The image conjured up by the word “sampler,” at least in the context of textiles, is that of the first piece of embroidery done by a young girl. Therefore, what better way to start an embroidery blog then with the history of samplers?
This classical image is both true and not true. Samplers probably developed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, as mentions of them are found before the seventeenth century. An early mention comes in the work of the English poet laureate John Skelton, who lived from 1460 to 1529. Another early reference comes from Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, which was written in the late sixteenth century. However, no actual examples from these periods survive.[1]
These earliest samplers were not intended primarily as teaching tools. Rather, since printed patterns were both expensive and rare, they developed as a way to record and copy the various designs and stitches.[2] Furthermore, they were not exclusive to embroidery, but knitted and crocheted samplers were also produced.[3]
It was during the eighteenth century that the function of samplers began to shift from a pattern repository to the more familiar teaching tool. The materials used changed (from linen to cheaper fabric). As the transformation continued the quality of work became much lower, with less sophistication in the stitches used. Cross stitch, probably due to its simplicity, became the primary stitch used.[4]
Samplers were a teaching aid in more ways then one. Not only did they instruct in the rudiments of embroidery but they were also used, through choice of subject matter, to teach more general subject matter. Often moralizing poems or quotes were used. Maps could also be embroidered, then to be used for the teaching of geography.[5]
As the nineteenth and then twentieth centuries progressed, sampler making gradually died out. This is probably attributable to the rise in affordable sewing machines[6] as well as the prevalence of ready made clothing. With fewer and fewer women learning to embroider (and it no longer being considered an essential skill), the need for samplers has declined.
Here are some examples of English Samplers. In addition, an exhibit, now closed, recently displayed twenty-three samplers from the Brittish Isles.
Check back soon for the next post, which will have my description and preliminary design for an example sampler.
[1] John G. Phillips, Jr. “A Special Exhibition of Samplers” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. Vol. 25, No. 4 April 1930. pg 100
[2] Ibid.
[3] Edith A. Stanton “First Efforts of An Infant’s Hand” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin New Series, Vol. 17, No. 3 Nov. 1958. pg 99
[4] “A Special Exhibition of Samplers” pg 101-102
[5] Ibid. pg. 102
[6] “Samplers Through the Centuries” Simply Samplers <http://www.simplysamplers.org/content/pages/a-history-of-samplers.php>
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