LSU Libraries’ fall exhibition, “Woven Louisiana History: Acadian Textiles,” displayed in Hill Memorial Library from September 23 through December 13, 2024, tells the story of this unique cloth through blankets, quilts, hand towels, and garments from the collection of the LSU Textile and Costume Museum, along with poems, plays, historical accounts, newspapers, photographs, oral histories, and cultural preservation records in the holdings of LSU Libraries Special Collections. 

The understated beauty of handmade textiles—produced in a soundscape of whirring spinning wheels and thumping wooden looms—is the essential “thread” that weaves through the history and cultural identity of the Acadians of Louisiana. In fact, the earliest descriptions of French-speaking Acadians by outsiders include reference to the making of homespun fabric, from lamb’s wool and flax in Nova Scotia to brown and white cotton in post-expulsion Louisiana communities. 

While modernization and assimilation have diminished reliance and interest in producing handwoven cloth, preservationists have attempted to highlight the textile tradition as well as retain the Acadian French dialect by capturing the public’s collective imagination in various ways since the late 19th century. 

“The Acadian textiles held by the LSU Textile & Costume Museum are remnants of a once robust weaving tradition among the Acadians of Louisiana. Telling this captivating story in partnership with LSU Libraries Special Collections is a rare opportunity to ensure the woven history of the Acadians is celebrated and ultimately not forgotten,” said Michael E. Mamp, director and curator of the LSU Textile & Costume Museum.  

Much of the exhibition is dedicated to the Acadian Handicraft Project (1942-1962) created and managed by Louise “LuLu” Olivier of Arnaudville, LA. In 1938, LSU hired Olivier, a recent graduate, who traveled the state to encourage the preservation of Acadian French through music and dance assemblies and radio programs. Her efforts ultimately resulted in a twenty-year project sponsored by LSU that promoted Acadian handicrafts, instilled a sense of pride among the participants, and enabled the workers to improve their families’ quality of life through a small income. 

The exhibition also features Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Evangeline, photographs of costumed “Acadian girls” in the 1930s, and materials related to real Acadian weavers (such as Gladys Clark). 

“Our paper-based collections of photographs, publications, historical records, and oral histories can tell the story of Acadian textiles – to a point. Having original Acadian handicrafts from the LSU Textile and Costume Museum on display really completes the picture,” said Leah Wood Jewett, exhibition manager for LSU Libraries Special Collections.  

The exhibition is free and open to the public. Hill Memorial Library will be open for special hours on Sunday, October 6, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Visit lib.lsu.edu/special for more information, including hours and directions.