Vault

The seventeenth century is often seen as the high point for samplers because of the quality of the needlework and the originality of designs. During the eighteenth century the character of samplers changed from being the work of highly skilled adult needleworkers to most frequently being specimens of basic needlework proficiency completed, often in school settings, principally by girls but sometimes by boys. While needlework was still an essential element of a girl's education samplers came to include other aspects of education including religion, geography, mathematics and language. These dimensions are demonstrated by the presence of maps and multiplication tables that sat alongside personal information such as depictions of family and home. In the nineteenth century samplers made by residents of schools, but particularly orphanages, were straight forward advertisements of the proficiency of their maker who would often be aiming for a domestic service position. Orphanage samplers are generally very plain in terms of general style, often using just one colour of thread - red being a favourite - but dense in terms of examples of the competency of the maker. Not uncommonly such samplers bore the address of the maker.