Agnes Richter is a German tailor, born in 1844. In 1890 (at the age of 44) he was "incarcerated" in the #Heidelberg mental hospital by his father and brothers for having gone insane. A woman who is an expert in her job, talented, and with her own ideas must have intimidated men quite a bit, considering the darkness of those years.
“I, me, my white socks, in Hubersturgburg, ground floor, child, sister, cook” are words that can be read on the outside of the jacket. On the inside, the words “1894, me, today, woman” can be selected.
The reason why some words are unreadable is that they have been repeatedly passed over and reworked persistently. (Source: 5harfliler.com / Kiraz Akın)
Agnes in her jacket that enriches the cover of Foucault's "The Great Stranger"; makes it possible to establish 'another world of its own by twisting the tongue with another way of speaking.
For the rest of her life, Agnes kept a "diary" on the jackets she sewed with her poems, which are referred to as "the mother tongue of madness". Would we still know about him if he did not embroider his poems and kept a notebook?
Of course, the society of the period did not allow a tailored woman to be a writer. Agnes, 'that was not a mouth for ears...'
Agnes Richter, who was stigmatized as 'mad' and deprived of her freedom by the men of the family, managed to survive despite the ancestral power and schizophrenia 'diagnosis' that closed her off by opening an autonomous space with the language she used and creating a new language outside the taught language.
Sculptor Camille Claudel also comes to mind; Like Agnes, she was locked up in a mental hospital for the rest of her life, with the full support of Rodin, who was known for her violent attitude towards her family and women - she left for this reason - to the family.
Fathers, who are seen as the pillar of the house, the security of the family, the ancient protector of women and children… Spouses who love with endless love, brothers we grew up with… And before them; Those who paved the way for feminism and empowered the next generations, these are the women who are driven mad.
For thousands of years, patriarchal society creates the perception of women are stigmatized and excluded in order to close women and take away their freedom, voice, and language. The witch hunts, the accusations against the mentally ill, the culture of violence, and the darkness of centuries ago continue today. Of course, so is the women's struggle, which is getting stronger!