Bonnet
Object number2021.41.6
Made by
Leonilde Frieri Ruberto
Date1972
MediumFabric; Satin
Credit LineGift of Laura E. Ruberto
DescriptionCrochet child's bonnet. Off-white openwork diamond crochet pattern forms skullcap. Back edge is folded over on itself and has a pink satin ribbon woven through with tails hanging out the ends.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (Flat): 7 x 7.5 x 0.5 in. (17.8 x 19.1 x 1.3 cm)Length (Ribbon hanging below chin): 7.25 in. (18.4 cm)
Historical NotesFirst Communion bonnet. This was worn by two of Leonilde Frieri Ruberto's granddaughters (Beatrice and Laura) for their first communion, at St. Alphonsus Church in Springdale, Pennsylvania, between 1972-1977. Leonilde Frieri Ruberto was born in Cairano, Italy and lived through World War II while her husband was held as a POW in the U.K and the United States. Later in her life, after the earthquake in Irpinia one of her daughters asked her to write down her life story in a spiral notebook. Written in imperfect Italian in one continuous sentence, Ruberto describes her life in Cairano, raising children with a husband abroad (he immigrated to Venezuela after the war to earn money), and migrating to the neighborhood of Bloomfield in Pittsburgh. Ruberto’s granddaughter published her memoir in a bilingual edition called Such Is Life; the cover shows Leonilde doing needlework, as her family often remembers her doing. She was a skilled sewer and needleworker.
Related person
Laura E. Ruberto
Related person
Beatrice Ruberto
Related institution
St. Alphonsus Church
On View
Not on view
Related Object
c. 1945
Related Object