
My drawing expresses the revolutionary service of the first five general presidents of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Emma H. Smith, Eliza R. Snow, Zina D. H. Young, Bathsheba W. Smith, & Emmeline B. Wells. They served between 1842 and 1921. Each woman holds an object that symbolizes her specific contribution. Emma holds the Urim & Thummim, referencing her role in Joseph Smith’s revelation and transcription of the Book of Mormon. Eliza holds a quill, as she wrote over five hundred religious poems & regularly contributed to the Relief Society magazine, The Women’s Exponent. Zina holds a stethoscope in the style she would have used at the nursing & obstetrics schools she established for Relief Society members. Bathsheba holds a set of keys, symbolizing her assignment as one of the first matrons of the Salt Lake City Temple. Emmeline holds a ballot because of her tireless work for women’s suffrage. I drew these five women in the style of a counter-culture poster to represent how other Americans regarded members of the Relief Society.