Preface- 1990

The Textile Society of America provides a forum for the exchange and dissemination of information about the historic, cultural, socio-economic, artistic, and technical aspects of textiles. One of the ways the society addresses this mission is in its biennial symposium and the promise of quick publication of the papers presented Although the name of the organization may suggest a Western Hemisphere orientation its membership is international and the topics for presentation global in their selection. The themes selected for the biennial symposium are weighed with a keen eye on their ability to provide a matrix for many disciplines-those of the historian, economist, art historian, anthropologist, and others. Certainly Textiles in Trade meets that requirement. Whether considered on a regional or global basis, whether assessed for economic or artistic importance or prized as historical evidence, textiles have been a currency and a commodity of exchange carrying with them a body of information to be perceived and interpreted. The papers herein reflect this diversity. The arrangement of the papers follows the chronology of presentation in the symposium and they are reproduced herein just as authors submitted them for duplication