1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. This is the second 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: part of our episode about embroidery. History, which I mentioned 5 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:23,479 Speaker 1: in part one, is really a sampler because there is 6 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: just so much history. Part one took us up through 7 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 1: the creation of one of the most famous pieces of 8 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: embroidery in the world, that being the Bayou Tapestry, and 9 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 1: today we're going to pick right back up from there. 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: This isn't, because of its nature, necessarily one big connected narrative, 11 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: so you could probably listen to this one without hearing 12 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: part one. First you'll just miss the earlier instances of 13 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: embroidery and history. But we are going to jump right 14 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: back into it, and as promised, we will talk quite 15 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: a bit about embroidery samplers today. But first we're going 16 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: to talk about our literary reference to embroidery. If you 17 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: have read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, you might have noticed a 18 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: mention of embroidery in the passage about the Miller's wife, 19 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: which describes her clothing. Quote of white too was the 20 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: dainty smock she wore embroidered at the collar all about 21 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: with coal black silk alike within and out. This is 22 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: a reference to a style of embroidery known as blackwork, 23 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: which originally used black silk on white or off white 24 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: linen or cotton to create a dramatic contrast. Over time, 25 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: other colors have been used for black work, but it's 26 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: often still in the darker color range to maintain that 27 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:41,119 Speaker 1: really sharp difference. The reference to the collar's embellishment being 28 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: alike within and out has led to the belief that 29 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: Chaucer was probably describing a style of embroidery known as 30 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: holbind stitch. That's a double running stitch where you lay 31 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: out your design with the running stitch and then go 32 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: back for another pass where you fill in the gaps 33 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: left by the first one, and that gives both the 34 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: front and the back of the fabric a complete line. 35 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 1: In blackwork, the holbind stitch is usually used to create 36 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: the outline base of the design, and then the interior 37 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 1: spaces are often but not always filled in. Incidentally, the 38 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: holbind stitch is named for the painter Hans Holbein the 39 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: Younger because his portraits often showed subjects wearing garments that 40 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: were adorned with blackwork. We do not know when people 41 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: started using black work in England, but it was obviously 42 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: before thirteen eighty seven, which is when The Canterbury Tales 43 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: was written. Well before that, black work is believed to 44 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: have originated in northern Africa, specifically the area of Morocco. 45 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: When the Moors crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and moved 46 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: into Spain in the early eighth century, black work embroidery 47 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: moved with them. It evolved in the Moorish community of 48 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: Spain with new designs, and eventually was adopted into wider 49 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,079 Speaker 1: Spanish culture. That is why you will sometimes see it 50 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 1: called Spanish work instead of black work, and then from 51 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: Spain it spread throughout Europe and eventually became associated very 52 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: closely with English needlework. Well before Chaucer's famous work was published, 53 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 1: England had become well known for the production of a 54 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: style of embroidery that was called Opus anglicanum translated from 55 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:25,639 Speaker 1: Latin that's just English work. Opus anglicanum is characterized by 56 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 1: detailed imagery made of delicate stitches that are worked in 57 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: silk thread with gold and silver. The name was coined 58 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: in the thirteenth century, which was well after it became popular. 59 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: London was considered the epicenter for this style of work, 60 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: and though it's high degree of technical proficiency meant it 61 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: wasn't used for everyday items, there was quite a lot 62 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: of it produced. The style of embroidery was usually reserved 63 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: for religious garments, although it became so revered that churches 64 00:03:54,360 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: all over Europe had ecclesiastical garments embroidered in London. A 65 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: lot of examples of it from all over the European continent. 66 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: One is in the collection of the met in New 67 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: York and it's a chossible. That's an overlay garment worn 68 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: by a priest during Mass. It features saints on the 69 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: front of it and depictions of the Coronation of the Virgin, 70 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: the adoration of the Magi, and the Annunciation on the back. 71 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: Per the METS Online description of this garment, it once 72 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: included John the Evangelist and John the Baptist among the saints, 73 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 1: but the garment was altered at some point and their 74 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,359 Speaker 1: heads were cut off to set the front piece higher 75 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: into the shoulder seam. Yeah, it had just been altered 76 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: to change with styles of the times and as a consequence, sorry, 77 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 1: John's yeah, it's a cut, that's a little that's a 78 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,039 Speaker 1: that's a little weird to me, But it's funny when 79 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: you look at pictures of it. It is available to 80 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: see online. I mean there are clearly like bodies there 81 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: that just kind of end at the classical region. In 82 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: twenty sixteen, the Victorian Albert Museum in London had an 83 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: exhibition dedicated to medieval artistry and that included more than 84 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 1: one hundred Opus Anglicanum embroidery works that featured pieces that 85 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,479 Speaker 1: had come from all around Europe. These items, like the 86 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:19,279 Speaker 1: piece known as the Toledo Cope, had been created in 87 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: England on commission to be sent to churches around Europe. 