Con(texts): A Digital Project on Textiles and Women’s Authorship Through History

Abstract

Textile, or text? In her digital project “Con(texts)”, Hallie French explores the idea of textiles as a means of authorship for women throughout the centuries. Through self-reflection, analysis of popular culture, and research into the history of textiles around the world, Hallie demonstrates that the textiles around us are more than just thread. Women in history might not have had access to a pen to tell their stories, so they used the only available means – thread. From the samplers of aristocratic young women in the Renaissance, to the colorful weaves of Navajo tribes, to a quilt given to Hallie by her grandmother, come explore the forgotten stories in textiles throughout history.