Page 29 - JOA August 2020

Spreading Design

With the expansion of international trade, exotic silk and metallic threads from faraway lands,
as well as embroidered garments, reached English shores. These were not only highly fashionable
but greatly admired. If a particularly attractive Hungarian pattern, say, caught a needlewoman’s
eye, she might deftly work a sample across a long, narrow linen band kept rolled, like a diploma,
in her sewing basket.
Over time, dizzying arrays of Holbein, Florentine, satin, cross, couched, bouillon, spider web,
and Ceylon patterns covered every available inch—often worked in green, blue, and salmon.
Later, when embellishing needle cases, shoes, gloves, stomachers, and the like, women sourced
these bands for ideas and inspiration.

Skill Development
Since they also shared prized patterns and stitches among themselves, these band samplers, as
they became known, continued to evolve throughout their lifetimes – and longer still. Some,
included in household inventories, were apparently willed from mother to daughter. Though
surviving examples are rarely signed or dated, they are more than a compendium of popular 16th
Two full alphabets/two partial alphabets framed by century stitches. Each preserves their creators’ personal preferences for posterity.
astoral courting scene, inscribed “Rebekah White Wroug As amateur needlewomen became more proficient at their art, some commissioned elaborate
/ht This in The 13th Ye /ar of Her Age 1766,” Salem,
motifs from professional workshop draftsmen. Others copied or adapted designs depicted in
MA, 16½ x 17¼”, courtesy www.metmuseum.org
rare, expensive German, French, English, or Italian printed pattern books. Since plagiarism was
common, however, identical floral and geometric designs appeared time and again
across Europe.
Other embroiderers, inspired by woodcuts and engravings in Tudor emblem books,
bestiaries, and herbals, scattered flora and fauna motifs at random over linen foundations.
Since some appear incomplete – and were rarely signed, many believe that these spot
samplers, like band samplers, were created for reference. Others wonder if they were
stitched as practice before attempting costly needlework projects. In any case, many
consider them the liveliest, most vivid, imaginative samplers ever created.

Trends & Expansion
Although samplers appeared in British household records from 1502, the earliest
known surviving one was worked by Jane Bostock in 1598. In addition to squares of
complex geometrical and floral repeating patterns, it depicts a randomly placed owl in a
tree, a chained and muzzled bear, a crouching hind, a number of dogs, a spray of cowslips,

“Martha Salkeld Wrought this Sampler no/Anno Domini 1719
the 7 year of her Age, featuring bright bands, multiple “Methodist / E.P. Church St. Louis / Worked. at E.B. Hms / School. Brunswick
alphabets, and Biblical verse, silk on linen, Britain, 19 x 8¼”, Chariton / County. Missouri … By Susan.Bushey. February 1st, 1838 / Susan
courtesy www.metmuseum.org Bushey,” silk on linen, 16 ³⁄8 x 165⁄8, courtesy www.metmuseum.org
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