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April 16, 2018

Ekphrastic April, Day 16: "Women Sewing"


"Women Sewing" by Elizabeth Wentworth Roberts [1871-1927].

1916

women gather
to gossip and sew

none speak of sons
who may require their handiwork
in the near future


© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

2 comments:

  1. It makes me wonder where this is? Our school made a huge quilt one year and everyone came when they could to work on it. The camaraderie of that time together, chatting and sewing was special. Your reference to the sons, after the war I'm guessing, is poignant, Diane.

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    Replies
    1. From Wikipedia:

      During World War I, Roberts supported the war effort by donating some of her paintings, including those she painted of women gathered to sew clothing at the First Parish Church of Concord. The women were making clothing for refugees who had fled their homes in Belgium to England.[2] A field ambulance was purchased from the $10,000 (equivalent to $244,319 in 2017) she raised. It was used at battles in France. Due to physical examinations, she was unable to join the Red Cross as she desired.

      Concord is Concord, MA. I know many women worked on personal items for soldiers/sailors, and I imagine they were dreading the time when the U. S. entered the war.

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