Finds, Fragments, and Friendship: The Grace Crowfoot Collection at the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, and Its Value as Historical Record

Abstract

This paper explores the Grace Mary Crowfoot collection of textile objects and letters found in the Textile Research Centre (TRC) in Leiden. Crowfoot, a textile archeologist worked mainly between North Africa and the Middle East, although her interests were far more expansive. Her collection in the TRC has largely gone unstudied. Including a variety of textile samples and related artifacts, along with letters between Crowfoot and her mentee Robert Charleston, the collection seems disparate, however I argue that we may garner much information from such a collection The paper questions how small, diverse collections can be useful for academic research. How can a small collection like the Crowfoot collection be used and how can it contribute to our understanding of the individual and wider society? This paper explores the opportunities and scope in analyzing smaller collections themselves as historical records.