Fleeced: Unraveling the History of Wool and War - Paperback

by Madelyn Shaw (Author), Trish Fitzsimons (Author)

Nothing about wool is warm and fuzzy. The history of wool is intertwined with the history of war.

Fleeced explains how competition for wool in wartime helped create our current unsustainable and environmentally disastrous reliance on petrochemical fibers.

Author Biography

Madelyn Shaw is curator and author specializing in the exploration of American culture and history, and its international connections, through textiles and dress. She has held curatorial and administrative positions at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution; the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design; New Bedford Whaling Museum; The Textile Museum, Washington DC; and the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC.
Trish FitzSimons is adjunct professor at the Griffith Film School, Griffith University, Brisbane Australia. She is descended on her mother's side from at least six generations of male wool buyers. Her grandfather's letters to his parents 1904-1907 as he learned the wool trade and associated World War I documents are a key impetus to and resource for this project. She is a documentary filmmaker and exhibition curator with a passion for social and cultural history.