Housewives were made by mothers, sisters, wives, sweethearts and other patriotic women and given to men when they left home for war. They were a basic sewing kit, rectangular in shape, made of cloth or leather that could be folded and tied. They consisted of buttons, needles, thread, yarn and small pieces of material and other small items that could be used to repair clothing, as it was general practice for soldiers to mend their own uniforms. They sometimes included locks of hair or other personal items. This housewife was carried by Captain John C. Landis, Missouri Light Artillery, C.S.A.; the maker is unknown.
Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 30134
