Bed curtain

Object Type
This curtain is from a set of bed hangings. When the set was acquired it comprised four curtains and three valances, but there may originally have been more pieces to make the complete bed. One of the curtains has the embroidered date 1755, suggesting it was thought valuable enough to complete or refurbish some 50 years after it was originally started.

Design & Designing
The design here derives from the Indian flowering tree motif, but has been turned into a repeating pattern of vertical branches suitable for a set of hangings. The effect of the repetition is softened by variations in the stitches and colours, and its regularity suggests it was drawn by a professional onto the ground fabric or copied directly from a pattern. The repeating motif of hound chasing stag is particularly suited to a design seen in the round when the curtains are drawn.

Materials & Making
Needlework was a skill taught from early girlhood in 17th-century Britain. Adult women might earn their living from it, or use it in the upkeep and decoration of their households. In the case of curtains like this it enabled the impact of such imported and professionally manufactured goods as chintz to be imitated in a domestic setting.