Sampler
Unknown Artist
1825
Medium
Cotton and silk on hemp canvas
Dimensions
H. 12 5/8 x W. 17 inches (32.1 x 43.2 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Embroidered
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
From the Collection of Mrs. Lathrop Colgate Harper, Bequest of Mabel Herbert Harper, 1957
Accession Number
57.122.352
Art Historical Context
This delicate 1825 British sampler, crafted by an unknown artist, exemplifies the educational needlework tradition popular among young girls in early 19th-century England Measuring 12⅝ × 17 inches, it is embroidered with cotton and silk threads on a sturdy hemp canvas—a practical choice for practice pieces that showcased a pupil's mastery of stitches and patterns. Samplers like this served as both skill-building exercises and personal records, often featuring alphabets, numbers, borders, and motifs to prepare girls for domestic life. Embroidered textiles held profound cultural importance in R...