88 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:25,720 Speaker 1: So the Toledo Cope had been in Spain since its 89 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:29,279 Speaker 1: creation in the thirteen hundreds, and that twenty sixteen exhibit 90 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: marked its first time back in England. And this cope 91 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: and others like that Chawsable we mentioned from the Mets 92 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: collection are covered in this incredibly rich detailed embroidery and 93 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: feature religious imagery such as Saints the Virgin Mary, et cetera. 94 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 1: Once we get into the fourteen hundreds, we have lots 95 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: and lots of surviving examples of embroidery. One style of 96 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,599 Speaker 1: handiwork in the Western tradition is something that's still popular today, 97 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,839 Speaker 1: and that's needlework samplers. A needlework sand is a piece 98 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:03,280 Speaker 1: of fabric that has been embroidered with a bunch of 99 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:07,400 Speaker 1: different designs, often showing a wide range of techniques and 100 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:11,799 Speaker 1: stitching styles. Modern examples of samplers are often found frames 101 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: and hanging as decor, but their origin is completely practical. 102 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: These were really referenced documents. A stitcher might make a 103 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: sampler to show the various stitches or designs that they 104 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: had learned as they learned them, or as a way 105 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: to record designs that they liked. Then this piece of 106 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,239 Speaker 1: fabric could be used as a guide so the stitcher 107 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: could review it and see what they might want to 108 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: use for an upcoming project. They have been used this 109 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 1: way going at least to the thirteen hundreds, and they 110 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,560 Speaker 1: appear in a lot of different cultures. The Victoria and 111 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:49,039 Speaker 1: Albert Museum has a sampler from Egypt with an earliest 112 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:53,479 Speaker 1: estimated creation date of the fourteenth century. Some of the 113 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 1: stitching on it looks almost like crosstitch, and the designs 114 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:01,720 Speaker 1: include what looked like stylized branching trees, a band of 115 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:05,679 Speaker 1: basket weave style designs, and even a kitty that looks 116 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: like it is wearing a crown. Yeah, I might get 117 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: that as a history tattoo to match my mic. The cat. 118 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: Samplers offer an interesting look at the stitcher who creates them, 119 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: because in many cases people created multiple ones throughout their lives. 120 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: Some existing examples are the work of children learning the stitches, 121 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: and others are clearly the work of experienced embroiderers who 122 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: were perhaps learning new patterns, but who also maybe wanted 123 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: to show an assortment of stitches and design that showcase 124 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,760 Speaker 1: their skill set. There aren't really any known historical examples 125 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: of multiple comparable samplers from one stitcher, but if you 126 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: were to look at a person's first sampler and then 127 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: their samplers throughout their lives, you would very clearly be 128 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: able to see the linear progression of their skill. Coming up, 129 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: we will talk about how samplers were really reference documents, 130 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: but first we will pause for a sponsor break. These 131 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 1: samplers that we talked about earlier were, for a long 132 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 1: time the only way that embroidered patterns could be shared 133 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: before books or sheets with instructions and designs were printed 134 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: on them. This was a good way for stitchers to 135 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: keep a record to refer back to, and it was 136 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: also a way that people could share their reference collections 137 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: so that different embroiderers could borrow patterns and designs from 138 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: one another. Over time, particularly in Europe, two styles of 139 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: samplers started to develop, with a degree of structure to 140 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: their layouts that were not present in earlier examples. Like 141 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: earlier examples look like I have this piece of cloth 142 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: and I'm kind of embroidering on it wherever I want 143 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,080 Speaker 1: to put something. But at this point it started to 144 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,240 Speaker 1: be like, here's how you lay out your sampler. Some 145 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,960 Speaker 1: are in a style that's known as a band sampler, 146 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: in which rows of designs appear in bands across them. 147 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 1: These are the kinds of designs that you might expect 148 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 1: to see along the edges of a garment or on 149 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: linens like table cloths or pillowcases, and there are patterns 150 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: that can repeat as long as the item being embellished needs. 