What would the Bronte sisters sew? They stitched samplers longbefore Charlotte grew up to write "Jane Eyre," before Emily wrote"Wuthering Heights" and before Anne wrote "The Tenant of WildfellHall."
A sampler is a piece fabric, often linen, embroidered withdesigns, and text in a variety of stitches, usually done by a childto learn stitching skills.
Charlotte completed her sampler at age 13 in April 1829. Emilywas done with hers at age 11 on March 1, 1829. Anne finished hers atage 10 on Jan. 23, 1830. They stitched their samplers at their home,Haworth Parsonage in Yorkshire, after the girls had returned fromschool where their older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, had died fromprivation and illness suffered at the boarding school.
It is easy to imagine the sisters sitting together, hoops andneedles in hand, making row after row of cross-stitches to fashioneach word. Perhaps the sewing was an occasion to sit together andtalk about life in the village or to remember their sisters. Orperhaps the sewing was drudgery, an onerous task to be got throughuntil they could go out to the moors where they let theirimaginations run wild.
As might be expected of the daughters of Patrick Bronte, aclergyman, the Bronte sisters' samplers consist of lengthy passagesfrom the Bible, from Proverbs and Psalms.
Photographs of the Brontes' samplers are included in "Samplersand Tapestry Embroideries" by Marcus Huish, first published in 1900in London. Huish describes the samplers: "They show a strange lackof ornament, and a monotony of colour (they are worked in black silkon rough canvas) which deprive them of all attractiveness inthemselves." Judging from the photographs, it's easy to see howHuish might arrive at that conclusion, but the samplers, to my eye,have an almost architectural beauty of composition.
Huish says in his book that the owner of the samplers at thattime was Clement Shorter, a journalist who collected manuscripts,books and materials related to his favorite authors, including theBronte sisters.
Each sampler differs somewhat from the others. The top verse inCharlotte's sampler reads: "A house divided against itself can'tstand." But horizontal bars of stitching separate the seven versesin the sampler. Did she intend that as a bit of drollery? It can beargued that "Jane Eyre" has the "house divided" idea as one of itsthemes. Rochester was certainly a "house divided against itself,"given the fact that he had a madwoman, his wife, living in theattic, while falling in love and persuading Jane, the governess, whodidn't know about the wife, to marry him.
A line in Emily's sampler says: "Surely I am more brutish thanany man, and have not the understanding of a man." Was this linefrom a verse from Proverbs a foreshadowing of her characterHeathcliff, whose callous behavior transgressed social and moralcodes, in "Wuthering Heights"?
Anne's sampler, also with verses from Proverbs, bears this line:"She is more precious than rubies and all the things thou canstdesire are not to be compared unto her." It was Anne who created thecharacter Helen, the wife of Arthur, the unfaithful, drunken husbandwho did not value his wife. Helen fled from him in "The Tenant ofWildfell Hall."
The three samplers are stitched with the same zigzag border,similar to a Greek key pattern.
I searched a long time on the Internet for images of the samplersso I could direct readers to them, but I was not successful. Theonly images I found are in Huish's book.
I came across references stating that the samplers are housed atHaworth Parsonage, now a museum, but at websites pertaining toHaworth I did not find information to confirm that the samplers are,indeed, housed at the museum. I e-mailed a query but have not yetreceived a reply.
To see an exhibit of American samplers, take a trip to the Museumof Fine Arts in Boston to see "Embroideries of Colonial Boston:Samplers" on display through March 12 in the museum's Edward andNancy Roberts Family Gallery in the Art of the Americas wing. Theexhibition, according to the museum website at www.mfa.org "willfeature a pair of 17th century samplers brought to Boston as well astwo 17th century American samplers, examples clearly illustratingthe connection between Great Britain and the colonies."
If you prefer to stitch samplers, websites that provide freecross-stitch charts include www.dmc.com and www.caron-net.com.Samplers, however, do not have to be done in cross-stitch. Go tohttp://pineneedlesatgardnervillage.blogspot.com/2010/04/saundra-white-isback.
html to view images of samplers designed by Saundra White doneentirely in outline stitch.
Snippets
Pine Kneedlers Knitting Guild will hold its February meeting 6-8p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, at the group's new location, Sunbury Village,922 Ohio St., just south of Griffin Road, Bangor. The meeting willbe in the activity room located in the rear building with the largeportico. Park on the left near the garages just before you reach thebuilding. Old and new members and friends are welcome to attend. Forinformation, e-mail cheryl.
zeh@gmail.com.
ahamlin@bangordailynews.com
990-8153
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