Although now framed and often hung like pictures, originally, samplers were practical pieces. They were meant for practice and for recording the stitches and patterns which were embroidered over curtains, furnishings and the clothing of both men and women.
The condition and colour of the textiles are a reminder that they weren’t valued as decorations. They have survived because they were rolled up in work boxes and drawers.
Some of the pieces in the collection are over four hundred years old. The earliest are often easy to recognise with scattered motifs and designs randomly worked across a long piece of linen. The wildly different scale of plants and animals adds charm but may remind us of our own attempts at sketches or sewing. Giant insects hover over birds, enormous plants tower over a deer. But there is no getting away from the skill it took to produce such delicate work. Intricate and stylised designs reflect the similar and fashionable patterns used in gardens, wall paintings and architecture at the time.