file which includes the original illustrations 7#bd plates in color and #gg other illustrations74 ,see #dagag-;h4htm or #dagag-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#dagag_/pg#dagag-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#da gag_/dagag-;h4zip7 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive4 ,see http3_/_/archive4org_/details_/samplerst apestry#jj;huisrich ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 ,superscripted characters are enclosed by curly brackets 7example3 ,march #bgth74 ,the original text includes a diamond symbol that is represented as ,diamond in this text version4 ,,samplers ,,and ,,tapestry ,,embroideries ,tho our ,countrie everywhere is fil'd ,with ladies and with gentlewomen skil'd ,in this rare art1 yet here they may discerne ,some things to teach them if they list to learne ,and as this booke some cunning workes doth teach ,too high for meane capacities to reache ,so for weake learners other workes here be ,as plaine and easie as an ,a ,b ,c4 --,,the ,,needle',s ,,excellency4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,i4--,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,henry ,,viii41 ,,edward ,,vi41 ,,mary1 ,,and ,,elizabeth4 ,the ,corporation of ,maidstone4 7,,frontispiece47 ,the very unusual piece of ,embroidery reproduced as our ,frontispiece may date from the ,accession of ,queen ,elizabeth1 in which case it is the earliest specimen of an embroidery picture that we have seen4 ,it would appear to be the creation of some exultant ,protestant rejoicing at the restoration of his religion1 which to him is ,good tidings of great joy2 for his ,queen holds the ,bible open at this verse1 and is ready to defend it with her sword4 ,edward ,,vi4 also upholds the ,bible in his upraised hand1 whilst ,henry ,,viii4 has one foot on the downtrodden ,pope1 and the other on his crown1 which he has kicked from his head4 ,popery is portrayed in ,mary with her ,rosary and ,papal-crowned ,dragon4 ,the presence of the ,thistle raises a doubt as to its being of the ,elizabethan age1 but although this flower consorts with the ,rose it also does so with a pansy1 which deprives it of its value as an emblem of ,scotland4 ,the piece belongs to the ,corporation of ,maidstone4 ,,samplers ,,tapestry ,,embroideries by ,,marcus ,b4 ,,huish1 ,,ll4,b4 ,author of ,japan and its ,art1 ,greek ,terra ,cotta ,statuettes ,the ,american ,pilgrim's ,way1 c4 ,,second ,,edition ,with #bd ,coloured ,plates and #gg ,illustrations in the ,text ,longmans1 ,green1 and ,co4 #ci ,paternoster ,row1 ,london ,new ,york1 ,bombay1 and ,calcutta #aiac ,all rights reserved ,preface to the ,second ,edition ,i have explained1 in the chapter upon ,english ,needlework with which this volume opens1 the reasons which prompted me to take up the subject of ,samplers and ,tapestry ,embroideries1 and ,i have here only to thank the many who1 since its first issue1 have expressed their acknowledgment of the pleasure they have derived from it1 and to record my gratification that it has induced some of them to start the study and collection of these interesting objects4 ,in the present edition several ,american ,samplers of considerable interest1 kindly furnished by correspondents in that country1 are noted and illustrated4 ,i am indebted to the publishers for putting the present volume on the market at a more popular price than the expense of the first edition permitted4 ,contents ,,pages ,,english ,,needlework4--,,its ,,practice ,,in ,,past ,,times4--,,its ,,place ,,amongst ,,the ,,minor ,,arts4--,,mr ,,ruskin',s ,,views ,,as ,,to ,,needlework ,,in ,a ,,museum4--,,lack ,,of ,a ,,history4--,,exhibition ,,of ,,samplers4-- ,,range ,,of ,,this ,,volume #a-e ,,part ,i4--,,samplers4--,,the ,,need ,,of4--,,the ,,age ,,of4--,,inscriptions ,,on4--,,alphabets ,,and ,,numerals ,,on4--,,signatures ,,on4--,,inscriptions ,,on4--,,design1 ,,ornament1 ,,and ,,colouring ,,of1 ,,including3 ,,the ,,human ,,figure2 ,,animals2 ,,flowers4--,,further ,,inscriptions ,,on4--,,verses ,,which ,,commemorate ,,religious ,,festivals2 ,,which ,,take ,,the ,,form ,,of ,,prayers ,,and ,,dedications2 ,,which ,,refer ,,to ,,life ,,and ,,death2 ,,which ,,inculcate ,,duties ,,to ,,parents ,,and ,,preceptors2 ,,which ,,have ,,reference ,,to ,,virtue ,,or ,,vice1 ,,wealth ,,or ,,poverty4--,,quaint ,,inscriptions2 ,,crowns2 ,,coronets2 ,,hearts2 ,,borders4--,,miscellanea ,,respecting ,,samplers1 ,,namely3--,,the ,,age ,,and ,,sex ,,of ,,the ,,workers2 ,,the ,,place ,,of ,,origin ,,of ,,samplers2 ,,samplers ,,as ,,records ,,of ,,national ,,events2 ,,map ,,samplers2 ,,american ,,samplers2 ,,foreign ,,samplers2 ,,sampler ,,literature2 ,,the ,,last ,,of ,,the ,,samplers #g-abb ,,part ,,ii4--,,embroideries ,,in ,,the ,,manner ,,of ,,tapestry ,,pictures4-- ,,large ,,numbers ,,exhibited ,,at ,,fine ,,art ,,society',s4--,,opportunity ,,for ,,their ,,examination1 ,,and ,,for ,,making ,,record ,,of ,,their ,,history4--,,difficulties ,,surrounding ,,investigation ,,of ,,origin ,,of ,,industry4--,,no ,,apparent ,,infancy4--,,no ,,specimens ,,discoverable ,,earlier ,,than ,,elizabethan ,,era4--,,theory ,,as ,,to ,,fashion ,,originating ,,with ,,introduction ,,of ,,tapestry ,,manufacture ,,to ,,england4--,,particulars ,,of ,,that ,,manufacture4--,,three-,,fold ,,interest ,,of ,,picture ,,embroideries3 7#a7 ,,subjects ,,depicted ,,thereon2 7#b7 ,,historical ,,material ,,as ,,to ,,fashions2 7#c7 ,,as ,,specimens ,,of ,,needlework4--,,particulars ,,respecting ,,subjects1 ,,fashions ,,of ,,dress1 ,,horticulture1 ,,etc4 #abc-ada ,,part ,,iii4--7#a7 ,,stitchery ,,of ,,embroideries ,,in ,,imitation ,,of ,,tapestry ,,and ,,the ,,like4--,,background ,,stitches4--,,figures ,,in ,,raised ,,needlework4--,,knot ,,stitches4--,,plush ,,stitch4--,,embroidery ,,in ,,purl ,,and ,,metallic ,,threads4--,,bead ,,embroidery4--,,first ,,stage ,,of ,,embroidered ,,picture #adc-afj 7#b7 ,,the ,,stitchery ,,of ,,samplers1 ,,with ,a ,,note ,,on ,,their ,,materials4--,,cut ,,and ,,drawn ,,work4--,,back ,,stitch4--,,alphabet ,,stitches4--,,darning ,,stitches4--,,tent ,,and ,,cross ,,stitches4-- ,,various ,,stitches4--,,materials #afa-aga ,,index #agc ,list of ,colour ,plates ,,plate ,to face page ,i4 ,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,henry ,,viii41 ,,edward ,,vi41 ,,mary1 ,,and ,,elizabeth ,frontispiece ,,ii4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,m4 ,c4 #af,,th-#ag,,th ,,century #i ,,iii4 ,,portion ,,of ,,long ,,sampler1 ,,by ,a4 ,s4 ,,dated #afdh #af ,,iv4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,calthorpe4 ,,dated #afef #bj ,v4 ,,portion ,,of ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,mary ,,hall4 ,,dated #affb #bd ,,vi4 ,,portion ,,of ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,creasey4 ,,dated #afhf #cf ,,vii4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,hannah ,,dawe4 #ag,,th ,,century #db ,,viii4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,mary ,,postle4 ,,dated #agdg #dh ,,ix4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,e4 ,,philips4 ,,dated #agfa #ef ,x4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,catherine ,,tweedall4 ,,dated #agge #ff ,,xi4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,ann ,,chapman4 ,,dated #aggi #gh ,,xii4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,ann ,,maria ,,wiggins4 #ai,,th ,,century #ij ,,xiii4 ,,american ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,martha ,c4 ,,barton4 ,,dated #ahbe #ajj ,,xiv4 ,,tapestry ,,embroidery3 ,,christ ,,in ,,the ,,temple1 ,,stoning ,,of ,,martyrs1 ,,etc4 ,,about #afbe #abc ,,xv4 ,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,hagar ,,and ,,ishmael4 ,,about #afcj #abd ,,xvi4 ,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,charles ,i4 ,,and ,,his ,,queen4 ,,about #afcj #abf ,,xvii4 ,,lid ,,of ,a ,,casket4 ,,the ,,judgment ,,of ,,paris4 ,,about #afcj #acj ,,xviii4 ,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,queen ,,esther4 ,,about #afcj #acb ,,xix4 ,,lid ,,of ,a ,,casket4 ,,about #affj #adc ,,xx4 ,,back ,,of ,,casket ,,in ,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,signed ,a4 ,k41 #afeg #add ,,xxi4 ,,beadwork ,,embroidery4 ,,charles ,,ii4 ,,and ,,his ,,queen1 ,,etc4 #aej ,,xxii4 ,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,dated #agce #aeh ,,xxiii4 ,,purl ,,embroidery4 #af,,th ,,and #ag,,th ,,century #afa ,,xxiv4 ,,darning ,,sampler4 ,,dated #aghh #afd ,illustrations in ,text ,,fig4 ,,page #a4 ,,the ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,boarding ,,school1 ,,by ,,george ,,morland xiv #b4 ,,bottom ,,of ,,sampler1 ,,in ,,knotted ,,yellow ,,silk1 ,,by ,,mary ,,caney1 #agaj #a #c4 ,,upper ,,portion ,,of ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,pupil ,,in ,,orphan ,,school1 ,,calcutta1 #agig #i #d4 ,,sampler ,,of ,,cut ,,and ,,embroidered ,,work4 ,,early #ag,,th ,,century #af #e4 ,,portion ,,of ,,sampler4 #ag,,th ,,century #ag #f4 ,,portion ,,of ,,sampler ,,of ,,cut ,,and ,,embroidered ,,work4 #ag,,th ,,century #ah #g4 ,,samplers ,,in ,,the ,,victoria ,,and ,,albert ,,museum4 ,,dated #afdc1 #affg1 #afif #ai #h4 ,,long ,,sampler1 ,,signed ,,ann ,,turner4 #afhf #bd #i4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,baker4 #agci #be #aj4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,charlotte ,,bront4 #ahbi #bi #aa4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,emily ,,jane ,,bront4 #ahbi #ca #ab4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,anne ,,bront4 #ahcj #cc #ac4 ,,easter ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,kitty ,,harison4 #aggj #cg #ad4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,stockwell4 #ahcb #dc #ae4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,sarah ,,young4 c4 #agej #ec #af4 ,,drawn-,,work ,,sampler1 ,,by ,s4 ,i4 ,d4 #afdi #ei #ag4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,jean ,,porter4 #agji-aj #fa #ah4 ,,sampler4 ,,name ,,illegible4 ,,date1 #agdb #fc #ai4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,mary ,,anderson4 #ahca #fg #bj4 ,,sampler 78 ,,scottish74 #ah,,th ,,century #fi #ba4 ,,small ,,scottish ,,sampler1 ,,by ,j4 ,h4 ,,jane ,,heath4 #agbh #ga #bb4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,mary ,,bywater4 #agea #gb #bc4 ,,heart-,,shaped ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,mary ,,ives4 #agif #gc #bd4 ,,drawn-,,work ,,sampler1 ,,by ,s4 ,w4 #agjj #gf #be4 ,,border ,,of ,,mary ,,lounds',s ,,sampler4 #agbf #gg #bf4 ,,border ,,of ,,mary ,,heaviside',s ,,sampler4 #agce #gg #bg4 ,,border ,,of ,,elizabeth ,,greensmith',s ,,sampler4 #agcg #gg #bh4 ,,border ,,of ,,margaret ,,knowles',s ,,sampler4 #agch #gh #bi4 ,,border ,,to ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,turner4 #agga #gh #cj4 ,,border ,,to ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,sarah ,,carr4 #ahji #gi #ca4 ,,border ,,to ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,susanna ,,hayes4 #ahac #gi #cb4 ,,small ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,martha ,,haynes4 #agjd #ha #cc4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,sarah ,,pelham1 ,,aged #f #hc #cd4 ,,scottish ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,robert ,,henderson4 #agfb #he #ce4 ,,two ,,small ,,samplers1 ,,by ,,may ,,johnson4 #aghe-f #hg #cf4 ,,two ,,small ,,samplers1 ,,by ,,lydia ,,johnson4 #aghd #hg #cg4 ,,scottish ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,mary ,,bayland4 #aggi #hi #ch4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,mary ,,minshull4 #afid #ij #ci4 ,,map ,,of ,,north ,,america1 ,,by ,m4 ,a4 ,k4 #aghh #ic #dj4 ,,map ,,of ,,england ,,and ,,wales1 ,,by ,,ann ,,brown #id #da4 ,,map ,,of ,,africa4 #aghd #ie #db4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,anne ,,gower #ih #dc4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,loara ,,standish #ii #dd4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,miles ,,and ,,abigail ,,fleetwood #ii #de4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,abigail ,,ridgway4 #agie #ajj #df4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,easton4 #agie #aja #dg4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,maria ,e4 ,,spalding4 #ahae #ajb #dh4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,martha ,c4 ,,hooton4 #ahbg #ajc #di4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,the ,,lamborn ,,family4 #ahbb #aje #ej4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,elizabeth ,m4 ,,ford #ajf #ea4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,lydia ,j4 ,,cotton4 #ahai #ajg #eb4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,helen ,,price #aad #ec4 ,,beadwork ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,jane ,,mills #aai #ed4 ,,sampler1 ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,clarkson4 #ahha #aba #ee4 ,,embroidered ,,glove4 ,,early #ag,,th ,,century #abc #ef4 ,,the ,,judgment ,,of ,,paris4 ,,about #afcj #abi #eg4 ,,tapestry ,,embroidery3 ,,the ,,finding ,,of ,,moses4 ,,about #afdj #acd #eh4 ,,portion ,,of ,a ,,book ,,cover4 #af,,th ,,century #acf #ei4 ,,purl ,,and ,,applied ,,embroidery4 ,,about #afcj #acg #fj4 ,,embroidery ,,picture4 ,,charles ,,ii4 ,,and ,,his ,,queen4 #affc #ada #fa4 ,,hollie ,,point ,,lace1 ,,from ,,top ,,of ,,christening ,,cap4 #aggd #adc #fb4 ,,cushion-,,stitch ,,background3 ,,embroidered ,,book ,,cover1 ,,dated #agjc #ade #fc4 ,,eyelet-,,hole-,,stitch3 ,,from ,a ,,sampler ,,dated #ahaa #adf #fd4 ,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,about #afdj #adg #fe4 ,,face ,,worked ,,in ,,split-,,stitch3 ,,enlarged ,,from ,,embroidery ,,reproduced ,,in ,,fig4 #fc #aej #ff4 ,,face ,,worked ,,in ,,split-,,stitch3 ,,enlarged ,,from ,,lower ,,portion ,,of ,,fig4 #fc 7,,not ,,reproduced7 #aea #fg4 ,,knotted-,,stitch3 ,,enlarged ,,from ,,embroidery ,,reproduced ,,in ,,fig4 #fc #aeb #fh4 ,,embroidery ,,picture3 ,a ,,squire ,,and ,,his ,,lady4 ,,dated #afeg #aee #fi4 ,,hair ,,of ,,unravelled ,,silk3 ,,enlargement ,,of ,,portion ,,of ,,embroidery ,,reproduced ,,in ,,plate #aeg #gj4 ,,groundwork ,,tracing ,,for ,,embroidered ,,picture4 #ag,,th ,,century #aei #ga4 ,,moulds ,,for ,,knotted1 ,,or ,,lace-,,work1 ,,with ,,silk ,,spools ,,and ,,case #afj #gb4 ,,drawn-,,work ,,sampler4 #ag,,th ,,century #afb #gc4 ,,cut ,,and ,,drawn-,,work3 ,,enlargement ,,from #ag,,th ,,century ,,sampler #afc #gd4 ,,satin-,,stitch ,,and ,,combination ,,of ,,types ,,of ,,open-,,work3 ,,enlarged ,,from ,,the ,,sampler ,,reproduced ,,in ,,fig4 #d4 #ag,,th ,,century #afd #ge4 ,,back-,,stitch3 ,,enlargement ,,of ,,portion ,,of ,,sampler ,,in ,,fig4 #e4 #ag,,th ,,century4 ,,twice ,,actual ,,size #afe #gf4 ,,darning ,,sampler4 ,,signed ,m4 ,m41 ,t4 ,b41 ,j4 ,j4 #ahjb #afg #gg4 ,,enlarged ,,portion ,,of ,a ,,darning ,,sampler4 ,,dated #aghe #afi ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #a4--,,the ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,boarding ,,school4 ,,by ,,george ,,morland4 ,wallace ,collection4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #b4--;,,bottom ,,of ,,sampler1 ,,in ,,knitted ,,yellow ,,silk1 ,,by ,,mary ,,caney1 #agaj4 ,mrs ,c4 ,j4 ,longman4 ,english ,needlework ,amongst all the ,minor ,arts practised by our ancestresses1 there was certainly no one which was so much the fashion1 or in which a higher grade of proficiency was attained1 as that of needlework4 ,it was in vogue in the castle and the cottage1 in the ladies' seminary and the dame's school1 and a girl's education began and ended with endeavours to attain perfection in it4 ,amongst the earliest objects to be shown to a mother visiting her daughter at school was1 as is seen in the charming picture by ,morland in the ,wallace ,collection 7,fig4 #a71 the sampler which the young pupil had worked4#a ,these early tasks were1 very certainly in the majority of instances1 little cared for by the schoolgirls who produced them1 but being cherished by fond parents they came in after years to be looked upon with an affectionate eye by those who had made them1 and to be preserved and even handed down as heirlooms in the family4 ,for some reason1 not readily apparent1 no authority on needlework has considered this by-product of the ,art to be worthy of notice4 ,in the many volumes which have been penned the writers have almost exclusively confined their attention to the more ambitious and1 perhaps1 more artistic performances of foreign nations4 ,to such an extent has this omission extended that in a leading treatise on ,needlework as ,art1 samplers are dismissed in a single line1 and in a more recent volume they are not even mentioned4 ,it follows that the illustrations for such books are almost without exception culled from foreign sources1 to the entire exclusion of ,british specimens4 ,it may be contended that the phase of needlework to which special attention is drawn in this volume cannot be classed amongst even the ,minor ,arts1 and therefore is not worthy of the notoriety which such a work as this gives to it4 ,such a contention can fortunately be met by the authority of one whose word can hardly be challenged on such a question1 namely1 ,mr ,ruskin4 ,some years ago1 upon a controversy arising in the press as to what objects should1 and what should not1 find a place in a museum1 the author1 in his capacity of editor of ,the ,art ,journal1 induced ,mr ,ruskin to furnish that magazine with a series of letters containing his views on the matter4 ,in these1 after dealing with the planning of the building and its fitting up with the specialties which the industry of each particular district called for1 he set aside six chambers for the due exposition of the six queenly and music-taught ,arts of ,needlework1 ,writing1 ,pottery1 ,sculpture1 ,architecture1 and ,painting1 and in these the absolute best in each ,art1 so far as attainable by the municipal pocket1 was to be exhibited1 the rise and fall 7if fallen7 of each ,art being duly and properly set forth4 ,mr ,ruskin did not1 however1 content himself with claiming for needlework a prominent position4 ,had he only done this1 his dictum might have availed us but little as regards admission of the branch of it to which we shall devote most of this volume4 ,with the thoroughness which was so characteristic of him1 he gave chapter and verse for the faith that was in him1 clenching it with one of his usual felicitous instances1 which1 in this case1 took as its text the indifferent stitching of the gloves which he used when engaged in forestry4 ,proceeding to show what the needlework chamber should contain1 he designated first the structure of wool and cotton1 hemp1 flax1 and silk1 then the phases of its dyeing and spinning1 and the mystery of weaving4 ,finally the accomplished phase of needlework1 all the acicular ,art of ,nations--savage and civilised--from ,lapland boot1 letting in no snow water1 to ,turkey cushion bossed with pearl2 to valance of ,venice gold in needlework2 to the counterpanes and ,samplers of our own lovely ancestresses4 ,it might appear to be by an accident that he specifically included the ,samplers of our own lovely ancestresses1 but this was not so4 ,fine needlework was an accomplishment which was carried to an exceptional pitch of excellence by his mother1 and her son was proud of her achievements1 for this proficiency had descended from his grandmother1 whose sampler 7reproduced on ,plate ,,ix47 was probably present to ,mr ,ruskin's mind when he penned the sentence to which we have given prominence4 ,having1 then1 such an authority for assigning to ,english needlework a foremost place in any well organised museum1 it may reasonably be claimed that our literature should contain some record of the sampler's evolution and history1 and that our museums should arrange any materials they may possess in an order which will enable a would-be student1 or any one interested1 to gain information concerning the rise and fall 7for such it has been7 of the industry4 ,it may be said that such information is not called for1 but this can hardly be asserted in face of the fact that the first edition of this work1 published at the considerable price of two guineas1 was quickly exhausted1 and demands have for some time been made for its reissue4 ,the publication in question was the outcome of an exhibition held at ,the ,fine ,art ,society1 ,london1 in #aijj1 at which some three hundred and fifty samplers1 covering every decade since #afdj1 were shown4 ,the interest taken in the display was remarkable1 the reason probably being that almost every visitor possessed some specimen of the craft1 but few had any idea that his or her possession was the descendant of such an ancestry1 or had any claim to recognition beyond a purely personal one4 ,everyone then garnered information with little trouble and with unmistakable pleasure from the surprising and unexpected array1 and the many requests that the collection should not be dispersed without an endeavour being made to perpetuate the information derived from an assemblage of so many selected examples led to the compilation of the present work4 ,when ,the ,fine ,art ,society's ,exhibition was first planned the intention was to confine it to samplers1 which1 in themselves1 formed a class sufficiently large to occupy all the space which experience showed should be allotted to them in any display with which it was not desired to weary the visitor4 ,but it was speedily found that their evolution and raison d'tre could not be satisfactorily nor interestingly illustrated without recourse being had to the embroidered pictures alongside of which they originated1 and which they subsequently supplanted1 and to other articles for the decoration or identification of which samplers came into being4 ,consequently the collection was enlarged so as to include three sections3 first the embroidered pieces which range themselves under the heading of ,pictures in imitation of ,tapestry2 then samplers2 and lastly the miscellaneous articles1 such as books1 dresses1 coats1 waistcoats1 gloves1 shoes1 caskets1 cases1 purses1 etc41 which were broidered by those who had learned the art from sampler making1 or from the use of samplers as guides4 ,it would1 without doubt1 have added interest and variety to this volume could all these classes have been considered in it1 but to include the last-named would have necessitated enlarging its bulk beyond practicable limits1 and1 besides1 it would then have covered ground1 much of which has already been very satisfactorily and completely dealt with4 ,the work has consequently followed the lines of the ,exhibition in so far as it includes ,samplers and ,embroideries in the manner of ,tapestry1 which are dealt with in successive sections1 and are followed by one upon the stitchery employed1 written by ,mrs ,head1 who has unfortunately died since the publication of the first edition4 ,the author much regrets having given currency on page #e to the report of ,mrs4 ,head's death1 which he is glad to learn is incorrect4 ,,part ,i ,samplers ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ii4--,,sampler ,,by ,m4 ,c4 #af,,th-#ag,,th ,,century4 ,this early pattern ,sampler is described at p4 #af4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #c4--,,upper ,,portion ,,of ,,sampler ,,by ,,pupil ,,in ,,orphan ,,school1 ,,calcutta1 #agig4 ,author's ,collection4 ,,part ,i ,samplers ,the sampler as a pattern1 or example1 from which to learn varieties of needlework1 whether of design or stitches1 must have existed almost as long as the ,art of ,embroidery1 which we know dates back into as distant a past as any of the ,arts4 ,but when we set about the investigation of its evolution1 we did not propose to trouble our readers with the history of an infancy which would have been invested with little interest and less ,art2 we did1 however1 hope to be able to extend our illustrated record backwards to a date which would be limited only by the ravages which time had worked upon the material of which the sampler was composed--a date which would probably take us back to an epoch when the ,art displayed upon it was of an unformed but still of an interesting character4 ,we must at the outset admit that we have been altogether disappointed in our quest4 ,for some two hundred and fifty years1 which most will admit to be a fair stretch of time1 we can easily compile a record of genuinely dated and well-preserved specimens1 filling not only every decade1 but almost every year4 ,the ,art displayed1 whether it be in design or dexterity with the needle1 improves as we proceed backwards1 until1 in the exact centre of the seventeenth century1 we arrive at a moment when little is left to be desired4 ,we then have before us a series of samplers wherein the design is admirable1 the stitches are of great variety1 and the materials of which they are composed are1 in an astonishing number of instances1 as fresh and well preserved as those of to-day4 ,but at that moment1 to our astonishment1 the stream is arrested1 and the supply fails1 for no1 at present1 discoverable reason4 ,this sudden arrest can in no way be explained4 ,it would appear as if1 with the downfall of the monarchy under ,charles ,i41 with which it almost exactly corresponds1 a holocaust had been made of every sampler that existed4 ,it is most exasperating1 for it is as if one had studied the life of a notable character backwards through its senility1 old age1 and manhood1 to lose all trace of its youth and infancy4 ,nor is there any apparent reason for this failure of the output4 ,as we shall show later on1 needlework for a century previously was in the heyday of its fashion4 ,every article of dress and furniture was decked out with it4 ,as an instance1 the small branch of needlework which we discuss in our second part was mainly in vogue in the first half of the seventeenth century1 when we are searching in vain for specimens of samplers4 ,samplers1 too1 for generations previously are recorded in the literature of the time as common objects of household furniture4 ,the specimens even of our earliest recorded decade cover no less than five years1 #afea 7three71 #afdi1 #afdh 7three71 #afdd1 #afdc1 and yet beyond the last-named date we encounter an entire blank4 ,this cannot be the limit of dated specimens4 ,earlier ones must exist1 but the publicity of a very well advertised exhibition1 which brought notifications of samplers by the thousand1 did not produce them4 ,neither have the public museums1 nor indefatigable collectors of many years' standing1 been able to obtain them1 save two of the earliest years1 #afdc and #afdd1 which have been acquired by the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 and of which that of #afdc is reproduced in ,fig4 #g4 ,our study of the sampler must therefore be based upon the materials at our disposal1 and from these we shall analyse it with reference to its raison d'tre1 age1 decorative qualities1 characteristics1 and the persons by whom it was worked4 ,the ,need of ,samplers ,in these days of sober personal attire1 in which the adornment of our houses is almost entirely confined to the products of the loom1 the absorbing interest which needlework possessed1 and the almost entire possession which1 in the ,middle ,ages1 it took of the manual efforts of womankind1 is apt to be lost sight of4 ,in #aehc1 ,stubbes1 in his ,anatomy of ,abuses1 wrote that the men were decked out in fineries even to their shirts1 which are wrought throughout with needlework of silke1 curiously stitched with open seams and many other knacks besides1 and that it was impossible to tell who was a gentleman because all persons dress indiscriminately in silks1 velvets1 satins1 damasks1 taffeties1 and such like4 ,so1 too1 as regards the fair sex it was the same1 from the ,queen1 who had no less than #b1jjj dresses in her wardrobe1 downwards4 ,in ,france1 almost at the same moment 7in #aehf71 a petition was presented to ,catherine de ,medicis on ,the ,extreme ,dearness of ,living1 setting forth that mills1 lands1 pastures1 woods1 and all the revenues are wasted on embroideries1 insertions1 trimmings1 tassels1 fringes1 hangings1 gimps1 needleworks1 small chain stitchings1 