Sampler

This sampler is a typical example of the creative handiwork of young Scottish girls in the nineteenth century. Through the making of a sampler, girls learnt stitching and also their letters and numbers. In Scotland, samplers appear to have been an essential part of a girl's formal education until about 1900.

This sampler is highly personalised and records Jane McLeod's family history through the initials of her family members. The initials embroidered in black are probably of relatives who had died. Such recording of family members is particular to Scottish samplers. Other distinctive Scottish traits in this sampler are the flat-topped A, the use of eyelet stitch, and the strawberries.