Sheet with overall lattice pattern with rosettes 1800 - 1900

This patterned textile fragment of unknown origin features an overall lattice design with rosettes. Its small size suggests it might have been a sample piece. Given the anonymous nature of the artist and the lack of specific dating, we might consider it within the context of global textile production, where the makers, often women and people of color, remain unseen. The repetition of the floral and geometric motifs speaks to the industrialization of design, where patterns can be endlessly reproduced. Consider for a moment, the labor and the hands that brought this pattern to life; the piece offers a glimpse into the complex and often obscured histories of those who have shaped our material world. The question remains: Whose stories are woven into this fabric, and how can we begin to uncover them?