151 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: The other style of sampler is called a spot sampler. 152 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,679 Speaker 1: These have various different designs included on them, but they 153 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: aren't the types of designs that generally repeat, so these 154 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:28,319 Speaker 1: are motifs like animals, flowers, symbols, or abstract geometric shapes. Sometimes, though, 155 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:32,080 Speaker 1: a band design or multiple band designs do appear on 156 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: a spot sampler, so you'll have like spots along the top, 157 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: bands along the bottom, or some other layout. One of 158 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: the most famous samplers was created by a woman named 159 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 1: Jane Bostock in fifteen ninety eight. It is the oldest 160 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: dated British sampler that we know of, and it represents 161 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,959 Speaker 1: a moment of transition when samplers were going from practice 162 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:57,920 Speaker 1: fabrics to display pieces. It's forty two points six centimeters 163 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: in length that's sixteen point eight and and thirty six 164 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 1: point two centimeters wide or fourteen point twenty five inches. 165 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: This sampler, which is embroidered on linen, was created to 166 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 1: commemorate the birth of Jane's cousin, Alice Lee, who was 167 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 1: born in fifteen ninety six. We know this because Jane 168 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:19,840 Speaker 1: used her skills to embroider out the lettering that said 169 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:22,640 Speaker 1: so on the sampler, which reads quote Alice Lee was 170 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: born the twenty third of November, being Tuesday in the 171 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: afternoon fifteen ninety six. Above the lettering are nature motifs. 172 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 1: There's a dog carrying a collar with a leash attached, 173 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 1: a bear with a muzzle on it surrounded by flowers, 174 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 1: a squirrel in a tree, and the style of lion 175 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 1: you would expect to see on a heraldry design. There 176 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:48,480 Speaker 1: are also elements of nature motifs in the upper space 177 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:51,560 Speaker 1: which have been unpicked so that just leaves the stitch 178 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: holes to examine. According to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 179 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 1: which has this piece in its collection, these unpicked designs 180 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,120 Speaker 1: quote appear to be a castle on an elephant, a 181 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: squirrel cracking a nut, and a raven. Further description of 182 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: the sampler at the VNA website indicates that the motifs 183 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 1: that were removed from the sampler are associated with Jane's 184 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:16,840 Speaker 1: side of the family tree. The ones that remain on 185 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 1: the sampler are associated with Alice's. Below the lettering that 186 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: notes Alice's birth, there are blocks of various geometric and 187 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: floral pattern designs. In North America, the oldest known historical 188 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 1: sampler was created by Laura Standish, daughter of Miles and 189 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:36,440 Speaker 1: Barbara Standish, who traveled to North America on the Mayflower 190 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 1: and were famously part of the Plymouth Colony. Laura was 191 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:44,560 Speaker 1: born in North America in the late sixteen twenties. Her sampler, 192 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: which is also on linen, is long and narrow. It's 193 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: twenty three point five inches at sixty centimeters long and 194 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 1: a mere seven and a half inches or nineteen centimeters wide. 195 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,840 Speaker 1: It's believed that she created this sometime in the sixteen forties. 196 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,199 Speaker 1: Laura embroidered her own message, which is placed at the 197 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:06,319 Speaker 1: bottom of the sampler and reads, Laura Standish is my name, Lord, 198 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,080 Speaker 1: guide my heart, that I may do Thy will also 199 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: my hands with such convenient skill as may conduce to 200 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 1: virtue void of shame, and I will give the glory 201 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 1: to thy name. This sampler has no standard motifs. It 202 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 1: is all stitched bands of design, although they do incorporate 203 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:26,680 Speaker 1: iconography like an acorn and a rose in their repeats, 204 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: and this sampler is hugely popular with modern embroiderers. You 205 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 1: can easily purchase a Laura's Standish Sampler kit to recreate it. 206 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: As time and the art of embroidery progressed, people started 207 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:44,440 Speaker 1: developing patterns for entire samplers with a set assortment of 208 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: designs laid out to fill the space. These are still 209 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: popular today and they offer a chance for a needle 210 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: artist to learn stitches or to practice them. You can 211 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:57,440 Speaker 1: even purchase kits now that have a sampler that's designed 212 00:12:57,440 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 1: to be a piece of art in its own right, 213 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 1: with the cohesive style to all the designs and all 214 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,320 Speaker 1: of the embroidery, floss and other supplies that you will 215 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 1: need to complete the project. An interesting holdover from earlier 216 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,080 Speaker 1: samplers that is still included in the modern sampler patterns 217 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 1: and kits is designed to make letters of the alphabet. 