Liesbeth Ribbius Peletier beautifully portrayed
This beautiful drawing of A.E. Ribbius Peletier later in her life, was made by Paul Citroen in 1981. Ribbius Peletier was born on the 29th of July 1891 in Utrecht. She grew up with one brother and three sisters in a very prosperous and art-loving environment. In 1916, she took her degree in Law at the University of Utrecht and obtained her doctorate in 1920, cum laude. Peletier experienced a long, fulfilling life. In 1958, for instance, she was appointed to be the first woman in the Council of State.
It was an extraordinary feat that, in 1932, she arranged to have built a women’s training center (Vrouwen Vormingscentrum De Born) at her own cost. The Born was built according to Bauhaus-ideals and was equipped with the newest domestic appliances. Working class women who were staying at ‘De Born’ felt free from domestic chores and bothers, to ensure they were given space to focus on their personal development. Ribbius Peletier herself gave various courses for reading club leaders and speakers.
From 1935 to 1947, she was a member of the board of the International Archives for the Women’s Movement and from 1937 to 1947 she was member of the Upper Chamber. She died in Scheveningen on the 30th of September in 1989.
