ProvenanceThe donor, Vidauts Mengelsons, came to Australia as a single man on 30 September 1948. He landed in Melbourne, then went to Bonegilla for two weeks. He came to Adelaide on 14 October 1948 and worked under contract for Harbors Board at Port Adelaide. Vidauts lived in barracks at Ocean Steamers Wharf 20. He stayed on after expiry of contract and was a wharf and jetty builder for seven years. He then worked in building industry as a foundation contractor. He brought this book and others with him from Germany, as a reminder of Latvia.SignificanceThis object is illustrative of Latvian Community and Cultural life and is an example of a memento brought to South Australia by a displaced person post Second World War.DescriptionPattern book with multi-coloured cover (orange, black, blue & brown). LATVJU Zeltene in blue at top centre. Illustration of woman in black and blue surrounded by orange shading with rest of cover having overall traditional Latvian pattern. Contains twelve pages of instructions, with illustrations, for traditional Latvian patterns for needlework, for clothing, manchester and cushions. Printed in 1948 in Munich and available from the Displaced Persons camp 'Insula'.
The introduction statement suggests that Latvian women now living in other countries must keep up the traditions so that one day the pieces they make will end up in the world's museums. The book contains patterns so that women can do Latvian needlework wherever they are in the world. It was No. 1 in a series.Date of Creation1948Date of Usage1948MaterialPaper DimensionType: Closed
Height: 300
Width: 207
Unit (Lengths): mm Accession NumberHT 1994.0114 c
