When we think about embroidery, we often imagine an old lady hunched over a piece of fabric, needling through it with a thread. But, Isabella Rosner has recently published a book titled Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarceration, which explores the history behind embroidery and its popularity with prisoners as a pastime.
Rosner wanted to dispel the notion that embroidery is an old woman's hobby. That is, she wanted to bring a new side, separate from the connotations brought about by that notion - that it's a hobby made for people who have the privilege of time, resources, and even status on their hands.
She started off with Mary, Queen of Scots who had been placed on some kind of house arrest for almost 18 years. Throughout that time, Mary had used embroidery as an outlet for her indignation over her situation. Imagine, she had been Queen of Scotland for 25 years, and then, was forced to abdicate because she was accused of murdering her husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.
Truly, as much as embroidery is seen as therapeutic by some, an introspective activity, it can also be a means of releasing all the violent emotions that a person has kept within. One can look at embroidery as the act of stabbing a fabric with a small, sharp object. And perhaps that's why a lot of incarcerated people have developed a fondness for the activity.
One other individual that featured in Rosner's book was Annie Parker. Nobody knew what Annie Parker looked like, but with the pieces of embroidery she left behind, we can imagine what she must have gone through. She even used locks of her hair as substitute for thread.
Through her research, Rosner found out that Parker had given birth to four children in prison, who all died. She was most likely abused by her husband as well. Records say that she was imprisoned for drunkenness, and others mention her violent behavior, breaking windows, and committing robbery.
While the cause for all of this is unfortunately unknown or uncertain, what we do have as her legacy are her famed works of hair embroidery. And for Rosner, it feels as though Parker was reaching out a hand to any who would grab it. She might have been putting all of her regret, frustration, longing, dedication, and sorrow over her situation in her artwork.
An especially poignant story is that of Rada Nikolić who had stitched a message on her handkerchief telling her family to remember her. Nikolić had been arrested by the Nazis, who charged her for involvement in anti-fascist activities. As she awaited her execution, she chose to write to her family and used embroidery as the means of conveying her message.
So yes, as much as embroidery is a nice, quiet pastime, it has also been used by people throughout history to express the depths of their sorrow, anger, frustration, and hope.
As much as any piece of art can be used in such manner, embroidered art feels more personal as we can examine and try to understand exactly what the maker must have been thinking or feeling while they were stitching.
(Image credit: Nathana Rebouças/Unsplash)