Page 4 - JOA August 2020

Publisher’s Corner

An Education on Needle Work
Publisher
n eighteenth-century America, a girl was expected to The life skills education that Maxine Carter-Lome
grow up, get married, have children, and take care of young girls once received at home maxine@journalofantiques.com
Ia home. Because of the limits of her sphere, a girl at the feet of their mothers and Business Manager
received a very different education from that available to grandmothers was institutionally Jeffrey Lome
a boy. In fact, to receive any education at all before the turned over to the public school Maxine Carter-Lome jeffrey@journalofantiques.com
advent of widespread public education, a boy or a girl had system in the 1900s when Home Economics was Managing Editor
to be born into the middle or upper classes and have added to the curriculum for young girls while the boys Judy Gonyeau
parents who valued education enough to pay for it. went to Shop Class. The Home Economics curriculum editorial@journalofantiques.com
In the first half of the 19th century, boys in the was designed to teach young girls to be good house- Contributing Writer
middle and upper classes were taught traditional keepers and wives, and provide them with life skills Erica P. Lome, Ph.D.
academic subjects while girls were “schooled” in what deemed appropriate for the times: cooking, sewing, Sales Representatives
was considered “female accomplishments” – music, baking, cleaning, and an understanding of household Pat Rainka
watercolor painting, comportment, manners, and management. It was also designed to help young journalofantiques@gmail.com
sewing. For these girls, sewing, or “fancy work” was a women gain useful employ-ment and live independently Judy Gonyeau
required skill and refined art, whereas for girls in the as a 20th century industrialized nation welcomed editorial@journalofantiques.com
lower classes, knowing how to sew was a basic necessity young women into the workforce for office, retail, and
and a way to gain employment. This made sewing the factory work. Art Director
Lynn Cotterman
great leveler. It was a skill shared, although to varying This gender-based option remained a requirement ads@journalofantiques.com
degrees, by women of all economic backgrounds and and the norm in public education until the 1960s
social classes. and the Feminist Movement. Today, these basic skills Production
Most young girls learned their needle and thread are part of the curriculum of classes more aptly Jill Montague
work at home at a very young age, most probably from labeled Family Studies, Food and Nutrition, Health Administrative Assistant
their mother and or grandmother, and by age five or and Safety, Family and Consumer Science, and Susan French
six might have completed a “marking sampler” to Household Science. info@journalofantiques.com
showcase their work and talent. It is called a “marking While the basics of sewing were provided through 508-347-1960
sampler” because the knowledge gained enabled a the public education system through the first half of
needleworker to “mark” such things as clothing and the 20th century, such needlework skills as embroidery, Toll free:
household linens. In addition to improving a student’s knitting, and quilting as an inter-generational hobby, a 888-698-0734
embroidery techniques, these samplers, which often form of artistic expression, and craft continued on a
contained letters of the alphabet and numerals, were path of its own as a past-time, trade, skill, and cultural Fax: 508-347-0911
also a way to teach young girls how to form words art form; however, by the mid-1950s, access to skilled Mailing:
essential for reading and therefore necessary to the educators of traditional execution was limited to a new P. O. Box 950
management and operation of her future household. generation of crafters and long-time needleworkers Sturbridge, MA 01566
For more on the history and market for samplers, turn looking to learn new skills. And then along came Erica E-mail:
to Melody Amsel-Arieli’s article on page 26. Wilson, “the Julia Child of Embroidery.” If you have info@journalofantiques.com
Depending on a woman’s social class and skill set, not heard of Erica Wilson before, you soon will as UPS and FedEx
sewing was a chore, hobby, or a refined skill, but by the Winterthur Museum gears up for a new book and Shipping Address:
mid-19th century, technology in the form of Isaac exhibition on her life and work. Start your education 46 Hall Road
Singer’s sewing machine eased the burden for women here on page 23, with Linda Eaton’s article, “Erica Sturbridge, MA 01566
all over the country, especially for those who depended Wilson: Sharing Joy Through Embroidery.”
Journal of
on sewing for their livelihood and to clothe their While the importance and perception of all women Antiques and Collectibles
families. From 1846 to 1896 the sewing machine went learning at least basic sewing skills have changed over is published monthly,
from a circus attraction to a necessity for every time, there is no doubt that needlework as an art form 12 times per year, by
household, as you will learn in Alex Askaroff’s article, and craft continues to attract new crafters, fans, and Weathervane Enterprises, Inc.
“The History of the Sewing Machine,” on page 32. new collectors to the hobby. In this issue, we look back 46 Hall Road
With the mechanization of the sewing process, on two centuries of needlework, and the stories, Sturbridge MA 01566.
needlework became a refined skill in the form makers, and technology behind collectible objects Periodicals postage paid at
of decorative showpieces, high-end fashion, and made of needle and thread. Sturbridge MA.
handiwork hobbies such as quilting. embroidery, and
knitting, while the basic skill of sewing was relegated to POSTMASTER:
repair work and alterations as more and more of the Send address changes to
family’s clothing was purchased ready-made. Maxine Carter-Lome, Publisher The Journal of Antiques
and Collectibles
ISSN: (1539-5618)
About the Cover: P.O. Box 950
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Embroidered Sampler circa 1766 by Rebekah White
The pastoral courting scene embroidered beneath the lettering on this sampler The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
reserves the right to reject any advertising that
relates to the more formal tent-stitch needlework pictures created by Boston does not comply with our standards. The
Journal will not be liable for any errors or
girls during this decade. Salem samplers are characterized by long filling stitches omissions but will print a correction in the
following issue if notification of such error is
made from untwisted silk floss. This early sampler is one of a small group made sent by the appropriate deadline. Original
manuscripts are welcomed by qualified
in the school of an unknown teacher who may have introduced this technique, writers. We assume no responsibility for loss
of unsolicited material.
which remained popular in Salem into the nineteenth century. Copyright 2020
All rights reserved
2 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles