Contrary to the previous post, Mother's Day was founded 100 years ago by Anna Jarvis, whose single-minded efforts to recognize the accomplishments of mothers led to the Day's recognition as a national holiday in 1914. Her single-minded efforts also led her to become embittered by the holiday's commercializatiton at the hands of greeting card companies, candy manufacturers, flower distributers, etc, to the point where she spent most of her life and family fortune fighting those who'd tainted her holiday. She never married or had children.
I learned all this last year when I illustrated a short piece on Jarvis in Smithsonian Magazine.
3 comments:
There was actually an AP piece in the paper today about Jarvis, conveying the essence of her story (started Mother's Day, later got tossed in jail protesting it). I've never much cared for the holiday or the spending and my feelings haven't improved since my Mother died. Thanks, society for reminding me!
BTW, nice Sunday "Cul de Sac" (I get it through my MyComicsPage subscription). You totally captured the random thinking of little kids! Sofa Centaur! Ha ha ha ha ha !
Heh. I just got done reading the Post Magazine piece about the Motherhood Monument they were actually going to build. I like your ideas better.
Hee! "monumom" (the name of your .jpg)
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