quiltings1 back stitchings1 etc41 new diversities of which are invented daily4 ,everyone worked with the needle4 ,we read that the lady just named gathered round her her daughters1 their cousins1 and sometimes the exiled ,marie ,stuart1 and passed a great portion of the time after dinner in needlework4 ,a little later ,madame de ,maintenon worked at embroidery1 not only in her apartments1 but even when riding or driving she was hardly fairly ensconced in her carriage than she pulled her needlework out of the bag she carried with her4 ,the use of embroidery was not confined to personal adornment1 but was employed in the decoration of the various objects which then went to make up the furniture of a house1 such as curtains1 bed-hangings1 tablecloths1 chair coverings1 cushions1 caskets1 books1 purses1 and even pictures4 ,the luxury of the dwelling and the household had also of late increased to an extent that called for the possession of numbers of each article1 whether it were clothing1 table1 or bed napery4 ,identification by marking and numbering became necessary1 and as1 probably1 the very limited library of the house seldom contained books of ornamental lettering and numerals1 samplers were made to furnish them4 ,the evolution of the sampler is thus easily traceable4 ,first of all consisting of decorative patterns thrown here and there without care upon the surface of a piece of canvas 7see ,plate ,,ii472 then of designs placed in more orderly rows1 and making in themselves a harmonious whole2 then added thereto alphabets and figures for the use of those who marked the linen1 and as an off-shoot imitation of tapestry pictures by the additions of figures1 houses1 etc4 ,finally it was adopted as an educational task in the schools1 as a specimen of phenomenal achievement at an early age1 and as a means whereby moral precept might be prominently advertised4 ,as we have said1 the samplers which have come down to us1 and the age of which is certified by their bearing a date1 do not extend beyond two hundred and seventy years1 but those even of that age are writ all over with evidence that the sampler was then a fully developed growth1 and must have been the descendant of a long line of progenitors4 ,that they were in vogue long before this is proved by the references to them in literature as articles the use of which was a common one4 ,before proceeding further it may be well to cite some of these4 ,the earliest record which we have met with is one by the poet ,skelton 7#adfi-aebi71 who speaks of the sampler to sowe on1 the laces to embroide4 ,the next is an inventory of ,edward ,,vi4 7#aeeb71 which notes a parchment book containing-- ,item3 ,sampler or set of patterns worked on ,normandy canvas1 with green and black silks4 ,to ,shakespeare we naturally turn1 and are not disappointed1 for we find that in his ,midsummer ,night's ,dream1 ,act iii4 scene #b1 ,helena addresses ,hermia as follows3-- ,o1 is all forgot8 ,all schooldays' friendship1 childhood innocence8 ,we1 ,hermia1 like two artificial gods1 ,have with our needles created both one flower1 ,both on one sampler1 sitting on one cushion1 ,both working of one song1 both in one key1 ,as if our hands1 our sides1 voices1 and minds ,had been incorporate4 ,and in ,titus ,andronicus1 ,act ii4 scene #d1 ,marcus speaks of ,philomel as follows3-- ,fair ,philomel1 she but lost her tongue1 ,and in a tedious sampler sewed her mind4 ,sir ,philip ,sidney 7#aeed-hf71 in his ,arcadia1 introduces a sampler as follows3-- ,and then1 ,o ,love1 why dost thou in thy beautiful sampler set such a work for my desire to take out8 ,and ,milton in ,comus 7#afcd73-- ,and checks of sorry grain will serve to ply ,the sampler1 and to tear the housewife's wool4 ,in ,the ,crown ,garland of ,golden ,roses1 #afab1 is ,a short and sweet sonnet made by one of the ,maides of ,honor upon the death of ,queene ,elizabeth1 which she sowed upon a sampler1 in red silk1 to a new tune of ',phillida ,flouts ,me'2 beginning ,gone is ,elizabeth whom we have lov'd so dear4 ,in the sixteenth century samplers were deemed worthy of mention as bequests2 thus ,margaret ,tomson1 of ,freston in ,holland1 ,lincolnshire1 by her will proved at ,boston1 #beth ,may #aedf1 gave to ,alys ,pynchbeck1 my systers doughter1 my sampler with semes4 ,in ,lady ,marian ,cust's work on embroidery1 mention is made of a sampler of the reign of ,henry ,,viii41 and a rough illustration is given of it2 we have endeavoured to trace this piece1 but have been unable to find it either in the possession of ,viscount ,middleton or of ,lord ,midleton1 although both of them are the owners of other remarkable specimens of needlework4 ,it is evident from these extracts that samplers were common objects at least as early as the sixteenth century4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the sampler in its latest fashion differed very materially both in form and design from its progenitors4 ,consisting originally of odds and ends of decorative designs1 both for embroidery and lacework1 scattered without any order over the surface of a coarse piece of canvas1 its first completed form was one of considerable length and narrow breadth1 the length being often as much as a yard1 and the breadth not more than a quarter4 ,the reason for this may well have been the necessity of using a breadth of material which the looms then produced1 for the canvas is utilised to its full extent1 and is seldom cut or hemmed at the sides4 ,be that as it may1 the shape was not an inconvenient one1 for whilst its width was sufficient to display the design1 its height enabled a quantity of patterns to follow one another from top to bottom4 ,these consisted at first of designs only1 in embroidery and lace1 to which were subsequently added numerals and alphabets4 ,later followed texts1 and then verses1 which1 with the commencement of the eighteenth century1 practically supplanted ornaments4 ,the sampler thereupon ceased to be a text-book for the latter1 and became only a chart on which are set out varieties of lettering and alphabets4 ,still later it was transformed into a medium for the display of the author's ability in stitching1 the alphabet even disappearing1 and the ornament 7if such it can be called7 being merely a border in which to frame a pretty verse1 and a means whereby empty spaces could be filled1 ,art at that epoch not having learnt that an empty space could be of any value to a composition4 ,how these changes came about1 with their approximate dates1 may now be considered4 ,the ,age of a ,sampler ,the approximate date of any sampler1 which is not more than two hundred and fifty years old1 should1 from the illustrations given in this volume1 be capable of being arrived at without much difficulty1 and it is1 therefore1 only those undated specimens which1 from their appearance1 may be older than that period that call for consideration here4 ,they are but few in number1 and a comparison of one or two of them may be of service as indicating the kind of examination to which old specimens should be subjected4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #d4--,,sampler ,,of ,,cut ,,and ,,embroidered ,,work4 ,,early #ag,,th ,,century4 ,the late ,canon ,bliss4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iii4--,,portion ,,of ,,long ,,sampler ,,by ,a4 ,s4 ,,dated #afdh4 ,author's ,collection4 ,owing to its great length this ,sampler is not shown in its entirety4 ,a portion of the upper part1 which consists of various unconnected designs1 and figures of birds1 beetles1 flies1 and crayfish1 has been omitted4 ,in the portion illustrated is a man with a staff followed by a stag bearing a leaf in its mouth1 a unicorn and lion1 and the initials ,a4,s41 with date #afdh4 ,the bands of ornaments which follow are in several instances those which find a place nearly two centuries later as the borders of ,samplers still4 ,the lower portion is interesting for the changes which are rung upon the oak leaf and acorn4 ,the silks of which it is made are in three colours only--blue1 pink1 and a yellowish green--which are worked upon a coarsish linen4 ,size1 #cd-c_/d #h-a_/b4 ,it is in the author's collection4 ,a somewhat similar ,sampler1 dated #afff1 is in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,the earliest samplers present but little of the regularity of design which marks the dated ones4 ,they were made for use and not for ornament1 a combination which was probably always aimed at in those where regularity and order marked the whole4 ,they would resemble that illustrated in ,plate ,,ii41 which bears evidence that it was nothing more or less than an example1 whence a variety of patterns could be worked1 for in almost every instance the design is shown in both an early and complete condition4 ,it is somewhat difficult to assign a date to it1 but the employment of silver and gold wirework to a greater or lesser extent in almost every part1#b the coarse canvas upon which it is worked1 and the colours1 point to its being of the ,elizabethan or early ,jacobean period1 the linked ,s's in ,fig4 #e perhaps denoting the ,stuart period4 ,one of the two specimens of #afdh 7,plate ,,iii47 continues in its upper portion this dropping of the decoration in a haphazard way on the canvas1 although the greater part of it is strictly confined to rows of regular form4 ,at first sight ,fig4 #d should for the same reason be assigned to an earlier date than #afdh1 for the greater1 and not the lesser1 portion of it is embroidered without any apparent design4 ,but more careful consideration discloses the fact that the sampler was evidently begun at the top with thorough regularity1 and it was only at a later stage that the worker probably tired1 and decided to amuse herself with more variety and less formality4 ,nor can an earlier date be assigned to ,fig4 #e on account of the irregularity and incompleteness of the lines1 which have evidently been carried out no further than to show the pattern4#c ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #e4--,,portion ,,of ,,sampler4 #ag,,th ,,century4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #f4--,,portion ,,of ,,sampler ,,of ,,cut ,,and ,,embroidered ,,work4 #ag,,th ,,century4 ,the late ,mrs ,head4 ,the forms which the lettering takes will probably be found to be one of the best guides to the age of the early samplers1 and on this ground ,fig4 #f1 with its peculiar ,g and its reversed ,p for a ,q1 may be earlier than #afej1 although the stags and the pear-shaped ornament beneath them are closely allied to those in ,plate ,,iii41 dated #afdh4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #g4--,,samplers ,,in ,,the ,,victoria ,,and ,,albert ,,museum4 ,,dated #afdc1 #affg1 ,,and #afif4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv4--,,sampler ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,calthorpe4 ,,dated #afef4 ,mrs ,charles ,longman4 ,this small ,sampler 7it measures only #ag #g7 is a remarkable testimony to the goodness of the materials used by our ancestors1 and the care that has been taken in certain instances to preserve these early documents of family history4 ,for it is over two hundred and sixty years since ,elizabeth ,calthorpe's very deft fingers produced what even now appears to be a very skilled performance1 and every thread of silk and of the canvas groundwork is as fresh as the day that it emerged from the dyer's hands4 ,the design is one of the unusual pictorial and ornamental combinations1 the pictorial representing the ,sacrifice of ,isaac in two scenes4 ,texts and mottoes also furnish a clue to age1 for they extend backwards beyond #afhf on but one known sampler1 namely that of ,martha ,salter in the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 dated #afea1 which has the maxim1 ,the feare of ,god is an excellent gift1 although on such articles as purses and the like they are to be found much earlier1 and the ,sonnet to ,queen ,elizabeth1 to which we have referred1 shows that they were in vogue in #afab4 ,age may also be approximated by the ornament and by the material of which the sampler is made1 which differs as time goes on4 ,the following table has been formed from many specimens that have come under my inspection2 it shows the earliest date at which various forms of ornament appear on dated samplers so far as ,i have been able to trace them4 ,adam and ,eve1 figure of #agji ,alphabet #afdc ,border enclosing sampler #agbf ,border of flowing naturalistic flowers #agcj ,boxers 7and until #ageh7 #afdh ,crown #afia ,eyelet form of lettering 78 ,anne ,gover's1 circ4 #afaj7 #afgb ,fleur-de-,lys 7see1 however1 ,plate ,,iii47 #agdb ,flower in vase #agdb ,heart #agea ,house #agfe ,inscription #affb ,motto or text #afea ,mustard-coloured canvas #agbh ,name of maker 78 ,anne ,gover's1 circ4 #afaj7 #afdh ,numerals #afee ,rows of ornament 7latest #agda7 #afdh ,stag 7but only common between #ageh and #ahbf7 #afdh ,the ,spies to ,canaan #ahjd ,verse 78 ,lora ,standish1 circ4 #afce7 #afif ,lettering on ,samplers ,it is from this1 rather than from any other feature1 that we trace the evolution of the sampler4 ,originally a pattern sheet of devices and ornaments1 there were added to it in time alphabets and numerals of various kinds1 which the increased luxury of the house called for as aids to the marking of the linen and clothes4 ,later on the monotony of alphabets and numerals was varied by the addition of the maker's name1 the year1 an old saw or two1 and ultimately flights into moral or religious verse4 ,alphabets and ,numerals ,although a sampler without either alphabets or numerals would seem to be lacking in the very essence of its being1 it is almost certain that the earliest forms did not contain either1 but 7like that in ,plate ,,ii47 were merely sheets of decorative designs4 ,for the need of pattern-books of designs would as certainly precede that of copy-books of alphabets and numerals1 as the pleasure of embroidering designs upon garments preceded that of marking their ownership by names1 and their quantity by figures4 ,a sampler would seldom1 if ever1 be used as a text-book for children to learn letters or figures from1 except with the needle1 and the need for lettering and figuring upon them would1 therefore1 as we have said1 only arise when garments or napery became sufficiently common and numerous to need marking4 ,this period had clearly been reached when our earliest dated samplers were made1 for1 out of dated specimens of the seventeenth century that ,i have examined1 two-thirds carry the alphabet upon them1 and the majority have the numerals4 ,it is rare to find later samplers without them1 those of the eighteenth century containing assortments of every variety of lettering1 ,scottish ones especially laying themselves out for elaborately designed and florid alphabets4 ,with the advent of the nineteenth century1 however1 the sampler began to lose its raison d'tre1 and quite one-half of those then made omit either the alphabet1 or numerals1 or both4 ,signatures ,initials1 which are followed by signatures1 occur upon samplers of the earliest date4 ,it is true that one or two of the undated samplers1 which probably are earlier than any of the dated ones1 carry neither1 but as a rule initials1 or names1 are found upon all the early specimens4 ,thus the early one in ,plate ,,ii4 has the initials ,m4 ,c41 and the two dated in #afdh are marked respectively ,a4 ,s4 and ,rebekah ,fisher1 and that of #afdi1 ,s4 ,i4 ,d4 ,in later times unsigned samplers are the exception4 ,inscriptions ,the earliest inscriptions are practically only signatures1 thus3 ,mary ,hall is my name and when ,i was thirteen years of age ,i ended this in #affb2 or1 somewhat amplified3 ,ann ,wattel is my name with my needle and thred ,i ded this sam and if it hath en beter ,i wold---- 7,remainder illegible47#d ,the earliest inscriptions1 other than a signature such as the foregoing1 that ,i have met with are ,lora ,standish's 7,fig4 #dc7 and ,miles ,fletwood's referred to under ,american ,samplers1 dated #afed 7,fig4 #dd71 and which has the rhyme1 ,in prosperity friends will be plenty but in adversity not one in twenty4 ,the next1 dated #afhf1 has a saw which is singularly appropriate to a piece of needlework3 ,apparell thy self with ivstice and cloth thy self with chastitie so shall thov bee happi and thy works prosper4 ,ann ,tvrner 7,fig4 #h74 ,it is dated #afhf4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #h4--,,long ,,sampler1 ,,signed ,,ann ,,turner1 #afhf4 ,the late ,mr ,a4 ,tuer4 ,in ,plate ,,vi41 on a sampler of the same year1 we have wording which is not infrequently met with in the cycles which follow1 as1 for instance1 in ,mrs ,longman's sampler1 dated #afif1 and in one of #agja4 ,it runs thus3-- ,look well to that thoo takest in ,hand ,its better worth then house or ,land4 ,when ,land is gone and ,money is spent ,then learning is most ,excelent ,let vertue be ,thy guide and it will keep the out of pride ,elizabeth ,creasey ,her ,work done in the year #afhf4 ,dated in #afic-id are the set of samplers recording national events1 to which reference will be made elsewhere4 ,in the last-named year 7#afid7 a sampler bears the verse3 ,love thou thee ,lord and he will be a tender father unto thee4 ,and one of #afih1 ,be not wise in thy own eyes4--,sarah ,chamberlain4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,v4--,,portion ,,of ,,sampler ,,by ,,mary ,,hall4 ,,dated #affb4 ,this plate only shows the upper half of a remarkably preserved ,sampler4 ,like its fellow 7,plate ,,vi47 it is distinguished by its admirable decorative qualities of colour and design4 ,the lower portion1 not reproduced1 consists of three rows of designs in white thread1 and four rows of drawn work4 ,the inscription1 which is in the centre1 and is reproduced in part1 runs thus3 ,ma,ry ,ha,l,l ,,is ,my ,na,me ,an,d ,w,hen ,i ,wa,s ,t,h,i,r,teen yea,r,s ,,of ,,age ,i ,,ended ,,this ,in #affb4 ,size1 #cd x #h-a_/b4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #i4--,,sampler ,,by ,,eliz4 ,,baker4 ,,dated #agci4 ,a preference for saws rather than rhymes continues until the eighteenth century is well advanced4 ,the following are instances3-- ,if you know ,christ you need know little more if not ,alls lost that you have ,la,rnt before4--,elisabeth ,bayles1 #agjc4 ,the ,life of ,truth buteafieth ,youth and maketh it lovely to behold ,blessed are they that maketh it there staey and pryes it more than gold it shall be to them a ryoul diadem transending all earthly joy4--,elisabeth ,chester1 #agab4 ,keep a strict guard over thy tongue1 thine ear and thine eye1 lest they betray thee to talk things vain and unlawful4 ,be sparing of thy words1 and talk not impertinently or in passion4 ,keep the parts of thy body in a just decorum1 and avoid immoderate laughter and levity of behaviour4--,sarah ,grimes1 #agcj4 ,favour is deceitful ,and beauty is vain ,but a woman that feareth the ,lord ,she shall be praised4--,mary ,gardner1 aged #i1 #agdj4 ,another undated one of the period is3-- ,awake1 arise behold thou ,hast thy ,life ,a,l,i,fe ,th,y ,breath ,a,b,l,a,st at night ,,ly ,down ,prepare to have thy ,sleep thy ,death thy ,bed ,thy ,grave4 ,one with leisure might search out the authors of the doggerel religious and moral verses which adorned samplers4 ,the majority are probably due to the advent of ,methodism1 for we only find them occurring in any numbers in the years which followed that event4 ,it may be noted that ,divine and ,moral ,songs for ,children1 by ,isaac ,watts1 was first published in #agbj1 that ,wesley's ,hymns appeared in #agcf1 and ,dr ,doddridge's in #agch4 ,we may here draw attention to the eighteenth-century fashion of setting out the ,lord's ,prayer and the ,ten ,commandments 7,fig4 #i71 and other lengthy manuscripts from the ,old ,testament in tablets similar to those painted and hung in the churches of the time4 ,the tablets in the samplers are flanked on either side by full length figures of ,christ and ,moses1 or supported by the chubby winged cherubs of the period which are the common adornments of the ,georgian gravestones4 ,in the exhibition at ,the ,fine ,art ,society's were specimens dated #agae1 #agce1 #agdj1 #ageg1 and #agfb1 the ,belief taking1 in three instances1 the place of the ,commandments4 ,on occasions the pupil showed her proficiency in modern languages as well as with the needle1 by setting out the ,lord's ,prayer in ,french1 or even in ,hebrew4 ,contemporaneously with such lengthy tasks in lettering as the ,tables of the ,law1 came other feats of compassing within the confines of a sampler whole chapters of the ,bible1 such as the #cgth ,chapter of ,ezekiel1 worked by ,margaret ,knowles in #agch2 the #acdth ,psalm 7a favourite one71 by ,elizabeth ,greensmith in #agcg1 and of later dates the three by members of the ,bront family4 ,the last-named samplers 7,figs4 #aj1 #aa1 and #ab7 by three sisters of the ,bront family which1 through the kindness of their owner1 ,mr ,clement ,shorter1 ,i am able to include here1 have1 it will be seen1 little except a personal interest attaching to them4 ,in comparison with those which accompany them they show a strange lack of ornament1 and a monotony of colour 7they are worked in black silk on rough canvas7 which deprive them of all attractiveness in themselves4 ,but when it is remembered who made them1 and their surroundings1 these appear singularly befitting and characteristic4 ,for1 as the dates upon them show1 they were produced in the interval which was passed by the sisters at home between leaving one ill-fated school1 which caused the deaths of two sisters1 and their passing to another4 ,it was a mournful1 straitened home in which they lived1 one in which it needed the ardent ,protestantism that is breathed in the texts broidered on the samplers to uphold them from a despair that can almost be read between the lines4 ,it was also1 for one at least of them1 a time of ceaseless activity of mind and body1 and we can well understand that the child ,charlotte1 who penned1 between the ,april in which her sampler was completed and the following ,august1 the manuscript of twenty-two volumes1 each sixty closely written pages1 of a catalogue1 did not take long to work the sampler which bears her name4 ,the ages of the three girls when they completed these samplers were3 ,charlotte1 #ac2 ,emily ,jane1 #aa2 and ,anne1 #aj4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aj4--,,sampler ,,by ,,charlotte ,,bront4 ,,dated #ahbi4 ,mr ,clement ,shorter4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aa4--,,sampler ,,by ,,emily ,,jane ,,bront4 ,,dated #ahbi4 ,mr ,clement ,shorter4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ab4--,,sampler ,,by ,,anne ,,bront4 ,,dated #ahcj4 ,mr ,clement ,shorter4 ,but the lengthiest task of all was set to six poor little mortals in the ,orphans' ,school1 near ,calcutta1 in ,bengal1 ,east ,indies4 ,these wrought six samplers by the direction of ,mistress ,parker1 dividing between them the longest chapter in the ,bible1 namely1 the #aaith ,psalm4 ,it was evidently a race against time1 for on each is recorded the date of its commencement and finish1 being accomplished by them between the #adth of ,february and the #bcrd of ,june #agig4 ,at the top of each is a view of a different portion of the school2 one of these is reproduced in ,fig4 #c4 ,returning to the chronological aspect of sampler inscriptions4 ,as the eighteenth century advances we find verses coming more and more into fashion1 although at first they are hardly distinguishable from prose1 as1 for instance1 in the following of #agah3-- ,you ask me why ,i love1 go ask the glorius son1 why it throw the world doth run1 ask time and fat fate8 the reason why it flow1 ask dammask rosees why so full they blow1 and all things elce suckets fesh which forceeth me to love4 ,by this you see what car my parents toock of me4 ,elizabeth ,matrom is my name1 and with my nedell ,i rought the same1 and if my judgment had beene better1 ,i would have mended every letter4 ,and she that is wise1 her time will pris 7e71 she that will eat her breakfast in her bed1 and spend all the morning in dressing of her head1 and sat at deaner like a maiden bride1 ,god in ,his mercy may do much to save her1 but what a cas is he in that must have her4 ,elizabeth ,matrom4 ,the sun sets1 the shadows fleys1 the good consume1 and the man he deis4 ,more than one proposal has been made1 in all seriousness1 during the compilation of this volume1 that it would add enormously to its interest and value if every inscription that could be found upon samplers were herein set out at length4 ,it is needless to say that it has been altogether impossible to entertain such a task4 ,it is true that the feature of samplers which1 perhaps1 interests and amuses persons most is the quaint and incongruous legends that so many of them bear1 but ,i shall1 ,i believe1 have quite sufficiently illustrated this aspect of the subject if ,i divide it into various groups1 and give a few appropriate examples of each4 ,these may be classified under various headings4 ,verses commemorating ,religious ,festivals ,these are1 perhaps1 more frequent than any others4 ,especially is this the case with those referring to ,easter1 which is again and again the subject of one or other of the following verses3-- ,the holy feast of ,easter was injoined ,to bring ,christ's ,resurrection to our ,mind1 ,rise then from ,sin as he did from the ,grave1 ,that by his ,merits he your ,souls may save4 ,white robes were worn in ancient ,times they say1 ,and gave ,denomination to this ,day ,but inward ,purity is required most ,to make fit ,temples for the ,holy ,ghost4 ,mary ,wilmot1 #agfa4 ,or the following3-- ,see how the lilies flourish wite and faire1 ,see how the ravens fed from heaven are2 ,never distrust thy ,god for cloth and bread ,while lilies flourish and the ,raven's fed4 ,mary ,heaviside1 #agce4 ,or the variation set out on ,fig4 #ai4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vi4--,,portion ,,of ,,sampler ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,creasey4 ,,dated #afhf4 ,the ,late ,mr ,a4 ,tuer4 ,this ,sampler1 of which only the upper half is reproduced1 is remarkable not only for the decorative qualities of its design but for its perfect state of preservation4 ,it consists1 besides the four rows which are seen1 of one other in which the drawn work is subservient in quantity to the embroidery1 and of seven rows in which the reverse is the case4 ,the inscription1 which is set out below1 alternates in rows with those of the design4 ,the butter colour of the linen ground is well reproduced in the plate4 ,the original measures #cbh4 ,,inscription4 ,look ,well to that thou takest in ,hand ,its ,better ,worth ,then house ,or ,land ,when ,land is gone and ,money is spent ,then learn ing is most ,excelent ,let vertue ,be ,thy guide and it will kee p the out of pride ,elizabeth ,creasey ,her work ,done in the year #afhf4 ,as also in that by ,kitty ,harison1 in our illustration1 ,fig4 #ac4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ac4--;,,easter ,,sampler ,,by ,,kitty ,,harison4 ,,dated #aggj4 ,the ,christmas verse is usually3-- ,glory to ,god in the ,highest2 but an unusual one is that in ,margaret ,fiddes's sampler1 #aggc3-- ,the ,night soon past1 it ran so fast4 ,the ,day ,came on ,amain4 ,our ,sorrows ,ceast ,our ,hopes ,encreast once more to ,meet again ,a ,star appears ,expells all ,fears ,angels give ,kings to ,know ,a ,babe was sent ,with that intent to ,conquer ,death below4 ,ascension ,day is marked by3-- ,the heavens do now retain our ,lord ,until he come again1 ,and for the safety of our souls ,he there doth still remain4 ,and quickly shall our ,king appear ,and take us by the hand ,and lead us fully to enjoy ,the promised ,holy ,land4 ,sarah ,smith1 #agid4 ,whilst ,passion ,week is recognisable in3-- ,behold the patient ,lamb1 before his shearer stands1 etc4 ,the ,crucifixion itself1 although it is portrayed frequently in ,german samplers 7examples in ,the ,fine ,art ,society's ,exhibition were dated #afgd1 #agbd1 and #aggf71 is seldom1 