Various samplers are one of my favorite genres of embroidery, in addition to landscapes and still lives. They attract me by the accumulation of small complete stories and by the fact that they can line up in monumental canvases; they are also great with their immensity of topics and occasions where it is appropriate to apply them.

But few know what a sampler is and what to do with it. And therefore it is not superfluous to learn about their history. You may feel the taste of the antiquity of the genre and become interested in this type of embroidery motifs...

Samplers by Sarah Evans, 1801 (Scholar 1799–1801 from Birmingham)

The English word sampler is originated from the French "examplaire", which meant the model that you can copy. Samplers were precessors of printed patterns — a collection of stitches and patterns that you can embroider on linen and clothes. The first mention of a sampler was recorded in 1502 in the invoice of the material for Elizabeth of York, the wife of the English king Henry VII: "for elne (sic) lynnyn cloth for a sampler for the Quene" (for the canvas with examples of linens embroidery for the Queen), "Elne" meant a piece of cloth with a length of 115 cm (45 inches).

Early English samplers were embroidered on narrow linen strips, cut into pieces with a length of 15-23 cm and with a width, which was allowed by the weaving looms of the time. The fabric was very expensive and artisans embroidered in a thread.

In 1523 in German the first printed book with embroidery patterns was published, and by the end of the 16th century they were printed in every other European country. The oldest survived collection was signed and dated by Jane Bostock from England in 1598, it says a lot about the prevalence of such collections.

In the next century, it became fashionable to embroider borders with geometric or floral motifs, and since approximately 1650 the borders begun to include inscriptions with instructive content. The idea to use examples of embroidery as an educational tool appeared, and they became an indicator of personal merit and achievement.

During the 18th century samplers changed — they became square, and embroidery became rather complex decorative patterns, maps, and even mathematical tables. They were intended to demonstrate the skills of needlework.

By the end of the 19th century, at the end of the Victorian era, the craze for embroidered slogans began. They were printed on perforated paper and sold at a price of a penny. The figure usually depicted a scene of rural or domestic life and a proverb or a quote from the Bible. A sampler with alphabet and numbers was great for embroidery of inscriptions on small souvenirs or for signing and dating works.

From the "Cross-stitch" book by Charlotte Gerlings, 2011, Moscow

Festive samplers by Madam la Fee became popular; household embroideries — Veronique Enginger, Lilipoint etc.

Floral and alphabetic samplers can be very relevant; they can be not only in the form of a panel, but also serve as a decor in the form of labels, monograms on household items.

I wish you a pleasant and educational pastime!