On This Fair Sampler Does my Needle Write

This catalogue includes some marvellous pictures of band samplers that were collected by Emma-Henriette Schiff Von Suvero, born in Vienna in 1873. She was part of a wealthy Jewish banking family and after the annexation of Austria by the Nazi German Reich, and the subsequent persecution of the Jews, her vast collection of textile art was ‘sold’ to the Osterreichisches Museum. Over 140 pieces of embroidery were kept in in storage and are in an excellent state of preservation and many are included in this book.

The book is A4 and has 56 pages.

I am naturally drawn to Witney Antiques, a remarkable gallery in Oxfordshire which has the largest collection of historic embroideries in Europe. I regard the owner, my friend Rebecca Scott, as the fount of all knowledge when talking about samplers and the history of this genre. Rebecca has collected samplers and other early embroideries for many years and is so knowledgeable. Although her soft back, full-colour books are originally designed to support exhibitions held at the gallery, they are amazing works. All her books are a joy and a must for the sampler lover.