Reading Between Lines: Embroidered Samplers

More than a record of stitches, a sampler was also evidence of the sewer’s industriousness, obedience and virtue. These samplers from our collection provide insights into the lives of the girls who sewed them and the social, political and religious environment in which they lived in the 1700s and 1800s.

Originally developed as a record of different stitches and techniques, by the 1700s samplers were framed and displayed in the home to demonstrate that girls were diligent, industrious, obedient and morally virtuous.