Detail View: The AMICA Library: Dresden-Work Sampler

Before the nineteenth century most American girls received only rudimentary academic educations. Instead, their schooling focused on skills required in their traditional role in society-that of wife, mother, cook, and housekeeper. In the days when a woman might be expected to sew all of her family's clothes and linens, learning proficiency with a needle was one of the most important aspects of her education. To this end, most girls produced samplers to practice fancy sewing and to have a visible record of their progress to present to their parents at the end of the school term. Few samplers, however, were as exceptional as the one completed by a Mary Jones in 1795. It is one of a small group created in Philadelphia during the second half of the eighteenth century. Known as Dresden-work samplers, they are made of white linen decorated with white drawnwork and needlepoint-lace insertions. Unlike most examples, which are entirely white, Mary Jones ornamented her piece with a colorful floral border. A circle of gold leaf inserted behind the central circle of lace further highlights her intricate work. When hung on her parents' parlor wall, Mary's sampler must have been convincing testimony to her sewing talent.