Department: Social History

This sampler shows the alphabet in both the upper and lower cases and in varying styles and sizes. Hannah has also embroidered the numbers 1-13, suggesting that this was primarily an educational exercise. Each letter and number is embroidered in a different colour and each line is seperated by a different decorative border in green. This is typical of nineteenth century samplers, on which the alphabet was usually embroidered in rows and separated by elaborate borders. Hannah has embroidered her name and the date in dark red thread along the bottom edge of the sample, as was customary in this period.