War Imagery in Women’s Textiles

Through the centuries, women have used textiles to express their ideas and political opinions, creating items of utility that also function as works of art. Beginning with medieval European embroideries and tapestries such as the Bayeux Tapestry, this book examines the ways in which women around the world have recorded the impact of war on their lives using traditional fabric art forms of knitting, sewing, quilting, embroidery, weaving, basketry and rug making. Works from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Asia, the Middle and Near East, and Oceania are analyzed in terms of content and utility, and cultural and economic implications for the women who created them are discussed.
Traditional women’s work served to document the upheaval in their lives and supplemented their family income. By creating textiles that responded to the chaos of war, women developed new textile traditions, modified old traditions and created a vehicle to express their feelings.

Deborah A. Deacon is an art historian and retired U.S. Navy commander who resides in Arizona. She has published numerous articles and books on women artists and war, depictions of military women in film and comics, and Japanese anime and manga.
Paula E. Calvin is an art historian and a board member of the National Docent Symposium Council. She was previously an urban planner and a board member of Women’s Transportation Seminars.

Deborah A. Deacon and Paula E. Calvin
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 260
Bibliographic Info: 56 photos (19 in color), glossary, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7466-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1660-5
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Preface  1
Introduction  3
One. Europe  19
Two. The United States of America  44
Three. Canada  72
Between pages 96 and 97 are 19 color images
Four. Latin America  97
Five. Asia and the Pacific Rim  124
Six. The Middle East and Central Asia  158
Epilogue  193
Glossary of Textile Terms  199
Chapter Notes  203
Bibliography  221
Index  235