218 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: In early samplers, these were practiced because of a practical need. 219 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: Foundation garments and personal linens like bedclothes were routinely embroidered 220 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: with the owner's initials for easier sorting of the wash 221 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 1: and returning things to the correct person. Worsted yarn called 222 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,480 Speaker 1: cruel has been around for many centuries, dating back at 223 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 1: least to the first century BCE, but it became very 224 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,920 Speaker 1: popular in the fifteenth century, and soon after embroidery that 225 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,920 Speaker 1: made use of it also exploded in popularity. The word 226 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:53,959 Speaker 1: cruel to describe this type of yarn which is spelled Crwel, 227 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 1: not cruel like being mean, is derived from the Welsh 228 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 1: word for wool, which is krua. Unlike other embroidery material, 229 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: which is fine and can be pulled apart, similar to 230 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 1: the way one might separate embroidery flows today to achieve 231 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:11,520 Speaker 1: the desired thickness for a project, cruel work makes use 232 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: of an entire piece of yarn. Cruel yarn was not 233 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: originally intended to be pulled apart. If you buy modern 234 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 1: cruel yarn, sometimes it is, but the initial thing was 235 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: not that. This results, of course, in a much more 236 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: dimensional work because of the thickness. Cruel is also known 237 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: for its fluid lines. It is not as rigid in 238 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: its designs as some other forms of embroidery, and it 239 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: has often been worked freehand without a set pattern. This 240 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 1: raised embroidery quickly became very popular throughout Europe, and like 241 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: almost any new embellishment, it was first used for the 242 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,040 Speaker 1: clothes of religious figures and the very wealthy. One item 243 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: of note, going back to the first part of this 244 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: and our frequent flyer on the show, the Bayou Tapestry, 245 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 1: which predates this surge in popularity, is sometimes described as 246 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 1: having cruel embroidery, and that is not wrong, but the 247 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: style that was used on it is very different from 248 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 1: what was popularized as cruel embroidery several hundred years later. 249 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 1: The rise of samplers in English embroidery is indicative of 250 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 1: a shift that was happening regarding embroidery in Europe, led 251 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 1: largely by the Tutors as rulers during the Tudor period, 252 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: which began in fourteen eighty five. When the War of 253 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: the Roses ended and Henry the Seventh emerged victorious and 254 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: took the throne, Embroidery ceased to be exclusively used for 255 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: religious ornamentation and started to be an integral part of fashion, 256 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: particularly for the royal court and the wealthy nobles. If 257 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: someone wanted to show off their status and wealth, they 258 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,840 Speaker 1: could easily do it if they appeared at court wearing 259 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:52,040 Speaker 1: a garment that was lavishly embroidered with silk and precious metals. 260 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 1: This meant that more skilled embroiderers were also needed to 261 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 1: create these kinds of things, and, as is often the case, 262 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 1: as embroidery became a status signifier and something that people 263 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,800 Speaker 1: outside the aristocracy created it was copied by people who 264 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 1: didn't have as much status. Over time, it became integrated 265 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: into the clothing and lenins of a lot of people. 266 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 1: By the sixteen hundreds, embroidery had become commonly practiced and 267 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 1: taught as a pastime as well as a valuable skill. 268 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 1: We're going to talk about some of the organizations that 269 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: formed to promote embroidery and the earliest embroidery books. Right 270 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 1: after we hear from the sponsors that keep stuff you 271 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: missed in history class going. By the sixteenth century, embroidery 272 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: was so important in England that the Worshipful Company of 273 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: Broiderers received its grant of Arms in fifteen fifty eight, 274 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,760 Speaker 1: and it was given its first charter three years later 275 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:57,680 Speaker 1: in fifteen sixty one from Queen Elizabeth the First. Though 276 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: that recognition was new, the group its was not. It 277 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: is believed to have formed at least as early as 278 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:07,919 Speaker 1: the thirteenth century, although the documentation of that is not available. 279 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: For several hundred years, the group held its functions in 280 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:14,720 Speaker 1: the Broderers Hall, which was a monastery that was originally 281 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 1: constructed in the tenth century. That location remained active until 282 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 1: nineteen forty when it was bombed by Germany in early 283 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: World War II, and that is why the documentation of 284 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: the companies founding in the thirteenth century is not available. 