Studying schoolgirl samplers at Scoville

SALISBURY — Alexandra Peters of Sharon spoke about the exhibit of samplers from her collection at the Salisbury Association’s Academy Building at the Scoville Memorial Library Saturday, Feb. 22.

The exhibit, titledBirth, Death and Alphabets: The Enduring Legacy of Schoolgirl Needleworks before 1850,” is on display through April 30.

Sewing was a standard skill before the Industrial Revolution, Peters said. Every scrap of fabric was used and reused.

“Women love sewing, still do, regardless of social class.”

Peters showed slides of paintings of young girls sewing, and took exception to the common perception that the bowed heads of the sewing woman indicates subservience.

“The head tilted down is to see!” she said emphatically.

“It’s a discipline coming from inside.”

Peters has an extensive collection with over 150 items and counting. Some are astonishingly intricate scenes of mourning. Some provide a genealology, which Peters then follows up on.

Some demonstrate skills such as different types of darning methods. And there are the familiar alphabets.

Peters said she stays on top of auctions and has built up a network of trustworthy dealers. Even so, sometimes she gets the short end of a transaction.

One item came in and looked very nice from the front, and not so great from the rear.

This was backwards, she realized. If the piece had been on display for decades, the front would be faded and the back in better shape. She concluded the item had been touched up.

Peters noted that the display apparatus at the Academy Building allows her to do something unusual — to display pieces so they can be seen from both sides, the better to appreciate the skill and craft involved.