ABSTRACT
Hanging on a wall in my home is a tattered and faded embroidered map of Ireland. It is a fairly typical example of the map samplers made in the British Isles (Figure 3.1). Ireland is surrounded by an oval border of flowers, and the cartouche states that it was worked by Ann Cleland, although she didn’t mark the date. Originally, the map was in a wood and glass frame, an indication that her parents had displayed the map to show off Ann’s accomplishments. In one corner (that wouldn’t show when framed) she had practiced stitching her initials in inch-high letters, and on another margin she had experimented with other stitches. Although Ann’s sampler is a common style, there were variations depending upon the time, the school and the maker throughout the period when the maps were made.
