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Alphabet Cross Stitch Sampler
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| Accession #: | 2962.254 |
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| Title: | Alphabet Cross Stitch Sampler |
| Object Type: | Sampler |
| Participants: | |
| Physical Description: | Alphabets and numerals are embroidered in different styles in cross-stitch on a coarse canvas. Thread colors include brown, blue, beige, rose, and green. It is inscribed "Joanna E. Brunton+ 1898". |
| Description: | Joanna Esther Brunton (1888-1967) grew up in Liliesleaf, Roxburghshire, Scotland, where she likely made this sampler when she was about ten years old. Joanna immigrated to British Columbia, Canada, in 1925, where she married R.K. Wallace and apparently spent the rest of her life. She brought this sampler, as well as samplers worked by her mother and aunt, when she left Scotland for her new home. Making an embroidered sampler was an important part of a girl's education during the 16th through 19th centuries. Originally, the ability to label household linens and clothing with embroidery was an essential skill at a time when all textiles were handwoven, and therefore very valuable. Samplers also provided an introduction to numerals and the alphabet, and they demonstrated a girl's ability to beautify her home with decorative objects. The practice declined during the mid-19th century, but girls continued to make embroidered samplers in some regions, as this piece demonstrates. |
| Category: | Textiles |
| Subjects/Topics/Concepts: |
Decorative Arts (Decorative Arts)
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| Geographical Reference: | Scotland (International->Europe) |
| Dimensions: |
Object L x W 14 x 14"
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| Materials/Techniques: |
cloth (Material)
thread (Material)
cross stitch (Technique)
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| Related Exhibits: | |
| Credit Line: | Museum Transfer, Fort Wright Historical Museum, 1983 |
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