Tag: Early America

Stitches of Resistance: Reclaiming the Narratives of the Enslaved Seamstresses in Martha Washington’s Purple Silk Gown

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Historical Association

DR CYNTHIA E. CHIN A single object was the subject of my doctoral dissertation: a heavily faded purple silk gown owned and worn by Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (1731-1802), the wife of ‘His Excellency’, President George Washington. One of three surviving intact dresses belonging… Continue Reading “Stitches of Resistance: Reclaiming the Narratives of the Enslaved Seamstresses in Martha Washington’s Purple Silk Gown”

Category: American History, Collecting, Enslavement, Essays, Material Culture, Material History, Materiality, museums, UncategorizedTags: American Presidency, Anglo-America, Caroline Branham, Dress History, Early America, Enslavement, Experimental Archaeology, Featured, Identities, Marta Washington, Material Culture, Mount Vernon, Objects, Ona Judge, Slavery, Textiles, Washington, women