I am no authority on St. Anne.
I only learned of her about 12 years ago when I began collecting sewing machine ephemera. I kept finding postcards featuring pretty women with sewing machines, inscribed "Vive Ste. Anne". This was in the early days of Google, but I still managed to use the internet to find out why ladies with sewing machines were fond of Ste. Anne. Ah-ha - Ste. Anne is the patron saint of seamstresses!
Thus St. Anne became the theme for my early website sharing sewing machine trade cards and other ephemera. How could one not want to celebrate the saint of sewing and other domestic arts?
Today's postcard is from France and is an unusual shadowbox style. The card was never mailed, but a note on the reverse is dated 1944. There are no sewing machine decals visible, but I'd be willing to bet the machine is a Singer Model 15. The wooden sewing machine case with extension table was made by Singer (I have one for reference) and the tell-tale tension mechanism on the back of the machine is a sign of a Model 15. The model was introduced in the US in the late 1890s and was a staple of Singer production through the 1950s. If you ever come across one of these machines, either as a treadle, hand-crank or electric - I strongly urge you to consider giving it a home! Model 15s are workhorse machines and will prove a smart investment for care-free sewing.
I'm celebrating St. Anne through the end of July. I hope you'll continue to join me on Tuesdays for more St. Anne postcards and sewing machine history. At the end of the month I'll be hosting a linky party in honor of St. Anne - anyone is welcome to celebrate sewing and share their current (or any appropriate/special) sewing project. Vive Ste. Anne!
