Sampler

Art Historical Context

This delicate 19th-century Spanish, crafted with wool threads on a cotton ground, the educational needlework traditions of the era. Measuring just 13¼ x 8⅜ inches, these small embroidered panels were typically made by young girls as a rite of passage, honing skills in stitching alphabets, numbers, motifs, and borders. In Spain, such works reflected the domestic arts central to women's lives, blending utility with creativity amid a period of cultural revival and colonial influences. The embroidery technique—meticulous counted stitches in vibrant wool—highlights the sampler's role in preserving...