Embroidered Garment

Alice Eugenia Ligon, Embroidered Garment, ca. 1949, embroidered muslin, cotton crochet; pencil; cotton rick-rack trim, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1989.78.2
Copied Alice Eugenia Ligon, Embroidered Garment, ca. 1949, embroidered muslin, cotton crochet; pencil; cotton rick-rack trim, 43 3⁄4 x 38 1⁄2 in. (111.1 x 97.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1989.78.2

Artwork Details

Title
Embroidered Garment
Artist
Date
ca. 1949
Location
Dimensions
43 3⁄4 x 38 1⁄2 in. (111.1 x 97.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
embroidered muslin, cotton crochet; pencil; cotton rick-rack trim
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Figure group
  • Animal
  • Landscape — tree
  • Allegory — life
  • Religion — Old Testament — Eve
  • Religion — Old Testament — Adam
  • History — United States — discovery of United States
  • Object — flower
  • Object — written matter
Object Number
1989.78.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1989.78.2

Artwork Description

The colorful embroidery covering nearly every bit of fabric depicts religious, political, and personal motifs. Adam and Eve appear near the bottom, the preamble to the Constitution is at center, and portraits and names of family members are placed throughout. This is the only known artwork by Alice Eugenia Ligon.
Born in Boone County, Missouri, Ligon stayed in the area her whole life, working as a telephone operator and hospital attendant while raising at least five children. Ligon was admitted to a state hospital in Fulton, Missouri, on two occasions. Records suggest that she made this gown during her first stay, when she was interested in sewing, crocheting, and quilting. She gave it as a Christmas gift to her children to remember her while she was away.
 

Exhibitions

Media - 2019.15 - SAAM-2019.15_1 - 137377
Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women
May 31, 2024–January 5, 2025
Renwick Gallery
The artists in Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women mastered and subverted the everyday materials of cotton, felt, and wool to create deeply personal artworks.