Women's History Month: Mildred Blanchet

Today’s Tuberculosis Thursday Women’s History Month feature is Mildred Blanchet! Blanchet was an artist and craftswoman who met her future husband, Dr. Sidney Blanchet, when they were both tuberculous patients at Trudeau Sanatorium.

After her recovery from tuberculosis, the death of her father, and marriage to Dr. Blanchet she moved to 27 Church Street (now 49 Church Street). In the first years much of her time was spent taking care of her invalid mother. She also worked both in the Workshop at Trudeau Sanatorium and also at the Saranac Lake Study and Craft Guild. She apparently created the harlequin girl logo for an early Winter Carnival sometime in about 1913. Blanchet was a talented painter and she worked in a variety of mediums from watercolors, bas relief, pencil and oils to painting furniture.

After her husband’s death she went to work and live at the Trudeau Sanatorium with her youngest son Jeremy and worked as an occupational therapist in the crafts program. She encouraged people to use their leisure to do things with their hands. She got men knitting. She made designs for hooked rugs and did crewel work or hand embroidery. She was one of the judges for a Craft Guild art contest in September 1941.
To learn more about Blanchet and see examples of her work, visit our wiki!

Learn more about Mildred Blanchet!