Labor Day Contest
Question–When is Labor Day celebrated in other countries?
Remember, submit your answer and it will be entered into a drawing for a copy of Mary Whyte’s Working South.
When was the first Labor Day?
(Information taken from Dictionary.com)
The first Labor Day celebration took place in New York City on September 5, 1882. About 10,000 union workers marched in a parade to honor American workers, who at the time were without the labor laws we now take for granted. This early celebration was the catalyst that spread Labor Day sentiment across America.
Beginning with Oregon in 1887, a number of states adopted Labor Day as a legal holiday. Unfortunately, the holiday alone didn’t remedy the labor situation in Industrial Revolution-era America. In 1894, the entire railroad system was compromised by the strike and boycott against the Pullman Palace Car Company, a railroad company guilty of terrible treatment of their workers. In response to the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland ordered federal troops to take action, which escalated the violence and caused several deaths. It was in the midst of this strike that President Cleveland helped push through a bill that made Labor Day a national holiday.
Mary Whyte, an American watercolor artist, celebrated workers with a series of paintings entitled “Working South”. The original works were on display at the Gibbes Museum in Charleston, SC, during the Spoleto Festival several years ago. Whyte then published a book of the paintings also entitled Working South . This book is available at Indigo Books in Freshfield Village.
The following images were taken from the Gibbes Museum website and feature some of the watercolor portraits from the 2012 exhibit.
Well, I had to consult Google to find this answer, and see that International Workers Day is May 1 in more than 80 countries around the world. But, I didn’t know that without looking it up.
One thing is do know is that in addition to being an inspirational artist, Mary Whyte is a generous and kind woman. I had the privilege of filming her in a video for her thoughtful donation for the Kiawah Conservancy’s Legacy Gala fundraiser in 2018. Mary invited us to her home and studio in Charleston where she had a number of her pieces on exhibit along with a collection of brushes displayed in her grandmother’s antique tea set. Mary is a gracious host and an energetic speaker. I’ll never forget her warm smile and charm.
Her “We the People” exhibit demonstrates not only her artistic gifts but her vision. To be able to organize 50 veterans and capture the diversity of the US military through these individuals was a feat in itself. Mary Whyte is a treasure, and we are most fortunate to have her as one of our Lowcountry neighbors. I’ll never forget how Mary made me feel when when she welcomed me into her home, and I cannot think of another artist that I respect and admire more.
Happy Labor Day, and Happy Labor Day!
You are going to win every contest on here, Cindy. Mainly because you are the only person to enter all three contests!! What a nice tribute to Mary Whyte.