Brodeur (Embroiderer), Section 18, Plate 1, Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers (Encyclopedia, or Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Trades), vol.19
Classification
embroidery & stitching
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. George A. Kubler
Accession Number
1949-152-188
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This plate from the *Encyclopédie* (1763) captures the meticulous craft of an embroiderer at work, part of the ambitious 18th-century French project led by Denis Diderot to document and celebrate the mechanical arts. Benoît-Louis Prévost’s engraving illustrates the tools, techniques, and workspace of embroidery, a skilled trade central to French luxury textile production. By presenting such trades with scientific precision, the *Encyclopédie* elevated manual labor and helped spread practical knowledge across Europe during the Enlightenment. As Section 18, Plate 1, this image belongs to the en...