Fulling “Country Cloth” in the Early Republic

Eliza West, an independent scholar from Richmond, VT, was a Carolyn and Michael McNamara Young Scholar Lecturer at Colonial Williamsburg’s 72nd Annual Antiques Forum in February 2020, an opportunity sponsored by the Decorative Arts Trust. As part of her thesis research in the University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, West investigated the process of “fulling” wool for different types of 18th-century garments in her presentation Keeping it Close to Home: Fulling “Country Cloth” in the Early Republic. 

Enjoy this recording of West’s lecture on our YouTube channel:

Read this Antiques Forum blog post for more information about the 2020 event, and visit the Decorative Arts Trust website for more information about emerging scholar lecture grants. The Decorative Arts Trust has many other initiatives supporting Emerging Scholars. For updates, sign up for the Trust’s e-newsletter or follow us on social media.