Page 30 - JOA August 2020

and a heraldic lion, symbol of strength and courage. For Tent-worke, Raisd-worke, Laid worke, Frost-worke, net-worke,
Most are worked in silk cross stitch enhanced with seed Most curious Purles, or rare Italian cut-worke,
pearls and beads. In addition, observes the Victoria and Fine Ferne-stitch, Fisher stitch, Irish-stitch, and Queen-stitch,
Albert Museum of Art and Design Internet site, three The Spanish-stitch, Kesemary-stitch, and Mowse-stitch,
motifs, appearing to be “a castle on an elephant, a
squirrel cracking a nut, and a raven,” have been The smarting-Whip-stitch, Back-stitch, and the Cros-stitch.
“unpicked.” Could unpicking stitches have been a All these [stitches] are good, and these we must allow,
teaching tool? And these are every where in practice now.
Through the 1600s, band samplers, though still – from The Needle’s Excellency, John Taylor, 1631
worked horizontally, incorporated increasingly
complex techniques and sophisticated designs. Stump By the 1700s, samplers had become shorter, symmetrical, and more stylized.
work, for example, featured raised, padded, pictorial In addition to alphabets, repeating patterns, and scrolled, vined borders, many
motifs. Cut-and-drawn threadwork featured accommodated lush pastoral visions of grazing sheep, stags, and does frolicking beneath
background linen threads which, when carefully cut budding trees—and rarely, outlandish images of Bedouin tents or flocks of camels.
away, revealed intricate, multi-colored patterns Unlike earlier, practical, rolled samplers, these were unique works of art, displayed like
beneath. And there was a dizzying choice of stitches. portraits and paintings.
Because households commonly marked their linens with embroidered initials or
numerals, sampler work also became an integral part of an English schoolgirl’s
education. In addition to simply worked, central, or bordering alphabets, many depict
a charming bird, fruit, flower, thistle, peas-in-a-pod, or cherub-like “boxer” motifs,
evoking Italian Renaissance putti.
Through this era, many samplers also featured inspirational verses pondering life or
extolling piety, duty, or feminine virtue. In 1719, for example, Martha Salkeld, in
addition to multiple alphabets, decorative bands, and verse from the Book of Matthew
and Ecclesiastes, cross-stitched

let no man’s mind on earthly things be bent
but having food and raiment be content
By mid-century, many samplers also depicted mansion motifs personalized with
images of local sights, family members and beloved pets. Others commemorated
christenings, weddings, or deaths. Yet to family researchers, genealogical samplers,
whether matching names to relevant dates or burdening leafy trees with factual
abundance, may be the most valuable of all.

Skills as Necessity
Schoolgirls also stitched almanac chart, mathematic table, and geographic linen
samplers. Though their outlines of Wales or the world, for instance, might be none-
too- accurate, these taught them the basic lay of the land.
Through the 1800s, household servants were required to mark linens with
embroidered numbers or initials. So girls in asylums and charity schools stitched
practical samplers to prove their marking, mending, and sewing skills. Students at the
Bristol, England orphanage stitched particularly dense creations, with multiple rows of
alphabets, numerals, and border patterns worked in red or black cotton thread. Though

British spot sampler, first half 17th century, Silk and metal
thread on linen, 16¼ × 10⅜”, courtesy www.metmuseum.org

British sampler signed “ Frances Sweetlove, 28 February 1827,
Maidstone, Kent,” silk and wool, 13 x 12”, Westtown Quaker School sampler, inscribed “ West-town School/ Rebecca Marsh/ 1802,”
courtesy www.metmuseum.org Chester, PA, silk on linen, 12¾ x 16¾”, courtesy www.metmuseum.org
28 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles