Raw Silk

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

Silk is the product of the silkworm, which feeds on the leaves of the mulberry tree. Near the end of its life cycle, it spins a cocoon around itself, known as a “chrysalis,” one step before becoming a moth. It remains in its cocoon for about fifteen days before it emerges. Silk is spun from the fibers that make up the cocoon. Silk harvesters kill the moth before it bursts through its cocoon so as not to damage the fibers. Fibers from several cocoons were spun together to make thread. This sample of silk thread was hand-spun by Sarah Barnard of Deerfield, Massachusetts, around 1836.

Related Items

Details

Item typeCrafts, Decorative Art
Textile Working
CreatorBarnard, Sarah Jenks
Datecirca 1836
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicClothing, Textile, Fashion, Costume
Art, Music, Literature, Crafts
EraNational Expansion and Reform, 1816–1860
MaterialAnimal Product
Process/FormatTextile
Catalog #1901.05
View this item in our curatorial database →
Barnard, Sarah Jenks. Raw Silk. ca. 1836. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1901-05/. Accessed on December 6, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.