Samplers and Young Women: Threading Together Art and Education

On display in the gallery that previously housed Early Expressions: Art in Tennessee Before 1900,  Samplers and Young Women: Threading Together Art and Education features an exhibition of Tennessee samplers from the Museum's collection. Samplers were pieces of needlework often produced by girls and young women as a means of learning. They served a practical purpose of simultaneously practicing stitching, reading, and writing, with the alphabet often featured on the samplers. They were also often signed and dated by their makers, making them significant sources for historical research.

Girls frequently made samplers at schools, and therefore provide important insights into 19th century women's education in Tennessee. Domestic skills such as needlework were considered essential for women. As part of a refined education, ornamental arts such as music, drawing, and needlework were seen as integral in preparing for the domestic role as a wife and mother, as well as a member of an educated society. Samplers from several female academies in Tennessee, including Locust Grove Female Academy, Spring Hill Female Academy, Cloverdale Male and Female Seminary, and Mr. and Mrs. Hunt's Female Academy will be featured as part of the exhibition. The style of a particular instructor or school can be observed by comparing samplers produced at these academies. 

As samplers often feature the name of the maker, year of completion, and occasionally the location or name of a school, they serve as material records preserving the memories of their creators. Many samplers featured in the exhibit, such as Sarah Ann Brown's (directly above), also detail the maker's family genealogy, such as the names and birthdays of their parents and siblings. These provide a valuable resource in researching family history and exploring how girls and young women, whose presence may be limited in other historical archives, created records of their lives.