Loisoa Gustina Dias Oaxaca Mexican Needlework School Sampler, 1847
Item Details
A Mexican needlework band sampler in silk thread on linen canvas with floral and geometric motifs in satin stitch, cross stitch, and drawn thread openwork, marked by Loisoa Gustina Dias and dated 1847. Created as part of her schooling, Loisoa embroidered the center box with the Spanish inscription ‘Loisoa Gustina Dias en la enseñanza publica. A direction de Doña María Blasa Vale de Cerbiño. Lo acabo el dia 7 de Nobiembre de 1847.’ (‘Loisoa Gustina Dias in public education. Under the direction of Doña Maria Blasa Vale de Cerbiño. Completed on the 7th day of November, 1847’). Doña Maria Blasa Vale de Cerbiño is recorded as having founded the Colegia de Niñas (school for girls) in Oaxaca circa 1840, where she taught textile arts, cooking, and other handicrafts (Carlos Lira Vásquez, Arquitectura y sociedad: Oaxaca rumbo a la modernidad, 1790-1910; Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, 2008).
| Item Type | Sampler, School Sampler, Band Sampler, Needlework |
| Maker | Loisoa Gustina Dias |
| Technique | Satin Stitch, Cross-Stitch, Drawn Thread Work, Embroidery |
| Manufacturing Process | Handmade |
| Materials | Linen, Silk, Sequin |
| Inscriptions and/or Labels | Center box embroidered with the name of the embroiderer, schoolteacher, and date of completion |
| Period | Mid-19th Century, Antique |
| Date | 7th November, 1847 |
| Origin | Mexico |
Condition
- toning, foxing, and scattered stains to textile; slight fading to color silks; broken and worn stitches with loose thread ends throughout; tarnish to metal sequins; slight warp to sampler from frame tension; scratches, accretion, and edge wear to frame; remnants of torn backing paper to verso.
Dimensions
- measures frame; visible work 15.5" W x 20.0" H.
Item #
ITMG384771
