"Eleanor Roosevelt": Quilt Art by Rebekka Seigel

Eleanor Roosevelt is one of my favorite ladies of the Twentieth Century and therefore worthy of becoming the fifth woman in my paper doll series. Since nearly all of her life was lived in the newspapers, I chose to use newspaper imagery to tell her story. The mastheads and headlines are photocopy transfers. The newsprint fabric was silk screened for this piece by Patty Hawkins of Lyons, CO.

Eleanor’s costumes reflect the style of the day during her life and some of the more important events and roles she played in her life. The flags of the world are added for interest and to suggest the role she played in world politics when she became the only woman delegate to the newly formed United Nations. She is the first character for whom I have created hats since she was hardly ever seen without one.