The Cultural Exhibit

I wrote earlier about the Displaced Persons' measures to preserve their culture here and here. In both posts, I mentioned that my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, was involved in creating an exhibit (a "paroda") about Lithuanian traditions for the Schweinfurt DP camp.

Here are photographs of that exhibit:

Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946. The sign at the entry to the exhibit states, "Lithuania, Our Homeland." The area features the "Vytis," the Lithuanian coat of arms, and wooden crosses.

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Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946. Another area showcased Lithuanian folkdress, weaving, and tablecloths.

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Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946. The exhibit included some examples of hand sewn garments that blended traditional designs with modern silhouettes.

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Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946. The organizers devoted an area to "darbai," or "works" of small embroidered objects, like pillows, hankies, and table runners.

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Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946. Look! There was a display devoted to knitting (and other needle arts). Here, Tatjana stands on the far right with a fellow organizer.

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Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946. This is part of the display of dolls dressed in national folkdress . Lithuania, a country of about three million people, had different geographic regions. The folkdress of each region was distinct and recognizable.

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Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946.  Tatjana sits with some of the dolls for which she sewed folkdress costumes.

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Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946. The exhibit even had an area alerting visitors to the importance of scouting in Lithuanian culture. Here's a miniature scouting camp!

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Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946. Tatjana and other organizers of the exhibit reflect on their accomplishment. The bespeckled woman holding the doll is almost certainly an UNRRA official; I reach this conclusion because she corresponded with Tatjana in French. The gent in the ascot also looks like a UNRRA appointee. He has medals. Maybe he is a Brit? I don't know the identity of the young woman in folkdress.