285 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:31,919 Speaker 1: It and other pieces of their archive were destroyed at 286 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:36,639 Speaker 1: that time. The Worshipful Company of Broiderers still exists. It 287 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 1: got a new supplemental charter in twenty nineteen. According to 288 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: the website quote, the company continues to patronize the industry 289 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:47,439 Speaker 1: and to encourage excellence within the art through association with 290 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,240 Speaker 1: the Embroiderers Guild and support of the Royal School of Needlework, 291 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 1: today a registered charity housed in Hampton Court Palace, as 292 00:17:55,680 --> 00:18:01,480 Speaker 1: well as through continuing their competitions and exhibitions for hundreds 293 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: of years. Right up to today, the official Broiderer's toast 294 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 1: has remained the same quote, the Worshipful Company of Broderers, 295 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:12,639 Speaker 1: Root and branch, May it continue and flourish forever. The 296 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,440 Speaker 1: sixteen hundreds saw the rise of a style of embroidery 297 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,520 Speaker 1: in Norway known as Hardanger. That is also the name 298 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,600 Speaker 1: of the region where it developed. And this decorative embroidery 299 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 1: is also called white work because traditionally it used white 300 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,840 Speaker 1: thread on white fabric and It makes use of a 301 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 1: lot of different stitch techniques to create striking geometric designs, 302 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 1: often with a repeat. Sometimes these even have little cutout 303 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 1: sections to make it just really intricate. This style quickly 304 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:42,479 Speaker 1: gained popularity throughout Europe and eventually the globe. It remains 305 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: very popular today. You can find lots of books about it. 306 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:50,440 Speaker 1: The first book of embroidery patterns is sometimes stated as 307 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: for Alla Frohmen Frauen or or All Pious Women, sometimes 308 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:58,399 Speaker 1: translated as for All Devout Women. This was published in 309 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 1: Germany in fifteen twenty three or fifteen twenty four by 310 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:06,639 Speaker 1: publisher Johann Schaunsberger the Younger. There don't seem to be 311 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 1: any scans or photos of this book online, but there 312 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,720 Speaker 1: are others that were published around the same time, also 313 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:18,040 Speaker 1: published by Shaunsberger. One is I'm New from Bookline, which 314 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: is a new little book of patterns, and I'm New 315 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: Motor Book, a new model book. These are usually described 316 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:28,000 Speaker 1: as books of textile and embroidery patterns, but they don't 317 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:33,199 Speaker 1: have any instructions. The pages just contain mostly woodcut prints 318 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:36,160 Speaker 1: of the designs, so somebody trying to use them would 319 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:39,520 Speaker 1: be expected to know how to use them as the 320 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: basis to create their own embroidery designs. There are some 321 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,119 Speaker 1: notes on the weaving of textile designs, but not for 322 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: how to do any of the actual beeedlework. Also, to 323 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 1: be clear, Schaunsberger was a publisher, not a needlework expert. 324 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:59,320 Speaker 1: It is not clear who assembled this collection of designs. 325 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:03,760 Speaker 1: After Germany started publishing design books, the rest of Europe 326 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:07,880 Speaker 1: started doing the same. In the seventeen hundreds, Rococo fashion 327 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,959 Speaker 1: gave rise to a new and very beautiful style of embellishment, 328 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 1: and that is ribbon embroidery. This is another way to 329 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: create dimensional embroidery. It uses silk ribbons in lieu of 330 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 1: floss or yarn, and these ribbons tend to have a 331 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: very fine and thin texture, so they can easily be 332 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:27,200 Speaker 1: pulled through fabric with a needle. This technique is often 333 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: used to create just scrumptious and sumptuous floral designs that 334 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:34,439 Speaker 1: look both delicate and luxurious while also having lots of depth. 335 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: During the late eighteenth century, the concept of sashiko embroidery 336 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,159 Speaker 1: was mentioned in print for the first time. This is 337 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:46,600 Speaker 1: a Japanese technique that combines mending and decoration and uses 338 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:50,679 Speaker 1: simple straight stitches of white thread or floss to reinforce 339 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:54,880 Speaker 1: an article of clothing. Traditionally, the white thread is featured 340 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:58,760 Speaker 1: on a background of dark blue. Sashiko endures today and 341 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: it's popular for mending denim. Modern iterations often harken back 342 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,960 Speaker 1: to those original colors, with white thread or floss used 343 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:10,840 Speaker 1: to repair the blue denim. Yeah, sometimes people do just 344 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:13,439 Speaker 1: like a straight like basket weave, but sometimes they do 345 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 1: beautiful swirls and other designs. It's super pretty. If you embroider, 346 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:22,640 Speaker 1: you have almost certainly purchased DMC six strand embroidery flaws. 347 00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:25,879 Speaker 1: And that company actually reaches back to the middle of 348 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 1: the seventeen hundreds, although it did begin as a fabric manufacturer. 349 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: The founding members were Jean Henridolphus, Jean Jacques Schmeltzer and 350 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: Samuel Cochland, and they formed their business in Mohouse, France, 351 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:41,080 Speaker 1: which sits right in the crook that's kind of made 352 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: by the country's borders with Switzerland and Germany today and 353 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:48,399 Speaker 1: the founding of that textile company was a significant economic 354 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 1: moment for the town, as it and other textile companies 355 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 1: brought Mohause into the industrial age with their production processes. 