Tennessee Samplers: 19th Century Schoolgirl Embroidery Exhibition

Francis Elizabeth Hulme sampler, Sixth District, Williamson Co.

The East Tennessee Historical Society and the Tennessee Sampler Survey are featuring a traveling exhibit, Tennessee Samplers: 19th Century Schoolgirl Embroidery on view now at the Museum of East Tennessee History.

Jane Campbell sampler, Knoxville, Knox County, TN

The exhibit will be on view at the East Tennessee History Center, Knoxville through July 29, 2012. After its showing in Knoxville, the exhibit will tour the state, traveling to the Rose Center in Morristown and the McNairy County Visitors' Center in Selmer.

Since 2004, the Tennessee Sampler Survey has been documenting 19th century embroidery across the state. Twenty Tennessee samplers were selected for the exhibit, each from a different county. The exhibit presents the samplers on full-sized panels; the actual samplers are not part of this exhibit due to their fragility. Five text panels, explaining the work of the Tennessee Sampler Survey and the regional characteristics of the samplers, are also part of the exhibit.

The East Tennessee History Center is open 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday; 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Saturday; and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Sunday. Admission to the Tennessee Samplers exhibit is free. The other exhibits at the Museum of East Tennessee History have an admission fee except for Sunday which is "Family Day" with free admission. The East Tennessee History Center is located at 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37901.

A Brown Bag lecture with co-curators Jennifer Core and Janet Hasson is planned for Wednesday, July 25, at noon at the East Tennessee History Center.

This exhibit was funded in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission, CBRL Group Foundation, and the LifeWorks Foundation.

Published July 16, 2012