Sheet with overall geometric pattern 1775 - 1875

This sheet with an overall geometric pattern is an anonymous work, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It invites us to think about the unseen hands behind so much of our cultural heritage. Who was the artist? What were the conditions of their labour? The pattern itself, with its repeated motifs, evokes both the beauty and the monotony of craft traditions. Consider the textile industry's historical relationship to gender and labor. Often, women and other marginalized groups have been the unsung heroes behind the creation of textiles, their stories obscured by the patterns they weave. In viewing this work, one might reflect on the human desire for order and beauty, and also on the social structures that determine whose creativity is valued and remembered. Does this artwork reflect a collective cultural expression, or does it reflect a subversion of traditional norms?