356 00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: That company then passed to Jeanre's nephew, Daniel Dolphus late 357 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 1: in the seventeen nineties, and when Daniel married a woman 358 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:07,120 Speaker 1: named Ann Marie MiG he rebranded the company as Dolphus 359 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:12,399 Speaker 1: meg A Company or DMC in eighteen hundred. Over time, 360 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 1: of course, the company diversified from strictly printing textiles into 361 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: offering yarns, embroidery patterns, and other embroidery supplies, and today 362 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:25,440 Speaker 1: DMC is a widely recognized brand among embroiderers. You can 363 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 1: get it at just about any fabric or craft store 364 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:32,679 Speaker 1: that carries embroidery supplies. Eighteen oh four saw a huge 365 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: step forward in the way embroidery patterns were published. This 366 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 1: is the first year that patterns were available in Europe 367 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:43,359 Speaker 1: laid out across a grid, with every square showing a stitch. 368 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:46,720 Speaker 1: This is also the beginning of an embroidery style known 369 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: as Berlin work. This is the style of needle point 370 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: embroidery that uses a thick yarn like tapestry yarn, and 371 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:58,320 Speaker 1: sometimes covers a whole canvas. Berlin work named for Berlin, Germany, 372 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 1: where it was developed off and features red Wool's tapestry 373 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: yarn as a primary component. The gritted pattern system has 374 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,360 Speaker 1: become standard across many different types of embroidery, and it's 375 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: often associated with cross ditch today. For a very long time. 376 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: How long is not documented, a technique called beetle wing 377 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:23,120 Speaker 1: embroidery has been used in India. This is an embellishment 378 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:26,199 Speaker 1: that makes use of eletra, the kitanous outer shell of 379 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:30,160 Speaker 1: a jewel beetle. These casings are absolutely beautiful. They come 380 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,600 Speaker 1: in many different colors, but the most common is a 381 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: metallic green with a purply iridescent secondary shimmer that glints 382 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:39,879 Speaker 1: as the shell moves in the light. These wings are 383 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,080 Speaker 1: very hard and they can be cut to a desired 384 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 1: shape and drilled with small holes for a needle and 385 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:48,560 Speaker 1: thread to pass through. India is certainly not the only 386 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: place they have been used as decoration. Jewel beetles can 387 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:54,880 Speaker 1: live in a variety of environments and they thrive around 388 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 1: the globe, and their sparkly wings have been incorporated into 389 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:03,160 Speaker 1: ornamentation on just about every but in India, particularly during 390 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:08,119 Speaker 1: the long period of the Mughal Empire. Their use was perfected. Often, 391 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:11,240 Speaker 1: these wing based sequins were stitched into clothes with gold 392 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: embroidery thread to create just a dazzling effect. Beetlewing embroidery 393 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:21,360 Speaker 1: was hugely popular among Indian aristocracy in the seventeen hundreds 394 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: and eighteen hundreds. So that's just as England's power in 395 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:28,360 Speaker 1: the country was growing to the point that the British 396 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 1: Raj rule began in eighteen fifty eight, and naturally Europeans 397 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,200 Speaker 1: appropriated this technique and made it a fad back in Europe. 398 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,360 Speaker 1: The first beatlewing embellished garments to make it to England 399 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,880 Speaker 1: appeared in the eighteen twenties, and the popularity of eletra 400 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: im best clothes grew rapidly. As with any fad, things 401 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: had to get bigger and more sparkly, so within a 402 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:56,360 Speaker 1: decade there were huge ornate designs appearing on ladies' dresses 403 00:24:56,400 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 1: and that trend continued for decades. Uh. Yeah. To be clear, 404 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,959 Speaker 1: electra and beetle wing embroidery is very closely tied to colonialism. 405 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,240 Speaker 1: In India, electra were used on all colors of garments, 406 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:14,320 Speaker 1: but in Europe it became very popular to embroider them 407 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 1: into a design on a white cotton or linen garment, 408 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 1: although after a few decades different background colors became popular 409 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:24,879 Speaker 1: as well, and as the English adopted the style, the 410 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: way that beetlewing embroidery was produced in India changed. It 411 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:32,000 Speaker 1: had been the kind of embellishment that was reserved for 412 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 1: special occasion wear for the elite classes, but as demand 413 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: from Europe grew, the small scale production in India could 414 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: simply not meet demand, and soon a more industrial approach 415 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,639 Speaker 1: to churning out embroidery with beetle wings started up. This 416 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:50,440 Speaker 1: meant that designs were not customized for specific garments as much. 417 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:53,440 Speaker 1: There tended to be a fairly static library of designs 418 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 1: that went on to dress after dress after dress. Still, 419 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 1: these clothes were very prized in England, and any famous 420 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,080 Speaker 1: women of the day were described in written accounts as 421 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:08,240 Speaker 1: wearing dresses adorned with beetle wings. Dame Alice Ellen Terry, 422 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:12,920 Speaker 1: who was a renowned British actress fame for her Shakespearean roles, 423 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,880 Speaker 1: appeared as the female lead in Macbeth in eighteen eighty eight. 