(Content Warning: This post contains discussions of mental health, abuse, and suicide.)

“As I cannot write I put this down

simply and freely as I might speak to a person

to whose intimacy and tenderness I can fully entrust myself”.

Around the year 1830ce, Elizabeth Parker was an English teenager who had already struggled through a hard working life, faced trauma and abuse at the hands of her employers, suffered from mental and physical health issues, and repeatedly questioned whether or not she wanted to continue living. As sad as it is to know that any child, anywhere would face a life like this, her story is not unique. I wish desperately that these were topics lost to past generations, but we all know that's not even close to the truth of our world today. While Elizabeth did end up living a long life, I would never have known her name had she not taken a scrap piece of linen and slowly, painstakingly entrusted it (and thereby us) with the most private and painful thoughts of her young life.

The Sampler was a common form of embroidery practice for young women in a variety of cultures as far back as the 1400s, and they were often saved as family keepsakes. Generally, these were 'practice' pieces, and an opportunity to keep a reference of different types of stitches and motifs that a girl could use in her future embroidery work. Embroidery skills were prioritized in whatever education many young girls received. It was a prerequisite to taking on the many responsibilities of managing a household, necessary for creating and mending the family's clothes, and could also be a potential source of income for lower-class women.