Samplers stitched by schoolgirls give us a unique window into women's education. Basic samplers showed proficiency with basic stitches necessary for running a household, a practice book or resume for potential employer. More detailed samplers show familiarity with more complex needlework or religious themes. At formal schools for wealthy families, samplers were a tool to teach science and math. Girls stitched globes and detailed maps of cities or their home states. These objects are more than proof of skilled stitching and literacy, they are part of global networks of trade and ideas in the early 19th century. 

About the speaker:

Lydia Wood has a background in museum collections management and provenance research. She has done work around repatriation and provenance in Native American collections and collections of human remains. She has a master's in museum anthropology and is working on her MLIS at Drexel. Her other research interests include the history of far-right extremism and historic American needlework.