Prinkey, 2022 Symposium Presentation

Kathryn Prinkey presents "Exports and Embargoes: Trading with the Enemy in Colonial America”

The American colonies, which were under British control in the eighteenth century, rose up in rebellion against the British Empire in 1775. This rebellion, and eventual revolution, was preceded by import taxes, trade embargoes, and boycotts. However, throughout much of the conflict and immediately after it ended in 1783, trade between Britain and the United States still took place. This trade, remarkably, also consisted of British made goods specifically for the American market; touting American politics, motifs, and mottos on creamware, textiles, and more. But how could British manufacturers conduct business with traitorous colonists, and vice versa? Several factors contributed to this vibrant trading between enemies. To better understand the social, political, and economic factors at play, I will examine the pre-revolution economic history of British-American trade and then look to the objects themselves to discuss how such items came to be produced and exported. I will focus specifically on transfer printed creamware and textiles made in Britain and exported to America between 1750-1800, drawing from the Winterthur Museum, the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, and more. And while economic factors play the largest role, the social factors at play are nearly just as important in facilitating the production and trade of special made goods for the American colonies.

Kathryn Prinkey is an emerging museum professional and intends to work in curation. She is currently working on her Master’s in Museum Studies at George Washington University. She is new to the decorative arts as her background centers on decolonization and ethics in museums. In 2021 she earned a Master’s in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies from Washington University in St. Louis and in 2019 graduated from Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. Katie was first published earlier this year. Her article on cultural colonialism at the Museum of the Bible appeared in The Coalition of Master’s Scholars on Material Culture. Her presentation today was inspired by a recent course focused on early modern oceanic trade.

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