Review by Choice

M. Tulokas

Embroidery samplers, proofs of a young woman's proficiency in needlework, offer a window into girls' education and women's role in the society and households of the l8th and early 19th centuries.

Ohio samplers correspond with the settlement and growth of Ohio, whose borders became established by a treaty signed with the British and Native American tribes in 1818. Even with the establishment of schools, needlework continued to be valued highly in girls' education.

Wealthy and middle-class families provided their daughters with needlecraft lessons more often than did lower-income families, as did Catholic families who patronized the female seminaries, compared with those of German heritage. From public records, such as census and church records, tax and legal documents, along with other sources, Studebaker, collector and researcher, has established the identities of almost 300 Ohio sampler stitchers.

Family histories accompany the more than 200 photographs of selected samplers, period pictures, and maps, bringing to life the circumstances, attitudes, and beliefs of the l9th-century pioneer life.

Lists of documented samplers and teachers and schools; bibliography. IBSumming Up: Recommended. General readers; graduate students; faculty and researchers.

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