IWD – Spinning, Warping and Weaving the Wool in the 1590's

Spinning, Warping and Weaving the Wool (1594-1596) by Isaac Claesz. van Swanenburg.

In 15th and 16th century France, two female textile guilds - comprised of single women and wives working independently of their husbands - wielded great power. By the end of the 18th century, they had been dismantled.