Colonial Boston Embroidery

Boston became a center of learning during the late 17th and 18th centuries. Young women were taught the genteel arts of music, dancing, deportment, and the needle arts. Plain sewing was an essential skill needed to make clothing and household textiles, but embroidery and lace making were also taught. Lavishly embroidered samplers, pictures, family coats of arms, and personal accessories like aprons and stomachers became symbols of a young woman’s accomplishments. Upon marriage women used their skills to embellish their homes, creating bed hangings, bed covers, chair seats, and other household furnishings. The MFA’s collection of colonial Boston embroidery is one of the finest in the US.