 As the 17th century begins, the style of having clothing and every kind of accessory excessively embroidered was still popular among royality and the very wealthy. Patterns used for this embroidery were worked on samplers, or an "examplar" (an example). The earliest record of the existence of samplers is in 1502, but the sampler became more admired in the 1600's. The oldest type of sampler is the random sampler (No.1). It was used by women strictly as a reference piece of favorite patterns and stitches. Because it was not intended for show, it was rare for this type of sampler to be signed. As the century progressed, the sampler became an important part of a girl's education. In fact, it assumed the same importance in her education as reading and writing. The band sampler (No.2) was the most popular type of sampler during this century. At this point, it was also considered to be an object of pride that should be framed and hung on the wall. It was displayed for for all to see the skill with which the young girl executed all of her stitches. By the end of the century, it was common to add an entire alphabet and numbers. The girl who stitched the sampler to the far left (No.3) was ten years old! That was the typical age, although some girls started their sampler as young as the age of eight. |