424 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: She wore a gown that was dripping with green, iridescent 425 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: beetle wings. Beetle wings style also made its way to 426 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:27,880 Speaker 1: the US when John Singer Sargent painted a portrait of 427 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:31,280 Speaker 1: Mary Barrett Wendell during his first visit to the US, 428 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: which was also in eighteen eighty eight. She is depicted 429 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,720 Speaker 1: wearing a gown embellished with eletra. Like many of the 430 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: techniques we've been discussing, beetling embroidery is still done today, 431 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 1: although the sourcing of the materials has changed. Real beetles 432 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 1: are still used, but today most of them come from Thailand, 433 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:52,920 Speaker 1: and the wings are collected from insects that are being 434 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 1: used as a protein source in food, rather than the 435 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,920 Speaker 1: old way of just taking the wings and discarding the insect. 436 00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:03,159 Speaker 1: A eighteen seventy two, the Royal School of Needlework was 437 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:07,520 Speaker 1: founded in London at Hampton Court Palace. That palace was 438 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:11,479 Speaker 1: originally built in fifteen fourteen for Henry the Ight's Chief Minister, 439 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:16,440 Speaker 1: Cardinal Thomas Woolsey. The goal was twofold to revive interest 440 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,760 Speaker 1: in embroidery and also to educate women in embroidery as 441 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:24,080 Speaker 1: a vocation. In the decades since its inception, the organization 442 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:27,360 Speaker 1: has worked on a number of high profile projects, including 443 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:31,920 Speaker 1: the Funeral Paul that adorned Queen Victoria's coffin and the 444 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:36,560 Speaker 1: coronation regalia for King George the Fifth, among others. The 445 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:40,240 Speaker 1: group has also been involved in outreach programs, including one 446 00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:44,119 Speaker 1: after World War One that offered embroidery lessons to soldiers 447 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:46,359 Speaker 1: who had returned home from the front as a form 448 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:51,159 Speaker 1: of therapy. Today, the RSN continues. It offers classes, lecture 449 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,159 Speaker 1: series and other events, and continues to contribute work to 450 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: royal events as well as collaborating with museums. In nineteen 451 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 1: oh six, the Embroiderers Guild was started in London. This 452 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 1: group's founding was the result of sixteen former students from 453 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 1: the Royal School of Needlework who wanted to form a 454 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:11,840 Speaker 1: group to quote deal entirely with embroidery and with the 455 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:15,160 Speaker 1: first object of keeping up a high standard of work 456 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:18,480 Speaker 1: and design. So this isn't a guild in the formal 457 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:20,600 Speaker 1: sense that we've often talked about on the show. Before 458 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:23,400 Speaker 1: anybody can join it and over its one hundred twenty 459 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 1: year history, the Embroiderers Guild has accumulated a really impressive 460 00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: collection of embroidery from around the globe and dating back 461 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 1: to the fifteen hundreds. It keeps all of this in 462 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 1: its archive. In nineteen fifty eight, a US branch of 463 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,520 Speaker 1: the Embroiderers Guild was formed in New York, but after 464 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:43,520 Speaker 1: twelve years, the New York group withdrew from the English 465 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:47,760 Speaker 1: umbrella to form the Embroiderers Guild of America. As is 466 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:50,880 Speaker 1: the case with the European group, anyone of any skill 467 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,480 Speaker 1: level can become a member of the EGA. Today there 468 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:56,760 Speaker 1: are more than two hundred and thirty chapters of this 469 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:59,400 Speaker 1: group across the US and Canada, and there are also 470 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 1: online groups. Their national headquarters today are in Louisville, Kentucky. 471 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,240 Speaker 1: Both of these groups and others like them, have from 472 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:11,480 Speaker 1: the beginning offered instruction and education in addition to providing 473 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: reference information. These groups also sometimes work on community projects. 474 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:20,000 Speaker 1: They form partnerships with museums and historical societies, and as 475 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:23,880 Speaker 1: embroidery education resources have shrunk in number in North America 476 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:26,440 Speaker 1: and Europe, these groups have really taken on the mission 477 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: to ensure that there is always information available to people 478 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,719 Speaker 1: who are interested in the art. One of the really 479 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: thrilling things about embroidery today is that it's going through 480 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:40,240 Speaker 1: a kind of revival, but one which, while often subversive 481 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:43,720 Speaker 1: and unconventional, connects it to the centuries old tradition of 482 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: communication as well as art. While people still make embroidery 483 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 1: pieces that are intended simply to be beautiful, there are 484 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:55,760 Speaker 1: many stitchers who specialize in protest art made through embroidery 485 00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 1: or thought provoking concept pieces. This is not the first 486 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: time a surge of interests has happened, and it's interesting 487 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:07,000 Speaker 1: to note that handiwork has experienced surges in popularity in 488 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:11,440 Speaker 1: the US during times of political upheaval. In the eighteen seventies, 489 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: as the US was in recovery from the Civil War, 490 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 1: embroidery became more popular than ever as a pastime. Once 491 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:21,760 Speaker 1: again became popular in the nineteen sixties when the country 492 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:25,680 Speaker 1: was experiencing the unrest of the Civil Rights movement. Yeah, 493 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:29,480 Speaker 1: it kind of fascinates me that we in times when 494 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: everything is a little bit stressful and strained, people want 495 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:35,480 Speaker 1: to go back to these kind of old school crafts 496 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: as a way to ground themselves. I kind of love it. 497 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:45,080 