Key West Hand Print Fabrics: An Island Industry

In 1961, two friends from Broadway visited Key West. Peter Pell and Jim Russell fell in love with their surroundings: brightly-colored flowers, exotic fruits, and resplendent birds. Residents urged them to open a silk-screening factory, which became Key West Hand Print Fabrics. The company began printing and selling textiles to visitors, and hired an artists named Suzie dePoo, who produced a marvelous array of tropical imagery on fabrics. One of the company’s principal customers was Lilly Pulitzer. This presentation tells the story of how Key West Hand Print Fabrics became a backbone of industry to the island. Registration is required to attend. Email [email protected] for a Zoom invitation link.

Cori Convertito, Lead Historian at the Florida Keys History Center, received her doctorate in maritime history from the U.K.’s University of Exeter. Today, Convertito heads a center for stewardship, knowledge, and understanding of the historic, cultural, and ecological diversity of the Florida Keys. The center serves as a national focal point for the study, advancement, and preservation of the Keys’ cultural heritage.

This Florida Talks program is a partnership between Florida Humanities and the Boynton Beach Historical Society. Funding for this program was provided by Florida Humanities and sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts.