Museum Textile Services and the Peabody Historical Society will host a Sampler Study Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Sampler Study Day, January 26, 2013

Sponsored by the Peabody Historical Society & Museum Textile Services

December 18, 2012 – The Peabody Historical Society of Peabody, Mass. and Museum Textile Services of Andover, Mass. will host a Sampler Study Day at the Historical Society's Smith Barn at 38 Felton Street, Peabody on Saturday, January 26, 2013 from 10-12. This event is for individuals who own antique needlework samplers and pictorial embroideries and would like to learn more about the condition, significance, and proper care of these textiles. Members of the public are invited to bring their samplers to the Society's Smith Barn on Sampler Study Day for a professional evaluation. The fee to participate in this program is $20 per sampler.

Camille Myers Breeze is a textile conservator with over 20 years of experience in the field. She is the founder and director of Museum Textile Services, a full-service textile preservation studio providing conservation, collections management and outreach for collectors and institutions. Breeze will evaluate the condition of each sampler brought to the event and provide participants with a one-page conservation worksheet. She will also discuss potential conservation issues and make recommendations for the appropriate mounting and framing of these heirlooms.

Peabody Historical Society Curator Heather Leavell and Assistant Curator Lyn FitzGerald will share information related to the age, decorative motifs, and overall style of each sampler. They will also provide resources for researching the history of a sampler's maker. To ensure the long-term preservation of these textiles, Leavell and FitzGerald will advise participants on the proper care of samplers, including optimal storage and environmental conditions. Additionally, Museum Textile Services staff will be available to help participants complete a short survey to include their samplers in a searchable online database administered by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (www.nscda.org). The goal of the NSCDA Sampler Survey is to inventory all extant samplers and pictorial embroideries in museums and private collections to promote the preservation and study of this important art form.

Samplers and pictorial embroideries were a popular form of needlework in America between the 17th and 19th centuries, and were often produced by schoolgirls and young women as a demonstration of their skill in this domestic art. Today, these textiles provide valuable information about the social and cultural history of women during this period. Samplers may feature the alphabet; religious or moral quotations; decorative figures, motifs and borders; and sometimes the name of the maker and the date of creation.

To attend Sampler Study Day please register by contacting Heather Leavell at the Peabody Historical Society at 978-977-0514 or [email protected] by Wednesday, January 23, 2013. Drop-ins are welcome and will be accommodated as time permits. The Peabody Historical Society's Smith Barn is conveniently located off of Route 114, near the NorthShore Mall. For directions and other information, visit www.peabodyhistorical.org, or call 978-977-0514.