The Talbot Historical Society located in Easton, Maryland is hosting an exhibition, symposium, and sale of American and European needlework entitled “Head, Heart and Hands” on Saturday, May 2, 2015. The exhibition will showcase over 40 highly detailed samplers, which provide a snapshot into the daily lives of 18th and 19th century women.
A needlework sampler is a piece of embroidery produced as a demonstration of skill in needlework. It often includes the alphabet, figures, motifs and dates, decorative borders and sometimes the name of the person who embroidered it and names of their relatives. Samplers were learning tools created by young girls at small community schools.
According to Joan Levy, executive director of the Talbot Historical Society, “Girls as young as five or six would learn the basic stitches, the alphabet and numbers. For some, this would be the extent of their education.” She adds, “If a girl was able to receive additional training, she would make a second, more decorative sampler demonstrating her skill and revealing her values through the use of design and verse. These would often hang in the family home signaling to a potential suitor her virtues and refinement.
The symposium will feature talks by nationally recognized needlework experts, Cindy Steinhoff and Barbara Hutson at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. An onsite sale of a large selection of the samplers and reception will immediately follow at 4 p.m., however none of the samplers from the Society’s collection will be sold. All profits will support community outreach and programming at the Talbot Historical Society.
Due to space limitations, registration is required. The cost is $25 per person. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. See Tharpe Antiques and Decorative Arts Facebook page or call 410-820-7525 for more information.
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