Did you know that one of the world’s largest textile collections is on the UW-Madison campus?

The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, housed in the Center for Design and Material Culture at the School of Human Ecology at UW Madison, includes over 14,000 textile artifacts spanning 16 centuries and 108 countries. Started by a fiber enthusiast and beloved Wisconsin professor Helen Louise Allen, the remarkable research collection will be open for special Field to Frock tours on Friday, June 20th. This is a unique opportunity to peek inside the storage space and learn the inside story about a few linen pieces that will represent a range of cultures, time periods, and functions with cultural historian and textile specialist Sophie Pitman. Pre-registration recommended as space is limited.

A pioneer in her field, Professor Allen approached textile objects as cultural records through which human nature and history could be better understood. For this linen-focused, hands-on opportunity, Dr. Pitman will share stories from some of highlighted objects from the collection and invite relevant, timely conversation about what we can learn about how linen has been made, worn, valued, and cared for around the world, throughout history.

Pictured here: Table Cover, 1890, Canada, linen, 18.75 x 18.75 in., Gift of Sally Murphy Morris and David Ross Morris, Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, 2019.10.001

2 PM Behind-the-Scenes tour featuring historic pieces of linen at the Helen Louise Allen collection with Dr. Sophie Pitman

By Midwest Linen Revival

2 PM Behind-the-Scenes tour featuring historic pieces of linen at the Helen Louise Allen collection with Dr. Sophie Pitman

Reserving your space with a ticket is FREE. Donating supports the Field to Frock festival but is entirely optional!