German Women Sewing Circle
There are many unique objects which depict German culture in the United States, though not many are as demonstrative of specific hobbies as the above photograph. The photo is titled “Women’s Sewing Circle”, which was created around 1895 and takes place in St. Louis. It is in the “The German Experience in St. Louis Collection”. The photographer is unidentified. There are nine women in the photograph, and they have various expressions on their faces. Eight of them are sitting on a couch and chairs, facing inward towards each other. Some of the women are slightly smiling, whereas others have more serious expressions. They are sewing various pieces, which I am guessing are either clothing or blankets, or other necessary household pieces. A few of the women are looking at the camera, while most others are looking at each other, as if they are having a conversation.
One woman is on the floor in the front of the other women, seemingly very focused on her sewing piece. The background is ornate, with intricate designs on the doorway and walls, which tells the audience that the women may be of a higher class, or otherwise have access to a nice building. The women all have matching black dresses on, with their hair tied back in the same style. This uniformity among them makes the viewer think that the women may be a part of an organization together. I found this object in the State Historical Society’s archive. The photograph was taken in St. Louis. I noticed that there were a few different photographs of women sewing, which solidified to me the importance of sewing in the culture of immigration and particularly Germans.
Union Station opened in St. Louis in 1894, the year before this photograph was taken. The photograph could potentially represent this new movement of easier transportation in St. Louis, as these women could have arrived in St. Louis via the railroad, or they may be planning on traveling away from St. Louis via the railroad. I found this photograph to be extremely telling about the culture of German women in Missouri at this time, and I appreciate the fact that a relatively mundane task was being highlighted.
These women were could have been more recent immigrants to St. Louis who were attempting to keep their German culture alive while it was fresh in their minds. On the other hand, the photograph could be depicting more established residents who were working to educate others about their German heritage, and remind other Germans of their own heritage. As the collection title suggests, the picture shows how German women were spending their free time. Though a seemingly mindless task, sewing was critical in the lives of immigrant women as a whole. They value their ability to keep their culture alive through sewing, as they could represent cultural symbols and objects which were special and reminiscent of their rich culture through their sewing projects. The women were also able to present their creativity by curating unique sewing projects.
Sewing also helped women to shape their identities, as women were able to express particular images and objects, which brought them joy and reminded them of home, more creatively. These immigrant women highly valued sewing because it gave them the ability to show their individualism and showcase something they could be proud of. Another thing that this image demonstrates is the distinction between necessary sewing, and sewing for charitable or personal circumstances. Germans valued their free time and hobbies, and it was a plus for them if they could combine the two. There were many jobs had by Germans, such as blacksmiths, shoemakers, and tailors, along with cooks and day-laborers.
Women often worked in the house, and sewing clothing or creating blankets provided them something productive they could do, which they also found enjoyable. They put a lot of value on their free time and hobbies outside of work, and sewing provided a way to be social and productive in their free time. Though women worked extremely hard, often harder than they received credit for, they had a lot to do inside the house and outside. Because of the hard work members of the families did outside, their clothes would often rip, which the women then would sew. They appreciated being able to do even more for their families, and enjoyed taking care of them by sewing their clothes. This shows the positive effect sewing had on both the women who were sewing, and their families who needed the services.
The intended audience for this image ranges from people who are interested in seeing how German American women spend their social time, to women who are wondering whether other women like them participate in the same activities as them, to modern people curious about how women spent their time. An example of the audience at the time period in which the photograph was taken could be Germans in St. Louis who were interested in seeing other Germans depicted in the media. Sewing circles are groups of people, often women, who meet up regularly to sew together, sometimes for charitable purposes. These women also share materials and techniques with each other in order to help each other learn and succeed in their sewing. Sewing circles may have had their picture taken to document their time together, or to demonstrate their hard work on and passion for their sewing projects.
The object probably is not addressing anyone in particular, though maybe it is addressing people who wonder about what German American women do in their free time. I was not able to figure out whether this article was present in a newspaper, but if it was, then most likely anyone who subscribed to that paper would have been able to access the image. Women, especially immigrant women, would have enjoyed seeing themselves represented in the newspaper. They would have enjoyed seeing a social and enjoyable moment represented, instead of something negative. I do not think that men would have felt particularly positively or negatively towards the image, as they may not have thought it concerned them, as it depicts only women and no men. They would have been able to access the image, though, if they subscribed to the newspaper.
St. Louis was a hub for German immigrants, even more so than some other cities in Missouri. In St. Louis, and other cities in Missouri, women had to help out on the farms along with the rest of their families. They wished to be able to bring beauty into their homes, and sewing gorgeous and unique blankets was an accessible way to bring this beauty into their homes. Along with their beauty, these blankets allowed Germans to continue creating things that represented their culture, and reminded them of home, and who they are. Examples of these objects are blankets which may depict a familiar image from their home in Germany, or a familiar landscape or other region-specific objects. St. Louis attracted and collected German culture, and it is still a German hub today, and holds on to the rich history of its immigrants.
This image of the sewing circle of German American women is demonstrative of what is important and necessary to German immigrants, and shows how these women spent their free time. It showed how they were able to enjoy their time in Missouri, and carry on the traditions of their country of origin to their new home. Duden’s “Report on a Journey” describes Missouri to Germans, which may have convinced some of these women to make the journey to St. Louis. This image of the sewing circle German women is demonstrative of German immigrant women keeping and spreading their German culture within the new Missouri, and St. Louis in particular, which was an important task to German Americans.
