Martha's needlework sampler

What is it?

Hey there! Did you know that a long time ago, it was really important for girls to be good at embroidery? They would make something called a Needlework Sampler to show off their skills! These were like big pieces of cloth with lots of different stitches on them, and they were kind of like a test to see how good the girls were at stitching. In a museum in Bristol, there are lots of Needlework Samplers made by girls who lived in a special orphanage called the Müller Orphanage. These girls were really talented and made lots of samplers that all looked the same, with red stitches and pictures on them. They used these samplers to show off their skills and later got jobs when they grew up. One of the Needlework Samplers in Burford's museum belonged to a girl named Martha, who lived in the orphanage a long time ago. We don't know much about her, but we think she did a really good job on her sampler! It's pretty amazing that we can still see these samplers today and learn about the girls who made them. Even though it's sad that some of these girls didn't have families to take care of them, they were still able to learn skills, which not only later enabled them to find a job but also make beautiful things that we can admire today!