- Image reference 2006AP0767
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Sampler
- Place of origin:
England (made)
- Date:
1600-1650 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
Linen, embroidered with silk in double running, two-sided Italian cross and padded Romanian detached buttonhole stitch
- Museum number:
516&A-1877
- Gallery location:
In store
In their earliest form, samplers were put together as personal reference works for embroiderers. They were trials of patterns and stitches that had been copied from others, and records of particular effects achieved that could be recreated again. This is a type known as a band sampler. There are at least two very similar samplers known in other collections, and this may be an early example of a particular school or teacher's influence. With the composition of band samplers comes the first clear indication in England of the form being used as a method of instruction and practice for girls learning needlework.
