Embroidery design
- Place of origin:
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
Bland, Sarah, born 1810 - died 1905 (made)
- Materials and Techniques:
Pen and ink on tracing paper
- Credit Line:
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level F, case 95, shelf C, box 101
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Design for embroidery for a book cover featuring floral motifs and bordering. This design was probably traced by Sarah Bland (1810-1905) about 1836-1854 from a commercially available pattern from a magazine such as The Lady's Newspaper.This design is in an album which includes Bland's collection of her own botanically accurate designs, simplified patterns from accurate botanical observation, patterns traced from magazines, commercial, printed Berlin wool work patterns, gifts of patterns, including commercial ones from friends and relatives. The designs include those for petit-point, bead-work, decoration for dresses, collars and cuffs, aprons, slippers, tablecloths and covers, a bookcovers as in this pattern, cushions, bags, penwipers, initial letters, alphabets etc. In Bland's case, the gift of designs demonstrates connections between relatives of merchant and banking families and is of historical significance in bonding such families. Bland may have embroidered a bookcover such as this one as a gift for a member of the family or a friend.
Physical description
Design in pen and ink on tracing paper for a book cover featuring floral motifs and bordering.
Place of Origin
Great Britain, UK (made)
Date
ca. 1836-1854 (made)
Artist/maker
Bland, Sarah, born 1810 - died 1905 (made)
Materials and Techniques
Pen and ink on tracing paper
Marks and inscriptions
'For a Book-cover.'
Dimensions
Height: 20.3 cm, Width: 25.6 cm
Object history note
Historical significance: Within the study of embroidery, men tend to be recorded as professional embroiderers or pattern drawers, whereas women worked more ambigiously with designs for embroidery. Women's amateur as opposed to professional designs for embroidery raise problems because amateur work has tended to be regarded as less significant. Embroidery was a pastime but was also an economic activity. Upper middle class women's property was closely linked to their status within the family as daughters, wives and widows and only allowed semi-independence. This semi-independence was underpinned by legal, politial, and social practices which subordinated them. Nevertheless, it was combined with recognition of their economic worth within the family enterprise. However, women were restricted as they often could not be openly involved in working for money. See L. Davidoff and C. Hall (Reference Tab). Bland could not be seen to be working but it is likely that she embroidered accessories for dress, penwipers, tablecloths, book covers, and cushions as gifts which were her contribution to the household, wider family, and friendship. The quality of her samplers and designs shows the value of such gifts in terms of relationships with family and friends.
Material about the perceptions of a woman's role is pertinent to the discourse on women and therefore gender history. In Bland's case, the gift of designs demonstrates connections between relatives of merchant and banking families and is of historical significance in bonding between such families.
Historical context note
Sarah Bland (1810-1905) was listed as a 'gentlewoman' in the 1851 census return and is not recorded as having any occupation in the census returns for 1871 and 1901 which is consistent with her social status.
Descriptive line
Design for a book cover, ca. 1836-1854, by Sarah Bland (1810-1905).
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Davidoff, L. and Hall, C. Family Fortunes, Men, Women of the English Middle Class 1780-1850. Revised edition. London: Routledge, 2002, p.387.
Production Note
There are three samplers by Sarah Bland in the collection of the Textiles and Fashion Department: T.238-1967; T.239-1967 and T.240-1967.
Materials
Ink; Tracing paper
Techniques
Drawing
Subjects depicted
Flowers; Book; Borders; Wrappers (book covers); Covers (overlying objects)
Categories
Textiles; Drawings; Designs; Embroidery; Books
Production Type
Design
Collection code
PDP
