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First Line of Title CRAFTING AMERICANS: IMMIGRANTS AND TEXTILE CRAFTS AT THE HULL HOUSE LABOR MUSEUM, 1900-1935 by Kate Swisher A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in American Material Culture Summer 2013 © 2013 Kate Swisher All Rights Reserved CRAFTING AMERICANS: IMMIGRANTS AND TEXTILE CRAFTS AT THE HULL HOUSE LABOR MUSEUM, 1900-1935 by Kate Swisher Approved: __________________________________________________________ Rosemary Krill, M.A. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: __________________________________________________________ J. Ritchie Garrison, Ph.D. Director of the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture Approved: __________________________________________________________ George H. Watson, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________ James G. Richards, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the year spent researching and writing this thesis, I have accumulated a massive debt of gratitude to those who have helped, supported, and encouraged me along the way. I must first thank the staff at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum. Director Lisa Lee was kind enough to meet with me near the beginning of my research, sharing her insight on the Labor Museum and steering me in the right direction. The amazing Alyssa Greenberg made me feel instantly at home, going above and beyond to show me the ropes and conquer every challenge. Rachel Glass patiently handled my many requests while working with the museum collections. She also set up a workspace for me in the attic of Hull House, where I spent many hours studying textiles just up the stairs from Jane Addams’ bedroom. I owe Rachel my thanks for that unbelievably cool bragging right. Many other staff members, interns, and volunteers at the museum went out of their way to welcome and assist me. Thanks go to everyone in Special Collections at the University of Illinois at Chicago Library, especially Gretchen Neidhardt, for their tireless assistance. They helped the task of studying Hull House’s voluminous financial records feel far more manageable. I am also grateful to staff at the Swarthmore College Peace Collection for their kind help. Many people have contributed their invaluable expertise and support to this project, as well as to my studies over the past two years. Special thanks to Linda Eaton for lending her expert eye, helping me (finally) understand looms and weave structures, and offering smart suggestions. Along with Linda, Beverly Gordon at the iii University of Wisconsin and Sara Jatcko in Chicago contributed their textilian wisdom to my chapter on weavings. In the Winterthur Library, Emily Guthrie and Lauri Perkins graciously fielded my demands and were very tolerant of my book-hoarding habit. A research fellowship from the University of Delaware’s Center for Material Culture Studies allowed me to spend the summer in Chicago, and the Delaware Public Humanities Institute helped me hone my elevator speech (among other things) in excellent company. It is difficult to imagine leaving Winterthur and not seeing certain faces nearly every day. Among them, Greg Landrey improved my time here immeasurably with his good humor and encouragement. Ritchie Garrison shaped my approach to studying material culture from the earliest days of Summer Institute. Everyone knows that Brock Jobe can light up a room with his enthusiasm, and I have particularly enjoyed the privilege of learning about all things Victorian from him. My fellow fellows have also enriched my experience with their support, camaraderie, puns, and love of ice cream. My deepest gratitude is reserved for two people without whom this thesis would not have been possible. As my advisor, Rosemary Krill patiently guided me through every step of the process with her wise and thoughtful suggestions. Her skills in both editing and morale-boosting are unparalleled. Finally, although numerous family and friends deserve credit for cheering me on, I owe my mother most of all. She has not only buoyed my spirits in countless conversations and kept life in perspective, but has also shown me the meaning of strength and resilience over the past year. This work is dedicated to her. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 Background: Hull House and the Immigrant Community ................................. 3 The Labor Museum at Hull House: Mission and Methods ................................ 5 Approach of Thesis ........................................................................................... 11 Historiography .................................................................................................. 13 Organization and Scope of Thesis .................................................................... 19 2 “DIFFERENCES OF RACE AND NATIONALITY INEVITABLY FALL AWAY”: REPRESENTING IMMIGRANT CULTURES IN THE LABOR MUSEUM .......................................................................................... 24 Arts and Crafts Origins: The Labor Museum in Context ................................. 26 The Colonial Revival and National Identity in the Labor Museum ................. 31 Immigrant Portrayals in Visual Culture ........................................................... 38 3 MATERIAL EVIDENCE OF WEAVING PRACTICES IN THE LABOR MUSEUM ......................................................................................................... 45 Textiles from the Labor Museum ..................................................................... 46 Potential Sources for the Supplementary Weft Technique ............................... 49 Aesthetic Ambiguity in the Labor Museum Textiles ....................................... 59 The Larger Group: Textiles from Hull House .................................................. 64 4 NEW PERSPECTIVES: THE MUSEUM THROUGH IMMIGRANTS’ EYES ................................................................................................................ 71 An Immigrant’s Account of the Labor Museum .............................................. 72 Selling Craft: Economic Opportunity at the Labor Museum ........................... 75 The Hull-House Shop ....................................................................................... 84 “Simple Designs and Primitive Forms”: Ethnic Craft as Commodity ............. 88 5 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 97 v FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... 99 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 149 Appendix PERMISSION LETTERS .................................................................................... 156 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Photograph of Jane Addams, ca. 1896. ................................................... 99 Figure 2. “Entrance to Hull-House,” from Hull-House Year Book (1913) .......... 100 Figure 3. Labor Museum, “Irish and Italian Ladies Spinning” ............................. 101 Figure 4. Labor Museum, “End of Textile Room” ............................................... 102 Figure 5. Labor Museum, “Syrian Woman Spinning,” from First Report of the Labor Museum at Hull-House (1902) ................................................... 103 Figure 6. Labor Museum, “Russian Spinning”: Hilda Satt demonstrates spinning, ca. 1900 .................................................................................. 104 Figure 7. Labor Museum, “Dutch Spinning” ........................................................ 105 Figure 8. Labor Museum, “Irish spinning” ........................................................... 106 Figure 9. Labor Museum, “Italian spinning,” ca. 1900 ........................................ 107 Figure 10. “Hull-House Labor Museum—Demonstration,” ca. 1925-1935 ........... 108 Figure 11. “Hull-House Labor Museum—Demonstration,” 1920s ........................ 109 Figure 12. “End of Kitchen—Showing Primitive Implements,” from Hull-House Year Book (1910) ................................................................................... 110 Figure 13. “Hull House Labor Museum—Fireplace, 1924” ................................... 111 Figure 14. “Interior of the New England Kitchen,” from Frank Leslie's Historical Register of the United States Centennial Exposition, 1876 ....................................................................................................... 112 Figure 15. Wallace Nutting, “Making a Rug” ........................................................ 113 Figure 16. Wallace Nutting, “A Bit of Sewing” ..................................................... 114 Figure 17. Illustration from New Homes For Old, by Sophonisba Preston Breckinridge .......................................................................................... 115 vii Figure 18. Table throw with gold supplementary weft pattern, 1920s ................... 116 Figure 19. Table throw with blue supplementary
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