Young Girl Crocheting

This is one of my favorite paintings. It was painted by William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1889. I like it because it is a good painting. I like the sweet, coy little look the young girl is throwing and her plain, modest clothing. I like how her face is pretty without being made-up and her hair is pulled back with curly wisps escaping around her face - no hairspray, straighteners, or gels. Most of all, I like that she is crocheting!

How long have women and young girls been crocheting? Obviously they were doing it 121 years ago in France. The word crochet is take from the Middle French word croc or croche, meaning hook. There are no written references to it before 1800, so no one really knows how old it is. When I was a girl I had this vague idea in my head that crocheting was somehow started in the 1970's by grandmas crocheting afghans out of scratchy cheap acrylic yarn in gaudy 1970's greens and oranges. I'm ever so glad I was mistaken!

Something I found that I thought was interesting was that crocheting was generally thought to be a craft for the upper class. They used it to create fancy and delicate items to decorate their homes and clothing. Since the poor didn't need lovely, decorative things (or so it was thought) they were discouraged, even prohibited, from learning crochet. Instead they were encouraged to knit so they could do useful, utilitarian things like repair socks. I wonder at what point crocheting became more mainstream? I like the idea that back in the early days, women made the lovely things they used to decorate their homes.

Well, it is time to pull my imagination back from 19th century France and make supper for my family. We're having turkey burgers tonight...but I find myself craving something a little more...French.