February 17, 2009

A chicken in every pot

The Library of Congress:  The American Folklife Center 
a treasure trove of a link...(thanks Karen)

I chose this piece to feature as it seemed timely,
not only because of our recent inauguration, 
but also the similarities in economic situations.

This is a hooked rug...click to enlarge

A Chicken in Every Pot
Tell Me ‘Bout Series, 1996
Dimensions: 66 x 44 inches
Hooked on twelve-thread-count linen
Mary Sheppard Burton, textile artist

The oral history of this rug:
Charles Henning Burton, your Daddy, was always curious. He had to know everything that was happening. One day he had finished selling all his "Saturday Evening Posts", his "Country Gentlemen," and his "Ladies Home Journals," and was on his way to Friendship House in Washington, DC. As he came closer to the Capitol Building, he wondered why there was such a great crowd of people. Onlookers were lined up like a thick wall. There was no way a little boy of twelve years could see over the top of so many heads. What were people watching? Since Charles HAD to know, he climbed way up into the top of a very tall tree. He could see over the heads of all the people.

Beautiful cars were lined up on every road around the Capitol. People stood quietly watching a small group of men dressed in pin-striped trousers, morning coats, and top hats. Two other men seemed to be the object of everyone's attention. One, a gentleman in a long black robe, was holding a book. The other held his hand on the book. His right hand was held upright. He was taking an oath of office. Your Daddy had the best seat in the whole Capitol grounds as he watched Herbert Hoover become the 31st President of the United States of America.

People were worried 'bout the well-being of the country. The stock market was shaky at best. When Hoover campaigned he promised everyone he would get our country's finances on solid ground. His most famous promises were, "Prosperity is just around the corner" and "There'll be a chicken in every pot."

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great image!

Rosebud Collection said...

What a beautiful picture..as far as the "chicken in every pot". what a nice though..

Lisa's RetroStyle said...

Very cool Charmaine...thanks so much for sharing that!! I'll have to go check out the site.

Sherry said...

Prosperity is right around the corner. At least we are on our way.

The rug is just beautiful.

Golden West said...

The Library of Congress is such a valuable resource, with so many of their archives digitalized. Thanks for sharing the folk art!

Tess Kincaid said...

I love this! Wonderful post, Charmaine!

Jeanne Estridge said...

Beautiful rug, but I'm hoping Obama's inauguration more closely parallels FDR's than Hoover's.

High Desert Diva said...

Isn't that the truth?
We certainly don't need a bunch of Hoovervilles popping up across the country.

Cindy said...

very intriguing feature... just like learning from history. It's in my hopes and prayers that our current white house staff will take this philosophy.

Thank you for sharing ~ Cindy

A Wild Thing said...

Guess I better git my chicken house built huh...

Lori P said...

Great post. The rug is beautiful!

Kass said...

Spectacular!

Hey Harriet said...

Thanks for sharing that. I really like the rug you chose to feature :)

Alicia @ boylerpf said...

With the current economic woes, I can only hope there will be a time when there is a "chicken in every pot"! Great hooked rug and interesting history.

Cecile/DreamCreateRepeat said...

Lovely post. There are some really great Smithsonian websites up with the goal of bringing "the nation's attic" to everyone!

Robynn's Ravings said...

Beautiful artwork. Thanks for showing it and for the link. Better start my water boiling for my chicken. I'll add it to the stone that's in there now.

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

Nice post and enjoyed the link. Thanks for finding and sharing it with us!

Teri and the cats of Furrydance

Curly Girl Glass said...

Very cool post Charmaine! Can I have a veggie chicken for my pot please? :)

Catherine said...

Nice post and thanks for the link. I wondered where that "chicken" saying came from.

Cynthia Pittmann said...

Yes, I remember making a couple of hooked rugs...just not so grand as this one! Wonderful oral history, Charmaine. <3

T.Allen said...

This type of historic art always makes me wonder what will be left of our generation. What will the relics of my past look like?

Tofu in every microwave just doesn't have the same connotation. I know, I think too much) Great post.

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have a great day vicki

Nancy said...

Perfect metaphor for our lives right now. History repeating itself?

Unknown said...

Excellent history lesson. And inspired by a beautiful work of needle art.

I love your new avitar, by the way. Things are always so lovely or interesting. Thanks for such a nice blog.

Victoria said...

What a great post! Thanks for sharing this!

CSD Faux Finishing said...

Wow talk about talent and skill, that rug is insane!

Hey, we love pots of chicken in this house so reviving that old statement sounds like a fine idea to me!