Cross Stitch Sampler

Date1931

Credit LineCollection of Museum London, 1990

Object number1990.027.003

Label TextJanet Ferguson Langford made this cross-stitch sampler in 1931. Study it and you will see the pattern printed onto the fabric beneath some of the stitches. Pre-stamped kits entered the market beginning in the 1930s. In making this sampler, Langford followed a tradition that began in the 18th century. In doing cross-stitch, she undertook a type of hand embroidery that is far older. Archaeologists discovered a piece of fabric that included cross-stitching in an Egyptian tomb. It dated to the sixth or seventh century CE.

NameSampler