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5GFS/19/2/34 Artwork by D Hambrook for a 21 years' membership certificate.
The knight in armour, to defend purity, was a favourite early 20th century GFS motif.
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'Bear Ye One Another's Burdens': The Girls' Friendly Society 1875-2005, is an online exhibition by Vivienne Richmond based on the archive of the Girls' Friendly Society (GFS), held at The Women's Library.
A pioneering youth organisation, yet largely neglected by historians, the GFS was formed in 1875 for the preservation of chastity among working-class girls. At its peak, on the eve of World War One, it had nearly 200,000 members and claimed to be the largest girls' society of the day. Though much smaller, the GFS still exists today, working principally with young mothers.
Bear Ye One Another's Burdens traces the Society's varied history through the archive's rich collection of visual and material sources, including banners, certificates, magazines, needlework, photographs, posters and souvenirs.
More information
- Bear Ye One Another's Burdens: The Girls' Friendly Society 1875-2005
- About our archive and museum collections
- Search the collections
- Fellowships
External links
- GFS Platform for Girls
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