Karen Hanmer

Gallery: History & Culture

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Title: Feed Sacks

Feed Sacks

Feed Sacks: The Colourful History of a Frugal Fabric by Linzee Kull Mccray | bound by artist 2017 | $2000

Calgary: Uppercase Publishing, Inc., 2016

Text block sewn unsupported, laced into semi limp case of vintage feed sack fabric laminated to paper. Laces and endsheets of additional, paper-backed vintage fabrics. Hand sewn silk endbands. Photos of Depression-era children courtesy of the Library of Congress. laser-printed onto tissue. Photo credits: front, Carl Mydans; rear, Dorothea Lange.

Custom clamshell of the same three vintage fabrics. Plinths in upper and lower trays protect shoulders.

8.125 x 7.125 x 1.5”
21 x 18 x 3.5 cm

Design honors the use of fabric of humble origin to clothe families in the early to mid twentieth century. Unselfconscious “upcycling” before upcycling was cool.