"Gibson Girl" Puzzle Display

March 1, 1999 to March 31, 1999

Approximately 14 wood jigsaw puzzles were displayed during the month of March 1999, at the Public Library, Worcester, MA. These puzzles depicted women at the beginning of the century in unusual, strong, athletic and adventuresome roles and activities. They reflected the societal image of the time of the ideal upper class woman, sometimes referred to as the "Gibson Girl". The puzzles were on loan from the private collections of Bob Armstrong and Dick Giese of Worcester, MA, and Anne Williams of Lewiston, ME.

The display was part of an exhibition "Images of Women" to commemorate Women’s History Month, sponsored by the Worcester Women’s History Project. Also on display was information about the Project’s activities of the past year, including the funding and commissioning of portraits of four women to be hung in Mechanics Hall, Worcester. The Project seeks to raise awareness of the history of women in the Worcester area and to create national recognition of the role the Worcester area has played in the history of the women’s rights movement.

Two of the puzzles displayed at this exhibition may now be viewed in the Armstrong collection on this web site: