Emily Whitted, a PhD candidate, was named a UMass Amherst Groundbreaking Graduate Student in recognition of the exceptional quality and leadership of her research and scholarship. The Groundbreaking Graduate Student award celebrates the exceptional work of master’s or doctoral students at UMass Amherst.
Her dissertation, “Darned, Patched, and Mended: Repairing Textiles in Early America,” explores the economics, gender dynamics, and material meanings of textile repair work in the U.S. between 1750 and 1850. Each of the five chapters in Whitted’s dissertation examines a different object, unpacking themes and trends about the history of textile repair work in early America. “My project is committed to intimate glimpses into early Americans’ worlds and the choices they’re making about their personal belongings,” says Whitted.
For more information check out the article, “A Historical Antidote to Today's Fast Fashion Culture,” published by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Emily Whitted
Emily Whitted is a doctoral candidate studying early American history, material culture, and the history of technology. She also holds a Public History certificate with a concentration in museum studies. Her dissertation examines early American textile repair work as an integral, everyday practice completed with needles and thread to maintain fabric’s life cycles within homes, ships, and military camps. Alongside her academic program experiences, Emily continues her professional involvement in public history. Her current and past work includes projects with the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the National Park Service and National Council on Public History, Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle, the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Foundation, the Leverett Historical Society, and the Industrial Crafts Research Network.