Featured Fellow: Arlene Leis (2024-2025 Edward C. Carter II Short-Term Research Fellow)
The Library & Museum at the American Philosophical Society supports a diverse community of scholars working on a wide-range of projects in fields including early American history, history of science and technology, and Native American and Indigenous Studies, among others. Additional information about our fellowship programming and other funding opportunities can be found here.
Briefly describe your research project.
The main focus of my project has been the royal silk factory turned colony established by King Ferdinando IV and Queen Maria Carolina of Naples at their Belvedere hunting lodge at San Leucio, Caserta, Italy. The king and queen proclaimed the colony official in 1789 with its own strict code of laws, and it became part of a bigger project to revive the area of Campagna through agricultural and commercial experimentation. Funded with the king’s purse strings, the colony/factory became an incubator for technical and social innovation, and the king’s ultimate goal was to build a silk city named after himself, Ferdinandopoli, but for various reason’s the city was never realized. One of the characteristics that makes this colony so fascinating is that the factory was installed inside the Belvedere hunting lodge, directly next to the monarch’s apartments; only a door separated them. This means that the king and queen were living in an unusually close proximity to the workers’ and their daily routines.
As Edward C. Carter II Short-Term Fellow at the American Philosophical Society Library, I researched 18th and 19th-century histories of sericulture in broader, global, contexts, specifically those taking place in Atlantic trade systems with the American colonies and later the United States. My aim was to compare and contrast the colonial and industrial sericulture practices taking place at San Leucio to broader 18th and 19th-century colonialism and industrial age contexts.
What collection did you use while working at the APS?
I was at the beginning of this phase of research, so in order to grasp an idea of American and later U.S. sericulture stories, I consulted as much material as possible, especially since the APS Library holds a range of sources relating to silk production and industry from the period I was studying. I consulted The Cheney family material, Benjamin Vaughan Papers, Burd-Shippen Papers, Hare-Willing Papers, William Temple Franklin Papers, American Philosophical Society Minutes, and the Benjamin Franklin Papers. Files of correspondence revealed early colonial America’s participation in silk networks, including trading and exchanging with Britain and France, and one letter referenced gifts of silk sent to Queen Charlotte. There was also a keen interest in the raising of mulberry trees and spinning innovations taking place in Italy. I found records and receipts in the Burd-Shippen Papers, noting the weights and shipments of silk and prices paid. Reading through letters, manuscripts, and journals, I became fascinated by the important roles both men and women played in the making, promotion and consumption of silk. I also had the opportunity to read some of the more difficult to find rare books and unpublished manuscripts like the substantial Descriptions des Arts et Metier L’Art du Fabriquant Detoffes De Soie (Call Number 600 In 7p2 v. 3), published by the Parisian Royal Academy of Sciences. While this 18th-century, encyclopedic-style, text is available on-line, to actually touch, turn, and unfold the pages of such a luxurious and substantial volume is an experience in itself.
The APS Library also holds artifacts in their collections relating to silk, and I examined material culture that was relevant to my topic but that I hadn’t considered before like the silk ribbons used on commemorative medals and awards of honor, and I learned that some factories held catalogues just for the production of those types of ribbon. These collections provided a strong foundation on which to begin my investigation. As my methodology is primarily archival, it was refreshing to dedicate time engaging with the actual material artifacts—books, journals, pamphlets, manuscripts, letters and art objects—rather than having to read or study those that are available only on-line.
What’s the most interesting or most exciting thing you found in the collections?
There were lots of exciting discoveries. I knew Philadelphia and the Society held an important place in the history of sericulture, but it wasn’t until I read the Society minutes that Dr. Brenna Holland, Assistant Director of Library & Museums Programs, recommended to me dating between 1769 and 1833 that I realized its dedication to silk, especially during the pre-revolution era. This was quite a revelation! Silk also played a vital role in various branches of the arts and sciences and in a variety of ways, including scientific experimentation. Sericulture reached its apex in the U.S. during the 19th century when silk became recognized as an important branch of United States industry.
