s Sampler by Elizabeth Pashley, Hull, 1854 - Hull Museums Collections

Sampler by Elizabeth Pashley, Hull, 1854

This sampler illustrates a verse from the Bible about Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible passage at the top of the sampler is embroidered in the centre. Animals, birds and plants from the Garden of Eden surround it. The two figures on the right are Adam and Eve. They are being kept out of the garden by a cherub with a sword, also mentioned in the verse. This sampler was made by Elizabeth Pashley, aged 14 in Hull. Samplers have been made for at least 1000 years. Sampler making probably originated in Asia and travelled across Europe. Samplers were made in England from the late 1400s. Samplers were originally cloths on which assorted stitches and patterns were embroidered. These cloths were used as a reference for future work. From the 1700s printed pattern books were available with detailed instructions for embroidering patterns and motifs. These books could be used as a reference instead of samplers. Samplers were no longer of practical use and became a fashionable form of decoration displayed in a frame. Pattern books began to be produced to help people make samplers too. Miniature pattern books became popular from the mid-1800s. They were probably printed for children. For example, ‘The Embroidery and Alphabet Sampler Book’ measured 5.7cm by 7cm. Its cardboard cover enclosed a strip of paper 1.4 meters long folded into 15 sections. Each of these sections contained small patterns, including animals, houses, flowers and girls’ names. The most popular patterns for decorating samplers were flowers in pots, birds, animals and verses. All of these are included in this sampler. Almost every sampler had a border. Borders were usually made of flowers, like this one, or strawberry patterns. Inscriptions on samplers covered many subjects, but verses from the Bible were most popular. This reflected the dominance of Christianity in Victorian society.