There is on display, in the Voortrekker Monument, the famous Tapestry of the Great Trek and it depicts the role of the woman.
The artist W.H. Coetzer designed the tapestries, after which nine women of the ATKV embroidered for eight years to complete it. The series of tapestries depict scenes from the Great Trek, placing the accent on the role of women. The Tapestry contains 3,3 million stitches. The design was apparently undertaken in 1938, but I’m not sure when they started the embroidery of the paintings…
It is made up of fifteen panels, and is a magnificent display… I’m sure the nine women never did embroidery again…
The Photographic Journey of bulldog. 
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Haha, I think you’re right – shame, can you just imagine what must have been left of their fingers after all those stitches! The Boukranz one with the fire in it is my favourite.
It is a magnificent piece of work and I have to admit those Tannies do deserve our admiration for the hard work…
This IS remarkable – what a beautiful and lasting tribute to the women. There is also the Bayeux Tapestry – it’s 230 ft long, and depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England and believed to have been done in the 1070s. We missed it in during our trip to Normandy but by all accounts it is an outstanding work. So that’s three tapestries including the one in my post about The Last Invastion – I wonder how many more there are out there ….
Woman that undertake such work really need to be admired…
What a great work, so admirable… Thank you dear Rob, fascinated me. Love, nia
Yes it is a work of art and attests to the tenacity of the older generation…
This is amazing! I can’t even begin to imagine the eye and hand and finger strain on the women. Ouch!
It is amazing and I have had my wife tell me all about the hard work that had to have gone into it… apparently it’s a lot easier today than what it was then… so my admiration for those women has grown…
Absolutely amazing – also given that they lived in a time where things were very tough and they also had to cook, clean, wash by hand, struggle against the elements and have babies! A true testament to the strength and determination of women
Thanks for sharing 🙂 incredible pics and incredible story.
My sentiments exactly… the men given so much honour and so little given to the women behind them, without which they would not have achieved what they did…
A remarkable work of art!
That it is… thank you…
That is incredible!
Yep… dedicated women pictured in this art form… much like the Aussie women of old… they made our fore fathers and mothers tough in those days…
And I can’t even sew a button on!
These are absolutely amazing – what incredible talent!! At first glance, they look like paintings. Wow!!
My wife … who does tapestry, tells me the stitch work is perfect… I wouldn’t know, but I must admit one has to get fairly close to see the stitching…
maginificient..painstaking work..
Must have taken dedication… I wonder how many times they wanted to give up..??
Loved it, Bulldog!
It is amazing .. thanks
Truly remarkable!!!
Thank you.. it certainly is…
Wow, that is amazing work by those women. And the story that is depicted on the embroidery shows such challenges they faced back then ~ amazing!
I have followed a few of the tracks these pioneers used specially over the Longtom pass which they used, amazing people, not sure I would want to have lived in those days.. the other route I’ve been to they had to dismantle their wagons and carry them down the mountains as they where just too steep to walk them down… added a three month break to their journey… one of the tapestries depicts this area that we know so well… these had to be tough women…
Unbelievable… wonderful capture of an effort that deserves the honor — 9 women/8 years— cannot even fathom how much work and discipline this took. Very glad it is preserved. 🙂 ~ Much Love BD!
The had to be pretty dedicate one would think…
Oh my! This is so breathtaking. I can hardly believe that it’s the work of only 9 women. What dedication. I admire their tenacity. They must have worked their fingers to the bone.
Yes I have to agree… took Linda there to have a look… she does tapestry… I might have put her off for life…
😆
Wow. What an amazing tapestry. It’s gorgeous.
Lot of hard work I think…
crumbs – the work that must’ve gone into that!
Glad it wasn’t my wife… I wonder if the men got anything to eat for so many years…
Laughing!
This is an incredible, incredible achievement! You’re right, they probably couldn’t move their fingers…..and the
arthritis!! OWWWWWW !!
When you see the size of the tapestries… I think these woman will never look at one again…