if ever1 found in ,english ones1 but for ,good ,friday we have the lines3-- ,alas and did my ,saviour bleed ,for such a worm as ,i8 ,verses taking the ,form of ,prayers1 ,dedications1 ,etc4 ,amongst all the verses that adorn samplers there were none which apparently commended themselves so much as those that dedicated the work to ,christ4 ,the lines usually employed are so familiar as hardly to need setting out1 but they have frequent varieties4 ,the most usual is3-- ,jesus permit thy gracious name to stand ,as the first ,effort of young ,phoebe's hand ,and while her fingers on this canvas move ,engage her tender ,heart to seek thy ,love ,with thy dear ,children let her ,share a ,part ,and write thy name thyself upon her ,heart4 ,harriot ,phoebe ,burch1 aged #g years1 #ahbb4 ,a variation of this appears in the much earlier piece of ,lora ,standish 7,fig4 #dc74 ,another1 less common1 but which again links the sampler with a religious aspiration1 runs3-- ,better by ,far for ,me ,than all the ,simpsters ,art ,that ,god's commandments be ,embroider'd on my ,heart4 ,mary ,cole1 #agei4 ,verses to be used upon rising in the morning or at bedtime are not unfrequent2 the following is the modest prayer of ,jane ,grace ,marks 7#ahjg74 ,if ,i am right1 oh teach my heart ,still in the right to stay1 ,if ,i am wrong1 thy grace impart ,to find that better way4 ,but one in my possession loses1 by its ludicrousness1 all the impressiveness which was intended3-- ,oh may thy powerful word ,inspire a breathing worm ,to rush into thy kingdom ,lord ,to take it as by storm4 ,oh may we all improve ,thy grace already given ,to seize the crown of love ,and scale the mount of heaven4 ,sarah ,beckett1 #agih4 ,lastly1 a prayer for the teacher3-- ,oh smile on those whose liberal care ,provides for our instruction here2 ,and let our conduct ever prove ,we're grateful for their generous love4 ,emma ,day1 #ahcg4 ,verses ,referring to ,life and ,death ,the fact that ,religion never was designed to make our pleasures less appears seldom or never to have entered into the minds of those who set the verses for young sampler workers4 ,from the earliest days when they plied their needle their thoughts were directed to the shortness of life and the length of eternity1 and many a healthy and sweet disposition must have run much chance of being soured by the morbid view which it was forced to take of the pleasures of life4 ,for instance1 a child of seven had the task of broidering the following lines3-- ,and now my soul another year ,of thy short life is past ,i cannot long continue here ,and this may be my last4 ,and one1 no older1 is made to declare that3-- ,thus sinners trifle1 young and old1 ,until their dying day1 ,then would they give a world of gold ,to have an hour to pray4 ,or3-- ,our father ate forbidden ,fruit1 ,and from his glory fell2 ,and we his children thus were brought ,to death1 and near to hell4 ,or again3-- ,there's not a sin that we commit ,nor wicked word we say ,but in thy dreadful book is writ ,against the judgment day4 ,a child was not even allowed to wish for length of days4 ,poor little ,elizabeth ,raymond1 who finished her sampler in #aghi1 in her eighth year1 had to ask3-- ,lord give me wisdom to direct my ways ,i beg not riches nor yet length of days ,my life is a flower1 the time it hath to last ,is mixed with frost and shook with every blast4 ,a similar idea runs through the following3-- ,gay dainty flowers go simply to decay1 ,poor wretched life's short portion flies away2 ,we eat1 we drink1 we sleep1 but lo anon ,old age steals on us never thought upon4 ,not less lugubrious is ,esther ,tabor's sampler1 who1 in #agga1 amidst charming surroundings of pots of roses and carnations1 intersperses the lines3-- ,our days1 alas1 our mortal days ,are short and wretched too ,evil and few the patriarch says ,and well the patriarch knew4 ,a very common verse1 breathing the same strain1 is3-- ,fragrant the rose1 but it fades in time ,the violet sweet1 but quickly past the ,prime ,white lilies hang their head and soon decay ,and whiter snow in minutes melts away ,such and so with'ring are our early joys ,which time or sickness speedily destroys4 ,and the melancholy which pervades the verse on the sampler of ,elizabeth ,stockwell 7,fig4 #ad7 is hardly atoned for by the brilliant hues in which the house is portrayed4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vii4--,,sampler ,,by ,,hannah ,,dawe4 #ag,,th ,,century4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,this is a much smaller specimen than we are wont to find in long ,samplers1 for it measures only #ah #g-a_/d4 ,it differs also from its fellows in that the petals of the roses in the second and third of the important bands are in relief and superimposed4 ,the rest of the decoration1 on the other hand1 partakes much more of an outline character than is usual4 ,as a specimen of a seventeenth-century ,sampler it leaves little to be desired4 ,it is signed ,hannah ,dawe4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ad4--,,sampler ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,stockwell4 #ahcb4 ,the late ,mr ,a4 ,tuer4 ,the gruesomeness of the grave is forcibly brought to notice in a sampler dated #agcf3-- ,when this you see1 remember me1 ,and keep me in your mind2 ,and be not like the weathercock ,that turn att every wind4 ,when ,i am dead1 and laid in grave1 ,and all my bones are rotten1 ,by this may ,i remembered be ,when ,i should be forgotten4 ,ann ,french put the same sentiment more tersely in the lines3-- ,this handy work my friends may have ,when ,i am dead and laid in grav4 #agff4 ,it is a relief to turn to the quainter and more genuine style of ,marg't ,burnell's verse taken from ,quarles's ,emblems1 and dated #agbj3-- ,our life is nothing but a winters day1 ,some only breake their fast1 so away1 ,others stay dinner1 depart full fed1 ,the deeper age but sups and goes to bed4 ,hee's most in debt1 that lingers out the day1 ,who dyes betimes1 has lesse and lesse to pay4 ,this verse has crossed the ,atlantic1 and figures on ,american samplers4 ,but the height of despair was not reached until the early years of the nineteenth century1 when ,odes to ,passing ,bells1 and such like1 brought death and the grave into constant view before the young and hardened sinner thus3-- ,,ode ,,to ,a ,,passing ,,bell ,hark my gay friend that solemn toll ,speaks the departure of a soul ',tis gone1 that's all we know not where1 ,or how the embody'd soul may fare ,only this frail fleeting breath ,preserves me from the jaws of death ,soon as it fails at once ,i'm gone ,and plung'd into a world not known4 ,ann ,gould ,seller1 ,hawkchurch1 #ahba4 ,samplers oftentimes fulfilled the rle of funeral cards1 as1 for instance1 this worked in black3-- ,in memory of my beloved ,father ,john ,twaites who died ,april #aa #ahbi4 ,life how short--,eternity how long4 ,also of ,james ,twaites ,my grandfather who died ,dec4 #ca1 #ahad4 ,how loved1 how valu'd once1 avails thee not ,to whom related1 or by whom begot1 ,a heap of dust alone remains of thee1 ',tis all thou art1 and all the proud shall be4 ,curiously enough1 whilst compiling this chapter the writer came across an artillery non-commissioned officer in the ,okehampton ,camp who1 in the intervals of attending to the telephone1 worked upon an elaborate ,berlin woolwork sampler1 ornamented with urns1 and dedicated ,to the ,memory of my dear father1 etc4 ,duties to ,parents and ,preceptors ,that the young person who wrought the sampler had very much choice in the selection of the saws and rhymes which inculcate obedience to parents and teachers is hardly probable1 and it is not difficult to picture the households or schools where such doctrines as the following were set out for infant hands to copy3-- ,all youth set right at first1 with ,ease go on1 ,and each new ,task is with new ,pleasure done1 ,but if neglected till they grow in years ,and each fond ,mother her dear ,darling spares1 ,error becomes habitual and you'll find ',tis then hard labour to reform the ,mind4 ,the foregoing is taken from the otherwise delightful sampler worked by a child with the euphonious name of ,ann ,maria ,wiggins1 in her seventh year1 that is reproduced in ,plate ,,xii4 ,preceptors also appear to have thought it well to early impress upon pliable minds the dangers which beset a child inclined to thoughts of love3-- ,oh ,mighty ,god that knows how inclinations lead ,keep mine from straying lest my ,heart should bleed4 ,grant that ,i honour and succour my parents dear ,lest ,i should offend him who can be most severe4 ,i implore ore me you'd have a watchful eye ,that ,i may share with you those blessings on high4 ,and if ,i should by a young youth be ,tempted1 ,grant ,i his schemes defy and all ,he has invented4 ,elizabeth ,bock1 #agfd4 ,samplers were so seldom worked by grown-up folk that one can hardly believe that the following verse records an actual catastrophe to the peace of mind of ,eleanor ,knot3-- ,,on ,,disingenuity ,with soothing wiles he won my easy heart ,he sigh'd and vow'd1 but oh he feigned the smart2 ,sure of all friends the blackest we can find ,are those ingrates who stab our peace of mind4 ,a not uncommon and much more agreeable verse sets forth the duties of man towards woman in so far as matrimony is concerned3-- ,adam alone in ,paradise did grieve ,and thought ,eden a desert without ,eve1 ,until ,god pitying his lonesome state ,crown'd all his wishes with a lovely mate4 ,then why should men think mean1 or slight her1 ,that could not live in ,paradise without her4 ,samplers bearing the foregoing verse are usually decorated with a picture of our first parents and the ,tree of ,knowledge1 supported by a demon and angel4 ,the parent or teacher sometimes spoke through the sampler1 as thus1 in ,lucia ,york's1 dated #agbe3-- ,oh child most dear ,incline thy ear ,and hearken to ,god's voice4 ,or again3-- ,return the kindness that you do receive ,as far as your ability gives leave4 ,mary ,lounds4 ,humility ,i'd recommend ,good nature1 too1 with ease1 ,be generous1 good1 and kind to all1 ,you'll never fail to please4 ,susanna ,hayes4 ,samplers ,expatiating upon ,virtue or ,vice1 ,wealth or ,poverty1 ,happiness or ,misery ,amongst these may be noted3-- ,happy is he1 the only man1 ,who out of choice does all he can ,who business loves and others better makes ,by prudent industry and pains he takes4 ,god's blessing here he'll have and man's esteem1 ,and when he dies his works will follow him4 ,of those dealing with wealth or poverty none1 perhaps1 is more incisive than this3-- ,the world's a city full of crooked streets1 ,and ,death's the market-place where all men meet2 ,if life was merchandise that men could buy ,the rich would always live1 the poor alone would die4 ,an ,american sampler has the following from ,burns's ,grace before ,meat3-- ,some men have meat who cannot eat ,and some have none who need it4 ,but we have meat and we can eat1 ,and so the ,lord be thanked4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,viii4--,,sampler ,,by ,,mary ,,postle4 ,,dated #agdg4 ,mrs ,c4 ,j4 ,longman4 ,an early specimen of a bordered ,sampler1 dated #agdg1 the rows being relegated to a small space in the centre1 where they are altogether an insignificant feature in comparison with the border4 ,some of the ornament to which we have been accustomed in the rows survives1 as for instance the pinks1 but a new one is introduced1 namely1 the strawberry4 ,here are also the ,noah's ,ark animals1 trees1 etc41 which henceforward become common objects and soon transform the face of the ,sampler4 ,the border itself is in evident imitation of the worsted flower work with which curtains1 quilts1 and other articles were freely adorned in the early eighteenth century4 ,inscriptions having an ,interest owing to their ,quaintness ,the following dates from #agdj1 and has as appendix the line1 ,god prosper the war3-- ,the sick man fasts because he cannot eat ,the poor man fasts because he hath no meat ,the miser fasts to increase his store ,the glutton fasts because he can eat no more ,the hypocrite fasts because he'd be condemned ,the just man fasts cause he hath offended4 ,an ,american version of this ends with3-- ,praise ,god from whom all blessings flow ,we have meat enow4 ,that self-conceit was not always considered a failing1 is evident from the following verses3-- ,this needlework of mine may tell ,that when a child ,i learned well ,and by my elders ,i was taught ,not to spend my time for nought1 which is concentrated and intensified in one of ,frances ,johnson1 worked in #agig3-- ,in reading this if any faults you see ,mend them yourself and find no fault in me4 ,in a much humbler strain is this from an old sampler in ,mrs ,longman's collection3-- ,when ,i was young ,i little thought ,that wit must be so dearly bought ,but now experience tells me how ,if ,i must thrive1 then ,i must bowe ,and bend unto another will1 ,that ,i might learn both arte skill4 ,owing to the portrayal of an insect1 which was not infrequently met with in days gone by1 upon the face of the sampler which bears the following lines1 it has been suggested that they were presumably written by that creature3-- ,dear ,debby ,i love you sincerely ,my heart retains a grateful sense of your past kindness ,when will the hours of our ,separation be at an end8 ,preserve in your bosom the remembrance of your affectionate ,deborah ,jane ,berkin4 ,the following1 coming about the date when the abolition of the slave trade was imminent1 may have reference to it3-- ,,there',s mercy in each ray of light1 that mortal eye e'er saw1 ,there's mercy in each breath of air1 that mortal lips can draw1 ,there's mercy both for bird1 and beast1 in ,god's indulgent plan1 ,there's mercy for each creeping thing--,but man has none for man4 ,elizabeth ,jane ,gates ,aged #ab years1 #ahbi4 ,riddle samplers1 such as that of ,ann ,witty1 do not often occur3-- ,i had both and a by both ,i set great store ,i lent my ,money to my ,friend and took his word therefor ,i asked my of my and nought but words ,i got ,i lost my and my for sue him1 ,i would not4 ,here1 too1 is an ,acrostick1 the first letters of whose lines spell the name of the young lady who ended it ,anno ,dom4 #agdi4 ,a virgin that's ,industrious ,merits ,praise1 ,nature she ,imitates in ,various ,ways1 ,now forms the ,pink1 now gives the ,rose its blaze4 ,young ,buds1 she folds1 in tender ,leaves of green1 ,omits no shade to beautify her ,scene1 ,upon the ,canvas1 see1 the ,letters rise1 ,neatly they shine with intermingled dies1 ,glide into ,words1 and strike us with ,surprize4 ,e4 ,w4 ,as illustrations of tales the sampler of ,sarah ,young 7,fig4 #ae7 is an unusual example4 ,it deals with ,sir ,richard ,steele's story of the loves of ,inkle and ,yarico4 ,inkle1 represented as a strapping big sailor1 was cast away in the ,spanish ,main1 where he met and loved ,yarico1 an ,indian girl1 but showed his baseness by selling her for a slave when he reached ,barbadoes in a vessel which rescued him4 ,the story evidently had a considerable1 if fleeting1 popularity1 for it was dramatised4 ,the ,design1 ,ornament and ,colouring of ,samplers ,whilst important clues to the age of a sampler may be gathered from its form and legend1 its design and colouring are factors from which almost as much may be learnt4 ,design can be more easily learned from considering in detail the illustrations1 which have been mainly chosen for their typifying one or other form of it1 but certain general features are so usually present that they may be summarised here4 ,no one with any knowledge of design can look through the specimens of samplers selected for this volume without noting1 first1 that it is1 in the earlier specimens1 appropriate to the subject1 decorative in treatment1 and lends itself to a variety of treatment with the needle4 ,secondly1 that the decoration is not ,english in origin1 but is usually derived from foreign sources4 ,indeed1 if we are to believe an old writer of the ,jacobean time1 the designs were ,collected with much praise and industrie1 ,from scorching ,spaine and freezing ,muscovie1 ,from fertile ,france and pleasant ,italie1 ,from ,poland1 ,sweden1 ,denmarke1 ,germanie1 ,and some of these rare patternes have been set ,beyond the boundes of faithlesse ,mahomet1 ,from spacious ,china and those ,kingdomes ,east ,and from great ,mexico1 the ,indies ,west4 ,thus are these workes farre fetch't and dearly bought1 ,and consequently good for ladyes thought4 ,thirdly1 that after maintaining a remarkable uniformity until the end of the seventeenth century1 design falls away1 and with rare exceptions continuously declines until it reaches a mediocrity to which the term can hardly be applied4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ae4--,,sampler ,,by ,,sarah ,,young4 ,,about #agej4 ,mrs ,head4 ,the same features are noticeable in the colouring4 ,the samplers of the ,caroline period are in the main marked by a softness and delicacy1 with a preference for tender and harmonious shades of pinks1 greens1 and blues1 but these quickly pass out of the schemes of colouring until their revival a few years ago through the influence of ,japan and the perspicuity1 of ,sir ,lazenby ,liberty4 ,this delicacy is not1 as some suppose1 due to time having softened the colours1 for examination shows that fading has seldom taken place1 in fact one of the most remarkable traits of the earlier samplers is the wonderful condition of their colouring 7see ,mrs ,longman's sampler of #afef1 ,plate ,,iv41 as an example74 ,towards the end of the seventeenth century the adoption of a groundwork of roughish close-textured canvas of a canary hue also militated against this ensemble of the colour scheme1 which is now and again too vivid1 especially in the reds1 a fact which may1 in part1 be due to their retaining their original tint with a persistency that has not endured with the other dyes4 ,during the early ,georgian era sampler workers seem to have passed through a stage of affection for deep reds1 blues1 and greens1 with which they worked almost all their lettering4 ,the same colours are met with in the large embroidered curtains of the time2 it is probably due to the influence of the tapestries and the ,chinese embroideries then so much in vogue4 ,in the opening years of the eighteenth century a pride in lettering gave rise to a series of samplers of little interest or artistic value1 consisting1 as they did1 of nothing else than long sentences1 not readily readable1 and worked in silks in colours of every imaginable hue used indiscriminately1 even in a single word1 without any thought bestowed on harmony or effect of colouring4 ,later on1 towards the middle of the century1 more sober schemes of colour set in1 consisting in the abandonment of reds and the employment of little else than blues1 greens1 yellows1 and blacks 7see ,plate ,,ix471 which are attractive through their quietness and unity4 ,subsequently but little praise can be bestowed upon samplers so far as their design is concerned4 ,occasionally1 as in that of ,mr ,ruskin's ancestress 7,plate ,x471 a result which is satisfactory1 both in colour and design1 is arrived at1 but this is generally due to individual taste rather than to tuition or example4 ,in this respect samplers only follow in the wake of all the other arts--furniture and silversmiths' work1 perhaps1 excepted1 as regards both of which the taste displayed was also individual rather than national4 ,an evil which cankered later sampler ornamentation was a desire for novelty and variety4 ,the earliest samplers exhibit few signs of attempts at invention in design4 ,a comparison of any number of them shows ideas repeated again and again with the slightest variation4 ,the same floral motives are adapted in almost every instance1 and one and all may well have been employed since the days when they arrived from the ,far ,east1 brought1 it may be1 by the ,crusaders4 ,but it is in no derogatory spirit that ,i call attention to this lack of originality4 ,a craftsman is doing a worthier thing in assimilating designs which have shown their fitness by centuries of use1 patterns which are examples of fine decorative ornament that really beautifies the object to which it is applied1 than in inventing weak and imperfect originals4 ,no architect is accused of plagiarism if he introduces the pointed arch1 and the great designs of the past are free and out of copyright4 ,the ,greek fret1 or the ,persian rose1 is as much the property of anyone as the daisy or the snowdrop1 and it was far better to make sound decorative pieces of embroidery on the lines of these than to attempt1 as was done later on1 feeble originals1 which have nothing ornamental or decorative in their composition4 ,the workers of the ,east1 when perfection was arrived at in a design1 did not hesitate to reproduce it again and again for centuries4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ix4--,,sampler ,,by ,e4 ,,philips4 ,,dated #agfa4 ,author's ,collection4 ,were it not that this ,sampler was produced by little ,miss ,philips at the tender age of seven1 there would be a probability that it was unique through its containing a portrait of the producer4 ,for in no other example have we so many evidences pointing to its being a record of actual facts4 ,for instance1 there is clearly shown a gentleman pointing to his wife 7in a hooped costume71 and having round him his five girls of various ages1 the youngest in the care of a nurse4 ,in the upper left corner is his son in charge of a tutor1 whilst on the right are two maid-servants1 one being a woman of colour4 ,this fashion for black servants is further emphasised by the negro boy with the dog4 ,that these should be present in this family is not remarkable1 for by the lower illustration it is evident that ,mr ,philips was a traveller who had crossed the seas in his ship to where alligators1 black swans and other rare birds abounded4 ,the work was executed in #agfa1 the second year of ,george the ,third1 whose monogram and crown are supported by two soldiers in the costume of the period4 ,it has been most dexterously carried out by the young lady1 and it is conceived in a delicate harmony of greens and blues which was not uncommon at that time4 ,size1 #ai #ab-a_/b4 ,an adaptation of this ,sampler has been utilised as the drop scene to the play of ,peter ,pan4 ,but the mistress of a ladies' improving school would hardly like her pupils to copy time after time the same designs--designs which perhaps resembled those of a rival establishment4 ,such a one would be oblivious to the fact that an ornamentalist is born not made1 that the best design is traditional1 and that pupils would be far more worthily employed in perpetuating ornamentation which had been invented by races intuitively gifted for such a purpose1 than in attempting feeble products of her own brain4 ,so1 too1 results show that she was1 as a rule1 unaware that good design is better displayed in simplicity than in pretentiousness4 ,as that authority on design1 the late ,lewis ,day1 wrote in his volume on ,embroidery1 ,the combination of a good designer and worker in the same person is an ideal very occasionally to be met with1 and any attempt to realise it generally fails4 ,samplers show in increasing numbers as the end approaches that their designers were ignorant of most of the elementary rules of ornamentation in needlework1 such1 for instance1 as that the pictorial is not a suitable subject for reproduction1 nor the delineation of the human figure1 nor that the floral and vegetable kingdom1 whilst lending itself better than aught else1 should be treated from the decorative1 and not the realistic point of view4 ,we will now pass on to consider generally the forms of decoration most usually met with4 ,sampler ,design3 the ,human ,figure ,whilst embroideries in imitation of tapestries deal almost entirely with the portrayal of the human figure1 samplers of the same period1 and that the best1 for the most part avoid it4 ,this is somewhat remarkable1 for the design of the ,renaissance1 which was universally practised at the time upon which we are dwelling1 was almost entirely given up to weaving it into other forms1 and the volumes which treat of embroidery show how frequently it occurs in foreign pieces of needlework4 ,the omission is a curious one1 but the reason for it is1 apparently1 not far to seek4 ,if we examine the earlier pieces we shall see that practically one type of figure only presents itself4 ,save in exceptional pieces1 such as ,mrs ,longman's early piece 7,plate ,,iv471 where the figures are clearly copied from one of the small tapestry pieces so in vogue at that date 7#afef71 or ,mrs ,millett's piece 7,fig4 #af71 the figures which appear upon samplers are all cast in one mould1 and in no way improve but rather mar the composition4 ,this last-named drawn-work sampler is a specimen altogether apart for beauty of design and workmanship4 ,doubts have been expressed as to its ,english origin1 but portions of the ornament1 such as the acorn1 and the ,stuart ,s in the lowest row1 are thoroughly ,english2 besides1 as we have seen1 design in almost every one of the seventeenth-century samplers is infected with foreign motives4 ,the uppermost panel is supposed to represent ,abraham1 ,sarah1 and the ,angel4 ,to the left is the tent1 with the folds worked in relief1 in a stitch so fine as to defy ordinary eyesight4 ,sarah1 who holds up a hand in astonishment at the angel's announcement1 has her head-dress1 collar1 and skirt in relief1 the latter being sewn with microscopic fleurs-de-lis4 ,the winged angel to the left of ,abraham has a skirt composed of tiny scallops1 which may represent feathers4 ,a rabbit browses in front of the tent4 ,the centre of the second row is occupied by a veiled mermaid1 her tail covered with scalloped scale in relief4 ,she holds in either hand a cup and a mask4 ,the lettering in the two flanking panels is ,s4,i4,d4 #afdi ,a4,i4 ,the decorative motive of the outer panels is peapods in relief1 some open and disclosing peas4 ,roses and tulips fill the larger square below1 and these are followed by a row 7reversed7 of tulips and acorns4 ,four other rows complete the sampler1 which only measures #ah-a_/b #f-c_/d4 ,in order to give it a larger size the lowest row is not reproduced4 ,i have seen another drawn-work sampler which antedates that just described by a year4 ,it is of somewhat coarse texture but is good in design1 and bears in a panel at the side initials and the date4 ,the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum has also two somewhat similar drawn-work samplers--one by ,elizabeth ,wood1 dated #afff1 which contains the ,stuart ,s's2 the other 7undated7 has the arms of ,james ,i4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #af4--;,,drawn-,,work ,,sampler ,,by ,s4 ,i4 ,d4 ,,dated #afdi4 ,mrs ,c4 ,f4 ,millett4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ag4--,,sampler ,,by ,,jean ,,porter4 #agji-aj4 ,a type of figure prevalent in early samplers has puzzled collectors who possess specimens containing it4 ,it wears a close-fitting costume and has arms extended1 and has received the name of a ,boxer1 presumably from its attitude and costume4 ,it and a companion are continuously depicted for nearly a century1 finally disappearing about #agdb1 but maintaining their attitude with less variation than any other form of ornament1 the only alteration being in the form of the trophy which they hold in one hand4 ,it is this trophy1 if we may use such a term1 that negatives the idea of their being combatant figures1 and it almost with certainty places them in the category of the ,greek ,erotes1 the ,roman ,amores1 or the ,cupids of the ,renaissance4 ,it is difficult to give a name to the trophy in most of the samplers1 and the worker was clearly often in doubt as to its structure4 ,in some it resembles a small vase with a lid1 in others a spray with branches or leaves on either side4 ,in one of #afgc it takes the form of a four-petalled flower1 and in one of #afgi that of an acorn1 which is