Such records let us calculate the earnings of a specific teenaged weaver or follow the distribution networks that recruited New England women into textile production. These records can tell us about product design, marketing strategies, and the dynamic of interregional commerce. 3/6

I knew about putting out weaving in New England but I never thought about where that fabric ended up!

But perhaps more surprisingly, these records offer new glimpses of what slavery looked like: its color palate and its textures, for example, and the prevalence of woolen fabrics on Southern plantations. There is a tactile and haptic history here, as well as one that lets us think about movement. 4/6