̽��ֱ��

Samplers were used as an opportunity to��instil��morals as well as skills and were used as a means of teaching the alphabet and numbers. ̽��ֱ��decorative sampler made by Mary Ann demonstrates her ability to stitch several rows of alphabets and numerals in a number of styles and scripts as well as to embroider images. ̽��ֱ��verse she chose, or was instructed, to transcribe in neat cross- and four-sided cross-stitch reflects the strong Christian ethos of most orphanages.

In his lifetime George��Müller��cared for more than 10,000 orphans at a time when illegitimacy was a disgrace, there was no welfare system as safety net, and poverty carried a profound stigma. Muller was��criticised��for giving the children in his care a varied education of a high standard but ignored comments that he was educating them above their station.

He faced formidable opposition in the shape of prevailing social attitudes. “Children of the poor should not be educated in such manner as to set them above the occupations of humble life, or so as to make them uncomfortable among their equals,” wrote Sarah Trimmer in Reflections upon the Education of Children in Charity Schools; with the Outlines of a Plan of Appropriate Instruction for the Children of the Poor (1792).

̽��ֱ��earliest sampler in the online exhibition was made by Mary Derow��in 1723, when she was just ten. She was a pupil at St Clement Danes School in Drury Lane, London, one of more than 60 schools set up the by Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. Children entering the care of the school were provided with clothing and shoes and given quills and��inkpots��for writing. ̽��ֱ��beautifully executed figures in Mary’s design show pupils wearing the blue school uniform. Girls were taught to knit as well as sew and had instruction in reading and singing.

Although they reveal little flashes of individuality from their young makers, samplers were primarily a means of demonstrating proficiency and diligence rather than artistic flair. Designs were faithfully copied from examples provided by instructors and older pupils, or taken from books illustrating techniques and motifs.

The��Fitzwilliam��has samplers by mother and daughter, Mary��Reeder��and Jane��Reeder��Cole, both of whom went to school in the East��Cambridgeshire��village of��Kirtling��in the��19th��century. ̽��ֱ��similarity of some of the details, including their portrayal of a bounding dog with a curly tail, suggests that Jane might have��modelled��elements of her sampler, dated 1852, on her mother Mary’s, which is dated 1826. Both samplers were given to the��Fitzwilliam��in 1943 by Sarah Cole, who was Mary’s daughter and Jane’s younger sister.

Apart from its immediate visual appeal, the exhibition is an opportunity to reflect on the ever-shifting relationship between women and needlework – and the changing status of handicrafts as��mechanisation��progressively took over the production of textiles and clothing.��

“For some people, needlework represents the oppression and exploitation of women, particularly seamstresses of��19th-century��London who were grossly underpaid, sometimes abused and over-worked,” says��Rana. “It has to be remembered, however, that before the introduction of embroidery and sewing machines, knowing how to stitch was an essential skill.”

To see ‘Stories behind the Stitches: Schoolgirl Samplers of the��18th��and��19th��Centuries’ go to

For more information about this story contact Alex Buxton, Communications Office, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, amb206@admin.cam.ac.uk 01223 761673

Inset images from top:��Infant Orphan Girls Learning to Sew in One of the Bristol Orphan Houses, c. 1905;��Mary Ann Tipper, Bristol Orphan House, 1868;��Jane Reeder Cole, Kirtling School, 1852. First image��taken from Centenary Memorial 1805-1905 (Bristol: J.Wright and Co., 1905), copyright, and reproduced by permission, of the Bristol Central Library. Second and third image credited to Fitzwilliam��Museum, Cambridge.