Ode to Mies Boissevain-Lennep | Resistance woman and creator of liberation skirt

This text was translated using AI and may contain errors. If you have suggestions or comments, please contact us at info.ode@amsterdammuseum.nl.

At the celebration of the first Liberation Day in 1946, many women wore such a liberation skirt, made from remnants of old clothing and embroidered with important national and personal dates. In an idealistic sense, such a “patchwork” skirt symbolized the new harmonious society, which had to be rebuilt together. At the time, the initiative came from resistance fighter Mies Boissevain-van Lennep. If it had been up to her, from now on Dutch women would always wear such a skirt on national holidays. For example, Renetta Grabandt wore this national party skirt of hers during the great skirt parade in 1948 on the occasion of Queen Wilhelmina's 50th anniversary of reign.

The Amsterdam Museum has a 1946 liberation skirt in its collection. It is a party skirt, flowing model, composed of old patches of different sizes, set on ground of flowered cotton (so-called patchwork). Zoom is finished with stitched plain points of dark blue wool jersey. In the middle front two dots are embroidered with orange embroidery silk, done in chain stitch: May 5, second dot 1946. Top right, on orange background a stamp obtained from registration of skirt (by the Archives for the Women's Movement).