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Paul's Book

Book
1955 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The Needlework Development Scheme (NDS) was established in 1934 to encourage embroidery and to raise the standard of design in Britain. Organised by four Scottish art schools, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, ITs collection of foreign and British embroidery was available to domestic science and training colleges, women's institutions and schools, as well as art schools. By 1939, the Scheme had acquired some 900 embroideries but the outbreak of the Second World War closed the Scheme and the collection was retained by the four original art schools. Glasgow School of Art was instrumental in re-starting the scheme late in 1944 and the NDS was gradually expanded to encompass other art schools in the United Kingdom where embroidery was taught. The commission resulted in a touring exhibition of work by Bromley College in London. The NDS was disbanded in 1961 when funding was withdrawn, although it was recognised that the Scheme had achieved its aims. Its collection was divided and distributed to various organisations included the Embroiderers Guild, The National Museum of Scotland and the V&A.

Another embroidered book by Jeanne Mount is illustrated in 20th Century Embroidery in Great Britain 1940-1963 by Constance Howard.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePaul's Book (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Hand-embroidered cotton with cotton thread
Brief description
Child's rag book 'Paul's Book' of hand-embroidered cotton with cotton thread, designed and embroidered by Jeanne Mount, England, 1955.
Physical description
Child's rag book of grey hand-embroidered cotton with cotton thread. With flowers embroidered on a background of pale grey cotton. On each page are stylised designs of flowers and leaves which are worked in one strand of embroidery cotton using mainly chain stitch. Other stitches include detached chain, cross, whipped chain, wheat-ear and buttonhole. On the back of each page is embroidered a small motif and the edges of the book have a knotted buttonhole finish.
Dimensions
  • Width: 7.5in
  • Length: 25in
Credit line
Given by the Needlework Development Scheme
Object history
An example of the work of the Needlework Development Scheme, designed to improve the standard of embroidery in Scotland and to provide domestic science training in colleges, women's institutes and art schools.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The Needlework Development Scheme (NDS) was established in 1934 to encourage embroidery and to raise the standard of design in Britain. Organised by four Scottish art schools, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, ITs collection of foreign and British embroidery was available to domestic science and training colleges, women's institutions and schools, as well as art schools. By 1939, the Scheme had acquired some 900 embroideries but the outbreak of the Second World War closed the Scheme and the collection was retained by the four original art schools. Glasgow School of Art was instrumental in re-starting the scheme late in 1944 and the NDS was gradually expanded to encompass other art schools in the United Kingdom where embroidery was taught. The commission resulted in a touring exhibition of work by Bromley College in London. The NDS was disbanded in 1961 when funding was withdrawn, although it was recognised that the Scheme had achieved its aims. Its collection was divided and distributed to various organisations included the Embroiderers Guild, The National Museum of Scotland and the V&A.

Another embroidered book by Jeanne Mount is illustrated in 20th Century Embroidery in Great Britain 1940-1963 by Constance Howard.
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.228-1962

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Record createdSeptember 30, 2006
Record URL
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