Tabitha Blackburn

Invisible Hands: Migrant Labour and British Craft in the Long Eighteenth Century

I am a collaborative PhD researcher at the V&A and UCL (Department of Information Studies). My project investigates the overlooked contributions of migrant labour to British craft during the long eighteenth century, drawing on Digital Humanities methods to work around issues of discoverability, traceability and representation. It is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) via the CDP scheme.

My supervisors are Dr Adam Crymble (UCL), Dr Spike Sweeting (V&A), Dr Jin Gao (UCL) and Dr Jenny Saunt (V&A).

Before my PhD, I completed an MA in History of Design at the V&A and Royal College of Art, where my research centred on craft networks and long-distance trade in late seventeenth-century London. My dissertation focused on the pageants of the annual Lord Mayor’s Show during the free-trade debates of the 1690s, discussing how recurring displays of idealised empire in the shows broadcasted the political motivations of East India Company and Royal African Company merchants on their organising committees.

My wider interests encompass furniture, interior and architectural history.