dh has brought home a 1798 sampler from MIL's

[edam]

apparently found in one of late FIL's cupboards. It's a map of Europe, very simple, just black stitching on linen (with a few embroidered leaves around the title). But fascinating just to hold something that an ancestress of his made in 1798. And lovely to see the old names for countries and seas - it's very patriotic, the Irish Sea is called St George's Channel.

I just love the fact that it's a slice of women's history - a survival from a girl who isn't in any history books, from the days when women were left out of history and not considered significant.

And it's nice to think her surname survived - it was dh's Grandad's middle name.

That is really lovely - how brilliant. Can you take a photo and show us?

How lovely :)

That is so cool.

Wow - I am seriously jealous.

I took a photo with my phone but will have to ask dh to fiddle around with the SD card to get it on the computer - for some reason my phone and computer won't talk to each other on bluetooth. (I am not completely incompetent, dh is a very keen photographer so I let him fiddle with SD cards).

It's not much to look at compared with more elaborate samplers, just black outlines of countries and black lettering, is just fascinating to look at the old names and touch something that this girl made 212 years ago. And to think that she left her mark at a time when most women just disappeared from history.

I wonder whether she enjoyed making it or whether it was done under protest, while she was itching to get out and do something else? Maybe the lack of decoration is because she'd rather have been playing or reading or something? (Actually that's a thought, she was clearly literate AND her surname survived, maybe she was quite posh?)

214 years, even

That sounds absolutely amazing, Edam. I am very jealous - I love black work embroidery!

Right, I think I've uploaded the picture to my profile and made it public...

(Not a very good photo though must take a closer one.)

Amazing. And not just an old sampler but interesting to see what the countries were called and the boundaries. Lucky you!

Oh that is so lovely. So simple and beautiful.

It must be so thrilling to hold a bit of 200 year old embroidery which was created at the same time as Napoleon was in the ascendant and when Jane Austen was writing her novels.

Yes, there is something quite... moving? about it. Can't help wondering if she was the same age ds is now - 9 - and what happened to her.

It is lovely, it may be worth getting it valued to see if you need to put in on your contents insurance as a special item, samplers are popular and can be worth quite a lot.

lovely

I collect these, but am very envious of the provenance of yours!

I also love the fact that a woman or girl sat down and did this, stitch by stitch, hundreds of years ago.

My favourite says "Running hares need no spurs, Lazy sheep think their wool heavy"

I have sometimes pondered what text I should choose if I were to make one. I should ask Mumsnet.

I look at them on my wall, and think about their names, and wonder what they looked like and muse on how different my life is to theirs...

Surely it should be either - "Did you mean to be so rude?" or - "Fuck the fuck off, and when you get there, fuck off some more!" Humphrey?

Write as much of the provenance down as possible because you won't remember in time, and I feel it's really important to keep the family history alive. I love old family samplers and hope I'll have a couple passed down to me in time; I am fond of them because of who they were worked by - I share some of the names - and never think about the value.

But, as fivegomad said, get it valued for contents insurance and get a good picture of it for identification purposes.

I think it must be very moving, to think of the woman who stitched that, and what became of her. There is something very intimate about them.

My MIL has got some tapestries that her mother made as a very young girl in the 20s and she treasures them.

How lovely for you. As well as the family provenance, maybe do a summary of what else was happening that year - put it into context. The Irish rebellion for starters.

Love the MN sampler suggestions!

Ooh good point about looking up other events that year.
I assume its not worth much in money terms as it's very plain and not in great condition - linen has become discoloured over the years. Anyway, it's MIL's, I guess, not ours - must check whether dh is supposed to return it anytime soon as I want to get.on to the V&A or someone to find out more.