“She and the women like her were ornery, assertive, relentlessly capable, weathered and threadbare. She was a monument of dedication to her family, her work, and her community.”

One caption alone hints at a strategy of collecting, inked above a woven silk picture of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The note reads: ‘Mr McMicking’s contribution to this book given to him by one of the Gentlemen of the French Embassy to China.’ Her note suggests that she was actively sourcing textiles for her book, casting her net far and

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