1662

Sampler

From at least the sixteenth century, samplers served as personal pattern records of embroidered stitches and designs for women and girls, and were an important part of feminine education. A sampler’s motifs, which could be expanded upon during its maker’s lifetime, would be adapted for decoration on clothing and household linens. This sampler is embroidered with at least two dozen different stitches; its ordered linear design is typical of samplers of the late seventeenth century.