As I make my own family plans for this upcoming Labor Day weekend, I’ve been thinking of that holiday and its significance. In 1887, Oregon was the first state to declare it a holiday that honors American workers and their economic and social contributions to our country. By the time it became a federal law in 1894, thirty states were already celebrating it. As I researched the topic, my mind went to several canvases in our vintage showcase, and I decided to say thanks to American workers by posting a few of them.

This first one is a favorite of mine, and makes me think of all those who have helped grow the United States as office workers. Rosa sent us this wonderful image of an old typewriter in her home. Don’t you love the close-up details, including the glass keys?

This is a canvas we made for Aviva of a family member affectionately known as Papa Jack who worked as a pediatrician through his life. She told us, “We were able to scan a very old photograph that was not in the greatest condition and the end result was this beautiful canvas. The process of ordering was so simple.  We couldn’t be more pleased and excited!” Hats off to all the service providers who, over the years, spent their lives caring for others.

Barbara’s order made me think of all the homemakers—like my own dear mother and grandmother—who held down the household for so many generations. And today, many continue the tradition although they also work fulltime or part time jobs outside the home. Barbara asked us to create a canvas of her boyfriend’s elderly Italian aunt kneading bread dough in an old kitchen. “ The photo is a vintage 1960. They called her Nonnie. I thought the photo was a timeless portrait. Nonnie passed away over 20 years ago, and my boyfriend was very close to her. When he opened the package and saw the canvas – tears came to his eyes. He told me that it was the best present he’d ever gotten!”

To commemorate all the farmers throughout our country’s history, I post this canvas made for a customer named Richard. “This was an aerial photograph taken of my grandparent’s farm in 1959. My sister had recently told me she did not have a picture of the farm. She asked if I could look through my photos to see if I had one. When I found this one, I thought it would be perfect on a large canvas for my sister. Seven days after sending my digital scan, I received the finished canvas. It turned out beautiful! I can’t wait to surprise my sister with it!”

My favorite—I highlighted this canvas in another post some time back—is one we made for Charles. It reminds us of the hard work upon which America was built. “The photo was of my father, William F. Nail, taken on location when he was approximately 36 years of age. He worked as a driller on oil rigs in West Texas during the 1940′s and at one time worked on what was then the deepest well ever drilled (15,000+). Canvas on Demand did an outstanding job of enlarging the photo and retaining the focus (the original was taken with a Kodak box camera). They even changed the size of the enlargement at no additional cost so the photo would have a better appearance.”

So this year as you make your plans for that first Monday in September, remember the hard work that went into making America the country it is today. Mom