Souvenir
Object number2012.64.8
OriginLithuania
Mediumbronze
Credit LineGift of Sister Francesca Walls
DescriptionCircular bronze souvnir pin with red enamel background. Image of a windmill in foreground with text around edge. Maker's mark on reverse, with straight pin that has corkscrew body.Dimensions1.875 x 0.875 in. (4.8 x 2.2 cm)InscriptionsObverse has text around perimeter: "LIAUDIES BUITIES MUZIEJUS".
MarksReverse has text "21K."
Historical NotesOpen Air Museum of Lithuania is unique and one of the largest (195 ha) open-air ethnographic museums in Europe. It has the biggest quantity of exhibits (140 buildings and over 88 000 mobile exhibits). The museum presents the mode of life, works, and traditions of peasants and townspeople of all Lithuanian ethnographic areas: Dzukija, AukÜtaitija, Suvalkija, Äemaitija and Lithuania Minor. It was established in 1966, in RumÜiÜkes on a picturesque coast of Kaunas Lagoon. There are fragments of the villages, authentic farms, century-old buildings with flower gardens, orchards and vegetable gardens, with crosses and wooden roofed poles, technical facilities û mills, forges, a fulling-mill and oil-mill lining along 7 km circular route, meandering between forests, meadows and hills. In the centre of the museum there is a fragment of a township with its typical buildings, where pots are shaped, amber and wood works are done and weaving process of linen is presented. The painful past of Lithuanian history is reminded in the sector of Deportation and Resistance. The guided tours, educational programs, calendar feasts, folk group concerts are being organized in the museum. Souvenir from Lithuania collected by the Franciscan nuns in Whitehall, particularly Sister Francesca Walls. Sister Francesca was born in 1910 to Lithuanian immigrants. She joined the convent in Whitehall and became a teacher of music, art, and home economics. She was actively involved in the Pittsburgh community and participated in events such as the Pittsburgh Folk Festival. Her true passion was educating people regarding Lithuanian culture and preserving it. She was known for her Lithuanian crafts and her incorporation of Lithuanian music and language into her lesson plans. She created many “Pass and Read” binders so more people could be informed on what was happening in Lithuania today.
Previous owner
Sister Francesca Walls
(born 1910)
Related institution
Open-Air Museum of Lithuania
On View
Not on view
c. 1950
1942-1945