Penne and Bruce Laingen with the yellow ribbon Mrs. Laingen tied around the oak tree in her front yard in 1979 when her husband was held hostage in Iran. About this image
|| About the Collection ||
Wearing and otherwise displaying ribbons of various colors to remember loved ones far away or to identify with a particular cause is a contemporary custom that has roots in both popular culture and folk tradition. These origins are explored in two articles by the late Gerald E. Parsons Jr., folklorist and reference librarian at the American Folklife Center. The 1981 article was written in response to many queries about displays of ribbons during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. Over a decade later, during the Gulf War, these questions arose again, and gave rise to a second article. An audio recording from 1939 and a 19th-century song sheet are provided as examples.
|| Collection Details ||
General
- Span Dates
- 1981, 1991
- Major Language(s)
- English
- Repository
- American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Physical Collection
- Contents
- 2 articles, 1 sound recording, 1 song sheet
Access/Copyright
- Access Permissions
- Online
- Copyright Info
- http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html
- Preferred Citation
- American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
