Darning Sampler

CC0 Public Domain Designation

1808

Possibly Maria de Bruÿn (Dutch, active early 19th century)
Netherlands

In the early 19th century, schoolgirls in Northern Europe made darning samplers to learn the crucial skill of mending, practicing a range of embroidery and darning techniques that could extend the life of garments and household textiles. Although these repairs have a beauty all their own when made in contrasting thread, they were ultimately intended to be invisible. The use of two-colored threads allowed students to discern the underlying weave structure; students would gradually transition to using one color of thread as they gained skill.

Status: On View, Gallery 58
Department: Textiles

Title: Darning Sampler
Place: Netherlands (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1808
Medium: Cotton, plain weave; embroidered in darning and cross stitches
Inscriptions: Inscription, embroidered with red cotton thread: [I or J] de [R or B]ruÿn A Wentholt / 1808 / Maria de [R or B]ruÿn
Dimensions: 33.5 × 36.7 cm (13 1/8 × 14 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Harold Keele through the Needlework and Textile Guild
Reference Number: 1976.129
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/50623/manifest.json

Jerry Bleem, “Wounds, Scars, and a Bandage,” in On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival, eds. Isaac Facio, Nneka Kai, L Vinebaum, and Anne Wilson, exh. cat. (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2025), 111, fig. 3 (ill.).

Art Institute of Chicago, Elizabeth F. Cheney and Agnes Allerton Textile Galleries, On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival, Sept. 6, 2025–Mar. 15, 2026, cat.

Mrs. Harold Keele, Chicago, by Feb. 11, 1976 [Incoming receipt, RX10495, Feb. 11, 1976; copy in curatorial object file]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1976.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.