repeated in samplers of #afhd1 #afic1 and #afid1 this repetition being probably due to the acorn being a very favourite subject for design under the ,stuarts4 ,in a sampler of #afic acorns are held in either hand4 ,in one of #agdb 7,fig4 #ah71 the object held is a kind of candelabra4 ,the little figures themselves preserve a singular uniformity of costume1 which again points to their being the nude ,erotes1 clothed1 to suit the times1 in a tight-fitting jerkin and drawers4 ,these are always of gayest colours4 ,on occasions 7as in a sampler dated #afic7 they don a coat1 and have long wigs1 bringing them into line with the prevailing fashion4 ,when these figures disappear their place is taken by those of our first parents in the ,garden of ,eden1 the incongruity of which is well depicted in the sampler illustrated in ,fig4 #ag4 ,this piece of work1 which took nearly a year to complete--it was begun on #adth ,may #agji1 and finished on #fth ,april #agaj--;is unlike any other that ,i have seen of that period1 for it antedates1 by nearly half a century1 the scenes from real life which afterwards became part and parcel of every sampler4 ,adam and ,eve became quite common objects on samplers after #agfj4e ,mention need only be made here of the dressed figures which occur in samplers dated during the reign of ,george the ,third4 ,they are sometimes quaint 7as in ,plates ,,ix4 and ,,xi471 but they hardly come into any scheme of decoration4 ,the squareness of the stitch used in later samplers renders any imitation of painting such as was attempted altogether a failure4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ah4--,,sampler4 ,,name ,,illegible4 ,,date #agdb4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,sampler ,design3 ,animals ,animals in any true decorative sense hardly came into sampler ornament4 ,whilst the tapestry pictures teem with them1 so that one wanting in a lion or stag is a rarity1 in samplers1 probably1 the difficulty of obtaining rounded forms with the stitch used in the large grained canvas was a deterrent4 ,the lion only being found on the ,fletwood sampler of #afed 7,fig4 #dd7 and the stag1 which in tapestry pictures usurps the place of the unicorn1 appears but rarely on samplers before the middle of the eighteenth century1 when it came into fashion1 and afterwards occurs with uninterrupted regularity so long as samplers were made4 ,this neglect of animals is hardly to be deplored1 for when they do occur they are little else than caricatures 7see1 for instance1 those in ,plate ,,iii474 ,birds1 which lend themselves to needlework1 appear in the later samplers 7,plate ,,xi4 and ,fig4 #ah71 but hardly as part of any decorative scheme4 ,sampler ,design3 ,flowers ,with the practically insignificant exceptions which we have just noticed1 the ornamentation of the sampler was confined to floral and geometrical motives1 and whilst the latter were for the most part used in drawn-work samplers1 the former constituted the stock whence the greater part of the decoration employed in the older examples was derived4 ,amongst the floral and vegetable kingdom the selection was a wide one1 but a few favourites came in for recognition in almost every sampler1 partly because of their decorative qualities1 and partly from their being national badges4 ,with few exceptions they were those which were to be met with in ,english seventeenth-century gardens1 and undoubtedly1 in some instances1 may have been adapted by the makers from living specimens4 ,chief among the flowers was the rose1 white and red1 single and double1 the emblem for centuries previously of two great parties in the ,state1 a badge of the ,tudor kings1 a part of the insignia of the realm1 and occupying a foremost place upon its coinage4 ,in sampler ornamentation it is seldom used either in profile or in bud1 but generally full face1 and more often as a single than as a double flower4 ,as a form of decoration it may have been derived from foreign sources1 but it clearly owed its popularity to the national significance that attached to it4 ,the decorative value of the pink or carnation has been recognised from the earliest times1 and a piece of ,persian ornament is hardly complete without it4 ,it is not surprising1 therefore1 that the old sampler workers utilised it to the full1 and in fact it appears oftener than the rose in seventeenth-century specimens4 ,ten of the thirteen exhibits of that century at ,the ,fine ,art ,society's ,exhibition in #aijj contained it as against seven where the rose was figured4 ,it maintains this position throughout1 and the most successful of the borders of bordered samplers are those where it is utilised4 ,specimens will be found in ,plates ,,iii41 ,,iv41 and ,,vi4 ,the decorative value of the honeysuckle was hardly appreciated1 and it only appeared on samplers of the date of #afdh 7,plate ,,iii471 #affb 7,plate ,v471 #affh1 #agja1 and #agaa1 in the ,exhibition1 and the undated one reproduced in ,fig4 #d4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,x4--,,sampler ,,by ,,catherine ,,tweedall4 ,,dated #agge4 ,mrs ,arthur ,severn4 ,the ,sampler is noteworthy not only on account of its harmonious colour scheme1 its symmetry of parts1 and the excellence of its needlework1 but as having been wrought by a young lady who afterwards became ,mrs ,ruskin1 and the grandmother of ,john ,ruskin4 ,her name1 ,cathrine ,tweedall1 is worked in the lower circle1 and is illegible in the otherwise admirable reproduction1 owing to its being in a faded shade of the fairest pink4 ,the verse was probably often read by her renowned grandson1 and may perchance have spurred his determination to strive in the race in which he won so high a reward4 ,mrs ,arthur ,severn1 to whom the ,sampler belongs1 notes that the ,jean ,ross whose name also appears upon it was the sister of the great ,arctic explorer4 ,the date of the ,sampler is #agge4 ,sampler workers were very faithful to the strawberry1 which1 after appearing in almost every one of the seventeenth-century long samplers1 was a favourite object for the later borders1 and it may be seen almost unaltered in specimens separated in date by a century at least4 ,we give in ,fig4 #ca a very usual version of it4 7,see also ,plate ,,xiii47 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ai4--,,sampler ,,by ,,mary ,,anderson4 #ahca4 ,lady ,sherborne4 ,other fruits and flowers which now and again find a place are the fig1 which will be seen in ,plate ,,iii42 the pineapple1 the thistle 7,fig4 #ba71 and the tulip in samplers dated #affb1 #afid1 #agfj1 and #ahbe 7,plate ,,xiii474 ,although the oak tree acquired political significance after the flight of ,charles ,,ii41 that fact can in no way account for such prominence being attached to its fruit and its foliage as1 for instance1 is the case in samplers dated #afdd and #afdh 7,plate ,,iii471 where varieties of these are utilised in a most decorative fashion in several of the rows of ornament1 or in another of the following years 7,fig4 #af74 ,but1 curiously enough1 after appearing in almost every seventeenth-century sampler1 it disappeared entirely at the commencement of the eighteenth century4 ,sampler ,design3 ,crowns1 ,coronets1 ,etc4 ,the crown seems to have been suddenly seized upon by sampler makers as a form of decoration1 and for half a century it was used with a tiresome reiteration4 ,it had1 of course1 been largely used in ,tudor decoration1 and on the restoration of the monarchy it would be given prominence4 ,but it probably was also in vogue because it lent itself to filling up spaces caused by alphabets not completing a line1 and also because it allowed of variation through the coronets used by different ranks of nobility4 ,we have seen in the sampler1 ,fig4 #bj1 that the coronet of each order was used with a letter beneath1 indicating duke1 earl1 etc4 ,on occasions crowns were also used with some effect as a border4 ,it is possible that the fashion for coronets was derived from foreign samplers1 where this form of decoration was frequently used about the end of the seventeenth century1 doubtless owing to the abundance of ennobled personages2 they may well have come over with many other fancies which followed in the train of the ,house of ,hanover4 ,the earliest sampler in the ,exhibition before referred to which bore a crown was one of #afic2 but the coronet was there placed in conjunction with the initials ,m4 ,d41 and might be that of a titled lady who worked it4 ,after that it appeared in one dated #agje 7where it was clearly a royal one connected with ,her ,majesti ,queen ,anne71 and in samplers dated #agah1 #agbf1 #agbh 7#agdj1 in which there were at least fifty varieties71 and so on almost yearly up to #agfg1 after which it gradually disappeared1 two only out of seventy subsequent samplers containing it4 ,these were dated #agih and #ahjd4 ,in countries where almost every family bore a rank which warranted the use of a coronet1 there would be a reason for their appearance as part of what would have to be embroidered on table linen1 etc4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bj4--,,sampler4 ,,scottish 7874 #ah,,th ,,century4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,,note4--,the bright colouring1 coarse canvas1 and ornate lettering of this piece suggest a ,scottish origin4 ,it dates from about #agcj1 and is one of the earliest of the bordered samplers1 the border being at present an altogether insignificant addition4 ,it is also one of the first specimens of decoration with crowns and coronets1 the initials underneath standing for king1 duke1 marquis1 earl1 viscount1 lord1 count1 and baron4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ba4--,,sampler ,,by ,j4 ,h4 ,,jane ,,heath4 ,a4,d4 #agbe4 ,mr ,ashby ,sterry4 ,the tiny sampler with crown illustrated in ,fig4 #ba was one of four contributed to the ,exhibition by ,mr ,ashby ,sterry1 each of them representing a generation in his family4 ,it is unfinished1 the background only having been completed in the lower half2 its crown and thistle denote its ,scottish origin4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bb4--,,sampler ,,by ,,mary ,,bywater4 #agea4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bc4--;,,heart-,,shaped ,,sampler ,,by ,,mary ,,ives4 ,,dated #agif4 ,miss ,haldane4 ,,note4--,this delightful little sampler is reproduced in its full size1 and is most delicately adorned with a pink frilled ribbon edging4 ,we do not know which of the three ladies whose names it bears worked it1 or to which of them the lines1 ,be unto me kind and true as ,i be unto you1 were addressed4 ,the date1 it will be seen1 is #agif1 and it shows that at the end of the century there was still an affection for the little flying ,cupids so usual upon eighteenth-century gravestones4 ,we have remarked upon the absence of the cross in samplers3 even here we do not find it1 although we have the heart and anchor4 ,sampler ,design3 ,hearts ,this emblem1 which one would have imagined to be a much more favourite device with impressionable little ladies than the crown1 is more seldom met with4 ,in fact1 it only figured on four of the hundreds of samplers which composed the ,exhibition1 and in three of these cases it was in conjunction with a crown4 ,when it is remembered how common the heart used to be as an ornament to be worn1 and how it is associated with the crown in foreign religious ,art1 its infrequency is remarkable4 ,the unusually designed small sampler 7the reproduction being almost the size of the original71 ,fig4 #bb1 dated #agea1 simply worked in pale blue silk1 on a fine khaki-coloured ground1 has a device of crowns within a large heart4 ,fig4 #bc shows a sampler in the form of a heart1 and has1 in conjunction with this symbol1 anchors4 ,it is dated #agif4 ,the ,borders to ,samplers ,the sampler with a border was the direct and natural outcome of the sampler in rows4 ,a case1 for instance1 probably occurred1 as in ,fig4 #bd1f where a piece of decoration had a vacant space at its sides1 and resort was at once had to a portion of a row1 in this case actually the top one4 ,from this it would follow as a matter of course that the advantage1 from a decorative point of view1 of an ornamental framework was seen and promptly followed4 ,the earliest border ,i have seen is that reproduced in ,fig4 #be1 from a sampler dated #agbf1 but it is certain that many must exist between that date and #agjj1 the date upon the sampler in ,fig4 #bd just referred to4 ,the #agbf border consists of a pattern of trefoils1 worked in alternating red and yellow silks1 connected by a running stem of a stiff angular character2 the device being somewhat akin to the earlier semi-border in ,fig4 #bd4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bd4--;,,drawn-,,work ,,sampler ,,by ,s4 ,w4 ,a4,d4 #agjj4 ,mrs ,c4 ,j4 ,longman4 ,it is astonishing with what persistency the samplerists followed the designs which they had had handed to them in the row samplers1 confining their attentions to a few favourites1 and repeating them again and again for a hundred and fifty years1 and losing1 naturally1 with each repetition somewhat of the feeling of the original4 ,we give a few examples which show this persistency of certain ideas4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #be4--;,,border ,,of ,,mary ,,lounds',s ,,sampler4 ,a4,d4 #agbf4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bf4--;,,border ,,of ,,mary ,,heaviside',s ,,sampler4 ,a4,d4 #agce4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bg4--;,,border ,,of ,,elizabeth ,,greensmith',s ,,sampler4 ,,aged #aj4 ,,july ,,ye #bf1 #agcg4 ,the border in ,fig4 #bf is dated #agce1 and presents but little advance from a decorative point of view4 ,it is the production of ,mary ,heaviside1 and is upon an ,easter sampler1 which bears1 besides the verse to the ,holy ,feast of ,easter1 the ,lord's ,prayer and the ,belief4 ,the border may possibly typify the ,cross and the ,tree of ,life4 ,elizabeth ,greensmith's sampler 7,fig4 #bg71 worked two years later1 in #agcg1 is more pretentious in form1 the body of the work being taken up with a spreading tree1 beneath which repose a lion and a leopard4 ,the border consists of an ill-composed and ill-drawn design of yellow tulips1 blue-bells1 and red roses4 ,the stem1 which runs through this and almost every subsequent design1 is here very feebly arranged2 it is1 however1 only fair to say that the work is that of a girl in her tenth year4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bh4--;,,border ,,of ,,margaret ,,knowles',s ,,sampler4 ,,aged #i4 ,a4,d4 #agch4 ,margaret ,knowles's sampler 7,fig4 #bh71 made in the next year--,a4,d4 #agch--;is the earliest example ,i know of the use on a border of that universal favourite the pink1 which is oftentimes hardly distinguishable from the corn blue-bottle4 ,in the present instance it is1 however1 flattened almost out of recognition1 whilst the design is spoilt by the colossal proportions of the connecting stem4 ,in the second row of the sampler1 ,fig4 #bd1 it is seen in a much simpler form1 and it will also be found in ,plate ,,vi4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bi4--;,,border ,,to ,,sampler ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,turner4 ,a4,d4 #agga4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xi4--,,sampler ,,by ,,ann ,,chapman4 ,,dated #aggi4 ,mrs ,c4 ,j4 ,longman4 ,incongruity between the ornament and the lettering of a ,sampler could hardly be carried to a more ludicrous extreme than in ,ann ,chapman's1 which is here reproduced in colour4 ,the two points of ,agur's prayer1 which fills the panel1 are that before he dies vanity shall be removed far from him1 and that he shall have neither poverty nor riches4 ,yet as surroundings and supporters to this appeal we have two figures posing as mock shepherd and shepherdess1 and decked out in all the vanities of the time4 ,agur's prayer was apparently often selected1 for we see it again in the ,sampler of ,emily ,jane ,bront 7,fig4 #aj71 but there it has the quietest of ornament to surround it1 and it is worked in black silk2 whereas in the present case there is no ,sampler in the collection where the whole sheaf of colours has been more drawn upon4 ,the remaining illustrations of borders are selected as being those where the design is well carried out1 and as showing how the types continue4 ,the first 7,fig4 #bi71 worked by ,elizabeth ,turner in #agga1 represents a conventional rose in two aspects2 the second1 by ,sarah ,carr 7,fig4 #cj71 in #ahji1 is founded on the honeysuckle2 whilst the third 7,fig4 #ca7 is a delightfully simple one of wild strawberries that is frequently found in samplers from the earliest 7in ,plate ,,ii47 onwards4 ,in that from which this example is taken1 worked by ,susanna ,hayes in #ahac1 it is most effective with its pink fruit and green stalks and band4 ,it will be noticed that it even crossed the ,atlantic1 for it reappears in ,mr ,pennell's ,american sampler1 ,plate ,,xiii4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cj4--;,,border ,,to ,,sampler ,,by ,,sarah ,,carr4 ,a4,d4 #ahji4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ca4--;,,border ,,to ,,sampler ,,by ,,susanna ,,hayes4 ,a4,d4 #ahac4 ,how even the border degenerated as the nineteenth century advanced may be seen in the monotonous ,greek fret used in the three samplers of the ,bronts 7,figs4 #aj1 #aa1 #ab71 and in that of ,mary ,anderson 7,fig4 #ai74 ,miscellanea respecting ,samplers ,under this heading we group what remains to be said concerning samplers1 namely3-- ,the ,age and ,sex of ,sampler ,workers ,in modern times samplers have been almost universally the product of children's hands2 but the earliest ones exhibit so much more proficiency that it would seem to have been hardly possible that they could have been worked by those who were not yet in their teens4 ,this supposition is in a way supported by an examination of samplers4 ,of those prior to the year #agjj1 ,i have seen but one in which the age of the maker is mentioned4 ,it reads thus1 ,mary ,hall is my name and when ,i was thirteen years of age ,i ended this in #affb4 ,on the other hand1 the rhyme which we quoted at page #ej1 attached to one in ,mrs ,longman's possession1 which1 although undated1 is certainly of the seventeenth century1 points to it being the work of a grown-up and possibly a married lady4 ,it is not until we reach the year #agjd that ,i have found a sampler 7,fig4 #cb7 which was the product of a child under ten1 namely1 that bearing the inscription ,martha ,haynes ended her sampler in the #ith year of her age1 #agjd4 ,this is quickly followed by one by ,anne ,michel1 the daughter of ,john and ,sarah ,michel ended ,nov4 the #ba being #aa years of age and in the #c year of ,her ,majesti ,queen ,anne and in the year of ovr ,lord #agje4 #agdj is the next date upon one worked by ,mary ,gardner1 aged #i 7page #bg74 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cb4--,,small ,,sampler ,,by ,,martha ,,haynes4 ,,dated #agjd4 ,late in the ,author's ,collection4 ,from #agej onwards the majority of samplers are endorsed with the age of the child1 and the main interest in the endorsements lies in the remarkable proficiency which many of them exhibit1 considering the youth of the worker1 and in the tender age at which they were wrought4 ,almost one half of the tiny workers have not reached the space when their years are marked with two figures1 and we even have one mite of six producing the piece of needlework reproduced in ,fig4 #cc1 and talking of herself as in her prime in the verse set out upon it4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cc4--,,sampler ,,by ,,sarah ,,pelham1 ,,aged #f4 ,but perhaps the most remarkable achievement is the goldfinch sampler illustrated in ,plate ,,xii41 which was worked by ,ann ,maria ,wiggins at the age of seven4 ,it is not unreasonable to suppose that samplers were on occasions worked by children of both sexes4 ,one's own recollection carries back to canvas and ,berlin wool-work having been one way of passing the tedious hours of a wet day4 ,but specimens where the ,christian name of a male appears are few and far between1 and more often than not they are worked in conjunction with others1 which would seem to indicate that they are only there as part and parcel of a list 7which is not unusual7 of the family4 ,in the sampler illustrated in ,fig4 #cd the boy's name1 ,robert ,henderson1 is in black silk1 differing from any of the rest of the lettering1 which is perhaps testimony to his having produced it4 ,this sampler shows the perpetuation until #agfb of the form in which rows are the predominant feature4 ,a sampler1 formerly in the author's collection1 was more clearly that of a boy1 being signed ,lindsay ,duncan1 ,cuper sic1 #aghh4 ,another ,scottish one bears the name or names ,alex4 ,peter ,isobel ,dunbar1 whilst a third of the same kind is signed ,mathew was born on ,april #af1 #agfd1 and sewed this in ,august1 #aggd4 ,the ,size of ,samplers ,the ravages of time and the little value attached to them have probably reduced to very small numbers the tiny samplers such as those which are seen in ,figs4 #ce and #cf1 and which must have usually been very infantine efforts4 ,those illustrated1 however1 show the progress made by two sisters1 ,mary and ,lydia ,johnson1 in two years4 ,presumably ,lydia was the elder1 and worked the sampler which bears her name and the date #aghd4 ,this was copied by her sister ,mary in the following year1 but in a manner which showed her to be but a tyro with the needle2 nor much advanced in stitchery in the following year1 in which she attempted the larger sampler which bears her name4 ,lydia1 on the other hand1 in the undated sampler1 but which was probably made in the year #aghf1 showed progress in everything except the power of adapting the well-known design of a pink to the small sampler on which she was engaged1 as to which she clearly could not manage the joining of the pattern at the corners4 ,the originals of these samplers measure from four to six inches in their largest dimensions4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cd4--,,scottish ,,sampler ,,by ,,robert ,,henderson4 ,,dated #agfb4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ce4--,,small ,,samplers ,,by ,,mary ,,johnson4 #aghe-f4 ,author's ,collection4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cf4--,,small ,,samplers ,,by ,,lydia ,,johnson4 #aghd4 ,author's ,collection4 ,the ,place of ,origin of ,samplers ,collectors1 in discussing samplers among themselves1 have wondered whether it would be possible to assign differences in construction and material to their having been produced in localities where the characteristic forms and patterns had not permeated4 ,but those specimens which the author has examined1 and which by a superscription gave a clue as to their place of origin1 certainly afford insufficient foundation for such assumptions4 ,in the first place1 samplers so marked are certainly not sufficiently numerous to warrant any opinion being formed on the subject1 and1 as to those not so marked1 the places where they have been found cannot be taken into account as being their birthplaces1 as families to whom they have for long belonged may naturally have removed from quite different parts of the kingdom since the samplers were made4 ,it is surprising how seldom the workers of samplers deemed it necessary to place upon them the name of the district which they inhabited4 ,there are few who followed the example of the girl who describes herself on a sampler dated #agff1 thus3-- ,ann ,stanfer is my name ,and ,england is my nation ,blackwall is my dwelling place ,and ,christ is my salvation4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cg4--,,scottish ,,sampler ,,by ,,mary ,,bayland4 #aggi4 ,the only names of places in ,england recorded on samplers in ,the ,fine ,art ,society's ,exhibition were ,chipping ,norton1 ,sudbury1 ,hawkchurch1 and ,tottenham1 and certain orphan schools or hospitals1 such as ,cheltenham and ,ashby4 ,curiously enough1 the ,scottish lassies were more particular in adding their dwelling-place1 thus1 in the sampler reproduced in ,fig4 #cg1 and which is interesting as a survival as late as #aggi of a long sampler1 ,mary ,bayland gives her residence as ,perth1 and others have been noted at ,cupar1 ,dunbar1 and elsewhere in ,scotland4 ,it might be expected that these ,scottish ones would differ materially from those made far away in the southern parts of the kingdom1 but whilst those in ,figs4 #cb and #cd have a certain resemblance and difference from others in the decoration of their lettering1 that in ,fig4 #cf might well have been worked in ,england1 showing that there were no local peculiarities such as we might expect4 ,it will be seen that two of the ,american samplers figured here have their localities indicated1 namely ,miss ,damon's school at ,boston 7,fig4 #ej7 and ,brooklyn 7,fig4 #dg74 ,samplers as ,records of ,national ,events ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ch4--,,sampler ,,by ,,mary ,,minshull4 ,,dated ,,june #bi1 #afid4 ,a largely added interest might have been given to samplers had a fashion arisen of lettering them with some historical occurrence which was then stirring the locality1 but unfortunately their makers very rarely rose to so much originality4 ,three rare instances were to be seen in ,the ,fine ,art ,society's ,exhibition4 ,these1 curiously enough1 came together from different parts of the country--one from ,nottingham1 a second from ,hockwold1 ,norfolk1 and the third from the author's collection in ,london--but they were worked by two persons only1 one by ,mary ,minshull1 and two by ,martha ,wright4 ,they are all unusual in their form of decoration 7as will be seen by that illustrated in ,fig4 #ch71 and were practically similar in design1 colour1 and execution1 each having a set of single pinks worked in high relief in the centre of the sampler4 ,their presence together was certainly a testimony to the all-embracing character of the ,exhibition4 ,the inscriptions upon them were as follows3-- 7#a7 ,the ,prince of ,orang landed in the ,west of ,england on the #eth of ,november #afhh1 and on the #aath ,april #afhi was crowned ,king of ,england1 and in the year #afib the ,french came to invade ,england1 and a fleet of ships sent by ,king ,william drove them from the ,english seas1 and took1 sunk1 and burned twenty-one of their ships4--,signed ,martha ,wright1 ,march #bfth1 #afic4 7#b7 ,there was an earthquake on the #hth ,september #afib in the ,city of ,london1 but no hurt tho it caused most part of ,england to tremble4--,signed ,mary ,minshull4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xii4--,,sampler ,,by ,,ann ,,maria ,,wiggins4 #ai,,th ,,century4 ,mrs ,c4 ,j4 ,longman4 ,this ,goldfinch ,sampler was one of the most elaborate ,samplers in the ,bond ,street ,exhibition1 and is really a wonderful production for a child of seven years of age4 ,it was probably made early in the nineteenth century4 ,the third was a combination of the two inscriptions4 ,nothing of a similar character in work of the eighteenth century has come under my notice1 but the ,peace of #ahjb produced the following lines on a sampler3-- ,past is the storm and o'er the azure sky serenely shines the sun ,with every breeze the waving branches nod their kind assent4 ,,on ,,peace ,hail ,england's favor'd ,monarch3 round thy head ,shall ,freedom's hand ,perennial laurels spread4 ,fenc'd by whose sacred leaves the royal brow ,mock'd the vain lightnings aim'd by ,gallic foe ,alike in arts and arms illustrious found ,proudly ,britannia sits with laurel crown'd ,invasion haunts her rescued ,plains no more ,and hostile inroads flies her dangerous shore ,where'er her armies march her ensigns ,play ,fame points the course and glory leads the way4 99 99 99 99 99 ,o ,britain with the gifts of ,peace thou'rt blest ,may thou hereafter have ,perpetual rest ,and may the blessing still with you remain ,nor cruel war disturb our land again4 ,the ,definitive ,treaty of ,peace was signed ,march #bgth #ahjb proclaimed in ,london ,april the #bith #ahjb--,thanksgiving ,june the #ast #ahjb4 ,mary ,ann ,crouzet ,decbr #ag #ahjb4 ,later samplers gave expression to the universal sympathy elicited by the death of ,queen ,charlotte4 ,map ,samplers ,needlework maps may very properly be classed under the head of samplers1 for they originated in exactly the same way1 namely1 as specimens of schoolgirl proficiency1 which when taken home were very lasting memorials of the excellence of that teaching termed the use of the globes4 ,maps were only the product of the latter half of the eighteenth century2 at least1 none that ,i have seen go back beyond that time1 the earliest being dated #aggg4 ,their interest for the most part is no more than that of a map of a contemporary date2 for instance1 the ,north ,america reproduced in ,fig4 #ci has nothing whatever in the way of needlework to recommend it1 but it shows what any map would1 namely1 how little was known at that date of the ,western ,states or ,canada4 ,a map of ,europe in the ,exhibition1 dated #ahji1 was a marvellous specimen of patient proficiency in lettering1 every place of note being wonderfully and minutely sewn in silk4 ,the executant was ,fanny le ,gay1 of ,rouen4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ci4--,,map ,,of ,,north ,,america ,,by ,m4,a4,k4 #agch4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dj4--,,map ,,of ,,england ,,and ,,wales ,,by ,,ann ,,brown4 ,a map printed on satin or other material was sometimes worked over1 not always as regards all the lettering1 but as to the markings of the degrees of latitude and longitude1#g and some of the principal names4 ,these have naturally less interest and value as specimens of needlework than those which are entirely hand worked1 although for the purposes of geographical reference they were at all events reliable1 which is more than can be said for some of the original efforts2 as1 for instance1 that of little ,ann ,brown1 whose map of ,england and ,wales is reproduced 7,fig4 #dj74 ,starting bravely1 her delineation of ,northumberland takes her well down the canvas1 so that by the time she has reached ,newcastle she has carried it abreast of ,dumfries in ,scotland1 and ,cork in ,ireland6 ,yorkshire is so expansive that it grows downward beyond ,exeter and ,lundy ,island1 which last-named places have1 however1 by some mishap1 crept up to the northward of ,manchester and ,leeds4 ,it is a puzzle to think where the little lassie lived who could consort ,london with ,wainfleet1 the ,river ,thames with the ,isle of ,wight1 ,lichfield with ,portland1 or join ,france to ,england4 ,although one would imagine that the dwelling-place of the sempstress would usually be made notable in the map either by large lettering or by more florid colouring1 we have not found this to be the case4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #da4--,,map ,,of ,,africa4 ,,dated #aghd4 ,the map of ,africa 7,fig #da71 which is surrounded by a delightful border of spangles1 and which seems to have been used as a fire-screen1 is interesting now that so much more is known of the continent1 for many of the descriptions have undergone considerable change1 such as the ,grain ,coast1 ,tooth ,coast1 and ,slave ,coast1 which border on the ,gulf of ,guinea4 ,the sampler is also noteworthy as having been done at ,mrs ,arnold's1 which was presumably a school in ,fetherstone ,buildings1 ,high ,holborn1 hardly the place where one would expect to find a ladies' seminary nowadays4 ,american ,samplers ,tapestry pictures have such a ,royalist air about them that it is hardly probable that they found favour with the ,puritan damsels of the ,stuart reigns1 and1 consequently1 it may be doubted whether the fashion for making them crossed the ,atlantic to the ,new ,world with the ,pilgrim ,fathers1 or those who followed in their train4 ,samplers1 on the other hand1 with their moralities and their seriousness1 would seem to be quite akin to the old-fashioned homes of the ,new ,englanders1 and doubtless there must be many specimens hanging in the houses of ,new ,england and elsewhere which were produced from designs brought from the ,old ,country1 but over which a breath of native art has passed which imparts to them a distinctive interest and value4 ,three notable ones1 we know1 crossed the ,atlantic with the early settlers4 ,one1 that of ,anne ,gower 7spelled ,gover on the sampler71 first wife of ,governor ,endicott 7,fig4 #db71 is now a cherished possession of the ,essex ,institute1 ,salem1 ,massachusetts4 ,as ,governor ,endicott's wife arrived at ,salem in #afbh1 and died the following year1 we have in her sampler the earliest authentic one on record4 ,the inscription of very well-designed and elaborately-worked letters1 difficult to distinguish in the photograph1 is3-- ,,anne ,diamond ,,gover ,s ,t ,v ,w ,x ,y ,z ,j ,k ,l ,m ,n ,o ,p ,q ,r ,a a ,b ,c d ,e ,f ,g ,h ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #db4--;,,drawn-,,work ,,sampler ,,by ,,anne ,,gover1 ,,first ,,wife ,,of ,,govr4 ,j4 ,,endicott4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dc4--,,sampler ,,of ,,loara ,,standish1 ,,daughter ,,of ,,the ,,pilgrim ,,father1 ,,miles ,,standish1 ,,now ,,in ,,pilgrim ,,hall1 ,,plymouth1 ,u4,s4,a4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dd4--,,sampler ,,bearing ,,names ,,of ,,miles ,,and ,,abigail ,,fleetwood4 ,,dated #afed4 ,property of ,mrs ,frank ,boxer4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #de4--,,sampler ,,by ,,abigail ,,ridgway4 #agie4 ,mr ,a4 ,d4 ,drake's ,collection4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xiii4--,,american ,,sampler ,,by ,,martha ,c4 ,,barton4 ,,dated #ahbe4 ,mr ,joseph ,pennell4 ,mr ,joseph ,pennell's ,sampler1 which finds a place here as a specimen of ,american work1 has little to distinguish it from its fellows that were produced in ,england in the reign of ,george ,,iv4 ,the border1 it is true1 only preserves its uniformity on two of the four sides1 but where it does it is designed on an old ,english pattern1 that of the wild strawberry4 ,so1 too1 we find the ubiquitous stag and coach dogs1 ,noahs1 ash trees1 birds1 and flower baskets4 ,the sampler itself is a beautiful specimen of drawn work1 and the lettering is the same colour as the linen4 ,if1 as must probably be the case1 it was worked by her as a child1 it was made in ,england1 and its date may be the end of the first decade of the seventeenth century4 ,the second1 by ,lora ,standish1 is now in the ,pilgrim ,hall1 ,plymouth 7,fig4 #dc74 ,lora was the daughter of ,miles ,standish1 the ,pilgrim ,father1 who went to ,boston in ,february #afba1 and it bears the inscription3-- ,loara ,standish is ,my ,name ,lord ,guide ,my ,heart that ,i may do ,thy ,will ,and fill my hands with such convenient ,skill ,as will conduce to ,virtue void of ,shame ,and ,i will give the ,glory to ,thy ,name4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #df4--,,sampler ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,easton4 #agie4 ,mr ,a4 ,w4 ,drake's ,collection4 ,the earliest dated sampler in ,america of which ,i have cognisance1 and one which may have been worked in that country1 is that bearing the names of ,miles and ,abigail ,fletwood 7,fleetwood87 7,fig4 #dd74 ,it is dated #afed1 and has been owned by the descendants of ,mrs ,henry ,quincy since #agej1 and is now in the possession of ,mrs ,frank ,boxer of ,cambridge1 ,massachusetts1 who has kindly furnished me with particulars concerning it4 ,it bears the following inscription3-- ,in prosperity friends will be plenty1 ,but in adversity not one in twenty1 which1 it is thought1 may possibly have reference to the reverses of ,miles ,fletwood and his relationship to ,cromwell4 ,it is somewhat remarkable for a sampler to bear the names of husband and wife for it necessarily presupposes its having been worked after marriage4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dg4--,,sampler ,,by ,,maria ,e4 ,,spalding4 #ahae4 ,dr ,j4 ,w4 ,walker's ,collection4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dh4--,,sampler ,,by ,,martha ,c4 ,,hooton4 #ahbg4 ,mr ,a4 ,w4 ,drake's ,collection4 ,if one may judge from the photographs which collectors in ,america have sent me1 and for which ,i have to thank ,dr ,james ,w4 ,walker of ,chicago and ,mr ,a4 ,w4 ,drake of ,new ,york1 and those noted in an article on the subject in the ,century ,magazine1#h specimens between the period just named1 that is the middle of the seventeenth century and the end of the eighteenth century1 are rare4 ,we have but two such figured1 each dated #agie1 and1 as will be seen by the illustrations 7,figs4 #de and #df71 they are entirely ,british in character4 ,i am glad1 however1 to add several interesting specimens of later date from the collections of these gentlemen4 ,unfortunately1 not having the originals1 ,i can only give them in monochrome4 ,plate ,,xiii41 however1 represents in colour an ,american sampler4 ,it belongs to ,mr ,pennell1 the well-known artist and author1 and was worked by an ancestress1 ,martha ,c4 ,barton1 in #ahbe4 ,from ,mrs ,longman's collection ,i also give 7,fig4 #ea7 one1 worked in silk on a curious loose canvas1 which was obtained by her in ,massachusetts1 and has the following inscription3-- ,persevere4 ,be not weary in well doing4 ,youth in society are like flowers ,blown in their native bed1 'tis there alone ,their faculties expand in full bloom ,shine out1 there only reach their proper use4 ,wrought by ,lydia ,j4 ,cotton4 ,aged #i years4 ,august #bg4 #ahai4 ,love learning and improve4 ,foreign ,samplers ,it has been my endeavour in this volume to confine the survey of samplers and embroideries entirely to the production of the ,english-speaking race1 in part because other authors have drawn almost all their material from foreign sources1 and the subject is sufficiently ample and interesting without having recourse to them1 and also because the collections containing foreign samplers or embroideries are very few1 and although they1 perhaps1 surpass the efforts of our own countrywomen in the variety of their stitches and the proficiency with which they are executed1 they take a less important place where interest of subject is the main recommendation4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4--#di4 ,,american ,,sampler ,,of ,,the ,,lamborn ,,family4 #ahbg4 ,mr ,a4 ,w4 ,drake's ,collection4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ej4--;,,american ,,sampler ,,by ,,elizabeth ,m4 ,,ford4 ,dr ,jas4 ,w4 ,walker's ,collection4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ea4--;,,american ,,sampler ,,by ,,lydia ,j4 ,,cotton4 ,,dated #ahai4 ,mrs ,c4 ,j4 ,longman4 ,nevertheless as the acquisition of them may add an interest to those who never fail on their travels to inspect the contents of every curiosity shop they come across1 the following description of them which ,mrs ,c4 ,j4 ,longman1 who possesses a most important collection1 has been good enough to furnish1 may not be out of place4 ,my collection of foreign samplers includes specimens from the following countries3 ,germany1 ,holland1 ,belgium1 ,denmark1 ,sweden1 ,france1 ,switzerland1 ,italy1 ,spain1 and ,portugal1 but by far the largest number of my foreign samplers come from ,germany1 and1 next to ,english ones1 the ,german seem more easy to obtain than those of any other country4 ,in ,spain and ,portugal there are also a fair number in the market4 ,the dated samplers abroad seem to begin at about the same period as in ,england1 namely1 the middle of the seventeenth century4 ,the earliest specimens that ,i possess from these several countries are as follows3 ,germany1 #afgd2 ,switzerland1 #afge2 ,italy1 seventeenth century 7undated72 ,spain1 early eighteenth century 7undated72 ,belgium1 #agbd2 ,holland1 #agbf2 ,denmark1 #agdb2 ,france1 #agde2 ,portugal1 early nineteenth century 7undated74 ,there are a few marked characteristics which seem to belong to the different countries1 which it is interesting to note4 ,in the ,german samplers1 the initials of the worker and the date are almost always given1 enclosed together1 in a little garland or frame2 but ,i have never seen the name signed in full4 ,i have only once seen a ,german sampler with an inscription on it2 in that case ',fur uns geoffert' is worked above a representation of the ,crucifixion4 ,the seventeenth-century ,german samplers are rather small1 and much squarer in shape than ,english ones of the same date4 ,with the eighteenth century long1 narrow ones came in1 a quite common size being #dd in4 long1 by about #aj in4 broad1 the usual width of the linen2 the selvage is left at the top and bottom4 ,there is seldom much arrangement in the earlier ,german samplers4 ,they usually have one alphabet1 and various conventional flowers1 birds1 and other designs scattered over them4 ,with the long shape of sampler a more methodical arrangement came in4 ,a typical one is as follows3 ,lines of alphabets and numerals across the top1 some large subjects in the centre1 and designs for borders arranged in lines across the bottom4 ,the central subjects very often include a representation of the ,crucifixion and emblems of the ,passion1 namely1 the crown of thorns1 scourge1 ladder1 nails1 hammer1 tweezers1 sponge1 hour-glass1 dice1 cock4 ,adam and ,eve under the ,tree of ,knowledge is another favourite subject1 and animals such as lions1 deer1 or parrots frequently occur4 ,one does not often find houses or domestic scenes4 ,one sampler1 dated #agga1 has a christening depicted on it1 which ,i imagine to be very unusual4 ,the borders are very various4 ,in them trefoils1 grapes1 conventional pinks1 roses1 pears1 and lilies and occasionally deer and birds are worked in2 but ,i have never seen the ',boxers' or other figures that one finds in the ,english borders1 and ,i have only one specimen with acorns4 ,the earliest ,german samplers seem to be worked entirely in cross-stitch1 beautifully fine1 and the same on both sides of the material2 the back-stitching so often found on early ,english ones ,i have never seen4 ,in the eighteenth century other stitches were sometimes used1 and ,i have one ,german sampler1 dated #agai1 which is almost entirely worked in knots4 ,on others some elaborate stitches are shown1 which are mostly worked in square patches1 and are not made use of for improving the design of the samplers4 ,the earliest examples of darned samplers that ,i have seen come from ,germany1 and ,i think that one may give the ,germans the credit of inventing them2 for1 whereas1 in ,england they do not appear much before the end of the eighteenth century1 ,i have a ,german one dated #agbe1 and several others from the middle of the same century4 ,the darns on these samplers show every kind of ordinary and damask darning1 the material being usually cut away from underneath and the hole entirely filled in4 ,i have never seen ,german darning worked into designs of flowers1 birds and so on1 as we see on ,english darned samplers4 ,as in all countries1 the colours of the earlier ,german samplers are the best1 but they are in no case striking4 ,dutch samplers seem quite distinct in character from ,german ones4 ,all those that ,i have seen are broader than they are long1 and they are worked across the material1 the selvage coming at the sides1 instead of at the top and bottom4 ,they are usually dated1 and signed with initials4 ,one of their main characteristics is to have elaborate alphabets worked in two or more colours4 ,the second colour is very often worked round an ordinary letter as a sort of frame or outer edge1 and gives it a clumsy1 rather grotesque appearance4 ,the ,dutch samplers might1 as a rule1 be described as patchy4 ,without any obvious arrangement they have houses1 ships1 people1 animals1 etc41 scattered over them4 ,the stitch used is mainly cross-stitch2 but back-stitch1 an open kind of satin-stitch1 and bird's-eye-stitch are also often seen4 ,belgian samplers1 as far as ,i have seen1 approach more nearly to the ,german in style4 ,i have one1 however1 dated #agih1 which is quite distinct in character4 ,it is #fd in4 in length1 with a large1 bold alphabet of letters over #b in4 long worked on it1 such as might be used for marking blankets4 ,i have only three specimens of ,danish samplers1 but they are all remarkable for the great variety of stitches introduced4 ,i have a ,danish sampler1 and also a ,swedish one of about #ahjj worked on fine white muslin1 both giving patterns of stitches for the ',tndu' muslin drawn work4 ,these patterns imitate both needlepoint and pillow laces1 threads are drawn out one way of the material1 the remaining ones being drawn together with a great variety of stitches1 so as to follow the intricacies of lace patterns4 ,this work was much used for adorning elbow ruffles1 fichues1 etc41 and it is very like some ,indian muslin work1 though the stitches are slightly different4 ,french samplers1 as far as ,i have seen1 are also remarkable for the fineness of the stitches4 ,they are usually dated and signed in full1 and often have inscriptions worked on them4 ,one large ,french map of ,europe in my collection has #dad names worked on it in fine cross-stitch1 many of them being worked on a single thread of material1 which is a fine muslin4 ,swiss samplers show fine work1 but a great lack of effect4 ,one dated #afge has several borders on it1 worked in the back-stitch so much used in ,england at that date4 ,from ,italy ,i have no important coloured samplers1 but several point-coup ones4 ,they are undated but belong to the seventeenth century4 ,these samplers show a beauty of design which is rather in contrast to that of ,english ones of the same kind and date1 there being a grace and meaning about the ,italian patterns that one seldom finds in ,english specimens of drawn work1 fine as these are4 ,a typical coloured ,italian sampler of about #ahjj is as follows3 ,the sampler is nearly square1 and is divided into three parts4 ,in the upper division a ,latin cross is worked at the side1 and the rest of the space is filled with two alphabets1 numerals1 and the name of the worker1 but no date4 ,in the second division a cross is worked1 and fourteen emblems of the ,passion4 ,in the third division are various trees1 figures1 animals1 etc41 some local colour being given by an orange and a lemon tree in pots4 ,spain is well represented in my collection4 ,for beauty of colouring and designs ,i think that it stands far ahead of any other country4 ,spanish samplers are generally large2 they are sometimes square1 sometimes long in shape4 ,they are as a rule entirely covered with border patterns1 which in the square shape are worked along the four sides parallel to the edge2 and which in the long shape runs in lines across the sampler1 with a break in the middle1 where the border changes to another pattern1 thus giving the impression that the sampler is joined up the centre4 ,the patterns of the borders vary a great deal2 ,i have counted thirty different ones on one sampler4 ,they are mostly geometric1 and not based on any natural objects1 but the designs are so skilfully handled and elaborately worked out as to take away any appearance of stiffness2 and in them the prim acorn1 bird1 or trefoil of the ,english and ,german border patterns are never seen4 ,i have one ,spanish sampler1 dated #agch1 of a quite different type to all my others4 ,it is divided into three panels4 ,the top panel is filled with floral designs1 the centre with a gorgeous coat of arms1 and the lower panel contains a representation of ,st ,george and the ,dragon4 ,the colours used in ,spanish samplers are very striking1 and their blending in the different borders is very happy and effective4 ,most of the early specimens are worked almost entirely in satin-stitch1 although cross-stitch and back-stitch are also sometimes introduced4 ,the samplers are usually hem-stitched round the edge1 and occasionally contain some drawn work4 ,i have one early specimen in which the drawn part is worked over in coloured silks4 ,the ,spanish samplers that ,i have seen seldom have the alphabet worked on them1 and are rarely dated4 ,on the other hand1 they often have the name of the worker signed in full4 ,portugal is only represented in my collection by samplers worked in the nineteenth century2 it is therefore hardly fair to compare these specimens with the earlier ones of other countries1 for everywhere samplers began to deteriorate in that century4 ,the ,portuguese samplers that ,i possess are eminently commonplace and can well be described as ',early ,victorian4' ,it must be remembered that my remarks on foreign samplers are based on specimens belonging to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries4 ,with few exceptions ,i have not tried to collect modern ones1 which approximate much more to each other in the different countries4 ,looking back over this brief survey1 and comparing foreign samplers with ,english1 one or two differences at once stand out4 ,the foreign samplers are seldom worked in a pictorial form4 ,they hardly ever1 except in ,france1 have verses or texts worked on them4 ,the age of the worker is never given4 ,this is much to be regretted1 as in these three things lies much of the personal interest of the ,english sampler4 ,on the other hand1 from a practical point of view1 if one goes to one's samplers as to pattern-books for good stitches1 designs and effects of colour1 ,england no longer takes the first place1 and one would turn for these to the samplers of ,germany1 ,scandinavia1 ,spain1 and ,italy4 ,indian ,samplers ,many of the ,anglo-,indian mothers who reared and brought up families in the ,east ,indies in the days when the young ones had to pass all their youth in that country1 regardless of climatic stress1 must have trained their girls in the cult of sampler-making1 and the same schooling went on in the seminaries at ,calcutta and elsewhere1 as we have seen in the specimen illustrated in ,fig4 #b4 ,i am able to give another illustration 7,fig4 #eb71 which is not otherwise remarkable except for the fact that it was worked by a child at ,kirkee1 and shows how insensibly the ,european ornament becomes orientalised as it passes under ,eastern influence4 ,it is the only sampler in which there is any use made of plain spaces1 and even here it is probably only accidental4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #eb4--,,sampler ,,by ,,helen ,,price4 ,,made ,,at ,,kirkee1 ,,east ,,indies4 ,,dated #ah--4 ,late in the ,author's ,collection4 ,sampler ,literature ,although1 undoubtedly1 much of the ornament upon samplers consists of designs that have been handed down from generation to generation by means of the articles themselves1 pattern-books have not been altogether lacking even from early days4 ,they have not1 however1 rivalled either in quantity or quality those which treat of the sister ,art of lace-making1 for1 so far as is known1 early ,english treatises on the subject are limited to some half a dozen1 and these occupy themselves as much with lacework as with embroidery4 ,the first ,english book that is known is in reality a foreign one2 it is entitled1 ,new and ,singular ,patternes and ,workes of ,linnen ,serving for ,patternes to make all sorts of ,lace ,edginges and ,cut ,workes4 ,newly invented for the profite and contentment of ,ladies1 ,gentilwomen and others that are desireous of this ,art4 ,by ,vincentio4 ,printed by ,john ,wolfe #aeia4 ,we have not been able to find a copy1 and therefore can do no more than chronicle its existence4 ,a volume upon which needleworkers of the seventeenth century must have relied much more largely for their ideas was published in its early years under the title of ,the ,needle's ,excellency4 ,a ,new ,booke wherein are divers admirable workes wrought with the needle4 ,newly invented and cut in copper for the pleasure and profit of the industrious4 ,printed for ,james ,boler1 and are to be sold at the ,syne of the ,marigold in ,paules ,churchyard4 ,this treatise went to twelve editions at least1 but1 nevertheless1 is very rare4 ,the twelfth1 enlarged with divers newe workes1 needleworkes1 purles1 and others never before printed4 #afdj1 is to be found in the ,british ,museum ,library1 but even that copy has suffered considerably from usage1 for many plates are missing1 and few are in consecutive order4 ,the title-page consists of an elaborate copper plate1 in which are to be seen ,wisdom1 ,industrie1 and ,follie2 ,industrie1 seated in the middle under a tree with a formal garden behind her1 is showing ,follie1 who is decked out in gorgeous ,elizabethan costume1 her work1 and ,follie is lifting her hands in astonishment at it4 ,following the title-page comes a lengthy poem by ,taylor1 the ,water ,poet1 upon the subject of needlework4 ,so far as one can judge from the samplers of the period1 the designs for needlework in the book1 which consist of formal borders1 have been very seldom copied1 but some for drawn work undoubtedly have a close resemblance to those which we see in existing pieces4 ,another book1 which ,i have been unable to find in the ,museum1 is described as ,patternes of ,cut ,workes newly invented and never published before3 ,also ,sundry ,sorts of ,spots1 as ,flowers1 ,birdes1 and ,fishes1 etc41 which will fitly serve to be wrought1 some with gould1 some with silke1 and some with creuell in coullers2 or otherwise1 at your pleasure4 ,from ,the ,needle's ,excellency we have many clues as to needlework in the early seventeenth century4 ,first of all1 as to the articles for which samplers would be required1 the following are mentioned3 handkerchiefs1 table cloathes for parloures or for halls1 sheetes1 towels1 napkins1 pillow beares4 ,then as to the objects which were delineated on embroideries1 it states that3-- ,in clothes of ,arras ,i have often seene ,men's figured counterfeits so like have beene ,that if the parties selfe had been in place ,yet ,art would vie with nature for the grace4 ,again1 ,flowers1 ,plants and ,fishes1 ,beasts1 ,birds1 ,flyes and ,bees1 ,hills1 ,dales1 ,plains1 ,pastures1 ,skies1 ,seas1 ,rivers1 ,trees1 ,there's nothing ne'er at hand or farthest sought ,but with the needle may be shap'd and wrought4 ,it would seem from the foregoing that the volumes would be of more profit to the worker of embroidered pictures than to sampler-makers1 and this was no doubt the case2 for when the former went out of fashion1 the books dealing with the subject disappeared too1 and nothing further of any note was published1 except in the beginning of the last century1 when the ,national ,schools were furnished with manuals which dealt more with plain sewing than with decorative needlework4 ,the ,last of the ,samplers ,i can hardly close my remarks upon the entertaining subject1 the elucidation of and material for which has filled many spare hours1 without a word of regret at having to pen the elegy of the sampler4 ,it may be said that even so long ago as the era of the ,spectator there were those who sounded its death knell1 and who considered that the days when a lady crowded a thousand graces on to the surface of a garter were gone for ever4 ,for did it not go to the heart of one of ,mr ,spectator's correspondents to see a couple of idle flirts sipping their tea for a whole afternoon1 in a room hung round with the industry of their great-grandmothers1 and did he not implore that potentate to take the laudable mystery of embroidery into his serious consideration8 ,but even then there were matrons who upheld the craft1 and of whom an epitaph could be written that she wrought the whole ,bible in tapestry1 and died in a good old age after having covered three hundred yards of wall in the ,mansion ,house4 ,besides1 the samplers themselves show that the industry1 if not the ,art1 continued all through that century and for at least half of the nineteenth4 ,the decadence of the sampler has never been more tenderly or pathetically dealt with than in the description given of the dame's school in the sketch entitled ,lucy1 in ,miss ,mitford's ,our ,village4#i 444 ,there are seven girls now in the