Speaker 1: That's our very, very samply look at embroidery through the ages. Yeah, 498 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 1: I have so many things to discuss on Friday, but 499 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 1: right now I have listener mail. It's short but good. Yeah, 500 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,640 Speaker 1: and allows. I didn't mean to have two Disney emails 501 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:57,480 Speaker 1: in a row this week, but I did. And here 502 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,240 Speaker 1: we go. This is from our listener share. They're in 503 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:02,280 Speaker 1: who writes High Holly and Tracy, but this one is 504 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:05,280 Speaker 1: more for Holly. YouTube shows me odd things every once 505 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:07,360 Speaker 1: in a while. And you may know all about this already, 506 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:09,720 Speaker 1: but I definitely thought of you. Maybe they have this 507 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,800 Speaker 1: at disney World. Also enjoy happy New Year. And she 508 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 1: sent a link to a video on YouTube that is 509 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 1: all about the Disneyland cat program because Disneyland. We may 510 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 1: have mentioned it before on the show, but it's been 511 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:26,240 Speaker 1: a while. Disneyland has a program where there are naturally 512 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,880 Speaker 1: feral cats that run around the property and they have 513 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:33,320 Speaker 1: a trap, neuter release program where they will trap those cats, 514 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,480 Speaker 1: get them vetted and sterilized, and then they let them 515 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:38,720 Speaker 1: go and they let them run around because they are 516 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:43,480 Speaker 1: controlling the rodent population. The one thing that's interesting is 517 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:46,400 Speaker 1: that there are even social media accounts of people that 518 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:48,680 Speaker 1: track some of these cats like they know them by sight. 519 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:50,760 Speaker 1: Most of them do not run around the parks in 520 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: the day. They tend to wait until night time when 521 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,720 Speaker 1: it gets quiet, and then they come out, But there 522 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:58,240 Speaker 1: are some that will appear, and the kind of rule 523 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 1: of thumb, as I understand it is that if they 524 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:04,200 Speaker 1: start to get too comfortable with humans, someone will scoop 525 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 1: them up and they will get them adopted out, because 526 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:08,120 Speaker 1: they don't actually want the cats running around in the 527 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,760 Speaker 1: park during the day. Disney World does also do similar 528 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:15,239 Speaker 1: stuff to this, because they have four parks and a 529 00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 1: lot of wild space. There's a lot of kiddies as 530 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:22,240 Speaker 1: well as bunnies that run around some of the parks. 531 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 1: There used to be a security guard that would keep 532 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:26,719 Speaker 1: carrots in his jacket to feed the bunnies. He has 533 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:30,000 Speaker 1: since passed. We all miss him. But there is a 534 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:34,120 Speaker 1: similar program. So if a cat is found on Disney property, 535 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:37,200 Speaker 1: they will get it vetted. If it is fairal, they 536 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: will re release it. If it's kittens, they'll often try 537 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: to get them socialized so they can adopt out. I've 538 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:45,240 Speaker 1: had friends that used to work in Disney that adopted 539 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:48,719 Speaker 1: kittens through that program. So there are always people on 540 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:51,320 Speaker 1: the lookout. I'm taking care of those critters, which I love. 541 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:56,000 Speaker 1: I love it so much. Any excuse to talk about 542 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 1: Disney and also kitties. My dream is to one day 543 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:02,080 Speaker 1: sort of have a kitty from Disney, but I don't 544 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: think that's realistic. Transport alone would be a pain in 545 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:07,440 Speaker 1: the neck. But I am glad that you mentioned it. 546 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:09,160 Speaker 1: It's a good thing. If you are in the parks 547 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: and you see a kiddie, they're probably doing their job. 548 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 1: They're so cute to every once in a while, it 549 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 1: feels like a very special thing. I laugh sometimes anytime 550 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:22,080 Speaker 1: there are wild animals in the parks that appear when 551 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:25,640 Speaker 1: humans are around, and that goes for kitties, bunnies. Sometimes 552 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:28,000 Speaker 1: you'll see a family of ducks walking around and it 553 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: kind of cracks me up because there's all of this 554 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:32,760 Speaker 1: beautiful stuff that has been created for people to engage with. 555 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:35,200 Speaker 1: But the second a duck walks through Epcot with five 556 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:40,760 Speaker 1: duck links behind it, that's all anybody's looking at. And 557 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:42,880 Speaker 1: I'm glad that they're being looked after and people care 558 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:45,840 Speaker 1: about them. So that's the answer to your question. In 559 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,240 Speaker 1: addition to probably more information than you wanted, If you 560 00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:51,040 Speaker 1: would like to write to us about animals and parks, 561 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:54,880 Speaker 1: your own animals, anything, really, we love it all. You 562 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:57,760 Speaker 1: can do that at History podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. 563 00:33:58,080 --> 00:33:59,959 Speaker 1: You can also subscribe to the show on the eye 564 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:03,000 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, or anywhere you like to listen to podcasts. 565 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:11,560 Speaker 1: Stuff you Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 566 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 567 00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:18,680 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.