Elizabeth Wilson's tea cosy
24 Oct 2022
On Friday, 14 October 2022 Dr Janette Martin visited The International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, Switzerland to collect a tea cosy belonging to Huddersfield housewife, Elizabeth Wilson.
How did this homely object end up starring in an international museum?
Elizabeth Wilson (1909–2000) was a humanitarian, housewife and peace campaigner from Huddersfield, Yorkshire. In 2022 she was celebrated by The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in an exhibition focusing on the part played by women in humanitarian action. The 'Who cares?' exhibition ran from 31 May to 9 October 2022.
While Janette was there, she visited the homes of three humanitarians who are planning to donate their personal papers to the rapidly expanding Humanitarian Archive which was established by the University of Manchester Library and the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute in October 2021.