The following are just some of the museums/great houses that have renown collections of embroideries, all with an exhibit of selected textiles open to the public. It is sometimes possible to prearrange a visit to the textile's storage department for more intense study; it is most important to provide a specific abbreviated list of what type of needlework you wish to study. A photograph can never take the place of the actual embroidery - many are so awesome they take your breathe away.
Great Britain: United States:
Victoria and Albert Museum, London Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
Costume Gallery, Bath The Cloisters, NYC
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Chicago Art Institute
Platt Hall, Manchester Minneapolis Institute of Art
Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire Cleveland Museum of Art
Parkham Park, Sussex Winterthur Museum (American)
Banksfield Museum, Halifax Cooper-Hewitt Museum, NYC
Burrell Collection, Glasgow
Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh
Embroiderers' Guild of London
Having a website I am now able to share my image and slide collection of needlework history with the internet audience. This presentation will be produced in stages over the next couple years. All publications will be offered in the PDF format to be viewed by Adobe Acrobat Reader (see below*). You can print all the information, this for your personal use only. Bookmark this page and check back periodically to see what has been added, for these free internet publications will be written in stages.
CLICK on the topic of interest - those that are highlighted are currently available: (Note: These files are large so they may take time to load, particularly if the internet is busy - BE PATIENT!)
(1) The Medieval Embroidery Technique of Or Nuè
(2) English Medieval Embroidery
(3) The Art of English Blackwork
(4) The Elizabethan Needleworker
(5) Dressing the Elizabethan Woman
(6) The Elizabethan Home
(7) The Art of English Canvas Embroidery
(8) The Art of Stumpwork
(9) The Golden Age of Samplers
(10) 18th Century English Embroidery
(11) Eastern Embroidery
* After viewing a PDF file in Adobe Reader, close the program (the "X" in the upper right corner of Adobe Reader's window) and you will be returned to this website.
NEEDLEWORK HISTORY CHAPTERS
SELECTED NEEDLEWORK COLLECTIONS
NEEDLEWORK HISTORY