiting the American Textile History Museum was a very interesting experience for me.  Not only did it have great exhibits, but it also had underlying themes that I am not sure were apparent to everyone;  they may not have been intentional at all, but they were obvious to me.

            First and foremost, I would like to discuss the “Homefront & Battlefield” section of the museum.  The underlying theme I experienced from this exhibit is that war (the civil war, more specifically) are not about fighting, but fighting for something.  It is not solely about winning a fight or conquering a territory, but it is more about the soldiers that are doing it, and the reason behind it.  Furthermore, perhaps a more obvious message was that textiles played an enormous role in the outcome of the Civil War.  Learning about the Civil War, I never thought about that aspect of it.  I had always paid attention to the winner and the loser, not the politics and economy behind it.  I was fascinated with some of the things I discovered.  I was so interested in fact, that after attending this excursion, I did some research on my own (from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/29/arts/design/homefront-battlefield-at-american-textile-history-museum.html?_r=0).  I will describe the information that I found at the museum and online.  Textiles were a crucial part of the American Civil War.  As I now know, participants in this war went after cotton fields, burning them and ruining the crops in an attempt to surpass the other half of the country from a material stand point.  Cotton was used for crucial items in the war: soldiers’ uniforms, blankets, and an abundance of other items.  Often times, textile workers were even kidnapped to prevent textile manufacturing.  How could something that goes so unnoticed now be so incredibly valuable 150 years ago?  How could we kidnap our own women simply because they assist in creating something that helps the country?  It seemed absurd to me.

            Contrary to the actual violence part of it, the quilts and pictures and diaries were very moving.  Often wars are thought of as soldiers fighting, but the families are rarely mentioned.  Seeing a quilt made from a soldier’s mother, or a diary entry from a wife, or a picture of a soldier’s family hit my heart hard.  I imagined being in their shoes, losing a loved one, losing a family member or someone close to me.  That must be something so difficult to go through.  However, it seemed ironic that the quilts were so colorful; I almost thought it could be subconsciously symbolizing hope that things will get better.  Then again, it could have just been random colors used; I just like to think there was an underlying meaning behind them.

            The next section was about the “Textile Revolution.”  This was a timeline, if you will, of the steps taken in the textile industry.  Of course, it began with the long process of created fabrics by hand, and all of the complicated parts involved.  Next, was the common story of Samuel Slater, and how he miraculously snuck the secrets for America’s first spinning mill from England.  I mistakenly did not jot down the rest of the journey in my notes, but I believe the next section was about the design of clothes, how the colors and designs have changed, and so on.  I also recall the topic of firefighter uniforms and hings like that being displayed.  This was interesting to me to think that some of the same materials I wear, are also worn by people saving lives.  I think that it is miraculous that such a commonly found material nowadays can save lives in some circumstances, if it is put together properly.

            All in all, I had a great time at the American Textile History Museum.  I am definitely glad I went, and I learned a lot of valuable information about the history of America’s textiles.  Since Lowell was a “powerhouse” in that department, I’d say we’ve had quite a significant impact on the country.