World War II U.S. Army “Sweetheart-Momma” Pillow Sham

This is a U.S. Army World War II “Sweetheart-Momma” pillow sham. These were sold at military bases for soldiers to send home to loved ones. In this case, the sham was for sale at Fort Knox. This one is likely satin, with a green front background and a bright orange back. The decorations are probably painted onto the satin fabric. The border is dark green embroidery thread woven through with yellow ribbon. Dark green fringes surround the border.

There are no tears in the fabric and little, if any, fading. There don’t seem to be any missing fringes. There is fraying and loosening of the border in the lower left corner. There is some unraveling of the stitches on the back, at the corners of the sham’s opening. These have been crudely repaired with basting stitches in white and black thread. These are also loose. 18” x 17-1/2”; the fringes add an additional 2-1/2” all around.

What a lovely piece of military memorabilia!