| All throughout history, both ancient and that which | | | | bequeathed to certain persons upon death like a |
| is being made today, man has had the desire to | | | | priceless gem. The demand for printed |
| express himself and record history by using | | | | needlework patterns led to the first commercially |
| decorative stitching. This desire is only too evident | | | | printed patterns in Germany during the year 1523. |
| when you study the art of embroidery and more | | | | While these paper patterns were not readily |
| particularly the history of the sampler. | | | | available in the beginning, their popularity grew, and |
| The word sampler is derived from a Latin word, | | | | they eventually overrode the necessity, but not |
| saumpler, which means to model, pattern, copy | | | | the fascination with and collection of samplers. |
| or imitate. While samplers of today are often | | | | Samplers continued to be fashioned and evolved |
| associated with recording a historical event such | | | | during different time periods to reflect the culture |
| as a wedding or birth by applying beautiful, | | | | and personality of society at the time. During the |
| intricate stitching to canvas, their original use was | | | | early part of the 17th century, the alphabet began |
| much more practical than sentimental. | | | | to be depicted on samplers, and it was believed |
| The sampler finds its beginnings in an ancient time | | | | that the sampler took on an educational aspect at |
| before printed books and embroidery magazines | | | | this time. This can also be seen from the moral |
| were readily available. During this time people | | | | and religious inscriptions which are popular among |
| learned different embroidery techniques by | | | | samplers which were crafted at the end of the |
| studying different embroidery designs which had | | | | 17th century. |
| been sewn onto cloth. These samplers were | | | | This trend continued, and by the turn of the 19th |
| passed from hand to hand, and, after learning the | | | | century, samplers were synonymous with |
| stitches on the sampler, each person added a | | | | education. In fact, school girls were required to |
| design or motif that they had learned for the | | | | complete a sampler depicting religious instruction, |
| next person to examine. | | | | geography, English and mathematics before they |
| During the 15th and 16th centuries it became very | | | | were considered truly educated. |
| popular to collect these samplers. And since | | | | While samplers are not used in education today, |
| embroidery was restricted to the wealthy | | | | they are still very popular among those looking |
| (persons of poor economic standing did not have | | | | for a unique, decorative and durable way to |
| time to pursue leisurely activities such as | | | | record family history. Today you can find |
| embroidery), a great majority of samplers found | | | | samplers that depict family trees, births, weddings |
| their way into the hands of the well to do. Far | | | | and other major lifetime events. These pieces of |
| from being the haphazard samplers that had been | | | | art are just as important to our culture today and |
| traded throughout the countryside, these | | | | the generations to come as were the samplers |
| samplers were highly prized pieces of art. | | | | from which they received inspiration. And they |
| As such, old samplers and new ones were being | | | | are still as valuable to families as those hoarded |
| created and hoarded, sometimes even being | | | | by the rich in the15th and 16th centuries. |