Illustration of the life cycle of a silkworm including the egg, worm, moultings, spinning, cocoon, and chrysalis. The process is elegantly displayed on a tree.

This illustration comes from An Instruction Book in the Art of Silk Culture by the Women's Silk Culture Association and encourages the development of an industry in the United States for the culture of raw silk. The book was compiled from various authorities on sericulture, such as Felix Gillet, John Clarke, Prof. H. C. Kerr, and Ira Dinock. The Women's Silk Culture Association was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1880 and partially funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. The U.S. silk industry employed many women and girls. The book includes many illustrations of silk worm cultivation and their life cycles.