The Song of the Shirt

Thomas Hood 

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With fingers weary and worn,

  With eyelids heavy and red,

A woman sat in unwomanly rags,

  Plying her needle and thread—

    Stitch! stitch! stitch!

In poverty, hunger, and dirt,

  And still with a voice of dolorous pitch

She sang the “Song of the Shirt!”

 

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This is the first verse from Thomas Hood's beautiful and sad poem about women, poverty and work. It was the inspiration for making this set of images. I would urge viewers to look up the poem and read it in full.

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