women in labor
The current gender wage gap is only the latest expression in the long history of the lack of recognition and, in many cases, renumeration of women's labor. Outside of narrowly defined domestic duties, Western societies have undervalued the labor of women because the women themselves were often seen as less intelligent and creative than their male counterparts. Domestic tasks were certainly not worthy of inclusion in public records and thus were invisible in traditional historical studies.
The doily is a clear expression of past social and economic beliefs about women's labor and most dollies are now sold for a pittance in thrift-shops as curious expressions of the tasks assigned to women. Dollies were used for centuries for a variety of decorative and practical purposes and often involved unique and complex designs that required hours to fabricate. Unfortunately, the artisans of doilies are now as anonymous as many Gothic stonemasons.
Amanda Browder
“Women in Labor” 2022
Series is 10
These are mono-prints.
Printed with Doug Eberhardt at Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania
Made during the month of February 2022 at the Erie Arts & Culture residency in Erie, Pennsylvania.
I am highlighting the doily and its representations by inserting it into the world of contemporary printmaking. It is worth noting that the use of abstract circular symmetric patterns reaches back centuries through many forms and cultures and doily design is just one expression of this ancient human fascination. My hope is that these prints will provide a ground for the critical study of a class of objects specifically centered around women, labor and craft.