17th Century Samplers example essay topic

English IV 16 May 2003 The History of Embroidery The art of decorating textiles is almost as old as the human race; and the study of its history offers a fascinating insight into the social, economic, and religious aspects of art and design throughout the centuries. Embroidery has been used in countless ways and for many different purposes: to record information and commemorate events, to embellish elaborate trousseaux and funerary wrappings, to proclaim the glory of God and the majesty of kings, to add a little color to the simple homes of peasants and to display great wealth. There are indications in ancient paintings, sculptures and literary sources that embroidery was being applied to clothing and other fabrics from the earliest times. One of the earliest mentions of needle working or embroidery is in the Bible. It comes from Exodus, Chapter 26, which was about 3,300 years ago. Tracing the earliest beginning of embroidery is extremely difficult as few examples survive today.

Before the 6th century A.D. there is very little written about the subject. The earliest surviving embroidered cloth is Egyptian, preserved by the dry desert climate ("Entrance to the History of Embroidery"). The first written reference appeared in 1502 in a housekeeping ledger belonging to Elisabeth of York, the wife of Henry VII, where the price of a "linen cloth used to make a sampler for the queen" is mentioned (Ronchetti). The 16th century is connected to the development of embroidery for amusement. In fact, noblewomen embroidered for much of their time and samplers were used as a "note-book" where they could register decorative motifs or stitches, to consult when they needed.

The samplers had a useful purpose and were used only as samples-books. They were made up of long, narrow rectangles, generally as long as the breadth of the loom, and woven linen and silk sewing thread was usually used. Motifs were arranged without an order, added at random to each other. These long and narrow samplers were often wound around a handle or rolled in a work box, so that the embroiderer could easily consult them and draw inspiration from them for her works. In the free-scheme sampler, which was square shaped, motifs are arranged on the whole surface and it has many natural designs. The most popular subjects were deer, birds, butterflies, and also insects, demonstrating the interest in nature that characterized this period.

This type of sampler, though rarely signed or dated, seemed to be very popular and has a certain naive charm (Ronchetti). The religious designs of the 16th century were so beautiful and done in such a natural manner that they were often referred to as needle paintings. Alter frontal's and vestments portrayed statuesque figures of the saints in perfect detail and with delicate paintbrush accuracy. It was the gold that was used during this period that gave these needle paintings their luminous quality. Needle painting reached its peak during the 15th and 16th centuries. Famous painters such as Antonio del Pollaiuolo designed scenes to be executed by embroiderers ("Entrance to the History of Embroidery").

Geometric patterns worked in as many as twenty different colors were combined with spot motifs of flowers, animals, birds, insects, fish and frogs. Some of the numerous stitches used were Hungarian, Florentine, tent, cross, long-armed cross, two-sided Italian cross, rice, double running, Algerian eye and buttonhole stitches. Twisting together strands of two different colors created color schemes with a large number of shades (Boggon). In the 16th century Europe, flowers and herbs became all the rage. They were loved for their beauty, scent and possible medicinal possibilities. But they were most loved by the needle workers.

The women (needle workers) examined the plants in detail and attempted to record this is scientific accuracy with needle and thread. They did not try to do groups of flowers in three-dimensional forms, much as we do today, but by carefully examining "slips" of plants or flowers provided by gardeners they would then reproduce them as small "tent stitch" pieces, that would later be applied to backgrounds of velvet. An alternative to this was to portray real flowers in continuous scrolling patterns for use on costumes and on pillow covers ("Entrance to the History of Embroidery"). During the 17th century, a very simple border was added to the sampler to surround a number of randomly placed motifs. The band sampler, however, remained popular; the bands consisting of geometrical and floral designs in repeating border patterns (Boggon). In 1643, alphabets appeared for the first time (although a similar model had already appeared in some books of sixteenth-century models) and generally all the letters were written in different sizes: capital, small letters, simple, in written-stitch or gothic letters (Ronchetti).

It has been argued that this indicates that sampler making was becoming more significant as an educational exercise. Borders had also become more elaborate. From about 1650 moral and religious inscriptions were often added. Around this time samplers became signs of virtue and achievement and the teaching of needlework in schools was actively encouraged (Boggon). Printing had been invented by Gutenberg in the mid 15th century and was by this time affecting the amateur needle workers. There were by this time several pattern books out for needle workers.

One such book was La Clef des Champs by Jaques le Moyne, published in 1586. The dedication in this book indicated that it was for all types of crafts people, including embroiderers and weavers. In surviving copies of this book, on some of the illustrations are pinpricks. This was called "pouncing" which was an early method of tracing. Also useful for a pattern book was Crispin de Passe's A Garden of Flowers, published in 1615. The engravings in this book had very bold outlines with a formal elegance that was suited to embroidery ("Entrance to the History of Embroidery").

In the 17th century samplers started losing their function as a samples-book. The increasing development of books of models and embroidery motifs they just demonstrate the skill of the embroiderer. Many samplers reached a high level of technical ability and have many different stitches. Cut and drawn stitches were used frequently (Ronchetti).

In the 18th century, the original practical purpose was totally forgotten. Samplers became a decorative object, with a general scheme of well-balanced motifs arranged around a central axis. Architectural motifs became the most popular motifs: great villas, city monuments, classical temples, windmills, and pagodas and they were shown together with shepherds, dogs and deer. In 1709, the motif of Adam and Eve appeared which had great fortune and popularity. Samplers also took on a moral and educational function, which is why some poems, prayers or religious texts appeared. As poems increased, the variety of different stitches decreased.

The difficult cut stitches were abandoned and cross-stitch was used more and more (Ronchetti). There was a group of samplers called "Philadelphia Type" samplers, don't in the 18th century by "cultured members of the community" and refers "in particular to the fine needlework exhibited in the Quaker samples" (Harbeson 71). The 19th century was the golden century of cross-stitch. As print developed, so the cross-stitch scheme spread from Europe to America. In 1840 14,000 schemes were published. Embroidery became a privileged occupation, both for the noblewomen who did it for amusement, and for the poorer classes who did it for work (Ronchetti).

"All textiles were extremely costly in America and samplers that used many expensive materials were a testament to the family's wealth" (Harbeson 43). Many women took up embroidery as their families were heading out west during the gold rush. "An American girl's work would be looked at by the soon-to-be groom and his family to determine if the match might be well worth their time" (Harbeson 61). Man has an insatiable appetite to liven up his surroundings. From the earliest known fabric examples dating back from 3000 B.C. to modern 3-dimensional creations, humans have always added hand thread work to their lives.

Bibliography

Boggon, Sharon. A Brief History of Embroidery Samplers. 1997.
12 May 2003.
web r hist. html "The Development of Embroidery Throughout Chinese History". Government Information Office The Republic of China (Taiwan). 4 May 2002.
Yahoo! 12 May 2003.
web "Entrance to the History of Embroidery". 2 Busy Stitching. 1997.
Google. 12 May 2003.
web Epstein, Kathleen. "Concernynge the Excellency of the Needle Worke Spannisshe Stitches". Piecework Magazine January 1995.
Harbeson, Georgiana Brown. American Needlework. New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., 1938.
McConnell, Megan. "Candlewick ing" Bella Online. 2001.