The Legacy Of Samplers - The Art Of Embroidery
by: Debra Fernandez
All
throughout history, both ancient and that which is being made today,
man has had the desire to express himself and record history by using
decorative stitching. This desire is only too evident when you study
the art of embroidery and more particularly the history of the sampler.
The
word sampler is derived from a Latin word, saumpler, which means to
model, pattern, copy or imitate. While samplers of today are often
associated with recording a historical event such as a wedding or birth
by applying beautiful, intricate stitching to canvas, their original
use was much more practical than sentimental.
The
sampler finds its beginnings in an ancient time before printed books
and embroidery magazines were readily available. During this time
people learned different embroidery techniques by studying different
embroidery designs which had been sewn onto cloth. These samplers were
passed from hand to hand, and, after learning the stitches on the
sampler, each person added a design or motif that they had learned for
the next person to examine.
During
the 15th and 16th centuries it became very popular to collect these
samplers. And since embroidery was restricted to the wealthy (persons
of poor economic standing did not have time to pursue leisurely
activities such as embroidery), a great majority of samplers found
their way into the hands of the well to do. Far from being the
haphazard samplers that had been traded throughout the countryside,
these samplers were highly prized pieces of art.
As
such, old samplers and new ones were being created and hoarded,
sometimes even being bequeathed to certain persons upon death like a
priceless gem. The demand for printed needlework patterns led to the
first commercially printed patterns in Germany during the year 1523.
While these paper patterns were not readily available in the beginning,
their popularity grew, and they eventually overrode the necessity, but
not the fascination with and collection of samplers.
Samplers
continued to be fashioned and evolved during different time periods to
reflect the culture and personality of society at the time. During the
early part of the 17th century, the alphabet began to be depicted on
samplers, and it was believed that the sampler took on an educational
aspect at this time. This can also be seen from the moral and religious
inscriptions which are popular among samplers which were crafted at the
end of the 17th century.
This
trend continued, and by the turn of the 19th century, samplers were
synonymous with education. In fact, school girls were required to
complete a sampler depicting religious instruction, geography, English
and mathematics before they were considered truly educated.
While
samplers are not used in education today, they are still very popular
among those looking for a unique, decorative and durable way to record
family history. Today you can find samplers that depict family trees,
births, weddings and other major lifetime events. These pieces of art
are just as important to our culture today and the generations to come
as were the samplers from which they received inspiration. And they are
still as valuable to families as those hoarded by the rich in the15th
and 16th centuries.
