This commentary is by Spencer Kuchle of Derby Line, associate director of collections and interpretation at the Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village in Brownington.
Last year, a statewide initiative was launched to locate and document American schoolgirl samplers and other embroideries in public and private collections in Vermont.
The Vermont Sampler Initiative, supported by Vermont Humanities, is a collaboration among museums, historical societies, private collectors and community members, each dedicated to exploring the historical significance of samplers and their role in the education of girls.
One of the goals of the project is the creation of an online searchable database, the Sampler Archive, designed to share information and images about samplers from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Since the beginning of the initiative, Vermont Sampler Identification and Documentation Days have been held across the state.
So, why are we so excited about preserving pieces of cross-stitching?
As artifacts, samplers are much more than a display showcasing the needlework talents of young girls. While such skills used to be considered a necessity for serving the family as a “good” wife and mother, they also provide glimpses into the daily lives, education and artistry of American girls and women, who were often excluded from the historical record.
Consider, for instance, the earliest known American sampler, produced by Loara Standish, daughter of Plymouth Colony’s Captain Myles Standish, around 1640. Now housed at the Pilgrim Hall Museum, it features roses, pansies, gillyflowers, stylized forms and a moral verse, marking her presence in the world. The images she chose offer insights into her feelings, affections and values alongside the social and cultural norms of the day.
The introduction of girls’ schools and academies in the late 18th and early 19th centuries led to the use of samplers as teaching tools. In addition to letters of the alphabet and numbers, their handiwork often included lessons in geography, Bible verses, domestic and pastoral scenes, animals, family trees, and the name and age of the girl.
Soon, learning needlework from a teacher became a status symbol, and samplers were not only proudly displayed in homes but passed down through generations. The practice of girls from all social classes completing samplers was common through the mid-19th century, however, and ladies’ sewing circles came to play an important role by placing women in the public sphere. One example is abolitionist women who managed to promote their social cause using samplers without defying gender roles.
Among the many samplers in the collections of the Old Stone House is one produced in 1818 by 13-year-old Mercy Ladd Merrill, the future wife of Alexander Lucius Twilight. This seemingly simple piece of embroidery confirmed facts about Merrill’s life that were not documented elsewhere.
The Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village plans to host its own sampler identification days on Friday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (by appointment only), and Saturday, June 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (by appointment or walk-in). The event is scheduled to take place at the Museum’s Grammar School/Grange Hall on 1350 Hinman Settler Road in Brownington.
The public is invited to bring in samplers and embroideries made before 1900, so they can be photographed and registered in the archive. Those with three or more samplers should be sure to contact the museum for an appointment.
If you hold clues to the past through samplers in your possession or are interested in volunteering for the sampler ID days at the Old Stone House, we look forward to hearing from you. To make an appointment and learn more, contact samplersvt@gmail.com.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Spencer Kuchle: Stitches in time.