Presentation on Schoolgirl Samplers in 19th Century New England

Presentation on Schoolgirl Samplers in 19th Century New England

Tuesday, June 10th at 6:30pm at Putney Library

This summer, Putney Public Library, in partnership with the VT Sampler Initiative and Putney Historical Society, is part of a state-wide Sampler Driving Tour, to view schoolgirl needlework samplers, from the post-Revolutionary War period.

These pieces of 19th century needlework were an essential part of education during the Revolutionary and federal period of our history. This is how girls learned to read, write, and spell their own names. Families often framed them and hung them on a parlor wall, to announce to visitors that they valued education enough to pay for their daughters to become educated citizens – and marriageable young women, to any aspiring suitors. Putney Library will host a display of 6 embroidered samplers from private collections and photographs of many more local examples which will be displayed from June 2nd-August 30th.

Michele Pagan, Vermont native, textile conservator and Vermont Sampler Tour coordinator, will help open our exhibit by giving a presentation contextualizing the role of schoolgirl samplers in educating young women in the new American republic. She will also reveal some of the histories behind many of these samplers: Who were the families that produced these girls, and what role, if any, did they play during the American revolution? What were their lives like, after the Revolution, and their families’ move to Vermont? A discussion of the socioeconomic clues which can be read from the samplers will also be presented.

This program and summer-long display is co-sponsored by the Putney Historical Society.