school working samplers to be framed4 ,such a waste of silk1 and time1 and trouble6 ,i said to ,mrs ,smith1 and ,mrs ,smith said to me4 ,then she recounted the whole battle of the samplers1 and her defeat2 and then she sent for one which1 in spite of her declaration that her girls never finished anything1 was quite completed 7probably with a good deal of her assistance71 and of which1 notwithstanding her rational objection to its uselessness1 ,lucy was not a little proud4 ,she held it up with great delight1 pointed out all the beauties1 selected her own favourite parts1 especially a certain square rosebud1 and the landscape at the bottom2 and finally pinned it against the wall1 to show the effect that it would have when framed4 ,really1 that sampler was a superb thing in its way4 ,first came a plain pink border2 then a green border1 zig-zag2 then a crimson1 wavy2 then a brown1 of a different and more complicated zig-zag2 then the alphabet1 great and small1 in every colour of the rainbow1 followed by a row of figures1 flanked on one side by a flower1 name unknown1 tulip1 poppy1 lily--something orange or scarlet1 or orange-scarlet2 on the other by the famous rosebud1 then divers sentences1 religious and moral2--,lucy was quite provoked with me for not being able to read them2 ,i daresay she thought in her heart that ,i was as stupid as any of her scholars2 but never was ,,ms4 so illegible1 not even my own1 as the print-work of that sampler2--then last and finest1 the landscape1 in all its glory4 ,it occupied the whole narrow line at the bottom1 and was composed with great regularity4 ,in the centre was a house of a bright scarlet1 with yellow windows1 a green door1 and a blue roof3 on one side1 a man with a dog2 on the other1 a woman with a cat--this is ,lucy's information2 ,i should never have guessed that there was any difference1 except in colour1 between the man and the woman1 the dog and the cat2 they were in form1 height1 and size1 alike to a thread1 the man grey1 the woman pink1 his attendant white1 and hers black4 ,next to these figures1 on either side1 rose two fir-trees from two red flower-pots1 nice little round bushes of a bright green or intermixed with brown stitches1 which ,lucy explained1 not to me--,don't you see the fir-cones1 sir8 ,don't you remember how fond she used to be of picking them up in her little basket at the dear old place8 ,poor thing1 ,i thought of her all the time that ,i was working them6 ,don't you like the fir-cones8--,after this1 ,i looked at the landscape almost as lovingly as ,lucy herself4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ec4--;,,beadwork ,,sampler ,,by ,,jane ,,mills4 #ai,,th ,,century4 ,late in the ,author's ,collection4 ,,note4--,the only modern sampler in ,the ,fine ,art ,society's ,exhibition in which beadwork was employed4 ,this is the more remarkable as it apparently dates from about the period when beadwork was so much in fashion for purses1 etc4 ,as we shall see in our illustrations of pictures in imitation of tapestry 7,plate ,,xxi471 beadwork was very common in the seventeenth century1 but we have not seen a single specimen of this material dated in the eighteenth century1 unless it be this one1 which we place at the end of the eighteenth or the beginning of the nineteenth century4 ,it has been prophesied that3-- ,untill the world be quite dissolv'd and past ,so long at least the needles use shall last4 ,i trow not1 if for use the word ,art may be substituted4 ,it is true that recent ,international ,exhibitions have included some marvellous specimens of adroitness in needlework1 such1 for instance1 as the wonders from ,japan2 but these tours de force1 and even the skilled productions from ,english schools1 as1 for instance1 ,the ,royal ,school of ,art ,needlework1 and which endeavour fitfully to stir up the dying embers of what was once so congenial an employment to womankind1 are no indications of any possibility of needlework regaining its hold on either the classes or the masses4 ,samplers can never again be a necessity whereby to teach the young idea1 and every year that passes will relegate them more and more into the category of interesting examples of a bygone and forgotten industry4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ed4--,,sampler ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,clarkson4 #ahha4 ,author's ,collection4 ,one sampler dated within the last half century finds a place in this book1 but it is indeed a degraded object1 and is included here to show to what the fashion had come in the ,victorian era1 an era notable for huge sums being expended on ,art schools1 and over a million children receiving ,art instruction at the nation's expense4 ,the sampler is dated #ahha1 and was the work of a lady of seventeen years of age4 ,the groundwork is a common handkerchief1 the young needlewoman evidently considering that its puce-coloured printed border was a better design than any she could invent4 ,it was produced at a school1 for there are broidered upon it the names of thirty-five other girls1 besides seven bearing her own patronymic4 ,as will be seen by the reproduction 7,fig4 #ed71 it is adorned with no less than nine alphabets1 not one of which contains an artistic form of lettering4 ,as to the ornament1 the cross and anchor hustle the pawnbroker's golden balls1 and formless leaves surround the single word ,love1 all that the maker's invention could supply of sentimentality4 ,this is apparently the best that the deft fingers of ,art-taught girlhood could then produce4 ,the flash in the pan that1 round about the date of its creation1 was leading to the production of the chairback in crewels1 collapsed before machine-made imitations1 and well it might when even a knowledge of how to stitch an initial is unnecessary1 as we can obtain by return of post from ,coventry1 at the price of a shilling or so a hundred1 a roll of our names in red1 machine-worked1 lettering4 ,truly it seems as if any use for needlework in the future will be relegated to an occasional spasmodic effort1 such as when war confronts us and our soldiers are supposed to be in need of a hundred thousand nightcaps or mufflers4 ,the decay of needlework amongst the children of the middle classes may perhaps be counterbalanced by other useful employments1 but undoubtedly with those of a lower stratum of society the lack of it has simply resulted in their filling the blank with the perusal of a cheap literature1 productive of nothing that is beneficial either to mind or body4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xiv4--,,embroidered ,,picture3 ,,christ ,,in ,,the ,,temple1 ,,stoning ,,of ,,martyrs1 ,,etc4 ,,about #afbe4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,one of the quaintest of the ,embroidery pictures4 ,differing as it does from the majority of its fellows in the costume of its figures1 and valuable as it is as a record of the dress of the first years of the seventeenth century1 the piquancy and variety of the subjects depicted combine with these to give it an unusual interest4 ,as regards the dress1 it denotes a period towards the close of the reign of ,james ,i4 ,the ruff is still worn by the doctors1 but the boots of the gentleman who walks with a lady are very close to the fashion of ,charles ,i4 ,the subjects combine religious and mundane4 ,the former comprise ,christ in the ,temple instructing the doctors1 ,susannah and the ,elders1 and a remarkable scene of ,martyrs at the stake1 one of the latter being in the uncomfortable position of having a stone protruding from his forehead4 ,the latter show the squire and his lady beside their residence1 young ladies out for an airing1 and others about to enter a ,pergola4 ,its maker has not only been happy through the vitality imparted to the human puppets1 but has succeeded equally well with animal life2 witness the rabbit and squirrel beneath the apple tree and the greyhound and hare in the lower corner4 ,the water in which ,susannah laves her legs is worked in imitation of ripples1 and looks fresher than the rest owing to the recent removal of the talc with which it was covered4 ,the clouds in the upper part of the moss1 etc41 in the lower portion come dark in the reproduction as they are made of purl1 which has tarnished4 ,it will be noted that those of the pictures in which the surface is not entirely covered with embroidery are usually worked upon white satin4 ,this was a fashion of the time1 and supplanted velvet1 the material hitherto used1 owing1 it is assumed1 to its being an easier material to work upon1 but also probably to its beautiful surface resembling a background of parchment1 and to the magnificent quality which was then made4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ee4--;,,embroidered ,,glove4 ,,early #ag,,th ,,century4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,,part ,,ii ,embroideries in the ,manner of ,tapestry ,pictures ,the ,exhibition at ,the ,fine ,art ,society's included1 besides samplers1 a gallery containing embroideries1 the like of which had not previously been seen together1 and as to the history of which text-books were altogether silent4 ,exhibited collectively1 they not only formed a most interesting and unusual whole1 but they were clearly the result of a widespread fashion4 ,specimens were forthcoming in considerable numbers1 and were regarded by their owners with a proper appreciation of their archological value1 but with a diffidence as to their history and origin which was not surprising4 ,under these circumstances it seemed that the occasion of their being brought together should not be lost1 and that some illustration of representative specimens1 some setting down of any deductions which might be arrived at from their examination and comparison1 and some collation of the information which was supplied by their owners should be taken in hand4 ,it was1 however1 at the outset a matter of no little trouble to find a title which1 while it identified and included them1 yet excluded those that it was felt necessary to omit4 ,had a shortened phrase1 such as ,embroidered ,pictures1 been selected1 readers would reasonably have expected to find a survey of that large class of embroideries1 now somewhat in vogue1 which imitate the coloured engravings of the late eighteenth century1 and1 perhaps1 even of the ,berlin wool-work travesties of ,landseer and his contemporaries4 ,stuart ,embroidered ,pictures1 or ,seventeenth-,century ,embroidered ,pictures1 would have better served the purpose were it not that some of the examples precede1 and some follow1 the period covered by either4 ,besides1 some pieces are not pictures1 whilst others1 though pictorial in subject1 are covers to caskets1 etc4 ,the majority1 however1 have this in common1 that they represent a phase of embroidery which1 curiously enough1 originated contemporaneously with the introduction of the manufacture of tapestry into this country1 became popular concurrently with it1 and passed out of favour when the production of that textile ceased in ,england for lack of support4 ,it was this relationship1 which ,i shall shortly proceed to establish1 that decided the title which is found at the heading of this part4 ,in endeavouring to trace the origin of these embroideries ,i have been1 curiously enough1 confronted with exactly the same difficulties that ,i encountered in dealing with samplers1 namely3-- #a4 ,the industry has no apparent infancy1 all the pieces having the same matured appearance4 #b4 ,no specimen earlier than the reign of ,elizabeth has come under my notice4 ,this does not arise from the decay inseparable from the life of a fairly perishable article1 for amongst the earliest specimens may be counted the best preserved2 besides1 similar work1 as1 for instance1 the embroidery of book covers which was subjected to harder usage1 extends for centuries further back4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xv4--,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,hagar ,,and ,,ishmael4 ,,about #afcj4 ,the common subject amongst ,tapestry workers of ,hagar and ,ishmael is told somewhat fully here in three scenes4 ,in the first we have ,sarah and ,isaac at the tent door1 in the second ,abraham dismissing ,hagar1 and in the third the angel visiting ,ishmael in the desert4 ,the embroidery is one of those where flat and raised work are conjoined4 ,the sky might be woven1 so fine are the stitches1 the landscape is made up of a variety of open stitches which are used in lace1 but in this instance have been worked on the canvas1 the faces are modelled in cotton wool and covered with silk1 and the animals 7lion and stag7 are similarly modelled4 ,the piece is the property of ,miss ,taintor1 of ,hartford1 ,u4,s4,a4 ,size1 #ad-a_/b #ai-a_/b4 ,it is for these reasons that ,i am disposed to attach importance to the theory that the fashion originated with the introduction into ,england of tapestry1 that1 like tapestry1 it quickly sprang into vogue1 and like that article as quickly died out1 having for some half a century been an agreeable occupation for deft hands to busy themselves about4 ,if we glance for a moment at the history of tapestry in this country1 it will be seen how entirely it mirrors that of the embroideries under notice4 ,tapestry1 as an ,english manufacture1 and tapestry of sufficient amount to afford opportunities to any but a few to imitate it1 can hardly be said to have existed in this country prior to the seventeenth century4 ,in the king's palaces1 and in those of his wealthy ministers and nobles1 this form of decoration was undoubtedly in use in remote times1 perhaps as early as in those of other nations1 but small interest was taken in its production in comparison with that by foreign countries1 even those so contiguous as ,france and the ,netherlands4 ,in fact1 until the close of the sixteenth century1 but one manufactory is known to have existed in ,england1 namely1 that of ,burcheston1 founded towards the end of the reign of ,henry ,,viii4 by ,william ,sheldon1 styled ,the only author and beginner of tapestry1 within this realm4 ,it was not until the year #afbj that ,james ,i41 stimulated by the example of ,henri ,,iv41 enlisted in his service a number of ,flemish workmen and established at ,mortlake the factory which quickly attained to a success which was only rivalled by that of the ,gobelins4 ,the industry on the banks of the ,thames developed rapidly1 and secured ,european recognition1 thanks to the extreme interest taken in it by ,james ,i41 and still more so by ,charles ,i41 aided1 as he was1 by the invaluable co-operation of ,rubens and ,vandyck4 ,tapestry made under royal patronage quickly became the fashion and hobby1 and although under the ,commonwealth its continuance was threatened1 it received fresh favours and subventions under ,charles ,,ii41 at the end of whose reign1 however1 it not only declined1 but practically ceased to exist4 ,it can readily be understood that the prevalence of such a fashion1 coinciding with a period when every lady in the land was an adept with her needle1 would stimulate many to imitate on a smaller scale the famed productions of the loom1 for nothing would better accord with the tapestry-covered walls1 than cushions for the oaken chairs1 or pictures or mirrors for panelled walls1 worked in the same materials4 ,hence it is probable that all the earlier embroideries were in imitation of tapestry1 and worked only in stitches which resembled those of the loom1 and that the pieces where we find varieties of stitches introduced1 as well as figures1 dresses1 and animals in relief1 are subsequent variations and fancied improvements on the original idea4#aj ,this is borne out by an examination of dated pieces1 none of those bearing these additions being contemporaneous with the introduction of the tapestry industry1 whilst only those having a plain surface are found amongst the earliest specimens4#aa ,illustration3 ,plate ,,xvi4--,tapestry ,embroidery4 ,charles ,i4 and his ,queen4 ,about #afcj4 ,none of the ,embroideries reproduced in this volume approach this in their imitation of ,tapestry1 it being a facsimile on a small scale in needlework of a large panel4 ,its resemblance is increased by the border1 which adds considerably to its interest and value4 ,both ,sovereigns are crowned1 the ,king wearing a cloak1 a vest and breeches which would appear to be all in one 7the latter garnished at the knees with many points71 boots with huge tops1 and big spurs4 ,on either side of the royal pair stand a chamberlain and a lady of honour4 ,the house in the background points to the ,tapestry having been designed by a ,netherlander4 ,embroidery probably reached the zenith of its popularity in the late sixteenth century4 ,it was then of so much importance that ,queen ,elizabeth granted a charter of incorporation to an ,embroiderers' ,company who had a hall in ,gutter ,lane4 ,in order to encourage the pursuit foreign embroideries were in this and the following reigns considered to be contraband1 but this protection1 instead of improving1 practically rang the death knell of the ,art4 ,it will be seen from the foregoing that these little embroideries have an abiding interest of a threefold nature4 ,first that arising out of the subjects that are depicted thereon1 and which1 though limited in range1 present considerable differences when compared one with another1 quite sufficient to make them individual in character4 ,next they afford1 upon examination1 a large amount of historical material1 some of it of a valuable kind1 concerning the fashions and cranks of the time1 material which has not hitherto met with recognition such as it deserves4 ,lastly1 they are admirable specimens of needlework1 and in this are quite as noteworthy as samplers1 a single piece often containing as many varieties of clever stitches as may be found in a dozen samplers4 ,all that concerns them on this last-named account will be found in the section devoted to ,stitchery4 ,i will1 therefore1 proceed to examine them collectively from the two first points of view1 leaving any remarks which they may separately call for to the notes which accompany the reproductions4 ,the ,subjects of ,tapestry ,embroideries ,these are1 as we have noted1 somewhat limited as regards range1 and somewhat limited within that range4 ,this is1 perhaps1 even more so than in the case of the parent tapestries1 for whilst they frequently travel into the realms of mythology1 the reverse is the case with the embroidered pictures4 ,in the royal palaces of ,henry ,,viii4 we find the ,tales of ,thebes and ,troy1 the ,life and ,adventures of ,hercules1 and of ,jupiter and ,juno1 depicted in tapestry more often1 perhaps1 than sacred subjects1 but this is not so with our little pictures4 ,for instance1 there were but two profane subjects in the ,embroidery ,exhibition1 ,orpheus charming the animals with his lute1 and the ,judgment of ,paris 7,fig4 #ef72 whereas there were at least half a dozen of ,esther and ,ahasuerus1 and more than one ,susannah and the ,elders1 ,adam and ,eve1 ,abraham and ,hagar1 ,joseph and ,potiphar1 ,david and ,abigail1 ,queen of ,sheba1 and ,jehu and ,jezebel4 ,our first parents naturally afforded one of the earliest ,biblical subjects for tapestry4 ,thus a description of a manor house in ,king ,john's time states that in the corner of a certain apartment stood a bed1 the tapestry of which was enwrought with gaudy colours representing ,adam and ,eve in the ,garden of ,eden1 and we read in a fifteenth-century poem by ,h4 ,bradshaw1 concerning the tapestry in the ,abbey of ,ely1 that3-- ,the storye of ,adam there was goodly wrought ,and of his wyfe ,eve1 bytwene them the serpente4 ,in embroidered pictures the working of the nude figures on a necessarily much smaller scale would appear to have been a difficulty it was hard to contend with1 and we consequently find the subject treated for the most part rather from the point of view of the animals to be introduced than from that of our first parents4 ,curiously enough1 ,adam and ,eve came to the front again as a most popular subject in samplers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries1 at a time when a knowledge of the draughtsmanship of the human figure appeared to be even slighter than heretofore4 ,consequently1 they were usually of the most primitive character1 standing on either side of a ,tree of ,knowledge1 from which depends the serpent4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ef4--,,the ,,judgment ,,of ,,paris4 ,,about #afcj4 ,late in the ,author's ,collection4 ,passing onwards in ,bible history we find in tapestry embroideries several incidents in the life of ,abraham4 ,first the entertainment of the angels and the promise made to him2 next the casting forth of ,hagar and ,ishmael 7,plate ,,xv471 oft repeated1 perhaps1 because of the many incidents in the story capable of illustration2 then the offering up of ,isaac1 as illustrated in ,plate ,,iv4 ,moses in the ,bullrushes 7,fig4 #eg7 completes the illustrations from the ,pentateuch4 ,few other subjects are met with until we reach the life of ,david as pictured in ,david and ,goliath and ,david and ,abigail4 ,to these follow the visit of the ,queen of ,sheba to ,solomon1 and the judgment of that ruler4 ,but the most popular subject of all would seem to be the episode of ,queen ,esther and ,king ,ahasuerus 7,plate ,,xviii471 from which ,mordecai sitting in the ,king's ,gate1 ,esther adventuring on the ,king's favour1 the banquet to ,haman1 and his end on the gallows1 furnished delightfully sensational episodes1 although the main reason for its frequency doubtless depended upon its offering an opportunity of honouring the reigning kings and queens by figuring them as the great monarch ,ahasuerus and his beautiful consort1 a reason also for the frequent selection of ,solomon and the ,queen of ,sheba4 ,the only incident subsequent to this is one hardly to be expected1 namely1 ,susannah and the ,elders1 from the ,apocrypha 7,plate ,,xiv474 ,the ,new ,testament1 curiously enough1 seems to have received but scant attention1 even the birth of ,christ being but seldom illustrated4 ,if space permitted it would be a matter of interest to trace the reasons for this unexpectedness of subject4 ,it may have arisen from the fact that the ,english at this time were the people of one book1 and that book the ,bible4 ,it is1 however1 more readily conceivable that the selection was a survival of the times when the mainstay of all the ,arts was the ,church1 and the majority of the work1 all the world over1 was produced in its service1 and therefore naturally was imbued with a religious flavouring4 ,again1 the pieces being in imitation of tapestries1 the subjects would naturally follow those figured thereon4 ,now we find1 curiously enough1 in the ,story of ,tapestrys in the ,royal ,palaces of ,henry ,,viii41 that whilst there were a few such subjects as ,jupiter and ,juno1 and ,thebes and ,troy1 the majority were the following3 ,in the ,tower of ,london1 ,esther and ,ahasuerus2 in ,durham ,palace1 ,esther and ,susannah2 in ,cardinal ,wolsey's ,palace1 the ,petition of ,esther1 the ,honouring of ,mordecai1 and the ,history of ,susannah and the ,elders1 bordered with the ,cardinal's arms1 subjects identical with those represented in our little embroidered pictures4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xvii4--,,lid ,,of ,a ,,casket4 ,,the ,,judgment ,,of ,,paris4 ,,about #afcj4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,reproduces the gay and well-preserved top of a writing box4 ,the figures which stand under a festooned bower may represent ,paris handing the apple to ,venus4 ,the dress of the female is of the time of ,charles ,i41 which is the date of the casket1 the interior of which is lined in part with that beautiful shade of red so popular at this time1 and in part with mirrors which reflect a ,flemish engraving which lines the bottom4 ,an upper tray is a mass of ill-concealed secret drawers4 ,size1 #ab #aa inches4 ,it has been claimed for many of these pieces that they are the product of those prolific workers the nuns of ,little ,gidding1 but the assertion rests on as little basis as does that which ascribes all the embroidered book covers to the same origin4 ,the subjects1 although sacred in character1 are too mundane in habit to render it at all probable that they were worked in the seclusion of a country nunnery4 ,the foreign origin of the tapestries 7even those which were manufactured in ,england being made and designed by foreigners7 accounts for the foreign flavour which pervades their backgrounds and accessories4 ,it has1 consequently1 been asserted that the inspiration of these embroidery pictures is also foreign1 the assertion being based on the fact that the buildings are for the most part of ,teutonic design4 ,this is not my opinion4 ,the buildings1 it is true1 for the most part assume a ,flemish or ,german air1 but this is probably due to the reason given at the commencement of this paragraph4 ,it might1 with equal force1 be held that the pieces are ,italian in their origin1 as their foregrounds1 as we shall presently show1 largely affect that style4 ,that either of these suppositions is correct is negatived by the thoroughly ,english contemporary costume that apparels the principal figures1 which also proves that the majority of the pieces were in the main original conceptions1 the designers following in the footsteps of their forerunners from the times of ,greece downwards1 and clothing their puppets1 no matter to what age they appertained1 in the contemporary dress of their own country4 ,this brings us to the most interesting feature of these little pictures1 namely1 their value as mirrors of fashion4 ,tapestry ,embroideries as ,mirrors of ,fashion ,in this respect they are hardly inferior1 as illustrations1 to the pictures of ,vandyck or the engravings of ,hollar2 whilst1 as sidelights to horticultural pursuits under the ,stuart kings1 and of the flowers which were then affected1 they are perhaps more reliable authorities than the ,herbals from whence it has been erroneously asserted that they derived their information4 ,in these respects their value has been entirely overlooked4 ,authorities on dress go to obscure engravings1 or to the brasses or sculptural effigies in our churches1 for examples1 which have1 in every instance1 been designed by a man unversed in the intricacies of dressmaking4 ,they have failed to recognise the fact that these embroideries are the product of hands which very certainly knew the cut of every garment1 and the intricacy of every bow1 knot1 and point1 and which would take a pride in rendering them not only with accuracy1 but in the latest mode4 ,it was probably due to this desire to make their work complete mirrors of fashion1 that the embroideresses gave up illustrating the figure in the flat1 and stuffed it out like a puppet1 upon which each portion of the dress might be superimposed4 ,an illustration of this may be seen in the reproduction on a large scale1 in the text of ,part ,,iii41 of some of the figures from the piece of embroidery illustrated in ,plate ,,xxiii4#ab ,as ,sir ,james ,linton1 an eminent authority upon the dress of the period under review1 has pointed out1 these embroideries bear upon their face an impress of truth1 for they usually1 in the same picture1 illustrate fashions extending over a considerable period of time4 ,this1 instead of being an inaccuracy1 is unimpeachable evidence as to their correctness1 for the fact is usually overlooked that in those times a man 7and a woman also7 almost invariably wore1 throughout life1 the costume of his early manhood1 and that in such a piece as that illustrated in ,plate ,,xiv4 it is quite accurate to represent the old men in the costume of the reign of ,james ,i41 and the young women in that of ,charles ,i4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xviii4--,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,queen ,,esther4 ,,about #afcj4 ,this remarkably well-preserved piece of ,embroidery represents various incidents in the