2-756-564 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Thrift rug, 1943. 'Made from vegetable dyed woollen scraps by a member of a Shropshire Institute'. Woven rug made from recycled materials during the Second World War. The Women's Institute (WI) was formed in Britain 1915 to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War. The organisation broadened its aims to provide women with educational opportunities, learn new skills, take part in a wide variety of activities and to campaign on social issues that matter to them and their communities. It is non-sectarian and non-party political, and is the largest voluntary women's organisation in the UK. From "Women's Institutes', by Cicely McCall. [Collins, London, 1943]