In order to better understand architectural development across time and place, it is essential to examine the flows and formation of architectural knowledge through actor-network theory. For design, these studies set forth individuals, groups, and objects as critically influential actors that may shape, and are not simply affected by, the form and meaning of architecture. One field of inquiry is transatlantic design exchange in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, examining the influence of interpersonal exchange before the era of mass industrialization, expanded travel, and telegraphic communication.