This beautiful volume showcases a collection of American samplers from the collections of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Massachusetts. Featuring full-color photographs of each of the samplers, as well as detailed historical and artistic analysis, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the art and history of embroidery. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

"The superb collection of American samplers dating from 1678-1865 that has been formed by Theodore H. Kapnek is the basis for this exemplary study of the subject, which is also very beautifully illustrated with 112 examples, the majority of them in color. There are also many details enlarged from the samplers, making it possible to examine the stitches closely. Far from being an assemblage that is merely visually stunning, the Kapnek Collection provides the reader with a broad chronological and geographical range of Americana as worked by schoolgirls over a span of two hundred years. Basically a method of teaching the essentials of both practical and ornamental needlework, samplers have become much sought after and prized in recent years as fascinating examples of early American embroidery. The author, an expert on all types of American needlework, provides in the comprehensive introduction a study of the development of the sampler in America, with special attention to the types of schools where this work was taught, the materials and stitches used, and the sources of the designs." -- Provided by publisher

"The superb collection of American samplers dating from 1678-1865 that has been formed by Theodore H. Kapnek is the basis for this exemplary study of the subject, which is also very beautifully illustrated with 112 examples, the majority of them in color. There are also many details enlarged from the samplers, making it possible to examine the stitches closely. Far from being an assemblage that is merely visually stunning, the Kapnek Collection provides the reader with a broad chronological and geographical range of Americana as worked by schoolgirls over a span of two hundred years. Basically a method of teaching the essentials of both practical and ornamental needlework, samplers have become much sought after and prized in recent years as fascinating examples of early American embroidery. The author, an expert on all types of American needlework, provides in the comprehensive introduction a study of the development of the sampler in America, with special attention to the types of schools where this work was taught, the materials and stitches used, and the sources of the designs." -- Provided by publisher