Picture, Needlework

Object Name:

Picture, Needlework

Object ID:

1995.575.04

Date:

1850-1880

Description:

Canvas work picture in Berlin [merino] wools and silk floss, depicting a reclining black woman with a blonde-haired little girl in her lap. The black woman wears exotic clothing with elements that would have been recognized as Turkish, including a green and yellow turban, an off-the-shoulder, loose blouse, and a colorful sash around her waist. The little girl wears a white loose dress, also off-the-shoulder [which was fashionable for children's wear in the mid-19th century], with a blue ribbon laced around the neckline. The little girl reaches up to stroke the cheek of the black woman, who smiles at her. They are reclining on a green drapery over an Oriental carpet. A large brass-colored vessel with water is in the foreground, and the black woman holds a large white cloth as if she is to bathe the child. In the background is a lavish scene with a swagged red drapery, and a paneled wall with Renaissance-revival wallpaper in beige [originally purple] and cream. In the background on the right side can be seen a garden or conservatory with a tree and other plants and a fountain. Colors are primarily shades of brown and red, cream, orange and green. The embroidery is cross-stitched at thirteen stitches to the inch on linen canvas, with the skin areas worked in petit point cross stitching [twenty-six sttiches to the inch] to achieve fine detail. The canvas is tacked to a wooden stretcher. Framed.

Material:

Textile
Wool
Silk

Dimensions:

H-19.25 W-17.2 inches

Subjects:

Blacks, Turks