As an art historian, I’m particularly drawn to the similarities between the arts of weaving and engraving, so the letters and records of two 19th-century artists in particular caught my attention. The Associate Director of Collections at APS, Dr. David Gary, had recently obtained a three page letter, (Letter of M.S. Weaver to Henry G. Weaver, re: silkworms, M2023-85, 2024-01-18) dated January 1841. The letter is from the lithographer and engraver M.S. Weaver (Matthias Shirk Weaver) addressed to his father Henry G. Weaver. It goes into great detail about the inquiries M.S made regarding Chinese Mulberry trees and the raising of silk worms in Philadelphia as speculative investment. Following some prices and sizes of trees he writes, “There are a dozen Mulberry nurseries in the vicinity of the city but the demand for them is so great that the holders can get their own priced for them. It is not in the interest they take in the culture of silk, but only to make money.” He continues, “all are engaged in it and Trees, Trees, Trees, is their cry!”
The Weaver’s investment in sericulture can be compared to another artist’s family, that of the engraver John Cheney of Boston, Massachusetts, held in the Cheney family material, [n.d] (Mss.B.R52c). This file, containing the artist’s book draft, reveals that they too were highly invested in silk and John’s brother, Ward, was a prominent silk manufacturer and President of the Silk Association of America. Members of the family made numerous trips around the world to better understand the growing of Mulberry trees, raising of worms, and spinning and weaving techniques. Beginning as a farm and providing housing to workers, the company grew into Cheney Brother’s Silk Manufacturing Company in Manchester, Connecticut. Their brother Frank invented “Cheney’s new silk real” and received other patents for machines for twisting threads and another to simplify spooling. The family also founded the Silk Growers and Farmers Manuel. John may not have been involved with the silk business but that he was familiar with the nuances of the silk fabric is made known in a collection of small scale, engraved pictures—mostly portraits—kept in this Cheney file.
Tips or suggestions for future fellows
I would suggest taking the opportunity to attend as many APS events as possible during your fellowship. APS has an extensive program focusing on a variety of topics and there’s always something new to learn. Also, feel free to ask staff, librarians and curators about any questions or requests that might arise regarding your research. Not only are they dedicated to building connections between fellows, they are all very knowledgeable and welcoming and really do go out of their way to support fellows’ projects, not only with APS material but about local events, museums, on-line sources, libraries, sites, and other related sources beyond the library.
Must see places or things to do
It just so happened that I held fellowship during the 33rd Philadelphia Film Festival. Eleven days of absolute film bliss! There were lots of interesting international and local films to choose from, some premiering for the first time and many were free to watch. Plus, there were events like Director’s Q and A’s, and the participatory venues were within walking distance to each other, so it was fairly easy to navigate between films. My favorite this festival was the documentary Every Little Thing about Terry Masear who cares for injured hummingbirds at her home in Beverly Hills, CA.
I also highly recommend the Fashion and Textile Museum located in Philadelphia’s Fashion District on 83 Bermondsey Street. It’s a small museum across three floors with a diverse program of exhibitions and displays relating to fashion and textiles in broader, historical and conceptual contexts. The museum also offers events and interesting workshops where you can learn more about making processes; these usually take place on the weekend. Keeping in theme with museums, Friday late nights at the Philadelphia Museum of Arts should also be on the list.
Arlene Leis is an art historian working mostly on women’s collections and collecting practices. With a Ph.D. from the University of York, my broad range of research interests include print and exhibition culture, trans-cultural exchanges, fashion and dress, travel and the intersections between art and science. I published numerous articles and book chapters and co-edited the volume, Women and the Art and Science of Collecting in Eighteenth-Century Europe (Routledge,2020), and more recently edited the book Women, Collecting and Cultures Beyond Europe (Routledge, 2022).