In this collection, students will read a sampling of letters written to painter Dorothea A. Dreier by three of her sisters. The letters take different forms (poetry, postcards, and traditional letter) and cover a range of topics from birthdays to daily events to political activities. Students can consider the perspective of each of the authors and then draft a response from Dorothea's perspective to one of the letters. 

Painter Dorothea Dreier was born into a close-knit, socially progressive family based in Brooklyn, New York. One of five siblings, Dorothea's sisters Mary E. Dreier and Margaret Dreier Robins were social reformers and suffragettes, and her youngest sibling, Katherine S. Dreier was a better-known artist and cofounder of the Société Anonyme, an organization dedicated to the promotion of modern art in the United States. Margaret Dreier Robins was a founder and member of the New York Women's Trade Union League. Mary E. Dreier was involved with the New York Women's Trade Union League, serving a term as president, and served as chair of New York City's Woman Suffrage Party. Both sisters were supporters of the Progressive Party candidates. The sisters' correspondence with Dorothea, affectionately referred to as Dodo, DAD, or Dadakins, gives insight into their labor and political activities, as well as ordinary family news and events.