Rockbridge Weavers: Families & Fabrics in the 19th Century
“ROCKBRIDGE WEAVERS,” curated by Frances Richardson, is free and open to the public on weekends at the RHS Museum through December 2024 (Saturdays and Sundays, 12-4, 101 E. Washington St.). The origins of this project – archival and artisanal alike – drew from the discovery of early 19th century weaving patterns preserved on small scraps of paper held at Washington & Lee, and shared with friends and family. More broadly, this representative group of “ordinary women, with extraordinary skills,” further highlights a range of everyday connections, financial exchanges, and social networks linking the farmsteads and stores near “Panther Gap” (near Goshen, in the northwestern corner of Rockbridge).
Displays of period samples held in RHS Collections, and explanations of historic techniques, are complemented by displays, samples, and reflections shared by Richardson and a wider group of fellow “Sisters at the Loom.” Through their own craft and curiosities, they have used these particular patterns, inked and pinned by local hands two centuries ago, to create contemporary and often colorful reproductions of their own.
At the museum (or on this video feature by Rockbridge Report), you can see live demonstrations on Richardson’s 6-foot antique loom. You can also learn about these histories virtually, via an online exhibit developed by staff in W&L’s Special Collections Archives and Digital Humanities Division.