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Threads: Collecting Cloth in the North American French Colonies

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Abstract

Trade of European-produced cloth and clothing enabled indigenous and non-indigenous inhabitants of colonial New France to rethink the “hand-woven”, impacting how self could be presented through dress. At the same time, objects were being collected in New France for cabinets of curiosities and museums. These different collections resonated in different ways through history, subsequently influencing modern understandings of colonial cloth and clothing. This paper examines colonial experiences of cloth by looking at archaeological remnants of cloth and cloth production as compared to how indigenous and non-indigenous colonial peoples were and are being represented by cloth and clothing in museum collections.

Resumen

El comercio de telas y vestimentas de origen europeo permitió a los habitantes indígenas y no indígenas de la Nueva Francia colonial repensar el tejido, impactando en la manera en la que se podía representar el yo a través de la vestimenta. Al mismo tiempo en Nueva Francia se estaban coleccionando objetos para los gabinetes de curiosidades y los museos. Estas diferentes colecciones resonaron en la historia de distintas maneras, influyendo el entendimiento moderno de las telas y las vestimentas coloniales. Este artículo examina las experiencias coloniales de la ropa mirando los restos arqueológicos de las telas y de su producción y comparándolos con la forma como fueron y son representadas las poblaciones coloniales indígenas y no-indígenas a través de las telas y la vestimenta en las colecciones de los museos.

Résumé

L’échange de tissus et d’habits de production européenne a permit aux autochtones et aux non-autochtones de la colonie de la Nouvelle-France, de repenser le tissage à la main avec un impact sur la façon de se représenter à travers le vêtement. Au même moment, des objets ont été collectés en Nouvelle-France pour des cabinets de curiosités et des musées. Ces différentes collections se sont répercutées de différentes façons à travers l’histoire et subséquemment ont influencé la compréhension moderne des tissus et vêtements coloniaux. Cet article examine les pratiques coloniales relatives aux tissus, en examinant les restes de tissus et de productions de tissus archéologiques. Ceci est comparé à la façon dont le tissu et le vêtement représentent les autochtones et les non-autochtones de la colonie dans les collections muséales.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks are extended to Charlie Cobb, my mentor and collaborator in this endeavor. My thoughts on these topics have also benefited from discussions with Mary Beaudry, Carolyn White, Stephen Silliman, Christina Hodge, Viva Fisher, Rob Mann, and Giovanna Vitelli. As always, I am grateful for the support I receive at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. This paper would not be possible without its world-class collections and staff.

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  1. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States

    Diana DiPaolo Loren

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Correspondence to Diana DiPaolo Loren.

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Loren, D.D. Threads: Collecting Cloth in the North American French Colonies. Arch 4, 50–66 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-008-9055-y

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