life of ,queen ,esther4 ,in the centre the ,king stretches forth his sceptre to the ,queen2 in the various corners are portrayed the banquet1 the hanging of ,haman1 and ,mordecai and the ,king4 ,it will be noticed that the ,king and ,queen are likenesses of ,charles ,i4 and ,henrietta ,maria1 and the costume is that in vogue towards the end of his reign1 when the big boots worn by the men came in for much ridicule1 the tops of the ,king's being very large and turned down1 and the feet two inches too long4 ,the needlework is of the transition period1 when a better effect was sought for by appliquing the faces in satin1 outlining the features in silk1 and making the hair of the same material4 ,the collars and bows are also added1 and the ,queen's crown is of pearls1 the dais on which the ,king sits being also sown with them4 ,size1 #af-a_/b #bj-a_/b4 ,the repetition1 amounting almost to monotony1 in the subjects of these tapestry pieces has been urged against them1 but the force of this depreciation is considerably lessened if this question of costume and accessories is taken into account1 for a comparison even of the few pieces which are illustrated here will show how much variety is afforded in matters of dress1 even if that of a single individual1 such as ,charles ,i41 is selected for study1 although in the case of a royal personage1 such as the king1 it would only be natural if there was a sameness of costume4 ,he may probably never have been seen by the embroiderer1 who would consequently dress him from some picture or engraving4 ,but even here the differences are many and interesting4#ac ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #eg4--,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,the ,,finding ,,of ,,moses4 ,,about #afdj4 ,lady ,middleton4 ,they may therefore be deemed worthy of further examination than is usually given them1 and this we have accorded in the description attached to each4 ,we embody1 however1 an instance here as it is not only an apt illustration of the use of these little pictures as illustrations of dress1 but of how their age may be thereby ascertained4 ,the work in question belongs to ,lady ,middleton1 is illustrated in ,fig4 #eg1 and its frame bears an inscription that it dates from the sixteenth century4 ,the condition of the needlework1 and the stitches employed1 might well lead to this supposition1 but the dress of the attendant to the left of the picture almost exactly corresponds with that on the effigy of one ,dorothy ,strutt1 whose monument is dated #afda4 ,the hair flows freely on the shoulders1 but is combed back from the forehead2 it is bunched behind1 and from this descends a long coverchief which falls like a mantle2 the sleeves are wide at the top1 but confined at the wrist2 a kerchief covers the bust1 whilst the gown pulled in at the waist sets fully all round4 ,it will be noted that the chimneys of the house in the background emit volumes of black smoke1 a tribute to the ,wallsend coal which came only into general use in the early seventeenth century4 ,the greater part of the strong darks in this picture are due to the silk having been painted with a kind of bitumen1 which has eaten away the groundwork wherever it has come into contact with it4 ,the frequent selection of royal personages for illustration is one of the features of the industry1 and is probably accounted for by the majority of the workers being persons in the higher walks of life1 to whom the divine right of kings and devotion to the ,crown were very present matters in those troublous times4 ,it will be further noted that the only pre-,stuart embroideries which are reproduced here 7,frontispiece1 and the covering for a book ,fig4 #eh7 deal with them4 ,as ,i have stated1 yet another value attaches to these tapestry embroideries1 namely1 as illustrations of the fashions in horticulture under the ,stuarts4 ,those who take an interest in gardening will not be slow to recognise this1 and they may even carry that interest beyond this ,stuart work to the samplers1 whereon instances are not wanting of the formal gardening which came over from ,holland with ,king ,william1 and continued under the ,house of ,hanover4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #eh4--,,portion ,,of ,a ,,book ,,cover4 #af,,th ,,century4 ,author's ,collection4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ei4--,,purl ,,and ,,applied ,,embroidery4 ,,lady ,,with ,a ,,rabbit4 ,,about #afcj4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,an illustration of purl work1 the whole of the smaller decorations being in tarnished silver thread sewn upon the original satin4 ,the figure in the centre with a rabbit on her knees1 as well as the other flowers and birds1 are appliqud1 and are in very fine coloured silks4 ,the date of the piece is1 judging from the costume1 the early part of the reign of ,charles ,i4 ,in the embroideries we see repeated again and again the hold that ,italian gardening had obtained in this country at the time when they were produced1 owing to the grafting of ideas carried from the age of medival ,art4 ,note1 for instance1 the importance attached to the fountain1 which ,hertzner1 a ,german1 who travelled through ,england at the end of the sixteenth century1 remarked upon as being such a feature in gardens4 ,the many columns and pyramids of marble and fountains of springing water to which he alludes are repeated again and again in tapestry pictures4 ,the pools of fish which are also found in embroideries of the time were a common feature of the gardens4 ,we read that ,a fayre garden always contained a poole of fysshe if the poole be clene kept4 7,plate ,,xviii41 ,fig4 #fd1 and ,fig4 #fh47 ,the garden also had green galleries or pergolas formed of light poles overgrown with roses red and white4 ,these are illustrated in ,plate ,,xiv4 ,the little ,noah's ,ark trees did not originate in the brain of the sampler designer1 but were actualities which he saw in the garden of the time1 being as old as the ,romans1 who employed a topiarius or pleacher1 whose sole business was the cutting of trees into fantastic shapes4 ,this practice was in full swing in ,italy in the fifteenth century1 and was familiarised in ,england by the ,hyperotomachia ,poliphili1 published in #aeib1 although this book did not introduce it1 for ,bacon in his essay on ,gardens says that the art of pleaching was already well known and practised in ,england4 ,they are quite common objects on the samplers of the eighteenth century1 when the cult was increasingly fostered1 ,william and ,mary having brought over the ,dutch fashion of cutting everything into queer little trifles4 ,an illustration in ,worlidge's ,art of ,gardening might almost be a reproduction of the sampler of #agfj 7,plate ,,ix47 with its trees all set in absolutely similar order and size4 ,this style1 it may be remembered1 was doomed upon the advent of ,capability ,brown with his attempts at chastening and polishing1 but not reforming1 the living landscape4 ,the embroidered pictures are also interesting as showing the flowers which found a place in the parterres of ,english gardens4 ,a nosegay garden at the beginning of the seventeenth century consisted1 we read1 of gillyflowers1 marigolds1 lilies1 and daffodils1 with such strange flowers as hyacinths1 narcissus1 also the red1 damaske1 velvet1 and double province rose1 double and single white rose1 the fair and sweet scenting woodbind1 double and single1 the violet nothing behind the rose for smelling sweetly4 ,figs4 #ei and #fj show many of these flowers naturally disposed1 as an examination of the samplers of the period displays almost all of them in a decorative form4 ,a curious feature of these little pictures is the fondness of their makers for introducing grubs of all kinds4 ,this was not altogether fortuitous1 or done simply to fill a void1 for some of them were certainly as much emblems as the lion and unicorn4 ,the caterpillar1 for instance1 was a badge of ,charles ,i4 ,it speaks somewhat for the difficulty of imitating these little pictures1 that although their price has increased since this book was first published1 from a moderate to a high figure1 there are as yet few spurious or much restored pieces on the market1 and the same remark may apply to samplers4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fj4--;,,embroidery ,,picture4 ,,charles ,i4 ,,and ,,his ,,queen4 ,,dated #affc4 ,lord ,montagu4 ,this picture is signed ,k4,b41 and bears the date #affc1 and is1 through its composition and subject1 of much interest4 ,the king and queen stand under an elaborate tent1 on the canopy of which is emblazoned the ,royal ,arms1 the rose and the thistle1 in heavy gold and silver bullion4 ,the robes of both their majesties are ornamented with coloured flowers in a heavy silver tissue4 ,the king is crowned and has an ermine cloak1 and his spurred white boots have pink heels4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xix4--,,lid ,,of ,a ,,casket4 ,,about #affj4 ,we have here the top of the lid of the best preserved casket it has been our fortune to encounter1 the reproduction in no way exaggerating the brilliancy or freshness of its colouring4 ,the whole of the embroidery is in high relief1 and as the shadows show1 much of it is detached from the ground1 as for instance the strawberries1 the apples on the tree on which the parroquet with his ruffled feathers is seated1 and the pink and tulip4 ,for some reason not apparent1 the gentleman has two left arms and hands1 in each of which he holds a hat4 ,it is possible that the figures may be intended for ,abraham and ,sarah1 the latter with her flock at the well4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fa4--;,,hollie ,,point ,,lace ,,from ,,top ,,of ,,christening ,,cap4 #aggd4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,,part ,,iii ,i4--,stitchery of ,pictures in ,imitation of ,tapestry and the ,like ,tent-worke1 ,rais'd-worke1 ,laid-worke1 ,froste-worke1 ,net-worke1 ,most curious ,purles or rare ,italian ,cut-worke1 ,pine ,ferne-stitch1 ,finny-stitch1 ,new-stitch1 and ,chain-stitch1 ,brave ,bred-stitch1 ,fisher-stitch1 ,irish-stitch1 and ,queen-stitch1 ,the ,spanish-stitch1 ,rosemary-stitch1 and ,morose-stitch1 ,the ,smarting ,whip-stitch1 ,back-stitch1 and the ,cross-stitch4 ,all these are good1 and these we must allow1 ,and these are everywhere in practise now4 ,the ,needles ,excellency4--,,john ,,taylor4 ,a ,writer on the interesting subject of the stitchery of embroidered pictures and their allies1 is confronted at the outset with a serious difficulty in the almost hopeless confusion which exists as to the proper nomenclature of stitches4 ,it is hardly too much to say that nearly every stitch has something like half a dozen different names1 the result of re-invention or revival by succeeding generations1 while to add to the trouble some authorities have assigned ancient names to certain stitches on what appears to be wholly insufficient evidence of identity4 ,that stitches known as opus ,anglicanum1 opus plumarium1 opus peclinum1 and so on1 were used in embroidery as far back as the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries1 is proved by ancient deeds and inventories1 but what these stitches actually were we have no means of deciding with any degree of certainty4 ,we shall1 therefore1 in these notes describe the stitches under the names by which they are most commonly known1 or which seem to describe them most clearly4 ,background-,stitches ,when the backgrounds of pictures in raised or stump embroidery are not of silk or satin left more or less visible1 they are usually worked in one or other of the innumerable varieties of cushion-stitch1 so-called1 it is said1 because it was first introduced in the embroidering of church kneeling-cushions4 ,foremost among these ground-stitches comes tent-stitch1 in which the flat embroidered pictures of a slightly earlier period are entirely executed4 ,tent-stitch is the first half of the familiar cross-stitch1 but is taken over a single thread only1 all the rows of stitches sloping the same way as a rule1 although occasionally certain desired effects of light and shade are produced by reversing the direction of the stitches in portions of the work4 ,an admirable example of evenly worked tent-stitch is shown in ,plate ,,xv41 although here1 of course1 it is not a purely background-stitch1 as it is adopted for the whole of the work4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xx4--,,back ,,of ,,casket ,,in ,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,signed ,a4 ,k41 #afeg4 ,mrs ,percy ,macquoid4 ,we have here the true imitation of ,tapestry as regards stitch1 but not so as regards composition1 for it is seldom that in ,tapestry we find such a lack of proportion as exists in this case between figures and accessories1 tulips and carnations standing breast-high1 and butterflies larger than human heads4 ,the harpy1 which appears on the lower portion of the lid1 is an exceptional form of decoration4 ,the backs of caskets are always the least faded portions1 as they have been less exposed to the sun and light2 such is the case here1 although the whole is in a fine state of preservation4 ,it is one of the few dated pieces in existence1 being signed ,a4 ,k41 #afeg4 ,another commonly used grounding-stitch is that known in modern times as tapestry or ,gobelin-stitch4 ,this is not infrequently confused with tent-stitch1 which it much resembles1 save that it is two threads in height1 but one only in breadth4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fb4--;,,cushion-,,stitch ,,background2 ,,embroidered ,,book ,,cover1 ,,dated #agjc4 ,next in order of importance to these two stitches come the perfectly upright ones1 which1 arranged in a score of different ways1 have been christened by an equal number of names4 ,an effective kind1 used for the background of many ,stuart pictures1 consists of a series of the short perpendicular stitches1 arranged in a zig-zag or chevron pattern1 each row fitting into that above it4 ,this particular stitch1 or rather group of stitches1 has been named opus pulvinarium1 but its claim to the title does not seem very well supported4 ,other and more modern names are ,florentine and ,hungary stitch4 ,a neat and pretty cushion-stitch is shown in the background of ,fig4 #fb on an enlarged scale4 ,this is taken from a quaint little needle-book dated #agjc2 the design itself being worked in tent-stitch4 ,among other stitches used for grounds are the long flat satin-stitch familiar in ,japanese embroideries of all periods1 and laid-stitches1 i4e41 those formed of long threads laid on the satin or silk foundation1 and held down by short couching stitches placed at intervals4 ,laid-stitch grounds1 however1 are oftener seen in foreign embroideries1 especially ,italian and ,spanish1 than in ,english examples4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fc4--;,,eyelet-,,hole-,,stitch3 ,,from ,a ,,sampler ,,dated #ahaa4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fd4--,,tapestry ,,embroidery 7,,upper ,,portion74 ,,about #afdj4 ,formerly in the ,author's possession4 ,although tapestry embroidery backgrounds are in most cases worked solid1 that is1 entirely covered with close-set stitches forming an even surface1 they are occasionally found to be filled in with some variety of open-stitch1 as exemplified by ,plate ,,xv4 ,sometimes the lace-like effect is produced by covering the foundation material with a surface stitch2 the first row being a buttonhole-stitch1 worked into the stuff so as to form the basis of the succeeding rows of simple lace or knotting stitches4 ,the last row is again worked into the foundation4 ,when1 however1 a linen canvas of rather open mesh was the material of the picture or panel1 it was not unusual to whip or buttonhole over the threads with fine silk1 a process resulting in a honeycomb-like series of small eyelet holes1 as shown in the enlargement1 ,fig4 #fc4 ,this is taken from an early nineteenth-century sampler1 but the stitch is precisely similar to that seen in embroideries of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries4 ,figures in ,raised ,needlework ,the high relief portions of the embroidery known as stump or stamp work1 which is popularly supposed to have been invented by the nuns of ,little ,gidding1 appear to have been almost invariably worked separately on stout linen stretched in a frame1 and applied when completed4 ,the design was sketched1 or transferred1 by means of something equivalent to our carbonised paper1 on the linen1 padded with hair or wool kept in position by a lattice-work of crossing threads1 and the raised foundation1 or stump1 thus formed covered with close lace-stitches1 or with satin or silk1 which1 in its turn1 was partly or entirely covered with embroidery1 generally in long-and-short stitch4 ,when the figures were finished a paper was pasted at the back to obviate any risk of frayed or loosened stitches1 and they were cut out and fastened into their proper places in the design which had been drawn on or transferred to the silk1 satin1 or canvas foundation of the actual picture4 ,the lines of attachment are adroitly concealed by couchings of fine cord or gimp4 ,in some pieces of stump embroidery the heads and hands of the figures are of carved wood covered in most instances with a close network of lace-stitch1 or with satin or silk1 on which the eyes and mouth are either painted or embroidered4 ,in the more elaborate specimens1 however1 the satin is merely a foundation for embroidery in long-and-short or split stitch1 the latter being a variety of the ordinary stem-stitch1 in which the needle is brought out through1 instead of at the side of1 the preceding stitch4 ,the features of faces worked in either of these stitches are generally indicated by carefully directed lines of stem or chain stitching worked over the ground-stitch4 ,this latter when well worked forms a surface scarcely distinguishable from satin in its smoothness4 ,the ,figs4 #fe and #ff1 which are enlargements of portions of the embroidery illustrated in ,fig4 #fd1 show examples of this mode of working faces4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fe4--;,,face ,,worked ,,in ,,split-,,stitch3 ,,enlarged ,,from ,,embroidery ,,reproduced ,,in ,,fig4 #fd4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxi4--,,beadwork ,,embroidery4 ,,charles ,,ii4 ,,and ,,his ,,queen1 ,,etc4 ,the bright colouring of this picture is due to the greater portion of it having been worked in beads1 in which those of strong blue and green predominate1 only the hair and hands being worked in needlework1 the former in knotted stitches4 ,beadwork seems to have been extensively utilised in seventeenth-century pictures1 but it does not figure in ,samplers until a late date1 and then only to a minor extent4 ,it is illustrated in ,fig4 #eb1 and is about a century old1 having been included in the ,fine ,art ,society's ,exhibition4 ,the central figures in this piece represent ,charles ,,ii4 and his ,queen1 ,catherine of ,braganza1 who is represented with that curious lock of hair on her forehead to which the ,king took so much objection when he saw it for the first time upon her arrival at ,southampton4 ,the portraits within the four circles have not at present been recognised4 ,the late owner of this piece purchased it in ,hammersmith1 and from the fact that ,queen ,catherine had a house there it is possible that it may have once been a royal possession4 ,size1 #ac-a_/b #ag-a_/b4 ,knot-,stitches ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ff4--;,,face ,,worked ,,in ,,split-,,stitch3 ,,enlarged ,,from ,,lower ,,portion 7,,not ,,reproduced7 ,,of ,,fig4 #fd4 ,knot-stitches--these1 by the way1 have no connection with the knotting-work popular at the end of the seventeenth century--are introduced freely into the stump-work pictures to represent the hair of the human figures1 together with the woolly coats of sheep and the sundry and divers unclassified animals invariably found in this type of embroidered picture4 ,these knots or knotted stitches range from the small1 tightly-worked ,french knots which1 when closely massed1 produce a sufficiently realistic imitation of a fleece1 to the long bullion knots formed by twisting the silk thread ten or twelve times round the needle before drawing the latter through the loops4 ,the sheep 7enlarged from ,fig4 #fd7 in ,fig4 #fg shows very clearly the effect of the massed ,french knots4 ,the longer knot-stitches are found to be arranged in even loops sewn closely together1 or are worked loosely and placed irregularly to meet the requirements of the design4 ,knot-stitches of all kinds are seen1 too1 in the foliage1 grass1 and mossy banks1 although for these couchings of loops of fine cord1 untwisted silk and gimp1 as well as of purl1 seem to have been equally popular4 ,at a later period1 that is1 towards the middle of the eighteenth century1 chenille replaced knot-stitches1 couched loops1 and purl for the purpose1 but it proved much less satisfactory both as regards appearance and durability4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fg4--,,knotted-,,stitch3 ,,enlarged ,,from ,,embroidery ,,reproduced ,,in ,,fig4 #fd4 ,looped-stitches are also used to indicate flowing ringlets1 for which the bullion knots would be too formal1 as may be seen in ,figs4 #fe and #ff4 ,the loops in these examples are of partly untwisted gimp4 ,in flat embroidery1 it may be mentioned1 the hair is frequently worked in long-and-short or split stitch1 or in short1 flat satin-stitches1 the lines whereof are cleverly arranged to follow the twists of the curls4 ,in this way the hair of the lady1 shown on an enlarged scale in ,fig4 #ff1 is worked4 ,plush-,stitch ,this is a modern name for the stitch used in the ,stuart period embroideries for fur robes and the coats of certain beasts4 ,it is also known as velvet1 rug1 and raised stitch4 ,to carry it out a series of loops is worked over a small mesh or a knitting pin1 each loop being secured to the foundation stuff by a tent or cross-stitch1 and when the necessary number of rows is completed1 the loops are cut as in the raised ,berlin wool-work of early ,victorian days4 ,in this stitch the ermine of the king's robe in ,plate ,,xviii4 is worked1 the black stitches meant to represent the little tails having been put in after the completion of the white silk ground4 ,embroidery in ,purl and ,metallic ,threads ,purl1 both that of uncovered metal and that variety wherein the corkscrew-like tube is cased with silk1 was generally cut into pieces of the desired length1 which were threaded on the needle and sewn down either flat or in loops1 according to the design4 ,the greater part of the beautiful piece of embroidery illustrated in ,plate ,,xxiii4 is carried out in coloured purl1 applied in pieces sufficiently long to follow the curves of the pattern4 ,a small example of looped purl-work is shown in the left-hand upper corner of ,fig4 #ff4 ,purl embroidery1 when at all on an elaborate scale1 was worked in a frame and applied1 although the slighter portions of a design were often executed on the picture itself4 ,the system of working all the heavier parts of such embroideries separately and adding them piece by piece1 as it were1 until the whole was complete1 accounts1 of course1 for the extreme rarity of a drawn or puckered ground in old needlework pictures and panels4 ,besides purl1 gold and silver passing often appears in certain sections of the work4 ,passing is wire sufficiently thin and flexible to be passed through instead of couched down on the foundation material1 and with it such devices as rayed suns and moons are often embroidered in long-and-short stitch4 ,a thicker kind of metallic thread was employed for couching1 this being made in the same manner as the ,japanese thread so largely used in modern work1 save that a thin ribbon of real gold took the place of the strip of gilt paper as a casing for the silk thread4 ,water is sometimes represented by lengths of silver purl stretched tightly across a flat surface of satin or laid-stitches1 but not infrequently1 instead of the purl1 sheets of talc are laid over the silken stitchery4 ,the water in ,susannah's bath 7,plate ,,xiv47 is covered with talc1 hence it appears light coloured in the reproduction4 ,when a metallic lustre was needed1 the plumules of peacocks' feathers were occasionally employed1 especially in the bodies of butterflies and caterpillars1 but these unfortunately have almost invariably suffered from the depredations of a small insect1 and it is seldom that more remains of them in old embroideries than a few dilapidated and minute fragments1 often barely recognisable for what they are4 ,lace-,stitches ,the needle-point lace-stitches1 so profusely used in the dresses and decorative accessories of the figures in ,stuart embroideries1 are1 as a rule1 of a close and rather heavy type4 ,sometimes they are found to be worked directly on the picture or panel as surface stitches1 in the manner already described as adopted for backgrounds2 but it was undoubtedly more usual to work the ruffles1 sleeves1 flower-petals1 butterfly-wings1 etc41 separately1 fastening them into their proper places when finished4 ,stiffenings of fine wire were generally sewn round the extreme edge of any part intended to stand away from the background4 ,a most interesting variety of lace-stitches may be seen in the costume of the boy shown in the enlargement 7,fig4 #fi71 taken from the panel reproduced in ,fig4 #fd4 ,the small illustration 7,fig4 #fa7 heading this chapter illustrates quite a different kind of lace-stitch1 to wit1 the hollie-point1 which1 originally confined to church embroidery1 was during the seventeenth century used to ornament under-garments and babies' christening-robes4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fh4--;,,embroidery ,,picture4 ,a ,,squire ,,and ,,his ,,lady4 ,,signed ,m4 ,c4 ,,dated #afeg4 ,mr ,minet4 ,this embroidery1 which bears the initials ,m4 ,c4 and the date #afeg in pearls1 is notable for the variety of stitches which find a place upon it4 ,the central figures are dressed in elaborate costumes1 the lady's robe of yellow satin being embroidered with coloured flowers and decked with pearls1 laces1 and flowers1 an attire altogether inconsistent with the ,puritanical times in which she lived4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fi4--;,,hair ,,of ,,unravelled ,,silk3 ,,enlargement ,,of ,,portion ,,of ,,embroidery ,,reproduced ,,in ,,fig4 #fd4 ,bead ,embroidery ,the actual stitchery in the old embroideries that are worked entirely1 or almost entirely1 in beads1 is of an extremely simple description4 ,in the majority of pieces the work is applied as in the case of the stump embroideries1 the beads being threaded and sewn down on the framed linen1 either flatly or over padding4 ,in the less elaborate class of embroideries1 however1 the beads are sewn directly on the satin ground2 but when this plan has been adopted the design is rarely padded at all1 although small portions of it1 such as cravats1 girdle-tassels1 and garter-knots1 are found to be detached from the rest of the work4 ,this is for the most part executed with long strings of threaded beads couched down in close-set rows4 ,plate ,,xxi4 represents an excellent specimen of flat and raised bead-work combined with purl embroidery4 ,see also ,fig4 #eb4 ,groundwork ,tracings ,the first stage of an embroidered picture is well illustrated in ,fig4 #gj1 which is worthy of careful study4 ,the original is a piece of satin measuring #i-a_/b #h in41 and on this the design has been traced by a pointed stylus1 the deep incised lines made in the thick material having been coloured black1 probably by a transferring medium similar to carbonised paper4 ,the shadows have been added with a brush1 evidently wielded by an experienced hand1 for not only are they gradated in the original1 but there are no signs of any difficulty in dealing with the flow of colour on the absorbent textile4 ,the subject of the picture is said to be the ,princess ,mary and the ,prince ,william of ,orange4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxii4--,,tapestry ,,embroidery4 ,,dated #agce4 ,in no ,embroidery in the whole of this volume has a more determined endeavour been made to imitate ,tapestry than in the little piece here illustrated4 ,so deftly has this been carried out that experts have declined to believe that it is needlework1 or that the gradation of blues in the background have been obtained except through stain or dye4 ,the workmanship of that portion of the sky over which the bird flies appeared also too fine for manual execution4 ,an examination of the back has disproved both suppositions4 ,the piece is noteworthy for the border at the top1 which is a link connecting it with the ,sampler4 ,a date1 #agce1 can be distinguished through the stain in the upper right corner4 ,implements ,used ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gj4--;,,groundwork ,,tracing ,,for ,,embroidered ,,picture4 #ag,,th ,,century4 ,mr ,e4 ,hennell4 ,it is probable that some details in the picture--acorns1 fruit1 and the like--were worked with the aid of the curious little implements shown in ,fig4 #ga4 ,these are thimble-shaped moulds of thin1 hard wood1 which have two rows of holes pierced round their base4 ,through these holes are passed the threads which form the foundation of the rows of lace or knotting-stitches that are worked with the needle round and round the mould until it is completely covered4 ,the knotted purses of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were possibly made on moulds of this kind4 ,the plate shows two of these queer little objects1 as well as a long spool or bobbin with ancient silks of various colours still wound on it1 the spool-case belonging to it1 and two pieces of knotted-work in different stages of development4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ga4--,,moulds ,,for ,,knotted ,,or ,,lace ,,work1 ,,with ,,silk ,,spools ,,and ,,case4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxiii4--,,specimen ,,of ,,purl ,,embroidery4 #af,,th-#ag,,th ,,century4 ,formerly in the ,author's ,collection4 ,a specimen of stitchery of various kinds1 much of it in high relief1 and of purl work4 ,the reproduction1 whilst translating very faithfully the colours1 gives but little idea of the relief4 ,size1 #ab #af-a_/b4 ,,ii4--,the ,stitchery of ,samplers1 with a ,note on their ,materials ,sad sewers make sad samplers4 ,we'll be sorry ,down to our fingers'-ends and 'broider emblems ,native to desolation--cypress sprays1 ,yew-tufts and hectic leaves of various autumn ,and bitter tawny rue1 and bent blackthorns4 ,the ,soldier of ,fortune4--,,lord ,,de ,,tabley4 ,cut and ,drawn-,work ,the open-work stitchery1 which is so important and pleasing a feature of the seventeenth-century sampler1 is of two kinds2 that is1 double cut-work--the ,italian punto tagliato--in which both warp and woof threads are removed1 save for a few necessary connecting bars1 and single cut-work--punto tirato--wherein but one set of threads is withdrawn4 ,the first type 7which is probably the rare ,italian cut-work mentioned in ,the ,needle's ,excellency7 is the immediate ancestor of needle-point lace1 and is the kind that is oftenest met with in the oldest and finest samplers2 the second approaches more nearly to the drawn-thread embroidery worked both abroad and at home at the present day4 ,in executing real double cut-work1 after the surplus material has been cut away1 the supporting or connecting threads are overcast1 the edges of the cut linen buttonholed1 and the spaces within this framework filled in with lace-stitches1 simple or elaborate4 ,in the best specimens of samplers the effect is sometimes enhanced by portions of the pattern being detached from the ground1 as in the upper part of the beautiful sampler illustrated in ,fig4 #gb4ad ,these loose pieces usually have as basis a row of buttonhole-stitches worked into the linen1 but in some examples the lace has been worked quite separately and sewn on4 ,the mode of working both double and single cut-work is shown plainly in the two enlargements 7,figs4 #gc and #gd71 which are of parts of samplers probably worked about #affj4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gb--;,,drawn-,,work ,,sampler4 #ag,,th ,,century4 ,there is a third and much simpler type of open-work occasionally found on seventeenth-century samplers1 which is carried out by piercing the linen with a stiletto and overcasting the resulting holes so as to produce a series of bird's-eye or eyelet stitches4 ,all three varieties of open-stitch are frequently seen in combination with that short1 flat satin-stitch1 which1 when worked in a diaper pattern with white thread or silk on a white ground1 is sometimes called damask-stitch4 ,this pretty combination of stitches appears in ,plate ,,vi41 and also in the enlargement 7,fig4 #gd7 already referred to4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gc4--;,,cut ,,and ,,drawn-,,work3 ,,enlargement ,,from #ag,,th-,,century ,,sampler4 ,back-,stitch ,this stitch was largely used in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries for the adornment of articles of personal clothing1 as well as of quilts and hangings1 hence it is natural that it is prominent in the samplers of the period4 ,in the older specimens the bands of back-stitch patterns are worked with exquisite neatness1 both sides being precisely alike2 but in those of later date signs of carelessness are apparent1 and the reverse side is somewhat untidy4 ,in no sampler examined by the writer1 however1 has the back-stitch been produced by working a chain-stitch on the wrong side of the linen1 as is the case in some of the embroidered garments of the period4 ,the samplers illustrated in ,plates ,,iii4 and ,,vii4 are noticeable for their good bands of back-stitching4 ,a small section of ,fig4 #e is shown on an enlarged scale in ,fig4 #ge4 ,in some modern text-books of embroidery1 it may be added1 the old reversible or two-sided back-stitch is distinguished as ,holbein-stitch4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gd4--,,satin-,,stitch ,,and ,,combination ,,of ,,types ,,of ,,open-,,work3 ,,enlarged ,,from ,,the ,,sampler ,,reproduced ,,in ,,fig4 #d4 #ag,,th ,,century4 ,alphabet-,stitches ,the stitches used for the lettering on samplers are three in number1 to wit1 cross-stitch1 bird's-eye-stitch and satin-stitch4 ,of the first there are two varieties1 the ordinary cross-stitch1 known in later years as sampler-stitch1 and the much neater kind1 in which the crossed stitches form a perfect little square on the wrong side4 ,this daintiest of marking stitches is rarely seen on samplers later than the eighteenth century4 ,the satin-stitch alphabets are worked in short flat stitches1 not over padding1 according to the modern method of initial embroidering1 and the letters are generally square rather than curved in outline4 ,the bird's-eye-stitch1 when used for alphabets1 varies greatly in degree of fineness4 ,in some instances the holes are very closely overcast with short1 even stitches1 but in others the latter are alternately long and short1 so that each eyelet or bird's-eye is the centre1 as it were1 of a star of ray-like stitches4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,xxiv4--,,darning ,,sampler4 #aghh4 ,darning ,samplers of unpretentious form date back a long way1 but those where they were conjoined to decoration1 as in the specimens reproduced here1 appeared to cluster round the end of the eighteenth century4 ,not only are a variety of stitches of a most intricate kind set out on them1 but they are done in gay colours1 and any monotony is averted by delicately conceived borderings4 ,whilst ,darning ,samplers cannot be considered as rare1 they certainly are not often met with in fine condition4 ,they are a standing testimony to the assiduity and dexterity of our grandparents in the reparation of their household napery4 ,darning-,stitches ,the stitches exemplifying the mode of darning damask1 cambric1 or linen had usually a sampler entirely devoted to them1 and at one period--the end of the eighteenth century--it seems to have been a fairly general custom that a girl should work one as a companion to the ordinary sampler of lettering and patterns4 ,the specimen darns on such a sampler are1 as a rule1 arranged in squares or crosses round some centre device1 a bouquet or basket of flowers for instance1 or it may be merely the initials of the worker in a shield4 ,the two samplers 7,fig4 #gf and ,plate ,,xxiv47 are typical examples of their kind1 although perhaps the ornamental parts of the designs are a little more fanciful than in the majority of those met with4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ge4--;,,back-,,stitch3 ,,enlargement ,,of ,,portion ,,of ,,sampler ,,in ,,fig4 #e4 #ag,,th ,,century4 ,,twice ,,actual ,,size4 ,the best worked--not necessarily the most elaborately embellished--of this particular class of sampler has small pieces of the material actually cut out and the holes filled up with darning1 but in inferior ones the stuff is left untouched1 and the darn is simply worked on the linen1 tammy cloth1 or tiffany itself4 ,this is a very much easier method and the appearance is better2 but the darns so made are1 after all1 but imitations of the real thing4 ,for the damask darns fine silk of two colours is invariably used1 and in the properly worked examples both sides are alike1 save1 of course1 for the reversal of the damask effect1 as in woven damask4 ,the centre designs in the two samplers illustrated are worked in fine darning-stitches of divers kinds1 outlined with chain and stem stitches4 ,here and there a few other stitches are introduced1 as in the stem of the rose in ,fig4 #gf1 where ,french knots are used to produce the mossy appearance4 ,the centre basket in this sampler is worked in lines of chain-stitching crossing each other lattice fashion4 ,both the samplers have the initials of their workers1 and in that shown in ,fig4 #gf the date 7#ahjb7 also1 neatly darned into one of the crosses formed by the damask patterns4 ,darning-samplers are usually square1 or nearly square1 in shape1 and are simply finished with a single line of hem-stitching at the edge1 but some of the older ones are ornamented with a broader band of drawn-work as border2 while a few have examples of drawn-work1 alternating with squares and crosses of darning1 in the body of the sampler4 ,a small section of such a sampler1 dated #aghe1 is illustrated on an enlarged scale in ,fig4 #gg4 ,it has a series of small conventional leaf patterns worked in single drawn-work1 and edged with a scalloping worked in chain-stitch with green silk4 ,the ground of this particular sampler is thin linen1 but the muslin-like stuff known as tiffany is that used for the foundation of nine darning-samplers out of ten4 ,tent and ,cross ,stitches ,neither tent-stitch nor tapestry-stitch appears to have been largely introduced in sampler-embroidery at any period2 still1 portions of a few specimens worked during the early and middle years of the eighteenth century are executed in one or other of these stitches4 ,tent-stitch1 for instance1 plays an important part in the wreath border of ,fig4 #h4 ,the beautifully shaded leaves are all worked in this way1 as are many of the flowers1 other varieties of grounding or cushion-stitches being used for the rest of the border4 ,the ,commandments1 which the wreath enframes1 are worked in cross-stitch4 ,this last-named stitch in its earliest form is worked over a single thread1 and produces a close and solid effect when closely massed1 or1 as may be seen in many sampler maps1 very fine lines when worked in single rows4 ,ordinary cross-stitch taken over two threads is1 of course1 the familiar stitch in which nineteenth-century samplers are entirely worked1 whence arises its second name of sampler-stitch4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gf4--;,,darning ,,sampler4 ,,signed ,m4 ,m41 ,t4 ,b41 ,j4 ,f4 ,,dated #ahjb4 ,the late ,mrs ,head4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gg4--;,,enlarged ,,portion ,,of ,a ,,darning ,,sampler4 ,,dated #aghe4 ,a pretty and--in sampler embroidery--uncommon stitch is that in which the crowned lions in the samplers of ,mary and ,lydia ,johnson 7,figs4 #ce and #cf7 are worked4 ,this stitch is formed of two cross-stitches superimposed diagonally1 and since its revival in the ,berlin wool era has been known by the names of star-stitch and leviathan-stitch4 ,various ,stitches ,besides the stitches already enumerated and described1 sundry and divers others are found on samplers of various periods4 ,satin-stitch1 for instance1 is used for borders and other parts of designs1 as well as for alphabets4 ,long-and-short stitch1 frequently very irregularly executed1 seems to have been popular for the embroidery of the wreaths and garlands that make gay many of the later eighteenth-century samplers4 ,stem-stitch1 save for such minor details as flower-stalks and tendrils1 is not often seen2 but the wreath-borders of a limited number of eighteenth-century samplers are done entirely in this stitch1 worked in lines round and round1 or up and down1 each leaf and petal until the whole is filled in4 ,stem-stitch1 it should be explained1 is1 to all intents and purposes1 the same as outline or crewel stitch4 ,the latter name1 however1 is likewise applied to long-and-short or plumage stitch by some writers on embroidery4 ,laid-stitches may also be included in the list of stitches occurring occasionally in samplers1 although it is rarely met with in its more elaborate forms4 ,a sampler dated #ahjh has two baskets 7of flowers7 worked in long laid-stitches of brown silk couched with yellow silk1 the effect of wicker-work being produced with some success by this plan1 and similar unambitious examples appear in some samplers of rather earlier date4 ,the portion of a sampler shown in ,fig4 #b is interesting by reason of the fact that it is worked in knots1 a form of stitchery comparatively rare1 save in those unclassifiable pieces of embroidery which are neither pictures nor samplers1 but possess some of the features of both4 ,materials ,linen1 bleached or unbleached1 but1 of course1 always hand-woven1 is the foundation material of the early samplers4 ,it varies greatly in texture1 from a coarse1 canvas-like kind to a fine and closely woven sort of about the same stoutness as good modern pillow-case linen4 ,the stitchery of these oldest samplers is executed in linen thread or a somewhat loosely twisted silk1 often scarcely coarser than our nineteenth-century machine silk1 although1 on the other hand1 a very thick and irregularly spun type is occasionally seen4 ,about #agbe linen of a peculiar yellow colour and rather harsh texture came into vogue2 but this went out of fashion in a few years1 and towards the end of the eighteenth century the strong and durable linen was almost entirely superseded by an ugly and moth-attracting stuff called indifferently tammy1 tammy cloth1 bolting cloth1 and1 when woven in a specially narrow width1 sampler canvas4 ,the stitchery on samplers of this date is almost invariably executed with silk1 although in a few of the coarser ones fine untwisted crewel is substituted4 ,tiffany1 the thin1 muslin-like material mentioned in connection with darning-samplers1 was at this period used also for small delicately wrought samplers of the ordinary type4 ,early in the nineteenth century very coarsely woven linen and linen canvas came into fashion again1 and for some time were nearly as popular as the woollen tammy2 while1 about #ahbj1 twisted crewels of the crudest dyes replaced in a great measure the soft toned silks4 ,next followed the introduction of cotton canvas and ,berlin wool1 and with them vanished the last remaining vestige of the exquisite stitchery and well-balanced designs of earlier generations1 and the sampler1 save in a most degraded form1 ceased to exist4 ,index ,abraham on sampler1 #eh4 ,fig4 #af ,acorn1 #eh1 #fh1 #aji4 ,plate ,,iii4 ,fig4 #af ,adam and ,eve on samplers1 #ba1 #fb1 #aji2 on embroideries1 #abh ,africa1 map of1 #ig4 ,fig #da ,age of sampler1 how to estimate1 #ae ,age of sampler workers1 #hj ,agur's prayer4 ,plate ,,xi4 ,alphabets on samplers1 #ai1 #bb1 #hd2 stitches1 #afd ,america1 samplers from1 #bd1 #ig 7,plate ,,xiii41 ,figs4 #db-ea72 map of1 #ib4 ,fig4 #ci ,anchors1 ,fig4 #bc ,animals on samplers1 #fe ,ascension ,day samplers1 #ch ,background-stitches1 #add ,back-stitches1 #aji1 #afc4 ,plates ,,iii4 and ,,vii4 ,fig4 #ge ,bead embroidery1 #aeh 7,plate ,,xxii472 sampler1 ,fig4 #ec ,belief1 the1 #bh ,belgian samplers1 #aaj ,biblical subjects in tapestry embroideries1 #abh ,bird's-eye-stitch1 #afd ,borders to samplers1 #ge ,boston1 ,u4,s4,a41 samplers from1 #hi4 ,fig4 #ej ,boxers1 #fa4 ,plate ,,iii4 ,fig4 #ah ,boys1 samplers by1 #hd4 ,fig #cd ,bronts1 samplers by1 #bh4 ,figs4 #aj1 #aa1 #ab ,brooklyn1 ,u4,s4,a41 sampler from1 #hi4 ,fig4 #dg ,buttonhole-stitch1 #adf ,calcutta1 samplers from1 #ce4 ,fig4 #c ,carnation1 see ,pink ,caterpillar1 #adj ,charles ,i41 ,plates ,,xvi4 and ,,xviii4 ,charles ,,ii41 ,plate ,,xxi4 ,children1 samplers by1 #hj ,christening samplers1 #aji ,christmas samplers1 #ch ,colouring of samplers1 #eb ,commandments1 the1 #bg4 ,fig4 #i ,corn blue-bottle1 #gh ,coronet1 see ,crowns ,costume on tapestry embroideries1 #acb ,crewel-stitch1 #agj ,cross-stitch1 #aji1 #aff ,crowns on samplers1 #fh4 ,figs4 #bj-bb ,crucifixion on samplers1 #ajh1 #aji ,cupids on samplers1 ,fig4 #bc ,cushion-stitch1 #add4 ,fig4 #fb ,cut and drawn work stitches1 #afa4 ,figs4 #d1 #g1 #af1 #bd1 #db1 #gb1 #gc ,darned samplers1 ,fig4 #gf4 ,plate ,,xxiv4 ,darning-stitches1 #aaj1 #afe4 ,plate ,,xxiv4 ,figs4 #gf1 #gg ,david and ,abigail1 #abh1 #acj2 and ,goliath1 #acj ,deer1 see ,stags ,design on samplers1 #ea ,dogs on samplers1 ,fig4 #ag4 ,plate ,,iii4 ,drawn-work1 #eh1 #ace4 ,fig4 #af ,dress1 value of tapestry embroideries as patterns of1 #acb ,dutch samplers1 #aaj ,earliest samplers1 #aj1 #ac1 #af ,easter samplers1 #cf ,embroiderers' ,company1 #abg ,embroideries in the manner of tapestry pictures1 #abc2 subjects of1 #abg2 as mirrors of fashion1 #acb ,england1 maps of1 #id4 ,fig4 #dj4 ,esther and ,ahasuerus1 #abh1 #acj4 ,plate ,,xviii4 ,evolution of samplers1 #ab1 #ae ,eyelet-stitch1 #adf4 ,fig4 #fc ,fig on samplers1 #fh4 ,plate ,,iii4 ,fine ,art ,society's ,exhibition of samplers1 #d1 #bh1 #ff1 #hi1 #aai2 of embroideries1 #abc ,fleur de ,lys on samplers1 #ba ,florentine-stitch1 #ade ,flowers on samplers1 #fe2 on tapestry embroideries1 #aci ,foreign flavour in embroideries1 #aca ,foreign samplers1 #ajd ,fountains on tapestry embroideries1 #acf ,french knot-stitches1 #aea4 ,figs4 #ba and #fg ,french samplers1 #aaa ,gardening1 illustrations of1 on tapestry embroideries1 #ace ,german samplers1 #ajh ,glove1 embroidered4 ,fig4 #ee ,gobelin-stitch1 #ade ,gold and silver passing1 #aed ,grubs on tapestry embroideries1 #adj ,hagar and ,ishmael1 #abi4 ,plate ,,xv4 ,hearts on samplers1 #ge4 ,figs4 #ba-bc ,hollie point lace cap1 ,fig4 #fa2 stitch1 #aeg ,honeysuckle on samplers1 #ff1 #gi4 ,fig4 #cj ,horticulture1 see ,gardening ,house on samplers1 #aah 7,figs4 #ad1 #df1 #dh72 on tapestry embroidery1 #ace4 ,fig4 #ef ,human figure1 #eg ,hungary-stitch1 #ade ,implements used in stitchery1 #aei4 ,fig4 #ga ,indian samplers1 #aac4 ,figs4 #c and #eb ,inscriptions on samplers1 #bc1 #ia ,italian samplers1 #aaa ,judgment of ,paris1 #abh4 ,fig4 #ef ,knot-stitches1 #aji1 #aea4 ,figs4 #ba and #fg ,lace-stitches1 #aed4 ,figs4 #fa1 #fh-gj ,laid-stitch1 #adf ,last of the samplers1 #aag ,lettering on samplers1 #bb ,leviathan-stitch1 #afi ,life and death1 inscriptions referring to1 #da ,lion on sampler1 #fe4 ,fig4 #dd ,literature sampler1 #aae ,little ,gidding1 nuns1 #aca1 #adi ,long-and-short-stitch1 #agj ,looped-stitches1 #aeb ,lord's ,prayer1 the1 #bg ,maidstone ,museum1 tapestry picture4 ,plate ,i4 ,map samplers1 #ib4 ,figs4 #ci-da ,materials on which samplers were worked1 #aga ,mermaid on sampler1 ,fig4 #af ,metal thread1 #aec ,milton1 mention of sampler by1 #ad ,mitford1 ,miss1 on samplers1 #aah ,mortlake tapestries1 #ajj ,moses in the bullrushes1 #abi ,mustard or canary-coloured canvas1 #ee ,national events1 samplers as records of1 #ij ,need of samplers1 #aa ,needle's excellency1 the1 #aae1 #aaf1 #adc ,numerals on samplers1 #bb ,oak1 see ,acorn ,origin of samplers1 place of1 #hh ,ornament1 sampler1 #ea ,ornamentation1 earliest date of various forms of1 #ba ,orpheus1 #abh ,parents and preceptors1 duties to1 #df ,passing1 #aed ,passion ,week samplers1 #ch ,patternes of cut workes1 #aae ,peacocks' feathers1 use of1 #aed ,pearls1 seed1 on tapestry embroideries1 #acc--note ,pears1 #aji ,pineapple on samplers1 #fh ,pink on samplers1 #ff1 #gh1 #aji4 ,plates ,,iii41 ,,iv41 ,,vi4 ,fig4 #bh ,place of origin of samplers1 #hh ,plush-stitch1 #aec4 ,plate ,,xviii4 ,portuguese samplers1 #aab ,poverty1 inscriptions concerning1 #dh ,prayers on samplers1 #ci ,preceptors1 duties to1 #df ,purl1 #aec4 ,plate ,,xxiii4 ,quaint inscriptions1 #di ,religious festivals1 verses commemorating1 #cf ,rhymes on samplers1 see ,verses ,royal personages on tapestry embroideries1 #acc ,royal school of art needlework1 #abj ,rose on samplers1 #eh1 #ff1 #aji 7,figs4 #g1 #af1 ,plate ,,vi472 on tapestry embroideries1 #aac ,ruskin1 ,john1 on needlework in museums1 #b2 on samplers1 #c2 sampler by grandmother of1 #c1 and ,plate ,x4 ,samplers4 ,parts ,i4 and ,,iii4 7,sec4 ,,ii47 ,satin-stitch1 #abb1 #ada1 #adf ,scottish samplers1 #ga1 #hd1 #hi4 ,figs4 #ba1 #cd ,sex of sampler workers1 #hj ,shakespeare1 mention of sampler by1 #ac ,sidney1 ,sir ,p41 mention of sampler by1 #ad ,signatures on samplers1 #bc ,size of samplers1 #hd ,smoke 7chimney7 on embroideries1 #ace4 ,fig4 #eg ,spanish samplers1 #aab ,spectator on decay of needlework1 #aag ,spies to ,canaan1 #ba ,split-stitch1 #aej4 ,figs4 #fe1 #ff ,stag on samplers1 #ba1 #fe1 #hj4 ,figs4 #f1 #ag4 ,plates ,,iii41 ,,viii4 ,star-stitch1 #afi4 ,figs4 #ce1 #cf ,stem-stitch1 #aej ,stitchery of tapestry pictures1 #adc2 of samplers1 #afa ,stitches1 background1 #add2 cushion1 #add2 tent1 #add2 ,gobelin1 #ade2 upright1 #ade2 ,florentine1 #ade2 ,hungary1 #ade2 satin1 #adf2 open1 #adf2 buttonhole1 #adf2 eyelet1 #adi 7,fig4 #fc72 split1 #aeb 7,figs4 #fe1 #ff72 stem1 #aej2 knot1 #aea2 looped1 #aeb2 plush1 #aec2 purl1 #aec2 passing1 #aed2 lace1 sampler stitches1 #aed2 hollie point1 #aeg 7,fig4 #fa72 cut and drawn-work1 #afa2 back-stitch1 #afc 7,fig4 #ge72 alphabet-stitch1 #afd2 darning-stitch1 #afe 7,plate ,,xxiv4 and ,figs4 #h1 #gf72 tent and cross-stitch1 #aff2 various1 #agj ,strawberry on samplers1 #ff4 ,fig4 #ca4 ,plate ,,xiii4 ,stump embroidery1 #adi ,susannah and the elders1 #abh1 #acj1 #aca4 ,plate ,,xiv4 ,swiss samplers1 #aaa ,talc1 #aed4 ,plate ,,xiv4 ,tammy cloth1 #aga ,tapestry1 history of1 #abe2 stitch1 #ade ,tapestry pictures--see embroideries in the manner of ,tent-stitch1 #aff ,thistle on sampler1 #ga4 ,fig4 #ba ,tracing1 groundwork1 #aeh4 ,fig4 #gj ,tree of knowledge on samplers1 #ahn1 #fbn1 #aji4 ,figs4 #ag1 #ah ,tulip on samplers1 #gh4 ,figs4 #bg1 #ei ,upright-stitch1 #ade ,verses on samplers1 #bg1 #cf-ea ,vice1 inscription concerning1 #dh ,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 samplers in1 #aa1 #ba1 #eh4 ,fig4 #g ,virtue1 inscription concerning1 #dh ,wealth1 inscription concerning1 #dh ,printed at ,,the ,,darien ,,press1 ,edinburgh ,,footnotes3 #a ,the picture also shows that the principal decorations of the walls of the schoolroom were framed examples of attainments with the needle4 #b ,in the original all the small pieces of work in the upper corner near the initials are varieties of gold thread design1 and almost all the grey colour throughout1 in the reproduction1 is silver thread4 #c ,it was claimed by its late owner1 ,mrs ,egerton ,baines1 that almost every line of this sampler contains ,royalist emblems4 ,for instance1 the angel in the upper part is supposed to be ,margaret of ,scotland wearing the ,yorkist badge as a part of her chatelaine2 beside her is the ,tree of ,life1 on either side of which are ,lancastrian ,s's1 the whole row being symbolical of the descent of the ,stuarts from ,margaret of ,scotland1 daughter of ,henry ,,vii4 ,the next row of ornament is also the ,tree of ,life1 represented by a vine springing from an acorn1 by tradition a symbolical badge of ,henrietta ,maria1 wife of ,charles ,i4 ,the next two rows are made up of roses1 acorns1 and ,stuart ,s's1 which ,s's again appear in the line beneath1 linked with the ,tree of ,life4 ,we refer elsewhere 7p4 #fb7 to the figures in the bottom row 7the whole of the sampler is not shown here71 and these are supposed to be ,oliver ,cromwell as a tailed devil4 ,the sampler is neither signed nor dated1 but it clearly belongs to the first half of the seventeenth century4 ,the silks employed are almost exclusively pink1 green1 and blue1 and the work is of the open character found in that illustrated in ,plate ,,iii4 #d ,in one by ,hannah ,lanting1 dated #afia1 the orthography is with my nedel ,i rout the same1 and it adds1 and ,juda ,hayle is my ,dame4 #e ,the lower portion of ,fig4 #ah opposite introduces us to an early and crude representation of ,adam and ,eve and the serpent1 and to the bird and fountain1 and flower in vase1 forms of decoration which became at a later date so very common4 ,the name of the maker has been obliterated owing to dirt getting through a broken glass1 but the date is #agdb4 #f ,this sampler is interesting owing to its drawn-work figures1 which are directly copied from two effigies of the reign of ,james ,i41 and may stand for that ,monarch and his ,queen4 ,this portion of the sampler might readily be mistaken for that date were it not that it bears on the bar which divides the figures the letters ,s4,w41 #agjj4 ,the border at the side of the figures is in red silk1 that at the top and the alphabet are in the motley array of colours to which we are accustomed in specimens of this date4 #g ,a map of ,europe1 formerly in the author's possession1 had the degrees marked as so many minutes or hours east or west of ,clapton6 #h ,samplers1 by ,alice ,morse ,earle4 #i ,it first appeared in the ,lady's ,magazine1 #ahai1 and in the first collected edition1 #ahbd1 ,vol4 ,i4 pp4 #fg1 #fh2 also in ,bohn's ,classics1 #aheb1 pp4 #ach1 #aci4 #aj ,these latter1 with their figures standing out in relief1 could never have been used for cushions1 and can only have been employed as pictures4 #aa ,the difficulty of assigning a close date to tapestry embroideries is a considerable one1 for dress is practically the only guide1 and this is by no means a reliable one1 for a design may well have been taken from a piece dated half a century previously1 as1 for instance1 when the marriage of ,charles ,i4 is portrayed on an embroidery bearing date #afdi1 the year of his death4 ,those1 therefore1 which have a genuine date have this value1 that they can only represent a phase of art or a subject coeval with1 or precedent to1 that date4 ,hence the importance of the pieces illustrated in ,fig4 #fj and in ,fig4 #fh1 dated six years later4 #ab ,mr ,davenport considers that this rounded1 padded work is a caricature of the raised embroidery of the opus ,anglicanum1 and that the earliest specimens of it are to be found at ,coire1 ,zurich1 and ,munich4 #ac ,the fondness for decking the dress with pearls is quaintly portrayed in these pictures1 where they are imitated by seed pearls4 ,as to these there is an interesting extract extant1 from the inventory of ,st ,james's ,house1 nigh ,westminster1 in #aedi1 wherein among the items is one of a table or picture whereon is a man holding a sword in one hand and a sceptre in the other1 of needlework1 prettily garnished with seed pearls4 #ad ,a very good example of a sampler in drawn-work1 in which the floral form of decoration is entirely absent1 save in the sixth row 7the pinks71 which is in green silk1 the rest being in white4 ,that the sampler was intended as a pattern is evident from some of the rows being unfinished4