Jane Wilby 1833 The Evolution & Continuity of Sampler Art

By Deborah Fasano of Historic Handworkes

Early sampler history reveals that stitched samplers depicting alphabets and numbers were worked by young women in order to learn the basic needlework skills needed to operate a family household. By the 1800s, schools or academies for young ladies flourished, and more elaborate pieces with decorative motifs such as flowers and houses, and religious verses, pastoral poems or commemorative events began to be stitched. Printed books as design resources were too expensive for most until well into the 19th century, so many women recorded