Harriet Tubman Ornament

Harriet Tubman was an 19th century abolitionist and political activist. She was born into slavery circa 1822. Tubman escaped slavery and assisted in some thirteen missions to rescue approximately seventy enslaved people, family and friends via the Underground Railroad. 

This ornament of the heroic Harriet Tubman emphasizes the danger associated in her missions. She carries a lamp to help guide her way, a shotgun over her shoulder, and a messenger bag.
 
Ornaments of other subjects and historical figures associated with the Gardner Museum also available. 

St. Nicolas specializes in bespoke handmade hanging decorations. For over 25 years, they worked with a small charity in Thailand that helps disadvantaged rural women find work in their community, rather than having to leave home. Today, some 200 skilled women work at home hand sewing the decorations and many have been doing so for more than ten years! 

As their business grew, more innovative designs were needed, so they began working with a partner in India. The Indian-made ornaments use the traditional method of zardozi embroidery, an intricate sewing technique that was developed to embellish courtly robes with gold wires and jewels. Zardozi work is rare, but because of the skill that is needed to create the ornaments, it continues to be handed down from generation to generation.